The Location
The Wild Zimbabwe Project gives volunteers the opportunity to explore this amazing country from various perspectives. During the Canoe Expedition portion of the trip, you will paddle down the Zambezi River—just upstream from where the mighty Victoria Falls plunge 360 feet (108 meters) into the spray-filled Zambezi gorge. Hwange National Park is the site of your Bush Survival Course, as well as the setting for part of your national park experience. The largest park in Zimbabwe, Hwange is a wildlife sanctuary with more than 40,000 elephants, hundreds of species of birds, and the nearly-extinct black and white rhinos. Your volunteer work with lions will take place at Antelope Park in the Zimbabwe Midlands, home to almost 60 juvenile lions that have been bred on the reserve, and will eventually be released into the wild. To conclude your Volunteer Experience, you will work on a Black Rhino Conservancy, where these magnificent creatures are also being bred and reintroduced into the African bushland.

The Situation
From the eastern and southern savannas to the central rainforests and out to the offshore coral reefs, Africa is home to some of the world’s most diverse and productive ecosystems. But within this kaleidoscope of environments, Africa’s wildlife is struggling to survive.

Extreme poverty and limited economic opportunity, combined with astounding population growth and unstable governments continue to cause tremendous stress among Africa’s people and environments. Twenty years ago, for example, more than 200,000 lions roamed the continent’s grassy plains. Now experts estimate as few as 23,000 remain. Africa’s rhinos and elephants have experienced a similarly catastrophic decline, losing half of their populations to poachers in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, hunting, snaring, and poaching, along with habitat loss and widespread disease, continue to threaten Africa’s wildlife. Numerous species face extinction.


What’s Being Done
Our partner organization in Zimbabwe has a long history in African wildlife conservation and has established a number of conservation projects, including a ground-breaking effort to introduce captive-bred lions into the African bush. They’ve also established wildlife management, monitoring, and research projects in Zambezi, Hwange, and Matobo national parks.

Volunteers on the Wild Zimbabwe Expedition will have the unique opportunity to travel to and work on all four of these projects. Volunteers will contribute their time and effort in the parks and at the project sites, and in the process, gain exposure to a sizeable portion of Africa’s wild areas, as well as get a taste of Zimbabwean culture. Through hands-on work, research, and staff guidance, you will acquire an intimate understanding of the successes and challenges surrounding wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe.

Airport Pickup and Orientation:
After arrival at Victoria Falls Airport, you will be picked up by your project coordinator and taken straight to the lodge where you will stay for the first night of your volunteer experience. The next day you will be taken to the Zambezi River and begin your Canoe Expedition for the first week of the project.

After the Canoe Expedition, volunteers will participate in a one-week Cultural Familiarization and Bush Awareness Course, which will prepare you for your experience in the various conservation areas. Our partner organization will teach you basic first aid, basic tracking and navigation, and other important safety and survival skills.

Transportation:
Volunteer Adventures will arrange transportation for the following:

Airport pickup and drop-off at Victoria Falls Airport
Transportation to the Victoria Falls volunteer lodge
Local transportation between the lodges and project locations

Accommodations:
For most of the expedition, volunteers will stay in volunteer lodges with shared rooms and bathrooms. Many of the lodges are very comfortable and have amenities such as swimming pools and satellite TVs. While on the Bush Survival Course, volunteers will stay at a tented camp.

Additional Activities and Excursions:
Victoria Falls is one of Africa’s main centers of adventure travel. If you have free time during your stay in Victoria Falls, you can do the following activities:

Bungee-jumping over the Victoria Falls gorge (world’s     second highest jump)
Whitewater rafting and canoe trips down the Zambezi     River
River boarding and river cruises


Note: These are additional, optional activities not included in the program cost. Please inquire for prices and additional information.