The Great Projects Arvostelua 124

Best 3 weeks of my life! What an amazing experience this was. The staff are super knowledgeable and friendly, always there to help with a smile and full of energy. The accommodation and food were better than expected and and the is no ask too big or too small for the staff, they are very accommodating. The conservation activities included invasive plant clearing, road clearing, digging drainage lines and much more. The best part for me was the animal monitoring, being part of a conservation project which is fully hands off to let the wild animals be truly wild and witness their natural behaviour within arms reach was truly breathtaking. This experience brought tears to my eyes, and made some life-long friends with like-minded passion to contribute to something which is incredibly rewarding. The community work was equally as rewarding to be part of a project to make lives better for those people which in turn will educate and reduce the poaching on the game reserves. This is absolutely worth the time, travel and experience and I can't wait to return back and do it all again in the future. This for me is now a life-long passion, I've learned so much and the passion from the teams really shines through. There is plenty nearby activities to fill your weekends including shopping, whale watching, sky diving, swimming with seals, shark cage dives, bungee jumping, kayaking, horse riding, hiking and more. The scenery, sun sets and stars are just stunning, everything all round exceeded expectations.

I had a great time at SanWild, the staff were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the animals and running the volunteer project.
We did different activity daily but still plenty of downtime. The weekends you can go on excursions.
The glamping tent was fine although abit noisy if windy. The food was good as long as you are not a fussy eater. Not a buffet.
It was a great experience with great people who know what there doing.

It's the 5th project I do with Great projects and all of them have been truly inspirational and culturally educational. if you are looking for an experience out of the ordinary and look at exotic places with an inquisitive eye than Great Projects should be the place for you to plan your next adventure

We had a fantastic trip!! Our guides Dennis and Peter were amazing and really went above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible. The highlight of our trip is visiting the communities and seeing the children who live there. It was very eye opening seeing first hand the challenges of everyday living for them. We were so happy that we were able to contribute monetarily to the school, the hospital and also to the Batwa people. Our highlight is being able to give the Batwa tribe in Kisoro water. We are currently able to finance more projects with the help of our guides. Our goal is to help them be self sufficient in the future. Our money goes much further in Uganda. Of course the gorillas were amazing and such a wonderful experience. We were very humbled by how we were received by the people in Uganda. It was one of the best trips we've done so far.

I don't know where to start. From beginning to end this was a truly magical trip. From being greeted by the resident mongoose on my arrival to the final evening's farewell appearance of the bull rhino at the lodge there was an abundance of animals to see every day. I was also fortunate to be present when they fitted trackers to two of the rhinos and the bull elephant. This involved getting the vet up in the helecopter to dart them and we followed in the car to watch the whole process. I had a mixed bag of jobs, from helping to clear an enclosure of all the bushes and long grass, feeding the carvivores who had to stay in enclosures due to the nature of their background, cleaning out the hyenas' watering hole, monitoring the cameras for poachers, to tracking rhino. We got up close to so may amazing animals both in enclosures and all the rest in the wild and learned such an awful lot about the flora and fauna. Every member of staff made us feel very welcome and one of the family and it was very sad to leave. I shall be returning for sure.

I had an amazing trip!!, and have made some friends from all over and also made Memories of a life time!!. I was at first so so nervous as I was on my own traveling to and from Namibia, but once getting and settling into the sanctuary/reserve I felt at ease as all the people both other volunteers and staff made me feel at home. First day We settled into the sanctuary / reserve and could if we wanted , to go to help out which I did we started with the small animal feeding. We was straight into work the next day and the rest obviously of the week and helping out , we was lucky as we got to on game counts all my first week they're as well as doing morning and afternoon activities. Most defiant highlights for me , was one learning and getting stuck into the daily activities and also going on the baboon walk and the cheetah walk. But the number one thing on my list of highlights , was just learning all about conservation side of it and just seeing them in there natural habitat. But also enjoyed looking after, and feeding the ones one sight of the Namibian Wildlife Sanctuary and reserve. Also was seeing the , Elephants and Rhinos and Lions. and going to the on sight school.

Review Received
Received From: Bernie Bardon
Date: 29th April 2024
Review:
Wow so many many great moments the project was simply amazing. Kate what credit to great project she so well organised her knowledge was excellent of orangutans and sunbear her passion and dedication was outstanding my month when so quickly because every day was filled with adventure I can’t fault it at all the lodge and staff brilliant and met all my dietary requirements, food excellent. The team that help support orangutans and sunbear especially Wiwik and Sam do an amazing job. So I one hundred per cent will be back.

