Intern­ship Abroad South Africa: Elephant and Wildlife Monitoring

Your fee covers your place in the programme, help with travel planning, and support with flight bookings, along with a certificate of risk cover and a detailed information pack before you leave. You'll also get a proper introduction from English-speaking staff on arrival.

It doesn't cover flights, visa costs, your own travel insurance, snacks, drinks, your daily breakfast and lunch and other potential things you need.

There's no fixed medical checklist, but we'd always recommend speaking with your doctor beforehand. South Africa doesn't require compulsory vaccinations unless you're arriving from a yellow-fever endemic area, in which case you'll need proof of vaccination on arrival. It's generally advisable to be up to date on MMR, hepatitis A and B, polio and tetanus.

The field project is low-risk for malaria, but your doctor can advise on whether prophylactics make sense for you. Beyond that, the work is physically active and takes place in a wilderness reserve, so a reasonable level of fitness matters.

Yes, every Natucate participant must obtain appropriate international health insurance for the duration of their programme abroad.

Additionally, specific medical preparations may be required before travel. Since Natucate does not provide professional medical advice, we strongly recommend consulting your doctor about necessary vaccinations, medications, or other health precautions. For more detailed information on health and safety, you can also visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Yes: beyond your travel documents, you'll want binoculars, a sleeping bag, pillow and towel (none of these are provided at camp), sturdy walking shoes, layers for both warm days and cool mornings, a rain jacket, sunscreen (SPF 30+), insect repellent, a torch, and a mobile phone with WhatsApp.

A full packing list, including "useful but not essential" extras like playing cards or a notebook, is available before departure.

Placements run from two to twelve weeks. We generally prefer four or eight weeks, since that gives you enough time to properly settle into the fieldwork, but shorter stays can sometimes be accommodated. All placements start and end on Mondays.

Interns are usually 18 and up. There's no upper age limit; what matters is that you're mentally and physically fit for fieldwork and have a genuine interest and background in conservation.

You'll get a full safety and house-rules briefing from the project staff on your first day, covering everything from how to react if you spot a snake to what to do after dark. Because you're living and working inside an unfenced reserve, sticking to these rules, and staying close to your group and supervisor, matters more than it might elsewhere.

You arrange your own flight to King Shaka International Airport in Durban, usually via Johannesburg or Cape Town. Please make sure to arrive before 10:30 on the start date so that the programme team can pick you up from the airport on time.

You're collected from the airport and driven to the Game Reserve, where you'll settle into camp, meet the other interns, and go through a safety induction covering the reserve's ecosystems and the procedures that keep everyone safe.

Up to eight interns at a time, sometimes a few more depending on accommodation availability.

You'll stay at the camp, and will have your own room. There's a communal kitchen, a shared bathroom, Wi-Fi, and a laundry area. The camp sits under big Natal mahogany trees and is unfenced. So you're inside the reserve, not next to it.

Yes, please let us know beforehand.

You're responsible for your own breakfast and lunch, and the camp provides one dinner a day.

There's a weekly grocery run to the market in Hluhluwe, so you'll want to stock up for the week.

Yes. The market in Hluhluwe is well stocked for vegetarian and vegan shopping, and since you're doing your own breakfast and lunch, you're in control of what you buy.

The programme runs in English. 

Elephants are the core focus: identification, behaviour and habituation work. Camera traps and drone surveys also pick up the reserve's wider wildlife across its sand forest, savanna and wetland habitats.

Yes, the staff on site is always available to assist you, and you can also reach your Natucate project coordinator at any time.

Groceries are your main on-site cost. ATMs are available in larger towns nearby. So we recommend checking with your bank beforehand to confirm that your card works internationally and getting cash at the airport.

There's Wi-Fi at camp, and we'd recommend picking up a local SIM card at the airport when you arrive.

Summers (December to February) run hot, from 28 to 40°C. Winters (June to August) are milder, between 9 and 27°C, though evenings can get cold. So it's worth packing a warm layer if you're travelling then.

Staff are trained to respond immediately; if you're bitten, stung or otherwise need help, you alert a staff member and they take it from there. Your Natucate project coordinator is also reachable throughout your placement.