Wild desert elephants exist in only two places in the world, and their very existence is under threat. Join an impressive conservation project which aims to improve their survival in this arid environment.

When?
You can volunteer for 2 – 12 weeks throughout the year, except between mid-December and mid-January.

What’s it all about?

Desert elephants and humans have lived alongside each other in the Namib desert for generations, and often in harmony. As the habitat becomes drier and more inhospitable however, the competition for limited resources such as water becomes more fierce. This conservation project aims to help elephants and humans to live alongside each other once more.

The project involves two main activities:

– building walls around water sources
– monitoring elephants in the wild

The walls enable humans to protect their water sources, whilst also providing drinking troughs for the wild elephants. Monitoring the elephants enables the project to gather data about the herds’ size and behaviour, and make plans for where to build the next walls and lead the next conservation initiatives. You will be lucky enough to meet local people, live in an astonishingly beautiful environment and see majestic elephants roaming.

Accommodation and food

One of the unique parts of this project is that you will be camping out under the stars each night in the desert. You will learn how to cook over a camp fire, and the meals are surprisingly delicious, with things like carbonara, bolognese, curry and roasted peppers. This is an experience like no other.

Free time

You will be busy volunteering from Monday – Saturday, with Sundays free to relax in the desert. Every 2 weeks there is a 2 day trip back to the local town 5 hours away, so you can return to civilisation for wifi, shopping and eating out.

How much does it cost?

2 weeks costs £1450 and 4 weeks costs £2200. You can book extra fortnights up to 12 weeks.

Project requirements

Volunteers must be 17+ to participate. The summer is very popular, so you are encouraged to book early to guarantee your space.

How do I get involved

If you would like to take part in this programme then you can find more information on our website.

Alternatively, or feel free to contact the team at [email protected]