Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
This page includes a series of questions that are commonly asked by customers and cover topics including costs, logistics, safety etc.
Should you still have any questions please feel free to reach out to us.
Costs & money
All costs
include the transportation to and from the project specific pick-up point, as
well as all accommodation and meals and transfers during project working hours.
The fee paid by participants in addition includes 24-hour support from qualified
staff members.
Volunteers
should bring money to pay for airtime, data, toiletries, and souvenirs as well
as snacks and alcoholic beverages. Volunteers taking part in our South African
based project also have the possibility of enjoying trips to near by sights and
attractions. All additional cost to cover these
excursions is paid by the volunteers.
You can use your Visa & Mastercard debit/credit cards in most major towns, nevertheless volunteers must be cautious with
the safety of their valuables. We will always ensure that volunteers can get
cash out in safe surroundings.
Your spending budget is depending on the extra excursions and trips taken. We can give you an estimation on your extra cost, if you tell us which activities you are interested in.
Please note: American Express (AMEX) and Diners Club cards are not recommended for use in South Africa as most vendors do NOT accept them.
Travel
insurance taken out by volunteers is mandatory and should cover any unforeseenchange of plans beyond our reach. I you wish to cancel or postpone your booking please refer to our T's & C's
Ngala Wilderness research and
conservation efforts have to be financially sustainable in order to operate on
a long-term basis. All the money generated from our volunteer programs enables
us to carry out the work we do. Without the financial support of the volunteers
the scale of our monitoring and conservation efforts would be significantly
decreased.
Safety
Africa is ever changing and from time-to-time
unforeseen situations can occur within a country that cause concerns. Ensuring
all our volunteer’s safety is something we take seriously at Ngala Wilderness. In
the occasion of an arising situation in the country or region, we immediately transfer
participants to a different program / region.
Working with animals can be
dangerous, that’s why our staff is well trained and experienced and have strictly
regulated safety protocols to follow. Nevertheless, volunteers should be aware
of the danger of working with wild animals and contain a certain respect at any
times. On arrival and before certain activities we will brief you on safety to
ensure you will know how to avoid incidents.
Common sense is vital to get
around safe in Africa.
The Volunteer coordinators will ensure
that you receive immediate medical assistance, although medical emergencies are
by no means a regular occurrence. Travel insurance is mandatory for all our
volunteers, including air evacuation and repatriation, in the event of a
serious illness or an accident.
During your stay with us we make
every effort to ensure your safety. Our team on the ground is trained,
experienced and ready to handle any situation that may arise. A full briefing
takes place on arrival about the circumstances the area we’re in and advice
about your daily life as a volunteer.
If you are travelling to an area for
which vaccinations or anti-malarial medications is required, we will notify you
in advance. The areas we work in are Malaria and Yellow Fever free.
We exercise caution and medical safety on our projects and advice our volunteers to take all precautions necessary.
We recommend volunteers to travel
with:
·
Topical
antihistamines
·
Paracetamol/Ibuprofen
·
Tablets
for your stomach (such as anti-diarrhoea and anti-nausea)
· Hand sanitizers
By washing hands frequently, applying
mosquito repellent and cautious about what eating and drinking, getting sick
can be prevented.
Logistics
Most
countries in Africa do require an entry visa so yes. In most cases a visa can
be obtained on arrival at the airport. Some nationalities do need to apply for
visas prior to arrival. We will guide you as far as possible.
Yes, there are some group bookings
of volunteers, but most volunteers joining us, are travelling on their own.
Don’t
worry about coming on your own, our programs are the perfect environment to
meet with new people and get to know each other. You will like return home with
a bunch of new friends.
All flights
are booked by the volunteer. We can help you finding the right flight though.
Many international airlines have weekly and sometimes daily flights.
It is important for us to ensure
your safety as soon as you set foot on the ground. All our projects are run by
experienced managers, who will meet you in person at the airport upon arrival
and transfer you safely to the project.
Prior to the
arrival we will be in touch with you and clearly state where to meet us.
We encourage participants to reach out other volunteers arriving at the same time.
General
Meals are provided three times a day
and deliciously cooked by our private chef. Some nights we encourage volunteers
to get involved for cultural braais for instance (this isn’t mandatory).
The Water
from all our projects comes from the ground out of boreholes and is safe to
drink. If there should be any dietary requirements, we will endeavour to
accommodate them as far as possible.
Communication isn’t a problem even
though the reception vanishes from time-to-time Wi-Fi at all our project sites
is available. Volunteers can purchase local SIM cards for their mobile phones.
All our projects are open to
unqualified volunteers. We still require a formal application, why you want to
join the individual project.
That is not a problem at all. We do
require for all Volunteers to speak English, as all inductions and safety
briefings are held in English. You will definitely get the opportunity to pick
up some of the local languages too.
On weekends you will have exciting
opportunities to explore the local surroundings or just simply relax. We also
arrange extra trips and excursions with reputable, local partners for you.
Evenings are free time for you, where you can meet and socialise with other
volunteers.
We keep our program sizes small to
ensure the attention every single volunteer deserves. If you are interested in
whether you are the only volunteer joining a program for a period, please don’t
hesitate to contact us