The New Horizons Sabbatical

This is a suggested itinerary. Every experience can be customised to be just right for you.

Okavango Wilderness Project

Week 1

Discover Botswana’s awe-inspiring Okavango region, home to the largest population of elephants on Earth and one of the last strongholds of the endangered African wild dog. In this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you’ll join an intrepid research team exploring a vast intact ecosystem, monitor the amazing species that call this place home - and pick up some real bushcraft skills along the way.

• Meals Provided

The Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience

Week 2

Explore the Greater Kruger Park in a way few others ever do… on foot. Alongside an expert guide, you’ll step into one of the few remaining ecosystems large enough to host a mega population of lions, growing numbers of elephants, plus wild dogs, black and white rhino and other threatened species. Together, you’ll carry out vital practical conservation, monitor iconic species and immerse yourself in the untamed beauty of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

• Meals Provided

Phinda Wildlife Research Project

Week 3

Go behind the scenes in a Big 5 wildlife conservancy where you’ll monitor lions, elephants, rhinos, pangolins and other species in their natural habitats. Part-owned by the local Zulu community, Phinda is a true conservation success story - and plays a vital role in the WWF’s efforts to reintroduce black rhinos across more parts of Africa.

• Food For Meal Preparation Provided

Protect awe-inspiring places

Discover how the size of a conservation area impacts wildlife management and monitoring. Join conservation efforts in the Okavango and Greater Kruger - two of the last habitats in Africa large enough to support thriving populations of elephants and lions. And the Maputaland Centre of Endemism - a biodiversity hotspot home to an incredible array of rare species and ecosystems (including a critically endangered sand forest).

Encounter Africa’s iconic species

Help professional field researchers monitor the population sizes and movement patterns of various keystone species, from the iconic Big 5 to elusive smaller animals such as pangolins and hyenas - giving you a broader view of African ecosystems.

Support anti-poaching efforts and habitat protection

Contribute to anti-poaching initiatives by monitoring vulnerable species, sharing vital information in real time with ranger teams, and assisting with periodic conservation measures like rhino horn trimming, invasive plant removal and bush clearing.

Explore the wilderness on foot

Enjoy guided bushwalks through remote areas inaccessible to vehicles. You’ll learn how to track animals on foot, gain insights into their behaviours, and immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of wild Africa.

Make a real difference

By assisting the expert team with wildlife monitoring and habitat management, you’ll lend physical and financial support to projects that partner with the WWF, Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), and Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Enjoy captivating expeditions and excursions

Get a taste for adventure with included activities like night drives to observe nocturnal animals and a visit to an animal rehabilitation centre - plus optional excursions including a canoe experience on the River Kwai, and an airplane flight over the Delta.

Relax and take in the view

Stay in remote camps within different conservation areas, offering breathtaking views and a comfortable base from which to explore the surrounding wilderness.

You’ll support the project teams in real hands-on wildlife monitoring. Depending on the conservation priorities at the time, this will include a range of the following activities.

Wildlife monitoring & research

You’ll help the project teams monitor and research wildlife to understand the movements, populations and behaviours of Africa’s iconic and elusive species.

You will get to observe and assist:

• Monitoring key species such as rhino, elephants, giraffe, cheetahs, leopards, lions, hyena, and antelope.
• Tracking animals on foot and via vehicle-based surveys, such as game drive counts.
• Using telemetry to track collared animals such as elephants and pangolins.
• Conducting bi-annual or ongoing camera trap surveys and analysing imagery to monitor elusive or nocturnal species, including leopard, hyena, serval, porcupines and bushbabies.
• Recording species data, including age, gender, behaviour (predatory, feeding, breeding), and prey utilisation by predators.
• Surveying wildlife dynamics at waterholes.
• Recording sightings and mapping movements to build detailed animal territory databases.
• Using line transects and GPS equipment to gather ecological data.
• Tracking predator footprints to help estimate population numbers.
• Recording the activity of key bird species such as the southern banded-snake eagle.

Species-specific conservation

Your work will contribute directly to species-focused initiatives aimed at long-term protection of vulnerable and endangered animals.

You could observe or assist:

• Rhino conservation - identifying individual rhinos, passing monitoring data to anti-poaching teams, rhino immobilisations, ear-notching, and humane horn trimming as an anti-poaching strategy.
• Giraffe monitoring - tracking movements, maintaining ID kits, and contributing to long-term population datasets.
• Cheetah and predator research - monitoring behaviours, prey selection and population dynamics to support conservation strategies and population management.
• Pangolin reintroduction - assisting with the release of rescued pangolins and tracking their post-release progress.

Wildlife Management

In addition to research and monitoring, you’ll gain insight into conservation strategies used to sustain healthy and balanced ecosystems.

You could observe, assist, or learn about:

• Wildlife contraceptive programmes to manage predator and elephant populations.
• Vaccination programmes to prevent disease spread among predators.
• The management and preservation of habitats to ensure sustainable food and water supplies.
• Practical conservation work such as bush clearing, rebuilding fences, and removing invasive species.

Practical conservation skills

While participating in fieldwork, you’ll get the chance to learn practical skills essential for life and research in the bush.

You will get to observe or assist:

• Maintaining field camps and monitoring vehicles.

You’ll learn about wildlife behaviour, biology, ecology, and conservation issues. Depending on the projects’ work at the time, this will include a range of the following topics.

Behaviour

• The social structure and group behaviour of lions, elephants, primates, antelope, and buffalo.
• Predator–prey relationships and hunting strategies, comparing social predators (lions, hyenas, African wild dogs) with solitary ones (leopards, cheetahs).
• Predator territorial behaviour and habitat use by elusive species such as leopards.
• Mating and breeding behaviour of species including lion, leopard, elephant, and African wild dog.
• Herd movements and mass migrations of animals such as elephants and antelope.
• The behavioural patterns of rhinos and other monitored species.

Biology

• The physiology, dietary needs, and biological differences of species such as lions, elephants, rhinos (including black vs. white), leopards, and African wild dogs.
• The rich diversity of native African flora and fauna, including plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Ecology

• The ecosystems inhabited by the Big 5 and other species, including unique environments such as the Okavango Delta and Phinda’s sand forest.
• Seasonal changes and how they affect vegetation and wildlife movements.
• How species interact and the roles they play in maintaining ecosystem balance.
• The ecological impact of population growth or decline in key species.
• Why large, continuous protected areas are more effective than fragmented reserves.
• Current threats facing African ecosystems, including drought and human encroachment.

Conservation

• Anti-poaching methods and field techniques.
• The rhino poaching crisis - its causes, impacts, and potential solutions.
• Wildlife relocation and metapopulation management projects, including those by WWF and EWT’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project
• Human-wildlife conflict, particularly in regions where wildlife populations are growing.
• How conservation is funded and the role of organisations like animal rehabilitation centres.
• Hunting bans in Botswana and the ethical debates around trophy hunting.
• The building and use of identification kits for individual animals.
• The use of research tools such as telemetry, GPS, and camera traps.
• Community-based conservation, including Phinda’s part-ownership model and the employment impact in former hunting areas.

Bush Skills

• Animal tracking and how to approach wildlife safely on foot.
• Identification of tracks, signs, insects, birds, reptiles, and trees.
• Use of spotlights during night drives with minimal wildlife disturbance.
• Medicinal uses of native plants and trees.
• General bushcraft and field navigation.
• Educational talks & broader issues
• Basic astronomy of the southern sky.
• The role of hunting in conservation.
• Wildlife poisoning and the illegal ‘muti’ trade in traditional medicine.
• The impact of drought on ecosystems such as the Greater Kruger.