Back in 2017, Charles headed over to Namibia to volunteer not only at the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary, but also the research sites at Kanaan and Mangetti. From the moment he arrived, Charles knew he had made the right choice in picking a volunteering holiday, so take a look at what he has to say about these incredible projects and enjoy some of the amazing pictures he got whilst at the project sites!
The Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary is a great escape from reality. Rather than escaping to a fantasy and lying on the beach for your holiday, you find yourself benefiting from the knowledge you can gain and the experiences you take from your time there.
A new experience for most, you find yourself in disbelief at some of the happenings at the wildlife sanctuary yet, a couple of days in, you find yourself at home.
If you would like further reason to travel and meet new friends from different & exciting places, then the sanctuary is the perfect place to make these friends and memories that you can take with you all over the world.
After what was a difficult and challenging year for me, the sanctuary was the perfect distraction from the issues I faced at home and this in tow made a great change in me and helped me get over the remaining hurdles. The farm sets you to task on doing good for others (the animal life!) and for me that brought the best out of me.
What did Charles think of the Kanaan Research Site?
Kanaan’s landscape is out of this world, a fantastic view that stretches as far as the eye can see. When tracking out in the desert the views and beautiful tones in colours of the sand and sky are absolutely fascinating. If I could ask one thing of everyone who travels to Kannan, it would be to really take it all in for a moment and remember how different home is and just how incredible it is to be out there.
Another pleasure of Kanaan is that you really feel like your work out there makes a difference. We were told that for every 50m of wire braiding we did out there, roughly one Oryx would be saved from running into badly maintained fences, so managing to complete 350m in one week left us feeling like we could leave with an intrinsic reward.
Charles also visited Mangetti too!
Mangetti is about as real as it gets. If you ever wanted a real wild at heart experience, then this is the place for you. Marco, the researcher up there, is the most knowledgeable guy you’ll meet in Namibia. He takes you through a whole host of amazing activities including; trekking through thick bush for wild dog dens, scoping out new areas and regularly tracking elephant activity.
The real prize is watching the tracking pay off, and coming face to face with these fantastic elephants after knowing the work that’s gone into it too. One thing you can never forget from Mangetti is sleeping under the stars and the work that goes with this. Axe or machete in hand, you find a clearing you like the look of and make quick work of cleaning it out. The wood you cut down you use for fire and to make a table for the food. You will then make your dinner over the fire and sleep under the stars without a tent, and I can guarantee that’s one of those nights you’ll never forget.
It is safe to say that Charles thoroughly enjoyed his time in Namibia, and that is not a surprise as this is a fantastic project! To learn a little more about the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary take a look at the website, but for now why not watch our video all about a day in the life of a Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary volunteer?
