This section will give you some idea about the cost of a placement, where that money goes and some ideas about fundraising.
When we discuss your placement we will tell you the total cost. This will be one cost that covers all your transport in South Africa, food, accommodation and return flights from London to Johannesburg if required. Since around 50% of the placement cost goes directly to the project on which you will be working, you can ensure that that money is contributing to a worthwhile conservation initiative.
Most volunteers will do some sort of fund-raising to finance the trip. This may involve applying for sponsorship or holding a fund-raising event. Fund-raising should be seen as part of the challenge in getting to southern Africa and can be great fun! Since we have been in close contact with several hundred volunteers that have done fund-raising over the years, we can give you lots of good ideas and advice on how to fund-raise. If you are accepted on a placement, we will also send you a Fundraising Guide which has lots of great ideas to get you started and tells you where we can give you direct support and assistance.
Where the money goes
The allocation of funds does vary from one project to the next but this chart gives you a good idea of the average allocation of the money that you pay us to arrange your placement. Because we are independant, we are unbiased and are able to support and promote projects that have the greatest need.
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to the conservation project for the cost of your accommodation, meals, and to the project. |  |
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to your flights, transfers and travel | |
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to your in-country admin and support, admin in the UK and contributions to worthwhile causes |
Specific costs
Since everybody's placement will be different and specific to what projects they want to work on and for the length of time that they want to stay, we cannot give you an exact price until we discuss your placement over the phone. Here we will give you a general idea of placement costs.
The exact cost of a placement depends on:
- The length of time that you want to be on your placement
- The projects that you work on
- Whether you want us to organise flights for you from London
Given that our volunteers come from all over the world, you can pay in either UK Pounds, Euros, USA dollars or Canadian dollars.
Here are the typical costs of some placements in UK pounds:
| Placement length in weeks | Number of projects visited | Flights from London included | Cost of placement in UK pounds |
| 4 | 1 | Yes | 3220 - 3370 |
| 8 | 1 | Yes | 4220 - 4270 |
| 8 | 2 | Yes | 4320 - 4370 |
| 8 | 1 | No | 3720 - 3770 |
| 12 | 2 | Yes | 5220 - 5270 |
As most people will need to do some fundraising to get the funds together, we don't ask for the full payment until 8 weeks before you depart. However, we do ask for a £250 (or equivalent in other currencies) deposit in order to reserve the placement. Once the deposit is paid and the placement set up you can then get on with the fundraising!
The 2-week Game Ranger Guide Course costs £995 (2008) or £1095 (2009) and a £100 deposit is needed to secure your place on the course (Please note that prices are subject to change but are fixed once the deposit has been paid) .
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory and you must make sure that it covers the activities you will undertake durng the placement, as well as emergency treatment, airlift evacuation and repatriation. If you are based within the EU, we can send you contact details for a travel insurance company that provides this level of cover, but you can choose your own as well.
Spending Money
You may want to bring some spending money to by gifts to take home or for excursions during your free time. Since the cost of living in South Africa is much lower than that in the UK, we normally recommend around £30 a week for spending money. It is possible to withdraw cash in South Africa at ATMs in most towns and petrol stations using VISA and Mastercard.
