Duration & Fees
| 2 weeks | £1,154 |
| 3 weeks | £1,460 |
| 4 weeks | £1,785 |
| 5 weeks | £2,050 |
| 6 weeks | £2,355 |
| 7 weeks | £2,660 |
| 8 weeks | £2,965 |
| 12 weeks | £4,165 |
Please note: The currency conversion is an estimate based on today's exchange rates and is to be used as a guide only. All payments to Amanzi Travel have to be made in Pounds Sterling (GBP)
Start Dates
2019 Start Dates:
23 Sep | 7 Oct | 21 Oct | 4 Nov | 18 Nov | 2 Dec | 16 Dec | 30 Dec
This project remains open over the Festive Season.
If arriving into Bulawayo Airport volunteers are asked to arrive on their Monday start date by 2pm. Departure is also on the Monday and volunteers should book flights to depart after 12 noon.
If arriving into Harare Airport volunteers are asked to arrive on the Sunday preceding their Monday start date by 2pm. Departure is also on the Sunday and volunteers should book flights to depart after 12 noon
This project remains open over the Festive Season.
Payment
£180 deposit at time of booking – balance payment of project fee due 12 weeks before departure
What's Included
- Transfers to and from Bulawayo or Harare International Airports on arrival and departure
- Accommodation in the volunteer village
- Three meals a day
- Daily housekeeping and laundry service
- 24 hour on site support from friendly and knowledgeable staff
What's not included
- All items of a person nature such as curios, gifts and clothing
- Return flights into Harare or Bulawayo International Airports
- Visas if required
- Email and telephone calls made during the placement (charged out at cost)
- Any optional activities or excursions outside of the planned itinerary in Zimbabwe
- Personal insurance for the duration of the placement which must include cover for repatriation
- Soft drinks and other food items not included with meals
Top Reasons to Join
- Get to work with over 30 horses of different breeds, getting to discover each unique personality
- Take the horses for a ride around the park and enjoy the most spectacular scenery during the day, at sunrise and sunset. Attempt to swim while on horseback or ride next to a giraffe, wildebeest or impala among other species.
- Take part, on horseback, in boundary patrols and snare sweeps - necessary for park maintenance and protection of the game - important work but good fun too.
- Become fully immersed in equestrian life by joining the sport of polocrosse - taking advantage of two world-class fields as well as a practice field.
- Take the opportunity to improve show jumping skills - perhaps to the next level.
- Enjoy unforgettable close encounters with African lions through caring for them, feeding them and cleaning their enclosures.
- Help to care for the four rescued elephants at the project.
- Enjoy living and working at one of Africa's most unique parks, featured on both BBC and ITV.
- Spend free time exploring Zimbabwe and what it has to offer - perhaps visiting Victoria Falls, going rhino trekking or discovering the Great Zimbabwe Ruins
- Make friends for life with other international volunteers along the way.
The Project
Days will alternate between the Horse Management Internship and the Lion Project - both very exciting and heart-pumping experiences. Volunteers will experience the freedom that comes with riding and caring for horses while gaining the knowledge needed to manage an African stable. From sports and recreational activities such as horse-riding lessons, horse safaris, carriage safaris, polocrosse and show jumping - to helping to keep the stables clean and tidy, there is no shortage of fun things to do - and best of all volunteers can expect to spend an average of 2 - 3 hours daily on horseback.
The experienced stable managers willl guide and accompany all volunteers throughout the whole experience and will help everyone to turn into the horseback rider they have always wanted to be.
In addition, all volunteers will be part of the Lion Release into the Wild programme. There are now less than 20,000 lions remaining in the wild and this sharp decrease is higher than with any other species, including the rhino. Volunteers will help to clean lion enclosures, prepare meals and create exciting toys for the lions to help to enrich their lives. So as well as meeting these majestic creatures face to face and learning all about them, volunteers will be helping to put a stop to the decrease of the lion population in Africa.
The Purpose
Stables Work
The first week of the programme will be an introduction to equestrian life within a sports and recreational stable. Then volunteers will begin to assist the guides and manager of the stable with the daily requirements and duties. The longer any volunteer spends on the project the more responsibilty and ownership will be entrusted to them and their horses.
