Okavango Wilderness Project

A real wilderness experience

With nearly a million acres to monitor, you’ll regularly move from camp to camp. The accommodation is basic and pretty raw, just as you’d expect in such a remote part of the world.

Work with Africa’s most iconic species

The Okavango Delta is an area of incredible biodiversity. As a volunteer, you’ll get to observe elephants, wild dogs, lions, giraffe, hippos, crocodiles and many other species in their natural environment.

Explore the famous Moremi Game Reserve

During your experience, you’ll get to participate in a game drive through one of Africa’s most biodiverse wildlife reserves.

Pick up bushcraft skills

The experience of living in such a remote a basic bush camp wouldn’t be complete without learning a few bush survival skills. You may even learn how to make and bake bread on a fire.

Preserve the vast KAZA TFCA

Our project site is situated within the expansive Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), a remarkable expanse that spans across five neighbouring countries and covers an impressive 519,912 km² (200,739 sq mi), a size larger than Spain.

Government approved

This project’s work feeds directly into the objectives of the Government of Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and complies with the South African Regional Environmental Program (SAREP) standardised wildlife monitoring protocols. It was created in partnership with well-known bodies like the Okavango Research Institute (ORI) and longtime Okavango Delta expert Christiaan Winterbach.

As a conservation traveller on our Okavango Wilderness Project, you’ll be part of a small and close-knit team of conservationists. You’ll get involved with every aspect of project life and make a real contribution to Botswana’s wildlife conservation:

Wildlife monitoring

The project’s main goal is to monitor the movement and populations of various species.

• Monitor wildlife including predators and antelope
• Use line transects to collect data on wildlife in the area
• Use GPS equipment to record transects and wildlife sightings
• Set up camera traps to monitor elusive species
• Survey wildlife dynamics at waterholes
• Used fixed point photography to monitor seasonal changes in plants
• Survey plants and animals to gain a better understanding of the Okavango Delta ecosystem as a whole

Practical conservation

There aren’t many home comforts in the Okavango Delta so you’ll have to lend a hand wherever it’s needed.

• Help to maintain the camps
• Learn basic skills to maintain your monitoring vehicle in the field

As well as gaining hands-on experience (which you can read about under the ‘do’ tab), you’ll also learn about the conservation, ecology, biology and behaviour of the region’s wildlife.

Conservation

• Human-wildlife conflict, a growing issue in Botswana as wildlife populations continue to increase
• Wildlife poaching, anti-poaching methods in the field and relocation programmes
• How and why the hunting ban was introduced in Botswana and the challenges of keeping it in place
• Employment issues for local communities in former hunting areas

Ecology

• The natural environment of African species including elephant, African wild dog, lion, leopard and spotted hyena
• The unique ecosystems of the Okavango Delta and how they’re created
• The role of different species in the different ecosystems
• The impact of wildlife population growth on the ecosystem in the wake of the hunting ban
• Seasonal changes and how this affects plants and wildlife movement

Biology

• The physiology and natural diets of African species including lion, leopard, African wild dog and elephant.
• Native African plants, reptiles, amphibians and birds in the Okavango Delta

Behaviour

• Natural animal behaviour in a region that is unfenced, unmanaged and has little human intervention
• The mass migration of large herds of animals
• The relationship between predator and prey species
• Behaviour of animal groups, such as the hierarchy systems in prides of lions, troops of primates and herds of antelope
• Predator hunting behaviour and the differences between social predators such as lions, hyena and African wild dogs, compared with solitary predators such as leopards and cheetah
• Predator territorial behaviour
• Breeding behaviour of African species including lion, African wild dog, leopard and elephant

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No Poverty End Poverty in all its forms everywhere

By offering paid volunteering opportunities, the project attracts predictable international funding that provides a means for the research team to monitor and protect the diverse wildlife in the Okavango Delta.

Quality Education

Volunteers at the Okavango Wilderness Project learn relevant skills for monitoring wildlife and collecting real world scientific data that informs conservation action.

All volunteers that participate at the Okavango Wilderness Project have access to the same standard of education and training regardless of sex and background.

All volunteers at the Okavango Wilderness Project acquire knowledge on how their actions and the actions of humans can affect wildlife and how they can behave to minimise this effect.

Gender Equality

Men and women have equal opportunity to volunteer at the Okavango Wilderness Project.

Clean Water and Sanitation

The Okavango Wilderness Project monitors all wildlife and the health of the overall ecosystem in the dry delta which surrounds the wet delta. The health of wet and dry delta are intrinsically linked.

Affordable and Clean Energy

The Okavango Wilderness Project has implemented a reliable and modern solar energy system which powers the base camp.

The Okavango Wilderness Project has increased the global percentage of renewable energy usage by implementing a solar energy system which powers the project base camp.

The Okavango Wilderness Project has expanded and upgraded modern and sustainable energy usage in Botswana by implementing a solar energy system which powers the project base camp.