Location: Nairobi National Park Duration: 1-2 weeks Availability: Year round Cost: $700-$1100 Requirements: None What’s included: 2 meals a day, homestay accommodation, transportation to and from the orphanage each day.

The Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Safari Walk were established in 1964 as refuges for wild animals found abandoned, orphaned or injured throughout Kenya. They are currently the most visited wildlife facilities in the country, attracting over 200,000 visitors a year. The aims of the orphanage and safari walk are to release the animals into the wild whenever possible and to provide conservation education to visitors. Because of the enormous opportunity it presents to pass on conservation messages, the orphanage was recently upgraded into a facility that provides the highest standard of captive animal management and conservation education, making the need for volunteers ever greater. Volunteers are given an interactive and creative wildlife experience through the duties they are assigned. you will help feed the animals at designated times and assist with maintenance work and vet duties. You may even get the chance to work as a tour guide for visitors!

Location: Lake Nakuru National Park Duration: 10 days Availability: Four counts are conducted annually. Contact us for specific dates. Cost: $800 Requirements: None What’s included: 2 meals a day, homestay accommodation, transportation to and from the orphanage each day.

The numbers and variety of birdlife in Lake Nakuru has been fluctuating drastically over the last 20 years, making the quarterly counts an essential tool in determining future conservation management strategies. However, considering there are over 400 species of bird, whose total number is in the millions, conducting the survey is no easy task. The KWS thus enlists dozens of researchers to help identify the species and estimate the overall numbers. Tembeza Kenya volunteers now have the opportunity to join in and enjoy front-row seats at “the greatest bird spectacle on earth.” Equipped with powerful binoculars, counters will wade through the marshy shoreline with the water sometimes reaching their waists. Participants are advised to stay alert, as past volunteers have encountered grazing hippos in the shallow waters close to their paths during the count!

Location: Masai Mara National Reserve Duration: 1-2 weeks Availability: Year round Cost: $700-$1100 Requirements: None What’s included: 2 meals a day, guest house accommodation, transportation within the park each day.

A compact version of one of our most popular projects, volunteers with time limits can now still get a taste of living in the world’s most famous National Reserve and can make a meaningful contribution in helping to preserve one of its flagship species. Since the work schedule remains almost identical to the longer-term placement, which involves cheetah tracking, identification and behavioural monitoring among many other things, please refer to our comprehensive project briefing (PDF file) for more information.