Jo Ryan

My adventure in Africa was an absolute dream come true. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a vet nurse and go to Africa on safari, but not as a tourist. I wanted the full experience. I had to save up, but it was so worth it! 

My first stop was Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, which was incredible: seeing so many rescued animals and witnessing the wonderful work they do in releasing and rewilding them. I will never forget my first morning there. With the Moholoholo mountain range behind me as the sun came up, two majestic white lions walked slowly up to me as I was doing my morning rounds. It's a moment I will never forget. The team at Moholoholo are truly amazing and so dedicated to what they do.

My next stop was Golola Rhino Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre. I was the only volunteer there that week, which meant I got to do lots of the daily chores and feed the baby rhinos at least two or three times a day, which was definitely one of the highlights! The girls who work there are extraordinary at what they do; it's physically hard work, and going out on the back of the truck twice a day for the rhino feed was just surreal.

Over that week, I learned so much about rhino conservation, and the sad reality of poaching genuinely broke my heart. Though knowing that I helped to look after these incredible animals was really fulfilling.

I then moved on to the Shimongwe Wildlife Veterinary Expedition. The guide there was amazing and made every day special, even with the very early starts! Here we got to see the lions they have rescued, and we even helped spay one of them, which was a world away from my day-to-day experience at my fully equipped referral hospital back home. 

Coping with African veterinary work is not for the faint-hearted, but we did it, and we did it well. We also learned how to dart from a helicopter, which was such a great experience. Being on the back of the truck every day, watching the drones and the helicopter locate animals like buffalo and rhino, then rushing in the moment an animal was darted to make sure it was upright and cooling down properly, was such an adrenaline-filled moment.

I feel so passionately about getting back to Africa as soon as I possibly can, although finding the time off work and saving up again will be a challenge.

One thing I wasn't prepared for was how quickly the evenings draw in. It gets dark fast in Africa, but you do need those early nights, because mornings can start as early as 3 am. I was lucky enough to visit Kruger twice, including one overnight stay, and we were the only vehicle there that morning! Getting up early is worth it when a leopard ran straight out in front of us within minutes.

Africa is truly amazing, and I'd encourage anyone with even an inkling to go to just do it. I travelled alone and came home having made so many friends, of all ages, from right across the globe.

Thank you, ACE, for making my dream come true.