10 Day Victoria Falls Voluntour

The reserve is honored as an Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) for black rhino in the area. An intensive rhino monitoring programme is in place, with the aim of increasing the black rhino population in the area in the fight against the recent and widespread poaching of rhinoceros in southern Africa. Volunteers are placed in the reserve just minutes from the falls and is a 2500 hectare, privately-managed piece of pristine African wildness. It is home to populations of all the African ‘Big 5’, including a large amount of elephants and even populations of the critically endangered black rhino. The focal point of activity at the Reserve is preservation and conservation through non-consumptive activity in order to sustain and support the various ecosystems.

This 10 day voluntour is situated at a Conservation Centre on the Stanley & Livingstone Private Game Reserve in the far western corner of Zimbabwe. Of course, there will also be the chance to explore the world famous natural wonder and UNESCO heritage site of Victoria Falls. Also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (meaning “the smoke that thunders”), the falls will completely take your breath away. This 10 day experience has been designed to allow volunteers to experience the many aspects of conservation taking place at the reserve, and the skills required to live in the bush, in a condensed amount of time. Volunteers on the tour are provided with the opportunity to gain a hands-on experience in conservation management activities, and community development projects.

Perks and responsibilities of this volunteer opportunity:

Enjoying Victoria Falls -
Spend a morning walking along and learning all about ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ (“the smoke that thunders”): the largest waterfall in the world.

Sunset Cruise -
Cruise on the Zambezi River downstream towards the Victoria Falls down to Palm Island before turning around and cruising back upstream. You have the chance to see hippos, crocodiles as well as an abundance of birdlife. While on the cruise, you will be offered drinks from the kitchen. After watching the sun set over the river, you will be served dinner while cruising on the river.

Sustainability -
All of the reserve’s facilities are committed to ‘green’ operations that minimise environmental impact. Volunteers will be required for tasks including the installation of solar-powered pumps at watering holes, the up-keep of the community vegetable garden, and tending to the ‘Indigenous Tree Nursery’.

Education and Community Development -
As well as gaining a huge amount of knowledge about the conservation issues in this area of Zimbabwe and sustainable solution options, volunteers will also be required to work with local residents and schoolchildren, through community development projects. However, as the volunteer, your education is of primary importance, so that you are able to impart your knowledge effectively during interaction with local people. Therefore, you will attend a number of lectures and talks on the conservation issues facing the reserve’s wildlife.

Conservation Management -
These are the day-to-day tasks that keep the conservation centre ticking over. The activities include fence patrols to repair any damage, anti-poaching sweeps, waterhole creation, game counts, tree protection, mapping, road maintenance and general clean-ups. This is usually manual work, and is essential in order to maintain the standards of the centre and reserve, and ensure that both continue to function as effectively as possible.

Conservation Research -
These tasks centre on collecting data on the behaviours and locations of the reserve’s species. Doing so involves the monitoring of the species, with a particular focus on the elephant, rhino, hornbill and predator populations. The specifics of this include monitoring, raptor conservation, data collection and other specific observation projects. A large part of this conservation research is also freshwater ecosystem analysis along the visually stunning Masuwe River.

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