Want to feel small again?

Despite the size of the African bush you’re still likely to bump into all manner of animals from lions, cheetahs and monkeys to elephants, hippos and giraffes. This placement offers you a great opportunity to gain first hand experience of maintaining and expanding a nature reserve in the African bush. Fuelled by the lifetime passion of the founder, the project intends to create a Bush Lodge from where people can explore the Cederberg Wilderness while at the same time raising public interest in the area. A wide variety of tasks await you if you sign up to the project, from maintaining hiking trails (which sounds like a good excuse for a hike to us) and observing animal behaviour to identifying flora and fauna.

What does the project do?

This reserve is being by driven by a single mans passion from childhood which makes the requirements intensely demanding both physically and financially. The purpose is to create a Bush Lodge where people can base themselves and explore the Cederberg Wilderness, raising the public awareness and interest in a historic wilderness and treasure. Facilities are driven by a hybrid solar / electrical system with constant research being done to enhance the solar and wind generation elements. Recycling of waste and food is a current program that requires input and design. Ultimately the intention is to design a project that leaves the smallest carbon footprint possible. This placement offers a great opportunity to gain first hand experience of maintaining and expanding a nature reserve in the African bush. The emphasis is on offering you a unique bush experience where attention is paid not only to the wild animals, but also to all aspects of the local ecology. There are a variety of activities that allow keen conservationists of all levels the enjoyment of working and learning in the natural environment.

Great effort is being put in to restore more of the surrounding land to its original habitat and only 5% of the reserve is designated for development so as to retain the natural fauna and flora throughout. In the near future the intention is to re introduce indigenous game such as zebra, eland and springbok, alongside current species such as, baboon, leopard, lynx and various antelope. This conservation project aims to provide people with a sanctuary where they can experience the African wild as well as helping to preserve and enhance the area by gradually. There is a in-house tame North American Timberwolf ( saved from certain death ) who is fast becoming a celebrity and character in his own right.

As a volunteer you'll be helping to ensure the survival of these exceptional plants while working in one of South Africa's most breathtaking terrains. You'll find yourself humbled before Cederberg's weathered rock formations and cascading waterfalls. Delve a little deeper into the parks history and you'll discover a vast array of authentic bushman paintings, the oldest of which is at least six thousand years old. This incredible project offers a rare insight into South Africa's intriguing natural history. The Cedarberg Wilderness area, established in 1973 lies some 200km north of Cape Town. It is renowned for its spectacular landscapes and weathered sandstone rock formations as well as the increasingly rare Cedarberg tree. In addition the Cedarberg has now become a Leopard Reserve for the Cape Leopard with a locally dedicated body constantly monitoring the movements and locations of these regal felines.  

Accommodation

A privately owned nature reserve on the border of the Cedarberg, purchased 10 years ago. The placement is set in the mountains and accommodation is in a bush lodge which consists of full self catering facilities, accommodation, upmarket communal ablutions, swimming pool and a managerial house.

Your role as a volunteer:

Your time is spent in the camp and bush, working on various projects including:

• Assisting in the establishing and maintenance of roads and hiking trails
• Observing and recording animal behaviour, tracks and signs
• Identification of fauna and flora
• Landscaping and land maintenance
• Assistance of general construction
• Seed collection and planting of the unique Rooibos tea plant
• Small building projects,
• General camp maintenance and even camp management

What you’ll be getting involved with:

This placement offers a great opportunity to gain first hand experience of maintaining and expanding a nature reserve in the African bush. Activities include: clearing trails, landscaping and land maintenance, planting crops, small building projects, general camp maintenance and even camp management. The emphasis is on offering you a unique bush experience where attention is paid not only to the wild animals, but also to all aspects of the local ecology. There are a variety of activities that allow keen conservationists of all levels the enjoyment of working and learning in the natural environment. The Cedarberg wilderness area offers opportunities for recreation in active sports such as hiking and climbing as well as cultural explorations discovering the area’s history. For avid astronomers, the night skies are a dream come true! On your weekends your time is your own and you could find yourself getting involved with drumming and musical instrument evenings, relaxing by the pool or seeing the great local sites.

Airport pick-up included

You will be met at the airport if arriving on the scheduled arrival date . Please book your flight to arrive into Cape Town (airport code CPT), we advise you arrive before 16.00 to avoid missing your orientation in the afternoon.

Where the project is based:

Gecko Creek is part of the Sneeuberg Conservancy Biosphere situated on the border of the Cedarberg Wilderness. The project is 200km north of Cape Town.

The Cedarberg wilderness area offers opportunities for recreation in active sports such as hiking and climbing as well as cultural explorations discovering the areas history. For avid astronomers the night skies are a dream come true with a shooting star visible at least every 15 minutes in skies that are like "diamonds on velvet ". Lifestyle after hours and at weekends can include fires in the Boma / drumming / musical instrument evenings / relaxing by the pool / canoeing down the Olifants River ( 30km long ) or flying though the Cedarberg Mountains with the local pilots.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:

You should have a genuine love for conservation and African wildlife in general. The key thing is to have a hard-working attitude and eagerness to learn. This can be a demanding placement with early mornings and repetitive activities but the memories and sights will be worth it!

• You should have a keen interest in African conservation
• The key thing is to have a hard-working attitude and eagerness to learn.
• This can be a demanding placement with early mornings and repetitive activities but the memories and sights will be worth it!

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

The following information details what will happen during the first few days of your arrival. We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. It's also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in South Africa.

You will arrive on the Arrival Date; Monday and will be met at the airport. You will be taken to the Surfpackers Hostel (see contact details below) where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight. The hostel is located within walking distance shops and the beach if you wish to have a wander; just ask at reception for directions.

Note: If you wish to make your own way please arrange to be at the address below on the arrival date:

Your orientation will take place at 3.30pm on the arrival date at Surfpackers and will introduce you to life in Cape Town as well as important information about staying healthy and safe. You'll also get to try your hand at drumming! You will stay at Surfpackers on Monday night before transferring to your permanent accommodation on the Tuesday. The transfer will be arranged for you by the team; transfers within Cape Town will take about 1 hour and those traveling further away can take up to 6 hours. Tuesday will also be the first day that you meet your project and start working as a volunteer. From here on in you will spend your time with the project but the in-country team are there if you need them.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Suggested Trips

Weekend trips

At weekends there are many local attractions and activities to take advantage of such as hiking, caving, swimming, canoeing and scenic flights.

Nearby sites, one hour away

• Clan William Dam (waterskiing, etc)
• Cedarberg hikes
• Lamberts Bay (coast and harbour)