To work with elephants in Africa is often considered a pipe dream, but this project makes that dream a reality. The interaction between elephants and humans can be a fascinating and absorbing experience. You will get to know the animals as individuals, appreciate their considerable intelligence, and have the opportunity to assist with research into their behaviour. The research that is being carried out here is incredibly forward thinking, with the aim of improving welfare standards in elephants across Africa in the future. You will also get to make new friends and come back with fantastic memories.

The great thing about this project is that you get close to the elephants in a way that you would never be able to experience on safari. You get to know them and, incredibly, find that they also get to know and trust you as well. It is perfect for anyone who has a passion for elephants.

Read our blog to learn why returned volunteer Andrew loved his time volunteering at the elephant park so much.

Across Africa, with the reduction of wild habitats, elephants are increasingly being looked after in private reserves. The research that is conducted on this project aims to create a standard to ensure that all elephants in care are being correctly handled and treated. Through close interaction with the ellies and their careful monitoring, they are establishing how best to look after these gentle giants.

Not only will you get to know the elephants personally, but you will also be contributing to the welfare of elephants across the African continent. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with animals and learn about the complexities of conservation work.

Finally, spending some of your gap year in Africa is a fantastic way of learning more about this incredibly diverse continent.

6:30am the volunteer day begins (7am in the winter months)

7:30am / 8am Breakfast break

8.30am volunteer tasks resume

1pm – 2pm approximate lunch break times for one hour

5pm the volunteer day generally ends*

*Once or twice per week there are night time observations of the elephants that you will get involved in

The working week is Monday morning until Friday lunchtime, although there are occasional weekends where extra volunteer contribution is necessary.

The main volunteer project lasts from 3 – 12 weeks. There is a lot of training and familiarisation required to bring volunteers fully up to speed with the research and study techniques. We would really encourage staying for as long as you can so gain full immersion into the project.

We do understand however that not everyone can give up such a large amount of time, so we also offer a one or two week long elephant experience which enables shorter term volunteers to have a taste of the action too!

It can be tricky to take a long amount of time away from jobs and responsibilities. To enable passionate people to still be able to work with elephants, we offer a one or two week elephant experience. This is a condensed version of the main volunteer project, with a reduced emphasis on research and greater emphasis on care.

On the elephant experience, you will be learning a lot about the elephants, getting a glimpse about what it is like to care for these gentle giants and dipping your toe into the main volunteer tasks. This can include:

• Cleaning out the boma (elephant sleeping area)
• Assisting with elephant research
• Making elephant enrichment
• Making elephant dung paper
• Taking an early morning walk with the elephants

The accommodation and all other arrangements are the same as for the main elephant volunteer program.

The project runs from Sunday – Sunday (not Monday to Monday like the main volunteer project).

You will be collected from George (GRJ) airport. Your flight must arrive before 2pm on your arrival Sunday. We will collect you from the airport and drive you up to the project via a supermarket, where you can collect your groceries for the week. You will be dropped back to Georgie airport on the following Sunday in time for your onward flight.

Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates and give you time to prepare. This also makes payment more manageable, as we can break your fee down into smaller parts, spaced out between when you book and when you travel. More on our booking process here.

Another thing to bear in mind, is that the upgraded luxury accommodation gets booked up very quickly, so if you know that you would like to upgrade, time is of the essence!

The elephants at the park are the main priority; their conservation, their care and their rehabilitation. Education on elephants, habitat destruction, the illegal ivory trade and exploiting elephants is also hugely important. Visitors come to the park and are given a presentation and a tour, meet the elephants and learn all about their backgrounds.

The main backbone of the volunteer programme is research and conservation. This is led by a qualified and experienced team, who have been working with these elephants for years. Many of the elephants come to the park in a distressed state, needing care and time to recover from their trauma.

There is no elephant back riding allowed at the park.

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.

We are an approved activity provider for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. You are able to put the time that you spend volunteering abroad on this project towards achieving your Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. We are happy to sign off your completion of this programme to show that you have achieved the Residential section of the Gold Award.

The elephant park is situated on the beautiful garden route which has a Mediterranean Maritime climate, with moderately hot summers, and mild to chilly winters. It is one of the richest rainfall areas in South Africa. Most of the rains occur in the winter months, brought on by the humid sea-winds from the Indian Ocean. The area is perennially green, making it a beautiful region to visit.

• Spring is from the end of August to October.
• Summer is from November to March, with December to February seeing mid-summer daily temperatures of about 24-30ºC.
• Autumnal months are April and May, with average daytime temperatures in the low 20s.
• Winter is in June – August, where the days can still be warm (up to 20ºC), but expect chilly nights.