All volunteers will undertake a variety of rding activities, such as schooling horses, guiding rides, fitness training, lessons and occasional wildlife management exercises on horseback. The requirements of the stable change from day-to-day and therefore an open mind and flexible attitude is a must.
Also at an additional cost volunteers can travel to Bulawayo on a day trip to help children with disabilities enjoy a wonderful experience when they connect with horses and ponies - great fun as well as being therapeutic. Whilst there it will be possible to get riding lessons from Jill Burgess and Aileen Johnstone at their riding school - giving volunteers the chance to experience another Zimbabwean stable. A great learning opportunity.
Lion Conservation Work
At weekends volunteers will have the unique experience of working with the world's first lion release programme, taking part in vital research on the Ngamo pride where the wild-born lions are due to be released into the wild for the first time ever. Other activities include day and night encounter, lion husbandry, cleaning, feeding, enclosure maintenance and helping to create behaviour enrichment toys from natural materials to stimulate the lions' predatory and sensory behaviours.
What Else?
Whilst at the project volunteers will get the opportunity to go on both day and overnight horse safaris - getting up close with African wildlife such as giraffe, wildebest, impala and the four rescued elephants. After taking part in an overnight safari, volunteers may be asked to help to run them for newer volunteers and interns.
The Volunteer Week
The following itinerary should be seen as a guide only as tasks may change to meet the needs of the programme at any time.
| |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thurs |
Fri |
| AM |
Grooming and feeding the horses. Vet care (if necessary) |
Boundry patrol (1.5hrs) Schooling lesson (1hr) |
Sunrise rid (1.5hrs) Grooming and feeding of horses. Vet care (if necessary) |
Grooming and feeding the horses. Vet care (if necessary) |
Snare sweep (1.5hrs) Grooming and feeding the horses. Vet care (if necessary) |
| Mid Morning |
Assist with guest activities (horse safari, pony ride, carriage ride) or cross country jumping |
Assist with guest activities or Stable duties |
Stable duties
Polocrosse training (2hrs)
|
Stable duties
Safari Ride (1.5hrs)
|
Stable duties |
| PM |
Assist with guest activities or stables duties |
Horse swim (2hrs) Stable duties |
Schooling session (1hr) Stable duties |
Assist with guest activities or stables duties |
Schooling session (1hr) Stable duties |
| Evening |
Sunset ride |
Free time to bond and relax with fellow volunteers |
Free time to relax with fellow volunteers |
Sunset Carriage Ride |
Overnight Horse Safari (additional cost) |
| |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Reserch our pride of semi-wild lions in the release site
Help prepare meat and feed the lions
Help to stimulate lions behaviour making toys out of natural materials
|
Optional Lion activities
or
A full day off to either chill by the pool or take part in optional excursions
such as rhino trekking, a safari, visiting the Great Ruins of Zimbabwe
or taking a trip to a wildlife rehabilitation center
|
| PM |
Take our 4 rescued elephants on a walk through the reserve
|
Volunteers be staying at the Antelope Park Game Reserve - a few kilometres away from the city of Gweru. This is the country's leading private game park, set in over 3000 acres of open savannah grassland and filled with zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, kudu, waterbuck and warthog. More than 200 bird species, including Africa's largest vulture population, also call this park their home.
Volunteers will live in an authentic African thatched lodge, surrounded by nature and wildlife. They will share either a comfortable twin or quad room with fellow volunteers or interns and can expect to wake up to the sounds of lions roaring at the crack of dawn each morning. At the end of the day everyone can cool off by the pool or relax with a cold drink on the raised deck overlooking the river, watching birds and horses interacting in their natural environment, or hearing the sounds of bush babies in the distance at the sun goes down.
Accommodation upgrades are available for anyone wishing to have a more comfortable volunteer experience. These includes cottages and riverside tents. This is at an additional cost and should be requested when booking.
NB Zimbabwe has been listed as one of the top 20 countries in the world to visit in 2019 - the highest for any African country - and is happy to welcome volunteers at any time.
Three meals a day will be provided.
Zimbabwe - From Mana Pools National Park to Victoria Falls
Why visit Zimbabwe?
