Askari WCP

The lions will keep you up all night! No, really. I actually slept through them the first few nights, and everyone made fun of me. But what a sound. Certainly not something you will hear in most bedrooms in the world. Although all the big name animals are there, my favorites were the spectacular animals that I didn't know would be there. They were complete surprises and gave me the experience of seeing something I had never heard of before, compared to seeing animals you have seen pictures and videos of since being a kid. This ranged from stick insects to bee eaters to genets to Gymnogenes brown hyenas to "how many kinds of antelopes are there?". And to see them in their own habitat, with on their terms, and to see how they interacted with their environment, and other animals was precious. There is also some structured learning so you get the big picture on what the reserve is trying to accomplish, and the people runing it and guiding you are top notch. Very passionate, and as excited about what each new day will bring as you are. And to contribute in my small way to the conservation efforts there creates a connection with that place that I would never have with a place I simply drove through on a safari. If you want to experience a place, spend some time, experience the environment, meet the people, work together, laugh, contribute to it and it will become a part of you.
My only problem now is figuring out how to get back there!

Regrettably, I only had time for the two-week program; but even that short duration was an awesome experience. The passionate, knowledgeable, and entertaining Katie and Joe are your guides as you learn and experience first hand, the workings of a wilderness reserve and all the management issues and activities involved in creating and maintaining a natural ecosystem in a modern world.

You work hard on some projects, not so hard on others, and the physical work is well balanced with informative seminars by reserve staff, braai, and plenty of free time, which is desperately needed to organise the hundreds of photos you will take and share with other volunteers.

I especially liked the focus on creating a wilderness area, as large as possible, to house endangered animals while developing the native habitats those animals need, rather than creating a maximally stocked reserve built for taking tourists on safari. As the saying goes, “If you build it, they will come”, and I mean the animals will come. The excellent habitat there provides the cover, the food, and diversity needed by a huge range of animals, and you will enjoy seeing all of them.

The accommodation is clean, comfortable and homey, but not posh and impersonal. You chip in to keep the place clean and each other fed, but also have your laundry done for you, computer access and TV entertainment – but you won’t need the TV. As with any great experience, it rests firmly with the people. Katie and Joe are great, and they are supported by a very expert and dedicated reserve staff, and an owner that has a great conservation ethic and love of the bush. The other volunteers are great to get to know and the program is small, so you are not lost in a crowd, and therefore get lots of personal attention.

I thoroughly enjoyed my short stay there, and hope to return. If at all possible, spend a month - and Katie will get you your very own bee-eater