Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Volunteer Programs | Most Affordable & Trusted

Volunteering at the Nakavango Conservation Programme in Victoria Falls was one of the best experiences of my life. The project leaders on the ground were great; supportive throughout and very open to discussing the issues they face and some unexpected solutions to environmental and conservation issues that are applicable across the world. I learnt a huge amount about reading the story that any environment presents and had a great time doing it. There is a good mix of activities and rest time and the accommodation was great. We had individual rooms and the staff couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful. I felt valued and looked after.

IVHQ was great in the run-up, from the perspectives of both pre-planning generally to the specific needs of the programme (particularly having the correct paperwork for visas and travel).

I recommend both the Nakavango Conservation Programme and IVHQ to anyone considering a volunteer program. You will be in very good hands.

I participated in the Nakavango Conservation Program through IVHQ just this February and it was a wonderful experience. IVHQ has many programs to choose from and I basically flipped a coin to decide on Africa, which worked out well. If you are interested in volunteering, consider this program. There were people ranging from 18-65 and because it didn't require any special skills or training, it was a great intro to volunteering abroad. If you can prune a tree or pull weeds, you can be useful to this project. Working as a team, about 20 volunteers and two guides did things such as creating garden beds, alien plant removal, weeding, and general maintenance. It was all simple work and though it didn't always feel like we were doing much, the manager assured us that even the simple tasks meant other staff could focus on other work. Even simple tasks like pulling out datura saved rhinos and elephants from liver damage and improved grasslands while just weeding the gardens at the local school helped provide food to the community. With a scheduled week and relatively short shifts (we weren't expected to work during the heat of the day), the days passed way too quickly.
I always felt supported by the staff, safe and well taken care of. I would compare the accommodations to camping with a trailer or in a nice cabin. There was staff to clean our rooms (everyone had their own room) and excellent chefs made delicious meals, often with fresh veggies from our own garden. We had shared bathrooms, private rooms, laundry service on Weds, several common areas, and a pool. Overall, we had everything we needed plus some little perks. One of the highlights was how often we did game drives in the park. I should have brought a better camera!

My volunteering experience was an amazing one that I will never forget. I would advise that anyone who is even giving this programme a little consideration should absolutely go for it, you won't regret it. The work hours aren't particularly long but if you go in as a team ready to work hard you'll quickly see the difference you and all the other volunteers who come through can make. The program is very well organised and follows a neat schedule. The staff are also incredible in their jobs of looking after the volunteers, so you will certainly be comfortable if you choose to stay here. The guides who take volunteers to worksites have so much knowledge to give about the environment which they give with great enthusiasm. Each drive had something interesting to be seen and something to be learned from the guides.
Be warned that probably not want to leave. You really can't overestimate how long you'll want to stay here and you may feel that you didn't stay long enough. Can't reccomend this enough.

Amazing experience! I learned so much about Africa - the animals, the people, culture and history. Well organized program. I want to go back!
Highlights: The roar of the lions, watching leopards, seeing an African Wild Cat! Getting to know the other volunteers. White water rafting on the Zambezi - class 5 rapids! And the gorge swing. Great food and accommodation. Excellent value. Knowledgeable staff. Many opportunities to help and learn. Going into the village to see how locals live was an experience I will never forget.

I used IVHQ when I was searching for opportunities to volunteer abroad this past year. For starters, IVHQ offers more destinations and projects than any other organization I could find. Their website is very comprehensive and provides all the information you need to decide where you want to volunteer. There are also various Facebook groups for individual projects where you can discuss with people who have been on the project before or who are planning for the future. IVHQ is also great with communication. They assign different people to organize each project, so you can be confident that the person you are contacting is both very knowledgable about the destination and committed to helping you. For example, I was supposed to travel to Sri Lanka last year about a week after the horrible terrorist attacks occurred. I expressed to them my discomfort in traveling there at that time and within a day they were able to switch me to a different project that I had requested in Victoria Falls.

