Volunteer with Children and Animals in South Africa

Everyone at Daktari were so friendly and made me feel welcome and helped me adjust to my stay there. I had an amazing experience which I will never forget, or the friends I made while I was there. Daktari makes a big impact on the children that go there and seeing that impact made the experience so much better! I had so much fun as everyday was a different experience, creating a wonderful atmosphere for learning and growth in skills and mindset. The food and accommodation was amazing as the staff are lovely and well skilled. Living in the bush meant I saw amazing sunsets, sunrises, animals and plantation, showing the beauty of Africa. Trips into the community were amazing as it gave a wonderful insight to the culture and the lives of the children that visit Daktari.

I had an amazing time at Daktari! It gave me the opportunity to work with kids who need education and animals who need care. Daktari has a community minded vision and will do whatever possible to accomplish small and big goals.
A day at Daktari looks like this; you wake up and at 7:30 we go on a dog-walk outside the camp. After de dog-walk we to stabling; cleaning the enclosures of the animals and the feedings. When the animals are happy we have breakfast; the food here is amazing! after breakfast we start the morning-lessons. We have lunch at 12:30 and some free time for some swimming, reading, sleep, ... At 14:00 [or 15:00 at Wednesday] we start afternoon classes until 16:30 when we do stabling. Before dinner the kids have a class we call social talk. These classes are about politeness, respect and the sex talk. After dinner there are fun activities with the kid and volunteers. And every Thursday there is this fun bonfire, be prepared to dance, sing and laugh all the time! At weekends you can do many fun excursions or hang out at the camp.
Daktari gave me the best experience i could have asked for here in the bush. I will never forget my time here.

DAKTARI is an incredible volunteering programme. It includes education of the children from the village and the caring of animals who live in their orphanage. The people here are amazing! Big hearts and big souls. I had a lot of fun, improved my english, learned with the kids and was able to experience amazing moments with the animals. The staff members are great! Each week we received 8 kids from the Oaks Village and thought them about the environment in South Africa and around the world. Also, we encouraged them to appreciate the bush and the wild life present in their country. The rooms were great and always clean. Laundry was amazing and fast. Food incredible! I really don't have any bad observation to make! I had such a great time :)
I recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy a great time with animals, local children and international volunteers.

Great volunteer experience. The combination of taking care of animals - teaching children is amazing. I loved the bushlive and the interaction with the community. I have experienced impressive moments. It's a challenge to teach the children, it get's better when you did it a few times. I think the program really has an impact on the children. I would advise everybody to go to Daktari. At least for 4 weeks. The interaction with people from all over the world is also very nice. The atmosfere at Daktari is very welcoming and the staff members are amazing. They are always there to help you out. Lots of of fun, lots of animals, lots of impressive moments. There are a lot of young people but it's also very nice for older people. You can make beautiful excursions

You want to make a difference in children‘s life? You want to be with and care for animals? You want to be a part of a team which combines working for the important things in life and having fun? You want to grow yourself and be a part of other people‘s growing? Then you are definitely right at DAKTARI. It is an amazing place to be, where you are a member of the „Daktari-family“ and just support the right things which count in life. Enjoy the bush feeling, see animals in their natural habitat, learn about the South African culture, dance with the kids at the bon fire, sing the African songs, see the sunrise at the dassie rock and the sunset at the leopard rock and just enjoy being a part of an amazing experience. If you haven’t been there, then you are definitely missing something out!

I spent 3 amazing weeks in Daktari! The best experience I've ever had! From the bush, animals and the camp to the loving and caring staffs and volunteers who I met there, everything was just incredible! Daktari is like a family, I will miss this place like crazy!
At Daktari I was able to get to know people from all over the world, make really good and amazing friends, exchange couture, practice my english and even other languages! We also learn a lot from the local people that works there! Lebo, Pacience, Pretty, Rahaba, Cyntia and all the other staffs are amazing! I also got to learn more about living in a sustainable way, which I'm really interested in.
I just want to thank Daktari for everything I learnt there, and for the best 3 weeks of my life!

One of the best experience I had so far. Meaningful activities throughout the day that you feel a great sense of fulfilment. I have learnt a lot from the stabling staff, volunteer coordinators, and even the children themselves. Coming from a country where we do not get to see and interact with animals in our daily lives, I am amazed by the efforts and thoughts put in to protect and take care of the animals which were injured/harmed. I really love the lessons here with the children, and to see how they grow and improve through the week. Some were really shy and reserved at first, but as the days go, they opened up and they are definitely a joy to teach! This is definitely a great experience for me and I will be more than willing to encourage more of my friends to come !

If your passion lies in community enrichment via education, wildlife, nature conservation, then Daktari Bush School is definitely the place to go. It is a unique experience that goes beyond teaching or wildlife conservation, but it is also about connecting the local children with the wildlife and nature in their homeland. There is also a great support system from the volunteer coordinators and also fellow international volunteers that will make you feel right at home, even if this is your first time teaching or getting close to animals/wildlife.

For my first time in South Africa and overseas volunteering experience, the only bad point I could think of was that I was only able to stay for a week and not longer, and I'll definitely come back again.