Volunteers looking for a truly rustic African experience need look no further! This project, based in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in the eastern part of Botswana. Its isolated location and sheer size of the area has resulted in little being known about the wildlife within thisstunning wilderness which is home to more than 1800 elephants. The project aims to give volunteers the opportunity to study wild animals in this wilderness environment and to produce really valuable data that can be incorporated into other academic research projects in Africa and beyond. The Game Reserve borders the great LImpopo River and offers opportunities to observe a huge range of wildlife including eland, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, kudu, impala as well as the predator population of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and both spotted and brown hyena.
Volunteers will assist in tracking, observing and monitoring animal species and updating the reserve's database as well as assisting in the preservation and protection of Botswana's wildlife. Volunteers get really involved in the work rather than just observing, and are a really valuable asset to this project. During their time at the project volunteers are given practical instruction in many relevant topics including wildlife tracking, animal behaviour, bird and plant identification and astronomy. The project is actively involved with local schools and sponsor and operate five-night camps for the local children, helping them to develop an interest in conserving and nurturing these fragile ecosystems in the future.
Duration & Fees
- £1,295 - 2 weeks
- £1,845 - 4 weeks
Start Dates
Volunteers can join on any Wednesday in the year
Payment
£180 deposit at time of booking – balance payment of project fee due 12 weeks before departure
What's Included
- Programme Fee - a large part of the cost which finances all aspects of the project.
- Return transfers to and from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport
- Accommodation and Food
- All transportation and equipment required to carry out project work
- Support and guidance from the project management team
- Orientation on arrival
What's not included
- Personal travel insurance to include cover for repatriation
- International flights to Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo)
- All items of a personal nature, travel goods, clothes
- Any visas required
- Any extra excursions over and above planned itinerary
This is an exciting opportunity to have a true wild conservation and bush experience in the stunning Northern Tuli Wilderness. This area forms part of the trans frontier conservation area, allowing the natural migration of game across historically established national borders making the research and work done by the staff and volunteers so important to the future of this ground breaking conservation initiative.
Volunteers will spend their days out in vehicles or on foot tracking and monitoring the amazing African wildlife in this area and their evening in true bush style surrounding a camp fire, under the star lite sky in the wonderful rustic camp by the river bed.
Key Volunteers Activities
The work of the project focuses on two main areas: elephant behaviour - the herd make-up, movements, parent/offspring behaviour, feeding traits etc - and predator activity which covers individual species, territory utllisation, feeding and social behaviour.
Days are planned by the Project Co-ordinator to ensure that data is recorded on each animal species and their habitats and volunteers may venture out on foot or in the Game Viewer vehicle. Data is also collected on birds, vegetation mapping and tree population and growth to meet specific project needs at any time. Volunteers will learn the bush skills of identifying animals and birds by their behaviour, tree and plant identification as well as the art of tracking - which is so valuable in finding the wildlife and understanding their behaviour. Telemetry is used to locate the lions, leopard and wild dog and can be used day and night to give incredible viewing opportunities and the chance to record really useful data on animal behaviour.
The first activity of a typical day takes place after breakfast and on return volunteers transfer the collected data onto the project computer and then spend the very hot part of the day browsing in the library, eating lunch and generally socialising with other volunteers. The second activity of the day may focus on what was found earlier in the day - perhaps following predator tracks - or may follow a completely new direction. Some mornings may start at 3.00 am or the day may continue beyond midnight taking the volunteers into the kingdom of nocturnal creatures. Climbing a hilltop on the reserve to monitor wildlife and watch the African Sunset over the Tuli Wilderness is a memory you will never forget. Volunteers may also get the opportunity for bush sleep-outs - what an experience!
The data collected by the volunteers is added to the camp database which is shared from time to time with ongoing academic research projects with the aim of furthering knowledge of the wilderness areas and the behaviour of the animals living therein.
The dedicated volunteer camp consists of rustic huts with communal outdoor bathrooms and a central kitchen/dining area. There is a separate braai (barbecue) area where a fire is made each evening. Gas and paraffin are used for power and lighting and hot water is produced by a "donkey-boiler" system. The camp is unfenced and in the heart of the wilderness and much different wildlife visits the camp on a regular basis. Accommodation is shared on a single sex basis and it may be possible to spend time at a tented safari camp along the shady floodplain of the Limpopo River. All tents have two single beds, fans and both electric and hurricane lamps. This camp is also unfenced.
Laundry is done by hand twice weekly by the camp staff but volunteers often wash their own underwear and socks. Bed linen is laundered weekly.
