KENYA PROGRAMME
In Kenya you’ll spend time on a private conservancy in Laikipia, hosted by our gap management team and led each day by professional Kenyan safari guides.
Mornings start early as you head into the bush to help with practical conservation tasks: maintaining airstrips and tracks, clearing campsites, checking camera traps and assisting with simple habitat management jobs. Alongside this hands‑on work, you’ll learn how conservancies operate – from community partnerships to balancing livestock, wildlife and tourism.
Out on game drives and on foot, guides will teach you to read tracks, recognise bird calls and understand animal behaviour.
You’ll visit neighbouring conservancies and see different models of conservation in action, from community‑run areas to private reserves, and discuss the real challenges of protecting wildlife and wild spaces in modern Africa.
ZIMBABWE PROGRAMME
In the Save Valley Conservancy you’ll live in the middle of a working wildlife area that is home to elephant, buffalo, rhino and big cats. This is not a safari from the back of a vehicle for a few days – it is two full weeks seeing how a ranch and conservancy actually operate.
You will:
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Join professional guides on game drives and walks to learn about animal behaviour, tracking and birdlife.
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Help with practical conservation work such as tracker dog training, maintaining tracks, campsites and water points, and assisting with simple habitat management tasks.
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Spend time with the anti poaching team to understand the realities and risks involved in protecting wildlife.
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See how a wildlife ranch balances tourism, conservation and agriculture in a tough economic climate.
The aim is not just to “tick off” wildlife sightings, but to understand what it takes to keep wild landscapes and animals thriving in modern Africa.
Southern Zimbabwe, a further 2 weeks is spent on a working cattle ranch with wildlife, crops, ancient rock paintings, volunteering on the farm, in a primary school and with the anti-poaching team of rangers. Mustering cattle on horseback, swimming with horses, fishing and canoeing in the dam, this hidden spot is a magic place to spend 2 weeks before moving onto Victoria Falls and all its adventures.
