Volunteer Abroad Zambia: Kafue Elephant Conser­va­tion

To participate in the project, you must be at least 18 years old and have a good knowledge of English, as English is the project language. It is also important that you are healthy and fit due to special climatic conditions and physical activities. As a result, you will be asked to submit a doctor’s confirmation regarding your state of health. Obtaining international health insurance is also obligatory before your participation in the project. Furthermore, you will need to obtain a visa and submit various documents, including your curriculum vitae and passport.
Last but not least, it is essential that you have a high level of interest in species conservation and are motivated, willing to learn, open and flexible.

To volunteer in Zambia, you need a 30-day business visa – a tourist visa is not sufficient. For $US50, you can request this at a Zambian embassy in advance of your trip. It is also available on arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport with a letter of introduction from our partner.
Our partner will issue you with the necessary documents which you must present to the consulate.
For further information you are more than welcome to contact the team at Natucate.

The Natucate team will secure a place in the project and provide you with comprehensive support during your travel preparations. We are always available to answer your questions, advise you on the choice of travel insurance, help you book your flight and assist you in obtaining your visa (including the necessary documents). We will also provide you with sufficient information material before your departure and will be available 24/7 during your project stay.

On site, the programme fee also covers all project-related transfers, meals (incl. water, tea, coffee) and accommodation during the project period. You will receive project-specific equipment, two work shirts and will be instructed and supervised by experienced staff. Admission to Kafue National Park is also included. The programme fee does not include flights, visa fees, travel insurance costs, additional drinks and snacks, lunch on off-days as well as other personal expenses (e.g. travel, souvenirs etc.).

Depending on from where you travel to Zambia, no special vaccinations need to be carried out in advance. In general, however, it is advisable to vaccinate against measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough or to have those vaccinations refreshed during longer journeys. In addition, vaccinations against hepatitis A and, for longer stays, also against hepatitis B and typhoid fever are advisable. We strongly recommend getting vaccinated against rabies. More information and advice can be found, for example, on the pages of the CDC. In addition, you should take sufficient amounts of medication with you that must be taken daily. In particular, remedies for infectious diseases such as malaria should be taken into consideration – as most of Zambia is at risk of the Malaria parasites spread by mosquitoes. Various prophylactic measures exist to prevent malaria. Before starting your journey, it is best to get information from a travel doctor about possible dangers, vaccinations and protection options. Even authorities such as the Foreign Office of your country can provide you with comprehensive travel and safety information about your destination. In case you suffer from a chronic condition (such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy etc.) you must inform us and our partner beforehand. Every traveller should also think of their own small first-aid kit that includes plasters, electrolytes, antihistamines, diarrhea medication, (head) pain killers and travel sickness aids. Obtaining foreign health insurance is obligatory for all volunteers.

For the project you should bring sturdy shoes, layered clothing and light (long) trousers for the day, a daypack, a 1l drinking bottle, headgear, mosquito spray and sufficient sun screen. A small personal first aid kit including personal medication is also a must. It is also advisable to bring longer clothing, hats and gloves for colder seasons and cooler mornings and evenings, as well as rainproof clothing. Make sure that your clothes have bush suitable colours (khaki, beige, brown). Don't forget to pack a torch/headlamp, binoculars, towels, toiletries, an alarm clock, ziplock bags, sunglasses and an adapter. For your leisure time it is advisable to pack a laptop, books, a camera as well as pen and paper. You will receive a detailed packing list before your departure.
Out of respect for the Zambian culture, please make sure that your clothing is not too revealing. Knees and shoulders should therefore be covered.

You can participate in the project for three weeks (22 days).

Preferably you will arrive at Lusaka airport on the day of the project start, between 09:00 AM and 03:30 PM. From there you will be picked up and driven to the project’s Elephant Nursery just outside of town. Alternatively, you can arrive one day (or more days) in advance and stay overnight in one of the city's accommodations you have booked. A driver will pick you up on the day the project starts. However, the transfer from the airport to your accommodation is at your own responsibility.

After an employee has picked you up and taken you to the Elephant Nursery, you will spend the first project day there. Here you will have time to settle in, get to know the facility, become familiar with the work of our partner and receive important safety instructions. You will also become involved in some first volunteer tasks. The next day you will drive on for about seven hours to the base camp in Kafue National Park. Here, too, you can settle in, get to know the camp, the staff and the elephants, and once again get acquainted with important safety and camp rules.

After you have spent the first day at the Elephant Nursery near Lusaka, settling in and doing your first small activities, you will travel on to the base camp in Zambia's impressive Kafue National Park.

Here, your day begins in the early hours of the morning, at around 06:00, and ends at around 18:00. Breakfast is usually served after the first morning activity. You and your group will continue this in the morning. There will be a break in the early afternoon to eat together and recharge your energy reserves. You will then return to your volunteer tasks until dinner.

Your tasks for the day are usually discussed with your team leader the evening before. On the last full day of your project time, you will be taken back to the Elephant Nursery, where you will spend one last night. The staff will help you organise your return transfer to Lusaka Airport or to the accommodation you have booked in the city.

As a volunteer you will be involved in a number of tasks. In advance, we try to assign you to those tasks you have been looking for. However, we cannot guarantee that this will always work out. Volunteers can be involved in tracking elephants, carrying out studies on selected focal points, observing and documenting animals and their behaviour, maintaining the project database or cooperating with the local population.

