Volunteer with cheetahs
in South Africa
One week minimum. Meals and accommodation included. A handful of volunteers at a time.
You join the work, not a tour.
From your first morning you are on the rounds: feed prep, cleaning, enrichment, meat cutting, the afternoon feeding. The team explains as they go. Nothing is staged for you, which is why it is worth being there. Experiences happen naturally and the welfare of the animals is always put first.
It is a small operation on purpose — no visitor centre, no rota of strangers. You work beside the people who own it: Desmond and Elizke, with Zak and Annika on the animal team. You will know all four by name within days.
Life on the project.
Ages 18 to 75. No experience needed.
Wildlife enthusiasts, students, gap-year travellers, career-breakers, retired travellers, student groups. What matters is you are an animal lover who can follow instructions who speaks English.
A Day In The Life of A Cheetah Volunteer
This is the rhythm most days follow. The animals decide the rest.
Every day is different. Some days there are cheetah walks or game drives — they happen when the animals and the day allow, never to a timetable and never promised.
What the rate covers — and what it doesn't.
Included
- Accommodation on the project
- Three meals a day — cooked dinners seven nights a week, breakfast and lunch self-serve with food provided
- Free wifi in the lodge and communal areas
- Laundry
- Activities and game drives on the conservancy
Not included
- Flights
- Transfers to the reserve — arranged for a fee
- Travel insurance — speak to us about cover that includes working with wild animals
- Visas
- Personal extras and additional activities
Home base for the week.
Accommodation on the project, three meals a day — cooked dinners seven nights a week, with breakfast and lunch self-serve — plus free wifi and laundry in the lodge and communal areas.
Gauteng, South Africa
The project sits near the Rustenburg region, just over two hours’ drive from Johannesburg. The conservancy is on a private gated game reserve in a remote area.
A private shuttle collects and returns volunteers to the airport on arrival and departure days — cost discussed with you directly.
OR Tambo International Airport
Johannesburg (JNB) — the nearest airport, roughly 80km by road from the reserve. Book your flights to land here.
The Working Holiday option.
Same project, same cheetahs, a different rhythm. If you would rather spend your time with the animals than race to keep up with their care, ask about the Working Holiday — a gentler way through the same volunteering week.
Less fence-line and food prep, more time on enrichment activities such as cheetah walks in the bush, plus on-site and off-site excursions in your itinerary. On-site activities are included; off-site excursions are at your own cost.
The two-week veterinary assistant course.
Two weeks of structured learning alongside the animal team, built for people starting from nothing. It runs on set dates with our partner conservancy, so it does not follow the open volunteering calendar.
What we'll sort out together.
Nothing here is guesswork — each of these is filled in with you before you book anything.
Getting to the reserve
We help arrange a safe transfer from the airport.
Visas and entry
We advise and help with visas if you need one — some countries do not.
Insurance and safety
Speak to us about travel insurance that covers working with wild animals.
What to pack
We send you a packing list.
Arrival day
Arrival and departure dates set with the conservancy for smooth transfers.
Who you'll meet out there.
The cheetah project is owned and run by its own small & family run conservation team who you will be working with personally.
See it for yourself.
What it costs.
One price, per person, covering your whole stay on the project. No hidden extras and nothing to pay until your dates are confirmed.
The longer you stay, the less each week costs.
We quote you for your actual dates. Rates are set by the project and move with the season, so we come back to you within two working days — no obligation, and nothing to pay to ask.
Included: accommodation, all meals, supervision, laundry and WiFi. Airport transfers are arranged for you and quoted separately.
Add a Big 5 day at Pilanesberg.
Pilanesberg National Park sits in an ancient volcanic crater a couple of hours from the project — one of South Africa’s finest Big 5 reserves, and malaria-free. Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino share it with cheetah, hippo, zebra, giraffe and more than 350 bird species.
You spend the day in an the conservancy 4×4, driven by experienced staff who know the animals, with game drives across the reserve and a break for lunch in the park. It runs on any day, arranged around volunteer demand and timing, for an additional cost — just ask when you enquire.
Tell us when you can get here.
Minimum stay one week · reply within two working days · no deposit to enquire.
Rather ask a question first?
Sam and Sarah read every message — including the awkward ones about ethics and safety.
Volunteering, in detail.
Do I need experience?
No. You need to take instruction, work in the heat, and be reliable at seven in the morning. English language competency is essential.
What is the accommodation like?
You stay on the project in shared wood cabins with views of the conservancy or animal camps. Three meals a day, wifi and laundry are included.
How do I get there?
Fly into OR Tambo International in Johannesburg. A private shuttle collects and returns volunteers on arrival and departure days.
Can I do the two-week veterinary assistant course instead?
Yes — it is a scheduled two-week course run by our partner conservancy on set dates, open to beginners. The next intake is not confirmed; enquire and we will tell you.
Do you allow day visits?
No, and we are glad of it. The conservancy does not run day tours, because the extra noise and disruption stress the animals.
Do you allow children?
No. The work carries real risk around wild animals, so placements are 18+ only.
Exprience The Wild
“A once in a lifetime experience” – One week minimum, no deposit to enquire, and a reply within two working days.