MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Has anyone here ever been on a volunteer holiday? Thinking something along the lines of wildlife conservation.
After some advice on good companies/companies to avoid. Any particular highlights of a holiday you may have been on.
Thinking of trying to book for around September/October time
Thanks!!
I have done a couple with Earthwatch which were good if expensive. Bear in mind that you will probably be working more on the habitat of the wildlife than directly with the wildlife. We described the work we did on wildlife corridors in a canyon in Utah as "extreme gardening": it was good fun though! You may have a local conservation volunteering group which does things such as fencing, coppicing, scrub bashing etc on weekends plus trips away. Basically if you like doing outdoorsy work with a bunch of like minded people you will probably enjoy whatever you are doing.
Many years back one of our climbing party had a 'liason' with a volunteer on the Island of Lundy. She was there as part of a group pruning Rodedendrum as it's slowly taking over the island. Not a bad place to volunteer for a week.
We did a trip out to The Gambia a few years ago. My wife was helping The Gambia Horse and Donkey trust train para vets to look after the local animals and I went out to do some small animal work mainly neutering beach dogs.
It was a great experience that reinforced how much I loved my job and also how lucky we are in this country. I would do it again and would suggest it may be worth looking at some of the smaller charities in areas where you are interested in visiting and contacting them directly to see if you can volunteer.
We paid flights for flights and took out medical supplies and had bed and board whilst we were out there.
Highlight was doing a bitch spay outside in the yard of the house on the kitchen table whilst the family sat and watched from the side chatting away. That and the chimps and hippos and fantastic bird life and people.