Day to day tasks will be based on the strict schedules of care. You will need to be flexible and willing to get stuck in and expect one day off per week. There are of course opportunities for children to rest and ample trips to get involved in if there long enough. Don’t forget about our fantastic Safari bolt on too.

You need to be prepared to get very mucky (yep, poo and wee !), live in basic African accommodation and be happy to be part of a wider team.

The work is crucial, as it allows for the smooth running of the centre and means that more baboons in distress can be cared for. The centre is run by the volunteers and there are lots of tasks which are not monkey-orientated, such as sorting food, tending to other types of animals,  and helping to maintain the centre.

You will be given an in depth volunteer guide and training sheet.

There will be presentations and tours on arrival, separate uniform is required for cleaning shifts and nursery shifts.

• Day 1 afternoon arrival consists of a general tour
• Day 2: Welcome presentation, Phase 1 tour
• Day 2: Baboon behaviour presentation, Phase 2 tour
• Day 2: Baboon film
• Day 2: Introduction to general shifts; Milk and Food Prep and Phase 1 animals (non-primate). These are rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, lizards and snakes (optional)
• From there on other films are shown. Phase 1 presentation, river safety tour, tracks and signs at the river – often there are various wild animal tracks / signs which makes this a fun activity!
• General shift work everyday as below

SHIFTS

• TROOP CLEAN; Enclosure cleaning
• FEED SACKS / FOOD PREP; Daily food prepping shifts in the Milk Kitchen
• Milk Bottles; Making milk formula for the infants
• ENRICHMENT; Making and watching the baboons receive enrichments
• NURSERY; Taking care of any nursery orphans in the nursery quarantine
• RABBITS / GUINEA PIGS; which have been companion animals in the past for porcupine babies and wart hog babies, but also so that any incoming groups of school children can be taught “Animal Kindness” and have hands-on contact
• SNAKES / LIZARDS; If the volunteer isn’t afraid they can help take care of the snakes (rescued exotics) which also aid to teach children and adults to respect and value their ecological role
• CHICKENS; they keep the bugs in balance. They need caring for; letting out in the morning and putting them to bed at night. Night beds need cleaning out and animals fed
• BONDING; If any infants are in the process of being bonded to an adult baboon surrogate, the volunteers will help facilitate their relationship building in purpose built bonding enclosures.
• MONITORING; Volunteers can join experienced staff to observe and learn more about baboon behaviour, social structures and troop dynamics

Normally young babies come into the centre having lost their family. The team nurture the baby back to health with the support of volunteers and a surrogate human ‘mum’. From around 12 weeks old start, the team start to bond the baby to a new baboon mother (again supported by volunteers).

Once bonded (this takes about 1 month), they return baby and surrogate to the female’s troop and integrate them. It’s an emotional but very rewarding process. Troops are fully formed through bonding orphaned baboons with troops ranging from 15-30 primates.

When ready, the team release the troops nearby with much monitoring and observation. They are often visited to see how they are getting on throughout the coming years.

Baboons are born throughout the year and so there can be baby baboons at all times. The team nurture whatever primate needs it, they rescue young infants based on this rather than for volunteer ‘experience’.

Hopefully you will be able to help feed and bond with very young baboons at the centre, however this is not guaranteed. Babies are moved to surrogates following this process in order to help them gain as much nature skill and knowledge as possible for rehabilitation into the wild.

Oyster assesses projects carefully to ensure that they offer high standards of animal welfare and environmental practice. We also check that volunteers understand key points of good practice before working with animals. To find out more, see our animal welfare policy.

Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of July to September.

This project is open to people from all walks of life, and as such you should expect to be with a group of volunteers of all ages. We cannot guarantee that there will be other families there at the same time as you. Your project work will be pitched towards the ages of you and your children.

November – March: Summer. Temperatures reach into the 30s (celsius) during the day, and don’t fall much below 20 degrees at night time. There is the highest annual rainfall at this time of year, averaging between 5 and 7cm per month.

April – May: Autumn. Temperatures reach into the late 20s (celsius) during the day, but can fall as low as 10 degrees at night time. The average rainfall is about 2cm per month.

June – August: Winter. Temperatures reach up to the early 20s (celsius) during the day, but can fall as low as 5 degrees at night time. There is almost no rainfall at this time of year.