Important: As an ethical species protection project, volunteers are not allowed to have direct contact with the elephants and other animals. This is only permitted for veterinarians and professional keepers.

Each month the project provides room for two volunteers. Together with all management staff, research staff, keepers etc. there will be a maximum of around 15-20 people in camp.

You will spend most of your time in the project's base camp, amid southern Kafue National Park. The camp is located directly on the Nkala River and is not fenced. Here you spend the night in a tent equipped with a mattress and bed linen. It might happen that you need to share a tent with a volunteer of the same sex. The camp has shared washing and toilet facilities, including WCs and "bucket showers" as well as a kitchen and communal area. There is no washing machine in the camp, but washing powder is provided for hand washing. The camp is solar-powered, so charging smaller devices (laptops, mobile phones, etc.) is possible but limited. You can charge your devices in the volunteer office during the day. Located separately from the volunteer area, the staff area includes tents, bathrooms, a lounge, a kitchen and offices.

At the Elephant Nursery near Lusaka, you will stay in your own safari tent with a single bed and bed frame. All bedding is provided. You will also use shared sanitary facilities. The kitchen has an outlet/charging area for use at any time of day. Keep in mind that the nursery is solar powered as well, which means anyone can charge, and charging capabilities may be affected by this.

Food for preparing your own meals will be provided for you. Groceries will be arranged together with your team leader before your trip to the base camp. You also have the opportunity to purchase your own snacks. Each following Tuesday, there is a “ration run” for the camp and volunteers can request for certain items or may have the opportunity to go into town as well. Water, tea, coffee and selected juices will be provided in the camp. The same conditions apply for your stay at the Elephant Nursery near Lusaka.

Yes, it is possible to host vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets. However, we ask you to inform us about this as early as possible so our partner has enough time to make the necessary arrangements.

Working hours in the project usually start early in the morning, around 06:00, and end in the late afternoon, around 18:00. The working day includes a variety of tasks, which can change depending on current projects, such as caring for the elephants, data recording, research work or maintaining facilities.

Between work sessions there is a lunch break where you can enjoy refreshments at the camp. At the end of the working day, after dinner together, you will have time for leisure activities such as reading, playing board games or relaxing. Towards the end of your project stay, you will also have a day off on which you can relax or explore the surrounding area, depending on the organisation and logistics of the project.

In your free time at camp, you can relax, read, play board games or get creative (e.g. crafting or photography). You also have the opportunity to explore the surrounding area, discover the Kafue National Park or get to know the local culture. There are many opportunities to socialise with other volunteers and the team.

Yes, there are always employees available on site to instruct you and assist you with questions or other concerns. The Natucate team is also available for you at any time.

Costs for transfers, meals and park fees are covered by the programme fee. However, if you are travelling earlier, want additional meals/snacks or are planning further personal expenses (for souvenirs, travel etc.), you should plan your financial resources accordingly. It is advisable to carry a larger amount of US dollars (not older than from 2000), British pounds or euros which can be exchanged into the local currency Kwacha (ZMW) at the airport or in the city of Lusaka.

It is also advisable to bring a credit card so that you can withdraw money in the local currency from an ATM or pay directly in most shops in the city. Furthermore, it is recommended to carry an extra sum of about $US 100 for (medical) emergencies.

With the help of an amplifier, a mobile phone signal can be received at the base camp during the day. The internet in the camp is usually only for work purposes; mails at the volunteer laptop can only be checked occasionally.

Volunteers are therefore advised to purchase a SIM card when arriving in Zambia – preferably from Airtel – containing sufficient data volume to use the internet and make calls during the day. In general, however, you should expect to have only limited opportunities to contact relatives in your home country.

The weather in Zambia can vary but is usually pleasant. There are four main seasons: a humid-hot period (October to December), a humid-cool period (January to April), a dry-cool period (April to July) and a dry-hot period (August to September). October is the hottest month with temperatures of up to 40°C and is characterised by occasional showers which occur more and more frequently until December.

Most of the rain falls in January and February but decrease steadily until March/April. During the rains it can cool down a lot, but warms up quickly as soon as the rain has stopped. Be prepared for all temperatures!

During the Zambian winter months of June to August, temperatures can drop to 0°C at night, but reach around 30°C during the day. Warm clothing for the evening and night hours should therefore be packed.

Yes, consuming alcohol and other drugs is not permitted while on camp. Failure to comply with these camp rules will result in immediate termination of programme participation, without any refund of costs.

A qualified first aider is always on duty at the camp. A first aid and trauma kit is also available in the camp. The nearest local hospital is a 1-hour drive into the local town. The nearest airstrip is about 30 minutes away; a flight to Lusaka takes about 1 ½ hours. Emergency numbers are clearly displayed in the camp.

If friends or family need to contact you due to an emergency situation, they should get into touch with Natucate directly. We will then reach out to our partner immediately.

Yes, it is possible to spend more time at the Elephant Nursery in Lusaka if you take part in our combined conservation project in Zambia. In this case, you will experience both the work at the Elephant Nursery and the activities in Kafue National Park and can divide your time between the two locations. Please note that this must be organised in advance and is not possible spontaneously.