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We've teamed up with The Lion Park in South Africa to offer an exclusive volunteer opportunity. The Park is famed as a pioneer in the rearing of white lions, cats that are now completely extinct in the wild, and you could soon get to see them every day! The Lion Park is a popular visitor destination and the team specialize in the care of Africa's large predators; the Lion (including the rare white lion), Leopard, Cheetah, Spotted Hyena, Brown Hyena and African Wild dog. It is also home to many of the other animals that make South Africa one of the wildlife jewels of the world. Volunteering in South Africa on this project means you can run wild with lions, giraffes and cheetah cubs, so get involved with the team and help these amazing animals.
The primary role of the park revolves around the white lions that are bred on-site. White lions are already extinct in the wild and their survival depends on parks like this one.
The Park also educates the general South African public about Africa's indigenous animals by creating environments as close to their natural habitats as possible and providing informative tours around the park. Guests can even interact with the selected hand-reared cubs in a monitored environment and are guaranteed to see many of Africa's biggest predators, as well as its many herbivores.
The Park is approximately 208 hectares and each camp is between three and five hectares. With so many animals and this much land, the park requires a lot of maintenance and management. Lion cubs alone are demanding and need feeding every few hours in their first few months.
You will spend 9 straight days/ 10 nights, working at the park from 8am to 5pm/6pm, the volunteers help in daily tasks such as feeding, cleaning and exercising the animals, especially the lion cubs. Volunteers can get involved showing visitors around the centre and take school groups around the lion park supervising their interaction with the cubs. Like the majority of park staff, volunteers will be expected to do general maintenance work around the centres and help the with cleaning duties. Typical tasks include:
After volunteering at the Lion Park you will then have the opportunity to see South Africa's animals in the wild. You will be transferred to Pretoria backpackers and have three nights here where you will go on a one day tour including a trip to Hartebeespoort Dam with a visit to the Chameleon Craft Market (a great place to pick up some African Handicrafts). After the market you will drive through rural South Africa to Pilanesburg national Park where you will enjoy a picnic and afternoon looking for the big 5 in the wild, taking photos and visiting waterholes frequented by hippos! You'll then have a day off in Pretoria to pick up last minute presents before flying back home.
Permanent, army-style tented camps are located on the project site, the tents have proper beds inside which can accommodate up to four volunteers. The tents have electricity and the bathroom facilities including a hot shower, while the kitchen has an oven and washing machine. You should be prepared to live life on the wild side though… the various buck species can sometimes be found grazing in the tented camp area, while it’s not unheard of for the two tame resident giraffes to steal food from an evening braai (South African BBQ)!
All the necessary materials will be provided, including two volunteer T-shirts that should be worn at all times when working on the park. Take clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty – comfortable khaki is preferable. Comfortable hiking shoes are essential, and you should also pack a raincoat and some sun block. Please remember that you are a representative of the park and therefore you must adhere to the dress code by wearing the T-shirt provided and trousers or shorts, which you will need to bring with you at all times.
There is a restaurant and curio shop on site. The project is self-catering, so please budget US$50 or GP£25 for this per week. A weekly shopping trip is organized by the Lion Park staff.
Please book your flight to arrive into Johannesburg (airport code JNB) on the advertised arrival date to ensure your airport pickup and attend your orientation in the afternoon. On arrival you will be transferred straight to the Lion Park and will start working the next day.
Date: 2008-11-19
Meeting so many people from different parts of the world, different cultures, languages has been a huge learning curve, and good exposure to most of our staff, that have never left the African shores.
Date: 2008-11-19
A treasured time is when our animal trainer/lion wrangler, Alex, gets out and talks to the animals and gives the volunteers a lesion on animal behaviour and husbandry, they all without fail find this the highlight of their time with us.
Date: 2008-11-19
Many little new ideas have come from volunteers. e.g.: the nursery standards and care came by way of advice from a veterinary nurse who had worked in zoo's across the world.
Date: 2008-11-19
They bring a breath of fresh air to our Park, and even visitors love talking to them, and getting their views on life in other countries.
Date: 2008-11-19
Yes, most certainly. We often meet extremely interesting people, who have given up in many instances, at a huge sacrifice their time, initiative, money for our benefit.
