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*** DISCLAIMER ***

I receive no reward, monetary compensation nor any benefit from either Volunteer Encounter program or anyone I mentioned in this website and/or article. I post these stories and people only because one time or another they enriched my life experience, enhanced my knowledge and I appreciate them.

Reception area at the Wildlife Encounter campsite --- nothing luxury but more than adequate.
Reception area at the Wildlife Encounter campsite — nothing luxury but more than adequate.

All the pictures posted in my Zimbabwe, Africa section were obtained via a program named “Photography Project Victoria Falls” and you may see them here. If you like these images and intending to see these animals in real life then I highly recommend this program with the following reasons:

  1. Excellent cost/performance value. With a very reasonable amount of fee, roughly $1,200 a week in 2023, this program provides three meals a day, laundry service twice a week, wildlife/game drive onto national park once a week, hot showers, free WiFi and boarding. Admittedly, none of these are at luxury level but it doesn’t prevent you to enjoy the journey, not at all. p.s. Hot showers and free WiFi availability depending on stable power supply.
  2. A chance to give back to the local communities. You are no longer merely a tourist to go there to take pictures and then leave but have a chance to become part of the local community. For example, you have the opportunity to go to a local mid school to teach school kids in photography and communicate with them about your life experience outside of their world, beyond their imagination. You could also pick up trashes on the side of roadways to help cleaning up the local environment. You may also playing sand on the ground to fill up plastic water bottles to build eco-bricks for future animal farm houses. The give-back opportunities are plenty.
  3. A chance to learn wildlife welfare and their habitualness. For example, a hyena would dig a hole on the ground under shade and lay in it to cool itself down in a very hot Africa afternoon. But do you know it would even pee into the hole it just dug before lay into it to further cooling down itself? Isn’t this something fascinating to know? Lions would fiercely and mercilessly fight and protect their food especially male lions. But do you know it’s the lioness who could climbing trees way better than male lions and a lioness would fully enjoy a raw and big juicy steak on the tree branches; in the mean time, the male lion could only stand under the tree, stare and do absolutely nothing. Moreover, you could even bring items from the wish list provided by Volunteer Encounter such as a variety of cooking seasoning to get close and almost personal with lions to know their preferences. Once you see the results, you may not want to take the same seasoning camping in the wilderness at the Africa savannah, seriously.
  4. A chance to know and communicate with other people who have similar interests. In any given time you may live, eat and go out as a group with other 4 to 12 people and you are all having the similar interests, otherwise, you won’t end up at the same camp. Just imagine the new friends you would meet at the camp and you could all share your experiences, expertise and mutual interests. You could but don’t have to break away with each other once the program is over and could communicate with each other from all over the world. How exciting!!!
  5. A chance to learn the inconvenient but bloody truth. I know, I know and I most definitely know that killing wildlife is not a good thing especially the majestic and gracious elephants. However, keep an open mind and listen to one of the most prominent lifetime native conservationists in Africa, Ian Du Preez, think about what the truth he says and then make up your mind. Do this and do this before it’s too late, do this before there is no more pristine Africa forest but desert, do this before all the other species including Kudu, Impala, Giraffe, Painted Dog and more species are wiped out and extinct, and do this before all the elephants as a specie to be wiped out and extinct, most seriously.

Before I end this article, let me also address two most common questions asked by my friends or anyone who is interested about this program:

Is it dangerous? Danger is a relative term. Do you think traveling at 60 – 80 sometimes 90 miles per hour in a metal box on the highway safe? Yet most of us doing it every day. Is coming to Zimbabwe, Africa and joining this program dangerous? Sure, of course, because any form of traveling involving a certain degree of danger including traveling 60 – 80 MPH in a metal box on the highway. Nevertheless, it’s a give-and-take situation, how much you are willing to sacrifice to come here to enjoy this pristine, natural and unique environment at this African Savannah. If you still worry about danger, then imagine an aboriginal African most likely won’t be able to cross streets in our world because of danger. This is not coming to a war zone or nuclear waste ground, or bio-hazard area. Danger, if there is any, is no different than traveling to any other touristy destinations on this planet.

Is it comfortable? Again, comfort is also a relative term. Is sitting in front of a computer monitor 8 hours a day, day-in-and-day-out comfortable? Yet, majority of us are doing it day-in-and-day-out in an office. There is nothing could compare to be staying at home, having a drink in your hands and watching TV or reading a book or something when things come down to comfort. But, 365 days are no different than any other day! Don’t we all need a bit of excitement in our lives or live a little? This is no luxury program as I mentioned before but it is a program provides you the broadest spectrum and deepest involvement with the genuine Africa. Again, how much you are willing to sacrifice to come here to enjoy this pristine, natural and unique environment at this African Savanna. Moreover, it’s only a short period of time, a few weeks of your time to travel here and the memory could last you a lifetime. Is it worth it? You decide.

The bottom line is as long as you like nature or wildlife or both then the benefits of join this program is way outweighing not to. Those 5 reasons are only parts of what I could come up with and you may come up with your own once you participate and experience it yourself. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

The field right connected to the reception area where you could observe wildlife with a cup of coffee or tea if you rather in your hands.
The field connected right to the reception area where you could observe wildlife with a cup of coffee or tea if you rather in your hands.

*** DISCLAIMER ***

I receive no reward, monetary compensation nor any benefit from either Volunteer Encounter program or anyone I mentioned in this website and/or article. I post these stories and people only because one time or another they enriched my life experience, enhanced my knowledge and I appreciate them.