The Giraffe Conservation Foundation offers a unique hands-on wildlife conservation field experience for Conservation Supporters on the incredible Etosha Heights Private Reserve in northern Namibia.
To further our mission, GCF in collaboration with the Namibia University of Science & Technology has set up the Etosha Heights Conservation Centre on the Etosha Heights Private Reserve, which has rewilded over 60,000 hectares of degraded farmland to a haven for wildlife adjacent to the iconic Etosha National Park in Namibia.
The joint holistic program explores the effect of different land use types (National Park, private reserve, commercial farms, and communal conservancies) on biodiversity and ecological productivity and monitors a suite of large mammals (both prey and predators) in an area covering almost 2 million hectares in the Greater Etosha South-West Landscape. The Etosha Heights Conservation Centre aims to increase engagement with local and international conservation students, researchers, Conservation Supporters and the tourism industry to develop a sustainable and integrated long-term program in support of ongoing conservation needs throughout the landscape.
Here is an example of your typical daily schedule in the field:
Morning: Wake up as the sun rises. Leave for the field after a quick breakfast.
8.30am – 5pm: Conservation research in the field and/or data entry, with regular breaks throughout the day for snacks, lunch, leg stretches and photo opportunities. You may return to the base for lunch and a siesta, followed by data entry in the afternoon, or you may take a picnic lunch and only return to base in the late afternoon or early evening.
You may get involved in the following activities (examples only):
Surveying, observing, photographing, and individually identifying key species such as giraffe, elephant, rhino, and lion;
Setting up and/or maintaining camera traps;
Reviewing and sorting camera trap images;
Reviewing monitoring photograph images and individually identifying key species;
Vehicle based fence line patrols and equipment maintenance;
Vegetation studies and transect game counts;
Recording animal behaviours, including feeding and social interactions;
Assisting conservation students with their projects; and
Updating individual identification databases and general data entry.
Evening: Hearty dinner and conversations at the dinner table or around the campfire.
You have the unique opportunity to become part of this exciting conservation research program and join us for a unique field experience in Namibia. This program is not for the faint-hearted as joining GCF as a Conservation Supporter means long days in the field, helping with kitchen duties and enduring potential close-up encounters with big game, while at the same time contributing to the long-term giraffe and other wildlife conservation research that informs our program throughout Africa.
Each experience will be different, and the number of days spent in the field may vary slightly, however, here is an indicative itinerary to give you an idea of what to expect.
Arrive in Windhoek, most likely at Hosea Kutako International Airport. Transfer to your accommodation where you will spend two nights.
Meet the GCF team at our Windhoek office. Join our Khomas Environmental Education Programme (KEEP) team in the field for the morning and either spend time in our office in the afternoon or explore Windhoek to shop for any last-minute items you might need to take into the field. Depending on who is in town, there might be an opportunity to have dinner with members of the GCF team and another Conservation Supporter who might spend the next 10 days with you. Note that we generally only host two Conservation Supporters at the same time.
Catch the Namibia2Go Shuttle to the Outjo bakery where you will be met by a GCF team member who will bring you to the Etosha Heights Conservation Centre. Arrival will be in the late afternoon, so there is time to settle in before dinner.
Field conservation research activities on Etosha Heights Private Reserve.
Transfer to Outjo to catch a lunchtime shuttle back to Windhoek. Overnight in Windhoek.
Depending on flight time, spend the morning exploring Windhoek before your transfer to the airport for your outbound flight or continue with own arrangements.
Dates are scheduled throughout the year. We host up to three Conservation Supporters at a time, so spaces are limited. Dates for the following year are normally set in August/September of the previous year, so get in touch to be put on our mailing list.
This Conservation Supporter experience is located on Etosha Heights Private Reserve in northern Namibia bordering the iconic Etosha National Park. You will stay in simple, rustic shared twin-rooms with basic ensuite bathrooms. The evenings will be spent in a common area or sitting around an open fire, possibly shared with others (students, researchers or GCF staff) who are conducting fieldwork at the same time. You should plan to arrive and depart from Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. GCF will arrange for your transfer to the Etosha Heights Conservation Centre. If requested, you can also make your own way there and meet the team at the centre or in Outjo.
Your conservation contribution for this 2-week once-in-a-lifetime experience in Namibia is US$2,500. This conservation fee covers all your field costs during your stay at Etosha Heights Private Reserve (10 nights), including food, some soft drinks, transport from Windhoek as well as on the reserve, and accommodation. Additional drinks and personal items are excluded. In Windhoek you will stay at your own cost, but we can help with accommodation suggestions and airport transfers can be booked through your hotel together with your accommodation.
NOTE: Due to the remote location and communal cooking, we are limited in accommodating special dietary requirements. Please make sure to check in with us about this before you apply!
Conservation Supporters need to be in good physical and mental health. While the work is not often physically demanding, the environmental conditions during the experience can be extremely harsh. Certain medical and mental health conditions can be exacerbated in areas like this as they take place in a very remote environment and a long way from medical treatment facilities. Exposure to sun and long days with rough off-road driving will likely be part of your daily conservation research activities and vehicle breakdowns in remote parts of the reserve are not an uncommon occurrence. Please remember, this is not a safari holiday but a hands-on conservation experience!
We would love to hear from you.
