Unique Volunteer Project

Panthera Africa’s founders, Cathrine & Lizaene, started their journey as volunteers in South Africa, and this journey lead to a dream, now a reality, filled with passion …”

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The holiday of a lifetime

We believe in the equal importance of both humans and animals, and we will do our absolute best to give you the holiday of a lifetime. We know from personal experience that this includes both quality time with animals, as well as with staff and the other volunteers.

Hearing a lion roar up close, getting love and recognition from a leopard, hearing the chuffing of a tiger, or seeing them appreciate and love the toys you make to enrich their lives = BLISS.

In addition to the indescribable bonds you will form with the animals, friendships will be formed and together at the end of the day we all can share stories, hopes and dreams around the bonfire with a cold drink watching the famous African sunset.

The international volunteer project will offer you the unique opportunity to be involved behind the scenes – daily tasks will include:

Caring for the amazing big cats
Enrichment program
Preparation of food and feeding
Cleaning and maintaining enclosures
General farm work
Educating visitors

FOR ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS PLEASE MAIL US AT vol@pantheraafrica.com

During your holiday with us you will become a part of our family and enjoy our modern, yet cozy home. The house is situated in the middle of the property, so you will be mesmerized by the spectacular mountain view and feel at peace with nature whilst listening to the lions roar. The house consists of 5 bedrooms with 5 bathrooms, a spacious and fully equipped kitchen, a big living and dining room area, indoor and outdoor braai with a nice swimming pool to cool down during hot summer days. You will be sharing a room with 3 new volunteer friends, or optionally enjoy our couples room. For the nature lovers and brave-hearted people, you also have the choice to spend a night or two in hammocks by our old ruins under the African stars.

We will provide you with breakfast and lunch, while you cater for your own dinner. You have the choice of cooking a nice homemade meal, or enjoy one of the many restaurants close by. You will be taken on a weekly shopping trip, where you can buy groceries and other items from the many shops available. Do not be too surprised if you find Lizaene outside some of the evenings having a good old South African braai, where she will accommodate any food you like to put on the grill!

What you need to bring

From personal experience we know there are millions of questions running through your head when it comes to packing and what to bring. It is so easy to over pack your suitcase with lots of things you will never use, so here is a list of essential items you should bring when you come to us as a volunteer;

CLOTHES AND SHOES

Panthera Africa is situated in what you can call the modern Africa, but even so you can expect to get your hands and cloths dirty. So remember to bring outdoor clothes that you can, in worst case, leave behind if they get too worn out. The summers are hot, both day and night, so bring light clothes and shoes. Even though winter temperatures do not fall below 10 degrees, the wind, periodical rain and coastal humidity is unpredictable, so make sure to bring nice warm clothes, waterproof jacket and trouser. We do have a washing machine so it is sufficient to bring the amount of clothes for one week. There will be the opportunity to go out for meals and some fun in Hermanus and Cape Town, so if you like to dress up a little bit, some nicer clothes will come in handy.

Shoes are always something ladies love to bring with, but you do not need too many! We recommend three different pairs of shoes so you have got a mixture to suit you and the weather conditions. Comfortable, hard wearing shoes/boots/wellingtons will be the main thing, in addition to a suitable pair of sandals and flip flops for those warm days on the farm and when we head off to the beach! So if you are coming in summer, remember that we have a nice swimming pool so bring your bathing suit and a bathing towel.

WEATHER

The weather in the Western Cape various from warm summers (October to March), chilly and rainy autumn and winter (April to July), and fresh spring days (August and September), so make sure to pack for the right months. It is always wise to look at the weather forecasts as the seasons do vary a lot.

TOILETRIES

This is Africa and the sun is very hot, so please bring suncream with a high factor and a soothing aftersun. You can expect a visit or two from the many insects that live together with us on the farm, so make sure to bring the lifesaving insect repellant, and the itch-soothing lotion. We know some of you are crazy about the anti-bacterial face/hand wipes, so bring it with, but not a necessity. We are very down to earth on the farm, but bring some make up if you like to dress up a little bit for a fun night out!

FIRST AID KIT

You will be working with animals, in addition to doing some physical work, so bring plasters and bandages for those ‘just in case’ situations. The sun is hot and it is easy to get a bit dehydrated at times, so some rehydration packets and Paracetamol are always worth packing.

LIGHTWEIGHT TRAVEL SLEEPING BAG

We do provide duveys with linen and a towel, but if you might want to sleep outside by the old ruins, the travel sleeping bags can come in handy. If you fancy going on an extra trip during your stay, or you would simply like an extra layer in bed when it is cold, the travel sleeping bag might become your best friend!

VACCINATIONS

For all travelers; make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine and polio vaccine. In addition we recommend Hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies.

For some travelers; you can get hepatitis B through sexual contact, contaminated needles, and blood products, so this vaccine is recommended if you might get a tattoo or piercing. If you want to travel to the northern South Africa provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo (Northern part where Kruger National Park is situated), and Mpumalanga), then malaria tablets might be recommended. There is no risk of yellow fever in South Africa. The government of South Africa requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever.

BANK AND TRAVEL INSURANCE

We advise that you have this with you at all times, and make sure that your insurance covers working with wildlife.

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Fun

Being situated close to many of South Africa’s top tourist attractions – Cape Town with its Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Point to mention some, Hermanus with its unbelievable whale watching cove and wine tasting, Gansbaai with its spectacular white shark diving, and some of the world’s most amazing beaches on your door step, makes this experience a perfect holiday.

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– Looking forward to sharing our dream with you –