VOLUNTEERING IN Namibia

AFRICA

Namibia is located on the south-west coast of Africa and is distinguished by dramatic desert landscapes and endless horizons. It is the perfect destination for wildlife lovers with desert-elephants and lions living alongside Africa’s largest population of free-ranging rhinos. From safaris in the saltpans of Etosha National Park to adventure sports in the vast Namib desert or the stunning ancient red sands of the Kalahari, it’s easy to understand the appeal of volunteering in Namibia.

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A little off the beaten track, families, friends and individual travellers all enjoy the adventure that Namibia has to offer. Amidst the extraordinary landscapes and intriguing history, there is also a great need for volunteers to work on conservation projects to help protect the fantastic array of wildlife that populates Namibia. Pod Volunteer is an award-winning non-profit organisation helping people to volunteer in Namibia for as little as 10 days or as long as 3 months.

We find the best volunteer projects in Namibia for you, help you with all the arrangements and provide lots of support before and during your volunteering time in Namibia!

You can get involved in the elephant conservation volunteering project to help track elephant herds in the beautiful Southern African desert and reduce human-elephant conflict by supporting community construction initiatives. If you would like to pair your time volunteering in the desert with diving, animal rescue or Big 5 conservation, international flights to Namibia often fly in via South Africa, so it’s the perfect opportunity to combine volunteering in Namibia with one of our projects in South Africa too!

Volunteers are needed throughout the year round at the Desert Elephant Conservation project. Climate wise, Namibia is generally very dry and pleasant. Average day time temperatures throughout the year can vary between 20-35 ˚C. At the project base, there are two main seasons. The summer season runs from November to April with January to March having occasional rain. The winter season runs from May to October, where it can get down to between 5-15 ˚C at night.

At Pod Volunteer we love to travel and have visited the projects in Namibia. Here is our insider’s view of our experiences travelling and volunteering in Namibia…

Things we loved: Elephants, meerkats, rhinos, giraffe, elephants, chameleons, oh and did we mention the elephants?! The incredible colours of the landscapes, from long stretches of golden beaches through towering sand dunes to bright red desert mountains. Spending time chatting with new friends around the camp fire while counting shooting stars and living out in the desert!

Things we weren’t so sure about! Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It’s very spread out so it takes a while when travelling between the towns and cities. When not at the project it can be tricky to find vegetarian food as meat forms the main part of most traditional dishes.

Below you’ll find a summary of our volunteering projects in Namibia which you can click through to and find out about the volunteer role, location, accommodation and costs, see lots of pictures and read volunteer reviews!

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Desert Elephant Conservation

Desert Elephant Conservation

Namibia

  • Join an elephant tracking team to research the wild elephant population
  • Build protection walls for farmers' water sources and drinking water points for the desert elephants
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Duration: 2 – 12 weeks

Cost from: £1195 / €1385 / $1435

Desert Elephant Conservation - Family Trip

Desert Elephant Conservation - Family Trip

Namibia

  • Work with your family to help protect and research desert elephants in Namibia
  • Join a family volunteering team to support elephant conservation and community work
Discover more >

Duration: 11 days

Cost from: £995 / €1155 / $1195

Top 5 reasons to visit and volunteer in Namibia

  • Night skies – stargazing while under the dark skies of the Namib desert is an incredible experience, it’s hard to distinguish when you are awake and when you are dreaming!

  • Remote wilderness – as Namibia is the world’s 3rd least populated country you can travel for hours through without seeing another person, this makes your encounters with the wildlife even more special.

  • Sand dune safari - in Namibia it’s not just about the big 5 safari animals, you can explore the dunes to find the little 5; from dancing lizards, side winding snakes to dew-drinking beetles. The sand dunes are an easy day trip from Swakopmund.

  • Etosha National Park - during the dry season you only need to find a watering hole in this national park in order to locate a whole host of wildlife including zebras, elephants and giraffe, the perfect African photo opportunity

  • Fish river canyon - take a selfie at Africa’s largest canyon and you could be mistaken for being at the infamous Grand Canyon in America.

Namibia desert elephant

Namibia desert elephant

Namibia volunteers tracking elephants

Namibia volunteers tracking elephants

Namibia camp at night

Namibia camp at night

Namibia sunset

Namibia sunset

Namibia lion

Namibia lion

Namibia desert

Namibia desert

Namibia giraffe

Namibia giraffe

Namibia cow and elephants

Namibia cow and elephants

Namibia lizard

Namibia lizard

Namibia elephant

Namibia elephant

Namibia local ladies washing

Namibia local ladies washing

Namibia elephants

Namibia elephants

We have long term relationships with hand-picked projects that have lasting and positive impact. We are a highly experienced and passionate team, here to support you!

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