The beautiful country of Zimbabwe offers something for everyone; from the absolute wilderness of Mana Pools National Park, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe and the mountains overlooking Mozambique, to fine dining in Harare or bunjee jumping over Victoria Falls. It is rich in culture and colour and the Zimbabweans have not lost their humour and resolve.
Victoria Falls is one of the worlds’ biggest and most spectacular waterfalls, with a network of trails leading through the rain forest surrounding the “smoke that thunders”. Take an umbrella and raincoat and gaze at the incredible vistas of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Victoria Falls village is home to a seemingly endless variety of adventure sports from bungee jumping to canoeing and white-water rafting. Apart from its appeal to adventure enthusiasts the village still has a gracious, pioneering and colonial atmosphere.
Hwange Park is one of the finest conservation areas in Africa and is said to contain the widest variety and greatest density of wildlife in the world. Game viewing is generally restricted to the Hwange Park road network, but it has private concession areas allowing off-road safaris and nature walks. Mana Pools is an unspoiled, remote Park in the Zambezi Valley, a subtropical region, with the terrain and vegetation varied from the river up to the Zambezi Plateau. Walking is allowed (at visitor's own risk) and can be exhilarating and rewarding, if caution is taken.
Lake Kariba is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, with abundant game-sightings and excellent angling for bream and tiger fish. The Lake provides pleasure to locals and visitors alike with fishing, canoeing, sailing or drifting along on a houseboat. The Matopo Hills is an area of incredible beauty with a mythical history and a proud people, the Matebele. The Matobo Hills were so named because they looked like the bald heads of indunas (chiefs). The entire region is a complex of bizarre and exposed granitic formations. Once inhabited by the bushman, today one can find magnificent examples of rock art in and amongst the caves. The Matobo National Park is one of Zimbabwe's prime wildlife sanctuaries with a large population of white rhino, the elusive black rhino, a variety of antelope species, baboon, rock hyraxes and a large population of leopard and black eagle.
Highlights of Zimbabwe
- The magnificent Victoria Falls are classed as one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World.
- Zimbabwe is home to four World Heritage Sites - Victoria Falls, Mana Pools National Park, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and the Khame Ruins.
- Lake Kariba is one of the world's largest man-made lakes, with abundant game and excellent angling for bream and tiger fish.
- Magnificent national parks include Hwange, Mana Pools, Matusadona and Chizarira.
- Adventure activities abound and include canoeing on the lower Zambezi, kayaking and rafting on the upper Zambezi, and bungee jumping at Victoria Falls.
- For high adventure enthusiasts, white-water rafting is most exciting when the Zambezi waters are low (generally from August to December) and is often referred to as the best one-day white-water rafting in the world.
- Canoeing down the Lower Zambezi affords an ideal opportunity to get close to Africa's wildlife.
- Magnificent scenic areas in the Eastern Highlands Highlights of Zimbabwe.
Climate
| Seasons | Max | Min |
| Summer/wet (November - April) |
30 °C |
14 °C |
| Winter/dry ( May - October) |
20 °C |
5 °C |
| Rainfall: November – March |
Zimbabwe offers excellent game-viewing opportunities throughout the year. Due to Zimbabwe’s high altitudes, it has a beautiful and moderate climate, where temperatures are never very extreme. It has warm summers, November to April, where days are generally sunny in the morning with possible dramatic afternoon/evening thunderstorms. Temperatures of 35°C in summer are considered boiling.
Winter occurs from May to October and days are sunny and cool to warm while evening temperatures drop sharply. Temperatures of 7°C in winter are considered freezing. The end of the cool, dry season, around September/October, is the top time for wildlife viewing.
The main rains fall between November and March, although the Eastern Highlands are damp for most of the year. The Victoria Falls are spectacular in April and May after the rainy season.
Key Facts
Population – 12.5 million
Capital - Harare
Currency – none. The Zimbabwean dollar was suspended by the government due to hyper-inflation. The US dollar, South African rand, Botswanan pula, pound sterling and Euro are used instead. The US dollar has been adopted as the official currency for all government transactions with the new power-sharing regime.
Language – English is the official language, with Shona and Ndebele being recognised regional languages
Time difference – GMT +2 hours
Telephone – country code 263, international access code 00
There are currently no reviews available, however if you contact us on info@amanzitravel.co.uk we will be happy to put you in touch with past participants.