We travelled as a family of four to Sanwild - including two little animals aged 6 and 7 years old. It was like jumping into a different life, and far exceeded our expectations as a 'holiday'. Junel, the volunteer coordinator, was superb throughout and was with our kids during the day to ensure they were getting involved in a safe way. Every morning we woke up from our luxury tent (half villa, half tent), with a stunning view of the watering hole and background of a beautiful African sunrise. Elephants, warthogs, wilder beast and impala were often just a few metres away. I enjoyed being part of a working farm/Sanctuary for two weeks - the work was always optional, but I loved getting stuck in with bush clearing, chopping down trees, feeding the cheetahs and lions and monitoring the movement of the animals. Our stay also coincided with the helicopter darting of an elephant to fit a tracker which was a really unique experience. Overall it was the lifestyle I enjoyed the most - Eco Rangers such as Gustav took us on wildlife treks into the bush, including scaling a mountain on the property. Every day was different, and we were helping in a small way to a working farm whilst being truly part of a different way of life, a simpler way of life, framed by the African countryside.

It was an amazing experience from day one to day 12. Hard work living and working in the steamy jungle but worth it when you see the beautiful orangutans that you are helping. James was such a lovely volunteer coordinator- always making sure we knew what we were doing and that we were happy doing it. Kind and friendly and always smiling. Only improvement I would offer is to have gum boots (Wellingtons) on site to borrow. They are big and heavy and take up too much room in luggage.

Hard to say goodbye to the Azores, after two weeks of rough, incredibly beautiful volcanic landscapes, swift whaling trips on DiveAzores’ Keiko, the rigid inflatable boat skippered by Tiago or Lionel, and shared camaraderie throughout!! A few Atlantic-size storms provided some dramatic background for our bouncy, splashy outings in the Keiko on good days, to jointly scan the grey waters for dorsal fins, pick up whale conversations underwater via hydrophone, getting excited at whale tails —ok, flukes— and bits and pieces of whale noses, or frolicking dolphins, all of us, really, enjoying the wonder of these islands. I will remember!
1-14 April 2024

This was such a fabulous experience, that I don't really know where to start. Kate and Wick work hard to make sure everyone is happy and included in all activities and to make sure you feel at home as possible. They really try to bring the whole group together and make it fun. Seeing the Sun bears and Orangutans enjoy your efforts is so worth the very hot hard work! Knowing what clothing to take was my biggest stress, I recommend 3/4 running leggings, not too tight sports bras and dark T-shirts (some of the jobs are pretty messy!) and thin long baggy clothing for the evening (it's still very hot and protection from mosquitoes). The PCR testing is a bit of a pain and delays things and wastes a day, but the first 5 days go quick. The food at the lodge could do with a more varied menu, but the staff are very accommodating if your diet requires something different. I loved it and really hope to do it again!

Incredible experience at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary with the great projects, staff are lovely from both TGP and at Naankuse one of the best experiences we've done - walked with Cheetahs and baboons, fed meerkats and lions

The great projects helped out whenever needed really well, from booking through Lauren to organising transfers and helping out where they can

Will book through them again and would recommend to anyone.

Top service! Naankuse is a lovely farm!

What an amazing & rewarding experience!
Our day to day work included clearing alien plants, removing fencing from an old corral, community involvement such as re-building a jungle gym, revitalising a vegetable garden (& playing with the local kids!). We were also priveleged enough to join the reserve's medical team on a couple of important projects, including some hands on work with two baby rhinos! Incredible! One of the many highlights. The afternoons tended to be wildlife monitoring & recording, which is a technical term for being on a safari!!
Our guide, Jesse, did an amazing job of getting us some great close up views of the animals, providing us with loads of interesting information & making our experience as memorable as possible. All the staff at the lodge were so friendly & the food was top notch every day.
I would recommend the Shamwari Conservation Project & The Great Projects to anyone who wants to be part of a fantastic team of like-minded volunteers who want to help make a difference.

I had an awful experience with the Great Projects. There was no in country support and I was in a very remote part of South America where there were threats to steal all my belongings. I had to evacuate the following morning and fly back to the UK. They have no in country support that is available and the whole thing seems very professional on the uk side but absolutely unsafe. Be very cautious booking any trips that they newly advertise as an 18 year old traveller they do not offer any support when it becomes dangerous. I would recommend Think Pacific and I would avoid the Great Projects like the plague. I still paid for the experience where I was threatened by multiple people to have my stuff stolen whilst they tried to break through the door of the basic room I was staying in. I have not been offered any compensation and actually paid for the hell of this experience. Do not book this as a univeristy student/ Gap year student- it is highly dangerous !