We recommend budgeting £75 – £100 per week to cover food, outings and souvenirs. If you wish to do anything “big” like shark cage diving, a safari or a bungee jump, this will probably not fit in your weekly budget, so you should have access to more money.

If you are doing the Over 40’s package this budget won’t need to be as high, as your food will be included.

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

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.

The more the merrier! Most of our volunteers are independent travellers keen to meet other people from around the world at the project. That said, you are more than welcome to travel with friends or family. If your group is large, we would just advise you to get in touch first to make sure there is space for you all.

The simple answer to this question is, yes absolutely!

It is important to bear in mind however that this may not be like other holidays that you have taken. Remember that you are volunteering, and this means that you are expected to get involved with the work! This sort of holiday is a world away from sun loungers and cocktails, with our volunteers often heading home tired but immensely satisfied. If you think that you will need a bit of relaxation time on your trip too, do make sure to factor this in when your time on the project is complete.

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 related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for South Africa.

Hospitals and medical facilities are located in Plettenberg Bay, about 20 minutes from the park

The park is extremely safe, situated just off the Garden Route, which is one of the most touristy stretches in South Africa. The accommodation is on the park site and you will be living with other volunteers and the volunteer coordinators. A safe is provided for valuables and drawers under your beds can take padlocks to lock up your possessions too. Health and safety is of course a priority when working wtih these gentle giants, and as such you will always be with a volunteer coordinator or an elephant ranger when working out in the field. You receive full briefings on this.

Plettenberg Bay is 10 minutes drive and Knysna is 20 minutes. Both towns offer all amenities and can be reached easily by taxi.

Wifi is available at the park for free, however you will need a device to connect to it on. There are some computers on site which are used by the team for recording data, but out of working hours you are more than welcome to use these. There is a wifi connection available at the accommodation.

There is good phone reception here.

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

In South Africa, a mixture of European plugs and South African plugs are used.

It is hard to tell you everything, but here are a few ideas:

• Nearby Plettenberg Bay offers unspoilt golden beaches, a dramatic rocky peninsula, intriguing lagoons and estuaries, towering indigenous forests and unpolluted rivers and sea
• The coast itself offers whale watching, sea kayaking, diving, fishing, canoeing, sky diving, mountain biking, and motorcycle adventures
• The Crags is very close to the park and has become one of the must seen areas, with polo fields, a theatre, and an abundance of arts and crafts offerings along its vibrant Cruise the Crags route
• Nestled in the great forests lying at the feet of the fabled Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains is the quaint hamlet of Storms River offering teeming birdlife, and the world’s highest bungee jump

You will have Friday afternoons and most weekends off. You may be asked to work the occasional weekend. Evenings are generally free too, although you may be asked to do some of the night time researching too!

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. 

This is al all inclusive adventure to South Africa, where you will spend one or two weeks as a volunteers on this stunning elephant reserve. Not only will you join a group of like-minded people over the age of 40, you will also enjoy get to know the elephant herd, help to care for the ellies, assist with the research tasks and enjoy seeing the elephants frolicking in their natural habitat.

This is a carefully planned, all inclusive trip that includes all your meals and gives you the option to upgrade to luxury, private accommodation if required! Whilst you are there, you will enjoy:

• Learning about the park, its history and of course its inhabitants
• Meeting the elephants and getting to know them
• Cleaning the ellie accommodation and creating elephant enrichments
• Collecting data and on the ellies (ed. enjoy watching them roam and take notes!) and help to input data
• Assisting with elephant observations by day and by night
• Visit to a local game reserve where several of the elephants have been released after rehabilitation
• Enjoying a sunrise walk with the elephants in their beautiful home
• Exploring the local town and beach during an afternoon off – and trying some of the local cuisine in local restaurants
• Learning how to make a South African dessert during a cooking class with the in-house chef
• Round off your adventure with a traditional braai (BBQ) with your newly made friends and colleagues

Included in your trip:

• Twin accommodation on-site (possible to upgrade to a private room at an extra cost)
• 4 dinners, 4 lunches, 5 breakfasts, 1 brunch and 3 afternoon tea breaks
• 2 evening trips into the local town so that you can enjoy eating out at your own expense.
• Walk with elephants experience
• Exclusive walking safari (includes coffee, tea & rusks)
• Airport transfers

If you would like to attend with a friend who is younger than you this can also be arranged, just reach out to let us know about your group requirements!

Oyster has personally hand-picked some of the best volunteering projects out there. With so much amazing choice, it can be hard to make a decision. So we have written a guide to help you to choose the best animal volunteering project for you. In addition this, we are always more than happy to answer any questions you may have.