Alysha Melenka and Dylan Hennig
Country
🇨🇦 Canada
Length of Trip
21 Nights
Project Year
2023
We have always wanted to travel to Africa, and we decided a volunteer project was the best way to do it. It provided a great way to give back while offering Alysha a fantastic introduction to the veterinary field as she is enrolled to start her veterinary technician classes later this year. African Conservation Experience (ACE) created a trip that included experiences for both of our interests.
Our trip was so memorable and we had such an array of highlights!
Alysha: My favourite moment was when we got to fly in a helicopter while at Shimongwe Wildlife Veterinary Experience and treat a rhino. We also examined a pangolin, which was incredible due to how rare they are.
Dylan: My highlight was the bush walks at The Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience. This is because it was such a new experience for us, and the guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable.
We learnt so much about conservation from all the project staff - they really went the extra mile for us! It was fantastic to get close to large, iconic African animals in the wild. Being in the bush was just amazing!
We had such a great experience and an incredible time in South Africa. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about wildlife and conservation in another country. The team at ACE were very supportive from the beginning to the end, and if we needed anything they got back to us right away. All of our questions were answered and we were very well taken care of for our entire experience. We would love to come back!
We highly recommend African Conservation Experience to travel with for wildlife volunteer projects because they offer great learning opportunities; whether it’s for someone looking to go into the vet field, or someone just interested in wildlife in general.