September – October: Spring. Temperatures range from mid to late 20s (celsius) during the day, and fall between 10 – 15 degrees at night time. There is nominal rainfall at this time of year, between 1 and 4cm of rain per month on average.

We would recommend budgeting up to £50 per week for a small family to include snacks and souvenirs. Larger trips should be budgeted separately.

• £18 for t-shirt deposit (refunded onsite)

There is really easy access to cash machines in the local town so you do not need to take all your cash with you.

If you are going for over 4 weeks, you might like to consider getting a cash card. Cash cards are a safe and convenient way to take your money travelling with you – they act just like debit cards but do not have the same fees as you might have to pay on your bank cards from home. Check out our blog for details on how the card works here.

No visa is necessary for under 90 days from UK and most western European countries. You will receive a tourist stamp upon arrival allowing you stay in the country for free for up to 90 days.

You need to make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 30 days after you leave South Africa.

South African immigration requires that minors travelling with just one parent have an unabridged copy of their birth certificate with them, plus a parental consent letter from the absent parent. Where both parents are travelling, an unabridged copy of the minor’s birth certificate is required. For more information, please refer to the South African High Commision.

You will need to have a TB vaccine (BCG), OR a negative TB test (as children we had them in the UK, so it should be easy for UK volunteers; in Europe though they have stopped giving them so we ask them to get a negative test). A BCG scar is fine as proof.

You should visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out what vaccinations you will need. Your routine vaccinations will need to be up to date; hepatitis A and Typhoid are likely. You should follow your doctor’s advice.

Please check below for where the closest hospital to the project is – your doctor may ask to know this so that they can provide information on rabies.

For any more information, including entry requirements, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for South Africa.

Marula Med in Phalaborwa (emergency centre) – 45-60 minutes. Closest large hospital is the medi clinic in Tzaneen – 1.5 hours

Safety is of paramount importance to us. Before your departure you will be given a full briefing and will be given information on how to stay safe. We have chosen programmes in areas which do not have safety concerns, but we do monitor the situation and follow advice from the UK government. There are excellent staff members on the ground who ensure that our volunteers stay safe. Having said all this it is of course your responsibility to make sure that you are careful and follow guidance on safety. Due to the rural location of this programme you live on site with other volunteers and staff and when you leave the centre you travel with a member of staff.

The centre is in a very secure and safe area.  The project is located in rural South Africa, approximately 7 hours north of Johannesburg. It is a beautiful and unspoilt area.

The town is 1 hour away on a good road. It has all you need – shopping malls, banks, lively places to eat and drink and good medical facilities. There is a weekly trip.

Hoedspruit is about 1.5 hours away. As there are regular pick ups in Hoedspruit, there is often a town trip to Hoedspruit as well.

The project is ‘in the bush’ so it’s patchy and they can experience load shedding (no power). But generally it’s good enough for volunteers to message.

The project is ‘in the bush’ so it’s patchy and they can experience load shedding (no power). But generally it’s good enough for volunteers to message.

South Africa is 2 hours ahead of GMT (GMT +2)

A special South African three pin plug can be purchased at most airports and travel stores. European sockets are also prevalent.

There are no set days off at the centre but you should expect to have one day off per week.

Volunteers get meal breaks during the day, and are free in the evenings. They get one day off a week to rest, plus can do trips and join us on outreach activities.

DAYS OFF / EXCURSIONS; all charged separately and to be paid in cash

• The Kruger tour arranged by Oyster
• Panorama Tour; a tour of the panorama route
• Nourish Eco-Village Visit; to visit a community project / childrens creche
• HALO Outreach; you can join every other Saturday to do dog health clinics (health checks, dipping for ticks / fleas / vaccinations)
• Days off can be taken at the lodge next door (pay for use of the pool for the day but take your own food / drinks) or you can be dropped off at a Bar / Pool just outside of the reserve where you can use the pool for free as long as youbuy food / drinks from the menu)
• Olifants Riverboat Safari and dinner; every other Wednesday
• Reptile Park visit
• Moholoholo tour
• Vervet Monkey Foundation
• Jane Goodall Chimp Eden

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and work-related training.  Once you are comfortable with things, you might not always have a supervisor working alongside you, but there will always be staff and other volunteers around to help, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project.  This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport until the time you are dropped back there.  Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk.  This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.