Join a meaningful wildlife conservation experience in Botswana, reccomended for volunteers aged 50 and above. This program offers hands-on ecological work, time in nature, and the chance to contribute to long-term conservation efforts in a peaceful bush environment. As a volunteers, you will support wildlife monitoring, land restoration, and sustainable camp operations under the guidance of an experienced conservation team. The project is led by two inspiring women with decades of conservation knowledge, ensuring a warm and supportive experience for mature adults.
Update: 8 March – 23 March (2 weeks): Guaranteed start date with a dedicated 50+ volunteer group.
Program Highlights:
Your Schedule at a Glance (Minimum one-week commitment):
Sunday – Arrival in Johannesburg: Arrive at O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) or Lanseria Airport. Transfer to Sunrock Guesthouse for an overnight stay with a welcome dinner and breakfast
Monday – Travel to Botswana & Orientation: Enjoy breakfast before taking the hotel shuttle to the airport for a flight to Polokwane. A ground transfer brings you to the Botswana border, where the project team meets you and accompanies you to camp.
Typical Volunteer Days (Tuesday–Sunday)
Following Monday – Departure or continue volunteering: Transfer to Polokwane Airport, fly back to Johannesburg, and connect to your international departure. Book flights after 18:00.
What’s Included
What’s not Included
The program is set in Botswana’s Tuli Block, a striking landscape of sandstone outcrops, ancient baobabs, and sweeping savanna. The area is home to elephants, leopards, giraffe, zebra, predators, and hundreds of bird species. Situated near the borders of Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, the region is peaceful, uncrowded, and well suited to slower-paced, nature-focused travel.
Often regarded as one of Africa’s best-kept secrets, the Tuli Block forms one of southern Africa’s largest private wildlife reserves through a network of adjoining concessions. The region includes historic migration routes and active conservation efforts aimed at habitat restoration. Volunteers stay in a quiet bush camp with regular wildlife sightings, offering an authentic conservation experience in a remote setting.
When to go? Botswana has a subtropical climate with distinct dry and green seasons.
The dry season (March–October) brings warm days and cooler evenings, with the winter months experiencing noticeably cold nights and early mornings – an excellent period for wildlife viewing as animals gather at water sources.
The green season (November–February) brings high tempretures and humiduty, with afternoon rainstorms that refresh the landscape and create lush conditions. This is also the time when many young animals can be seen.
About the Program
The Central Tuli Block in Botswana is a sanctuary that has undergone a transformation from mixed-use land to a haven for Africa’s iconic wildlife. Thanks to concerted rewilding efforts by private conservationists, it now provides an authentic wilderness experience. The area’s vast landscapes, teeming with elephants, leopards, and other wildlife, are a testament to successful conservation practices.
The program conservation team, led by two experienced women, supports volunteers in conducting ecological monitoring and practical conservation work. The program contributes to long-term research and habitat management in the Tuli Block.
About the Work
As a volunteer, you will participate in wildlife tracking, spoor identification, camera-trap monitoring, and ecological data collection. Practical conservation work may include erosion control, fence repair, and waterhole maintenance. Activities are balanced between fieldwork and learning opportunities.
Summary of Volunteer Tasks
A Typical Day
The day begins early with field activities, such as wildlife monitoring or conservation work. After lunch and rest time, volunteers may assist with data review or species identification. A late-afternoon field session often concludes with sunset views, followed by a relaxed evening around the fire and occasional sleep-outs.
Volunteer Community
Volunteers come from around the world and represent a wide range of ages, with some in their 20s and 30s. While GoEco aims to place mature volunteers together whenever possible, this cannot always be guaranteed. All placements are designed to create a friendly, inclusive atmosphere where participants of all ages can share experiences and work together toward common goals.
The Tuli Block is one of Botswana’s most remarkable wilderness areas, offering peaceful landscapes, dramatic rock formations, and rich biodiversity. Once a mixed-use region, it has been restored into a thriving wildlife sanctuary home to elephants, predators, giraffe, zebra, and abundant birdlife. Volunteers can enjoy excellent wildlife viewing, sunset viewpoints, fireside evenings, and guided sleep-outs under the stars. Seasonal changes – from lush green summers to cooler, clear winter mornings – add variety to the experience. Limited visits to nearby villages offer access to small shops, while the surrounding wilderness provides a serene and rewarding setting for mature volunteers.
