CONSERVATION RESEARCH, WILDLIFE REHABILITATION AND ANIMAL CARE INTERNSHIPS

Observe and learn from some of today’s most passionate and progressive conservationists. You'll gain practical experience in research, data collection and analysis, running conservation initiatives, and more. You'll learn what true conservation is all about and the issues it faces in the present day. These internships are equally suitable for those with previous experience or qualifications and for those who are brand new to conservation and keen to learn.

If there isn't availability in the organisations listed below at the time you want to do your internship, we'll arrange a similar internship in a similar organisatioin. We'll discuss your requiresments with you to ensure that your internship provides you with the experience you'd like.

MARINE RESEARCH La Preneuse Mauritius No qualifications required, but should be a competent swimmer

Marine research and conservation with Dolphins and Whales. You'll participate in monitoring populations along the coast of Mauritius and you'll receive training and guidance. The data collected makes a vital contribution to the work of a local NGO. More information on this Internship

AMAZON RAINFOREST RESEARCH & CONSERVATION Peru No qualifications required

Intern in the most awesome jungle in the world - the Amazon! This is a multi-activity project, where you'll benefit from the training components and actively assist in the environmental monitoring study at multiple locations. As you stay longer, you will take on increasing levels of data collection and project management responsibilities. More information on this Internship

MARINE RESEARCH Nr Cape Town South Africa No qualifications required, but previous research experience or academic study could be favourable

Join a programme for interns working in the unique marine environment at the tip of Africa - home to one of the densest populations of Great White Sharks in the world. Research interns have significant boat-based opportunities for data collection and are offered a curriculum specifically adapted to their individual needs. All Research Interns are mentored by marine biologists from the team who work with a number of universities More information on this Internship

CHEETAH  AND PREDATOR CONSERVATION Limpopo South Africa No qualifications required

Intern on a Cheetah and Predator Conservation Game Reserve in Northern South Africa: You'll live on the Reserve and be involved with tracking, monitoring and researching the amazing Cheetah. You'll also be involved in Reserve management and conservation efforts of a number of other, different species. More information on this Internship

CASE STUDIES:

Lindsay Peterson, Amazon Rainforest
“The experience I gained was invaluable. I learned about current environmental issues and really got to know local communities and the culture of the area. The experience really opened my eyes to the world around me. The best thing about my placement was the people I met.

I learned so much from the staff at the Centre and also from my colleagues. Everyone I met was so welcoming and eager to teach me about what they knew. They became like a second family.

I would highly recommend this placement to anyone, that is, if you don't mind insects! It was the most amazing month of my life and I would go back in a heartbeat!

In order to really get the most out of this placement, you need to be flexible. The daily schedule varies with the availability of staff members, the weather, and the river. You also need to be self motivated and eager to learn. You needs to speak up and let the staff know what you would like to do or learn and they will usually be able to make it happen, and, of course, you need to be at ease living with the many, many creatures of the jungle. It's an amazing place and I loved my stay there. One of the best times I had there was on expedition.

Not much more to say except that it was the best month of my life. Thank you.”

Adam Watts, Amazon, Peru.

What experience do you feel you're gaining? Team work; expanding knowledge of another culture; construction; learning Spanish; understanding rainforest ecosystems.

Would you recommend this placement to anyone else? Yes, yes, yes and a hundred million times yes.

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? Anyone who wants a drastic change of scenery, willing to work hard, and anyone who wants to reflect on what they're doing with their life.

What, if any, improvements could be made to the placement? Honestly, none. They were the best three months of my life and I would not change a single thing.” 

Carys Hutton, Peru
"The Travellers Worldwide conservation project in Peru was exactly what I hoped it would be and exactly what it claimed to be … It was also the best value for money I could find and encompassed a broad range of skills, experience, and opportunities that other projects lacked."

Zoe Poulsen, South Africa, Botanical Internship
[This programme is no longer running]

“I was lucky enough to have the opportunity through Travellers Worldwide and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) to undertake a three month internship in Horticulture at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town in South Africa. This was truly a life changing experience and I found myself working with the most inspiring group of people within the world of Botany and Horticulture at one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. 

The hideously early mornings were tough, but were worth it as arrived after a long commute by public transport to work in time to see the rising sun casting a soft pink glow onto the sheer face of Table Mountain, which forms the backdrop to the gardens and the city.

Every day was different with new skills to be learnt: One day I might find myself hard at work in the gardens, another sent me out into the exceptionally botanically diverse fynbos to work with members of the local community hunting for rare and threatened plants with SANBI's CREW scheme.

I also worked briefly on Kirstenbosch's outreach greening scheme, helping schools in the townships to build gardens for environmental education, as well as in their Goldfields Environmental Education Centre with children from the underprivileged communities of Phillipi and Atlanta.

Another highlight of my internship were several field trips to areas surrounding Cape Town with the staff of the Millennium Seed Bank. This important conservation scheme collects seeds from rare and threatened Cape plant species and sends them to be stored at the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens in London. This seed is stored in a specially designed vault at low temperatures to ensure that if a plant later becomes extinct in the wild there are seeds stored in an ex-situ collection to allow potential re-introduction into the wild.  

Travellers Worldwide made my pre-trip arrangements, arrival orientation and internship run like clockwork and allowed me to adjust easily to Cape Town life. The city's high crime rates make it a slightly intimidating city to come to but Natalia from Travellers made my arrival and introduction to the city as easy as it could possibly be. Thanks must along go to the staff of the Lodge in Observatory (where Travellers placed me to stay during my internship) who now feel like extended family to me and provided me with a home away from home in this wonderful city.  

It is testament to the amazing work of Travellers Worldwide, the Lodge and SANBI that since completing my internship I have returned to Cape Town no less than three times in various different capacities.    In April 2010 I took the plunge to move to Cape Town to do my Masters in Botany in the Plant Conservation Unit at the University of Cape Town. My Masters research has proved tremendously rewarding and has given me the opportunity to spend two incredibly informative years immersed in one of the most lively communities of botanists in the world, in one of the world's most botanically diverse regions: the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Thanks to all of you who made all of this possible!”