South Africa is a large and fascinating country - full of natural wonders, culture and history. It has a great infrastructure, even by first-world measures, and is ideal for foreign visitors. While we do offer some projects in remote places where you can get the feel of rural Africa, we also offer a lot of volunteer projects in or close to cities like Cape Town.
We offer a large number of volunteer projects in South Africa. You can choose between projects in the following areas:
Volunteer work can vary depending on the volunteer job, from easy tasks to hard work, from fun jobs to those that are emotionally challenging. Our detailed descriptions, photographs, videos and testimonials will assist you in finding the right volunteer opportunity for you. And if any of your question remains unanswered, please contact us.
In Cape Town volunteers stay at the Good Hope Volunteers House. In Hout Bay and near Plettenberg Bay volunteers working at various volunteer projects are accommodated at a backpackers. At all other volunteer projects your accommodation is organised by the project.
If your accommodation is not at the project itself, then you will be transferred to work and back every day. At some projects, particularly in rural areas, the accommodation is fairly basic, and is sometimes dormitory-style. This is a great way to meet other volunteers. There are communal areas to relax in after the day. Visit our project list for detailed project descriptions.
You will work 5 days a week (6 days in some projects) and have 2 days off. In your free time, you can relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery, or organise trips to local attractions with your fellow volunteers. The projects are all located in well-known tourist areas and there are plenty of things to see and do. Some projects also organise activities and trips for the volunteers for their free time (subject to demand and at an extra cost).
Some projects are registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs). For these projects, it is possible to apply for a Volunteer Visa for up to 3 years. If you are interested in long-term volunteering, then please contact us for more information.
If you are not a native English speaker, you can combine your volunteering experience with an English language course.
It is important that you can communicate well and understand instructions. This is not only important for your safety and those around you, but also important to make your volunteering experience a great one.
The minimum English requirements differ slightly from project to project (see project details), but usually a minimum of Upper-Intermediate [B2] is required.
If your English level is not sufficient or you want to brush up your skills, attending an English language course before you start volunteering is a great option. Our sister company, Good Hope Studies, offers a great choice of courses in Cape Town.
Attending a language course before volunteering also allows you to get used to the country - its climate, food and infrastructure.
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