I really enjoyed my time at the Nakavango Conservation Program in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The staff is incredibly knowledgable and helpful. I am an avid wildlife photographer, and I was blown away by the opportunities I had to photograph the ample wildlife in Victoria Falls. The accommodation was far beyond what I expected. Each volunteer had their own room with a fan, closet, desk, side table, and bed. Bathrooms were shared between three or four other volunteers of the same gender. The common areas were a great place for the volunteers to hang out, relax, and enjoy the area (There is also a pool to cool off in!) The food was delicious and plentiful, and the chef emphasized that dietary restrictions could be accommodated. On weekdays, we would wake up early to go out on the reserve to repair roads, remove invasive plant species, and survey wildlife, among other tasks. A lot of the work would be difficult or impossible for somebody in poor physical condition, but most able-bodied people should be perfectly fine. We were given weekends to spend however we liked. There were so many options for the weekends, I wish I had more time to fit them all in. One of my favorite weekend excursions was bungee jumping over Vic Falls!

Overall, my volunteering experience was incredible. The time I spent there and the experiences I had are something I will never forget. I would highly recommend both IVHQ and the Nakavango Conservation Project to anybody considering volunteering abroad.

I was in Vic Falls through IVHQ for 4 weeks and it was the best 4 weeks of my life, hands down. I don't often write reviews but this experience was just unbelievable. Within moments of being welcomed to the Nakavango Conservation Programme (NCP), I immediately felt like I was where I was supposed to be. I’ve had a passion for wildlife from a young age and to finally be able to share the incredible experiences I’ve had so far is nothing short of a privilege. I was, in all honesty, apprehensive about visiting Zimbabwe. With news channels on the build-up to my visit reporting the worst drought in decades, elephant and giraffe dropping where they stand, the falls practically coming to a halt. Was I going to see anything out here at all?... Day 1 – I was greeted at the door to the reserve along with 7 other newbies by one of our two main guides, Hope. Hope gave us a brief introduction and shows us around the accommodation; comfy beds, desk, bedside table, plenty of hanging space, big ceiling fan and a lockable door, but it was when he lead us out to the dining area which overlooks a stunning section of the park, I see two giant Cape Buffalo calmly strolling past as the sun was setting (one of the big 5 down already!). Seconds later, Zebra. Moments after that, a friendly hornbill comes and sits right in front of me, I could hardly take in what Hope was telling me, all my apprehensions were put to rest, and I completely fell in love with this place. This is my first time doing any voluntourism, first time doing a safari-like conservation programme, and it’s certainly the first time I’ve seen animals of this magnitude looking so healthy and content in the wild, and all on the doorstep!

The Victoria Falls program was my first time volunteering abroad. IVHQ did a great job of providing me with a checklist to help me prepare for my time in Victoria Falls. The accommodations and food were amazing at Victoria Falls were amazing you are provided with your own private room and food was available 24/7. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The orientation at the beginning of the program helped to explain how we were making an impact. Each day is structured with different jobs these jobs include going on game drives where you will observe the animals on the reserve, you will also help clear roads and invasive plants such as lantana with picks, axes and hoes. We also helped water trees at a local school and helped composting. On the weekends Victoria Falls offers many activities such as bungee jumping, gorge swing, white water rafting, crocodile diving, and dinner cruises. I had a great two weeks in Victoria Falls and would highly recommend this program to someone who is looking to learn about the animals of Victoria Falls and have fun exploring all the activities on the weekends.

It was one of the best decisions of my life choosing to go to Victoria Falls and volunteer at NCP. The people there are some of the most positive and genuine people that you will ever meet and the culture is next to nothing else in this world. I have learned so much about conservations and the different ways of thinking about conservation. different ideas which some people may not have thought of before. Being able to absorb all the knowledge that our local team was giving us is a joy I will never forget and that will stay with me forever.

The local team ensures that your stay here is one of the best you will ever have on a volunteering program and they take pride in making sure that everyone can be catered for in the best way they possibly can. So if you are a vegan, vegetarian or just a straight-up carnivore the local team at NCP are able to make your life a living heaven.