All food is provided and volunteers take turns to cook the evening meal on a rota basis. Meals are simple but wholesome and vegetarians can be catered for. Breakfast and lunch are on a self-serve basis and the evening meal is substantial and taken around the campfire under the incredible starry night sky. Fresh bread is baked daily and although the washing up is done by camp staff, volunteers are required to assist when required and to keep the accommodation clean and tidy at all times.
Botswana
Why visit Botswana?
Botswana is a land of dramatic contrasts, from the crystal clear waters of the Okavango Delta, to the large elephant herds in the Chobe National Park, the abundant birdlife in Moremi Game Reserve and the vast savannah of the Kalahari desert, which covers over 70% of the country. It is no wonder that Botswana has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Surrounded by the sands of the Kalahari Desert is the magical oasis of the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta, formed by ancient seismic shifting of the earth's surface. Wide grassy floodplains are host to a magnificent array of wild animals. Within this lacework of channels, game viewing and bird watching is frequently guided from mokoro (dugout canoes) or more commonly, environmentally-friendly fibreglass replicas. In these slender flat-bottomed craft, visitors are propelled by expert polers.
Chobe National Park, approximately 62 miles due west of Victoria Falls, is abundant with wildlife all year round, and features the beautiful Chobe River on its northern boundary. Throughout the area numerous clay-bottomed pans hold water during the short rainy season. During the rainy season, from November, one can witness the zebra migration from the north-western area of Linyanti heading south through the Savute plains to the salt pans around Makgadikgadi, where the foals are born. The herds then return to Linyanti between February and April.
The Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the most remote and unspoiled parts of Africa. At certain times of the year, usually during the summer rains, the northern section of the Park is one of the prime game viewing areas of Botswana, not to mention the breathtaking landscapes that await discovery.
Highlights of Botswana
- Seventeen percent of Botswana is comprised of pristine national reserves, featuring some of Africa's most beautiful subtropical wilderness, generally teeming with wildlife.
- A land of awesome contrasts - from the vast plains of the Kalahari Desert to the crystal clear waters of the world's largest inland delta, the Okavango Delta.
- Game viewing by mokoro (dugout canoe) in the Delta is unforgettable.
- Sunshine totals are high all year round, although winter is still the sunniest period.
- Chobe National Park is home to the mighty Chobe River and what is arguably the world's largest concentration of elephants.
- View Botswana’s annual zebra migration in the Linyanti and Savute areas.
- Moremi Game Reserve is renowned for its superb birdlife.
- The game-filled Central Kalahari Game Reserve, at 54,600 km2, is Botswana's largest reserve.
Climate
| Seasons | Max | Min |
| Summer/wet (October -April) |
45 °C |
25 °C |
| Winter/dry ( May - September) |
26 °C |
0 °C |
| Rainfall: November - March |
Botswana is semi-arid, due to the short rain season. It experiences extremes in both temperature and weather.
In the winter (late May through September), days are normally clear, warm and sunny, and nights are cool to cold, with average temperatures of around 14 °C. The whole country is windy and dusty during the dry season. Wildlife never wanders far from water sources, so sightings are more predictable than in the wetter summer season. This is also the time of school holidays, so some areas can be busy, especially between mid-July and mid-September.
In summer (October to April), Botswana has hot summers with average temperatures around 26 °C. Wildlife can be harder to spot and rains can render sandy roads impassable. This is also the time of the highest humidity and the most stifling heat, where daytime temperatures of over 40°C are common, so the magnificent afternoon showers can be a welcome relief.
The main rains fall between December and March, but often just in the form of brief thundershowers that last an hour or two before the sun re-emerges. The sunlight after an African storm is incredibly intense and superb for wildlife photography. The summer rains also bring spectacular migrant birds to Botswana.
Key Facts
Population – 2 million
Capital - Gaborone
Currency –pula (BWP)
Official Language(s) – English and Setswana
Time difference – GMT +2 hours
Telephone – country code 267, international access code 00
I really miss Tuli it was the most amazing place ever! I can't stop thinking about it the memories are great and I can't wait to return!
Maggie, UK (Botswana Wilderness Conservation Volunteer)
I still can't believe how great it was, definitely the best thing I've ever done. Also will end up being a pretty big influence on how my life goes I think, it helped convince me I want to do conservation stuff in the future and I am now doing Zoology with Conservation at uni because of that.
Tom, UK (Botswana Wilderness Conservation Volunteer)