Date: 2008-11-19
An above average skills level comes to our park, and networking with our staff has a positive rub off and influence. This close contact has matured a number of our staff, talking to people who have traveled, and come with innovative ideas.
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….
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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 (days will vary) and will be met at the airport on (we recommend you arrive between 8.00 and 16.00 in order to attend your orientation). You will be taken from the airport straight to the Lion Park where you will have your orientation introducing you to life in South Africa and at the project. The transfer will take about 1 to 1.5 hours from the airport to the project.
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 >>
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.
A journey into South Africa’s history is to haul through periods of racial tension, oppression and hope. Its multicultural mix originates from the earliest settlers, the San (also known as Bushmen) and Khoi-Khoi tribes, followed by Bantu-speaking groups, and through to the swarm of European traders. The Dutch were among the first European settlers and arrived in the 17th century, establishing their presence through their own dialect, Afrikaan, and religion in the form of the Dutch Reformed Church. By the end of the 18th century, the British began to push their presence forward into the country’s towns. It was a period of flared tensions with Zulu chief Shaka renouncing war on neighbouring tribes. Meanwhile, the Boers (Dutch Afrikaner farmers) and the British became locked in conflict; the Anglo-Boer War lasted from 1899 to 1902, ending with the British taking control of the Boer republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State (OFS) and consequently ruling the country.
By 1910, the Union of South Africa was created and gave political power to whites, while blacks set up political parties in protest, the African National Congress (ANC) the best known. It ushered in the beginnings of apartheid, which became widely ingrained after the Afrikaner National Party came to power in 1948. Violence against protests from blacks was enforced and the black population were evicted to so-called Homelands. In the 1960s, leaders of the ANC were imprisoned, notably Nelson Mandela, and the country became isolated having left the Commonwealth and declaring its republic status. After a long period of racial divide and conflict, in 1989 FW de Klerk came to power with the aim to rid the country of apartheid and instil democracy. The following year, Mandela was released from prison and in 1994 became president after the ANC won the country’s first non-racial general elections; the country also returned to the Commonwealth. The country’s democratic stance has steered it toward a more harmonious future, though economic inequalities between whites and blacks exist, but as the most developed economy on the continent it is in a good position to reconcile with its past.
Naturally, South Africa’s seasons are the reverse of the northern hemisphere with summer heat burning from November to March and cooler winter temperatures from June to August. Temperature wise, spring (September to October) and autumn (April to May) provide a happy medium. Certain must-do activities are restricted to specific times of year: safari is best from June to September and the whale watching season is June to December. The busiest time, hence the most expensive, is during the summer months, while the major school holidays are during December and Easter.
Given the distances involved, flying is the most convenient way to travel between the main destinations, while land transportation can efficiently pick up the rest of the mileage for exploration in and around. There are an assortment of domestic carriers to choose from that fly the main routes, with most running from Johannesburg or Cape Town; these include South African Airways, Nationwide Airlines, Kulula and 1Time. Booking early is advisable to secure discounted rates.
There country also boasts a comprehensive bus network that covers the main cities; the road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town is around 20 hours (compared to a 2 hour in a plane). The main bus companies are Translux, Greyhound and Intercape. Baz Bus is aimed at the backpacker crowd and provides a hop-on, hop-off service and also travels to remote areas. It’s a good way to discover the picturesque patch of coastline that is the Garden Route, which it services en route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.
Train travel can work out longer than by bus, with the trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town edging toward almost 30 hours. If you’re after a little luxury, try the Blue Train or the Rovos Rail for a taste of stylish travel.
Car rental is an attractive option thanks to the good road conditions, great scenery and the flexibility driving allows. The big car rental companies like Avis and Budget have outlets and it’s essential to be fully insured and have a valid driver’s licence. It’s also a convenient way to get around cities as public transport can be unsafe.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA)
Bus company Baz Bus
Domestic airline 1Time
Bus company Greyhound
Bus company Intercape
Domestic airline Kulula
Nationwide Airlines
South African Airways
Bus company Translux
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Being part of an i-to-i project is a totally unique experience. You’ll join a global network of volunteers working side-by-side with local people and experience things that you’ve never dreamed of.
Be Part of this or any project and help us reach our goal of 400yrs combined volunteer help this and many other projects around the world.
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
* We can be held responsible for any starry-eyed and amazing journeys of enlightenment, discovery and thorough enjoyment...