Can a volunteer project consist of two weeks of only highlights? The N/a'ankuse Wildlife Project has it all: a beautiful country, overwhelming nature, the friendliest staff, magnificent volunteer activities, advanced learning through the wildlife team and antipoaching unit every day, a terrific accommodation, extremely delicious food, the most marvellous sunsets. N/a'ankuse offers it all. With over 50 volunteers all together at the project there's plenty of possibilities to reach out to people all over the world, come and go on any date, and join the other N/a'ankuse projects as well, including participating at the primary school or the lifeline clinic. And when you give your very best, you will be rewarded with the experience of a lifetime.

Had the best time during my two weeks volunteering with the turtles. Dudley and the team are the kindest people and take such good care of you during your time there. The work they do is incredible and you learn so much about the turtles and how the project is helping through their conservation efforts. You also spend most week days teaching English to local children which for me was daunting at first but I really enjoyed it. Would absolutely recommend joining this volunteer program to anyone, I’ve made memories I’ll never forget! Just wish I had booked more than two weeks as I could have easily stayed longer

We booked The Great Orangutan Project through The Great Projects, they were just amazing! It was a life goal, we had never done anything like this before and being in our 'later years' we were a little bit apprehensive about the travel and how challenging the work might be. The staff at The Great projects totally put our minds at ease and gave us guidance through every stage from booking, payments, insurance, flights right up to being collected from the airport.

We never imagined how amazing this trip would be! The work was at the right pace and level for each individual, this experience and the camaraderie of our fellow volunteers will stay with us forever. We'd like to thank the team at Matang Wildlife Centre for their guidance and their patience they showed us and for the work that they do to make this wonderful experience happen for us. The health and condition of the animals is a testament to their knowledge and passion that they have for the animals in their care. If anyone is contemplating volunteering with this project it is a very worthwhile fulfilling experience.

Undoubtedly by far the best experience of my life! The accommodation and meals provided as well as having the laundry done absolutely justifies the fee and overall investments. I had alot of fun and amazing learning experience with the staff members and they were amazing to involve us as much as possible into the daily work, shared alot of knowledge and had interesting conversations about the sanctuary, animals and it was both knowledgeable and enjoyable! Of course, meeting different people from different countries was also really amazing! It was amazing to meet people with the same passion, same goals and putting in the efforts into the daily activities and just have alot of fun! The activities that were my personal top 5: Food prep and feeding the carnivores, APU patrol, patroling with the rhino rangers, cheetah walk and cheetah experience! Besides these adventures, I truly loved and enjoyed every single activity, including being a teacher at the Naankuse primary school! For sure, this adventure only sparked my desire to pursue more conservation projects as it is part of my profession and my Dream! I could not thank Everyone enough for this experience for which words don't do justice. I hope to see you guys again in the future!

I have travelled with The Great Projects 4 times, volunteering with animals, and have recently returned from my second visit to the Carnivore Conservation Project in Namibia. TGP are super to deal with, even getting a dedicated contact for questions regarding the projects, through the booking process and even afterwards. All enquiries are promptly answered and telephone numbers are available even when abroad.

I have just returned from my second trip to the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary. The memory of the last one in 2016 stayed with me always, and eventually I had to go back to this most beautiful of countries. Little had changed, and animals still needed caring for and feeding. Each day, your duties changed - feeding animals, game counts, horse management, perimeter monitoring, waterhole cleaning etc. However, you can have a cold beer at the end of each day! The animal food prep area is now much larger though which is good news, and many donations for the animals arrive from hotels, shops etc, and nothing is wasted. The food prep team can take a couple of hours to chop, cut, slice, mix whatever needs doing for the many animals sheltered here. This includes bottle-feeding baby baboons, then walking them with the juveniles in the morning and afternoon. This always creates excitement! On trucks, we feed the lions, leopards, hyena, cheetah, caracals by hurling their meats over a fence - no hand-feeding there... If you're lucky, you'll have time to walk through the bush with three cheetah, or maybe watch their game of chasing a lure in their enclosure. This visit, I rode through the bush on horseback, and walked through a herd of giraffe, who just gave us a quizzical look, but allowed us passage as they were used to the horses we rode. What an experience! The horses are let out at the end of the day to browse through the bush and mingle with the giraffe as well as species of antelope and zebra, so the animals are all accustomed to one another. There is now a K9 project, to train dogs for the Anti-poaching Unit (APU), and a visit to this is so much fun. We are trained as well as the dogs, so I'm going to see what I can now do with my own independent-spirited little pooch. (I'm not holding my breath 🙂 ) To the people at the Namibian Conservation Project, I am now known as a 'Returner". It appears there are many of our species and I even met some! In fact, a returning couple had just been asked to step up as coordinators for a few weeks, as they were to be short-staffed for a little while. You don't know what you're going to encounter day-to-day, which makes getting up before 7am worthwhile.