Group of ACE volunteers relaxing around the campfire
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A male volunteer bottle feeds a baby antelope

Michal Trawinski

Country
🇵🇱 Poland

Length of Trip
28 Nights

Project Year
2023

I decided to travel and volunteer in Africa because I have a big love for animals and wanted to help in any way I could. When I first contacted African Conservation Experience (ACE), they suggested that I volunteer at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre as it cares for many large predators, with many of them being my favourite species. I was excited by the idea that I would be involved with their everyday care. 

The highlight of my trip was caring for a caracal named Savannah at Moholoholo. I would try to spend 20 minutes with her after work, because she was calming to be around, and would make each day very special. 

I also volunteered at The Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience. I have been on safari before in Kenya and saw lots of wildlife, but I wanted to go on an adventure to get closer to the wildlife in an untouched way.

Our guide at Vikela was absolutely brilliant! We learnt how to track a variety of animals in the bush, even learning how to inspect their scat and dung for information.

The bush walks also allowed us to get closer on foot than we could while in a vehicle, which was really exciting. I was looking to do something that would offer a glimpse into the life of a ranger, and the project staff at Kruger worked hard to make sure this happened. We even saw wild dogs and a lot of rhinos, which I never got to see when on safari. It was an amazing adventure!

Everything was well organised before I even arrived in South Africa, and all the email correspondence was so detailed. They are a brilliant organisation!

I would recommend this volunteer experience to anyone who would be interested in giving back while having a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. ACE was so great!