Country
Duration
13 days
Style
Highlights
Zululand
Nambiti Game Reserve
Rated 4.9/5
South Africa Conservation & Safari Tour – 13 days Group Accommodated
From $2,765
Includes
Excludes
Itinerary
Zululand, South Africa
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Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp
Day 1 - 10
Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp, nestled in the scenic valleys of Zululand near Vryheid, offers a tranquil escape into nature. The camp features tented units equipped with modern amenities and private bathrooms. Guests can enjoy facilities such as an outdoor fireplace, a picnic area, and private parking. Additionally, exciting off-site activities available include guided game drives through the surrounding wilderness.
Day 1
Day Notes:
Arrival and Transfer to Loziba
Your journey begins with arrival in Durban International Airport (King Shaka International Airport) before 1 PM, followed by a transfer to Loziba Wildlife Reserve.
The drive takes approximately three hours.
Upon arrival, you will settle in and enjoy a welcome dinner, and a presentation of the programme of the following days. .
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Transfer from Durban International Airport to Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp
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Check-in to Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp
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Welcome Dinner
Day 2
Day Notes:
Introduction to the Reserve
Begin the day with introductions, bush guidelines, and an overview of Loziba and its conservation work.
In the afternoon, head out on a game drive with a focus on wildlife monitoring.
Later, visit a traditional Zulu kraal to gain insight into local customs, traditions, and cultural practices.
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Introduction to Wildlife Monitoring
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Afternoon Game Drive
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Visit of a traditional village (Zulu kraal)
Day 3
Day Notes:
Community Conservation
The day begins with an introduction to community conservation initiatives.
In the afternoon, take part in a community project, contributing to the development of a local food garden.
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Introduction to Community Conservation Initiatives
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Development of a local food garden
Day 4
Day Notes:
Anti-Poaching and Field Operations
Participate in a workshop focused on anti-poaching strategies, including snare identification, patrol tactics, and wildlife protection challenges.
In the afternoon, head out on a game drive with a focus on detecting snares and monitoring wildlife.
The day may conclude with informal community activities such as local sports.
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Workshop on anti-poaching strategies
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Afternoon Game Drive
Day 5
Day Notes:
Wildlife Management and Research
Begin with an early morning game drive.
Later, gain insight into wildlife management and the development of a private reserve, including long-term conservation strategies.
In the afternoon, contribute to conservation research initiatives, including work with local wildlife projects.
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Morning Game-Drive
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Conservation Research
Day 6
Day Notes:
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Excursion
Enjoy a full-day visit to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, one of Africa’s oldest reserves, renowned for its role in rhino conservation and Big Five wildlife.
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Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park
Day 7
Day Notes:
Predator Monitoring and Fieldwork
Take part in camera trapping activities, including data collection and trap deployment.
Depending on field conditions, you may observe or assist in wildlife monitoring operations such as predator tracking or veterinary-supported collaring.
In the afternoon, enjoy time at a natural spring within the reserve.
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Camera trapping, wildlife monitoring
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Afternoon Activity: Time at a natural Spring
Day 8
Day Notes:
Community Engagement
Continue work on the community food garden project.
Visit a local school and gain insight into education initiatives, with opportunities to support through materials or engagement.
In the evening, head out on a game drive with a focus on nocturnal species.
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Development of a local food garden (part II)
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Local School Visit
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Night Game-Drive
Day 9
Day Notes:
Final Day in Loziba
Begin with a game drive, potentially tracking collared wildlife.
Continue community project work before concluding your stay with a traditional South African braai.
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Morning Game Drive
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Development of a local food garden (part III)
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South African Braaï
Nambiti Game Reserve, South Africa
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The Springbok Lodge Nambiti
Day 10 - 13
Our Lodge is situated in the Nambiti Private Game Reserve in KZN, a private conservancy offering 22 000 acres of malaria-free bushveld. The Reserve is home to the Big 5, incl Cheetah, Hippo and over 30 species of plains game. Nature lovers will enjoy the area's biodiversity, Thornveld and majestic Acacia trees complementing grasslands which mirror the plains of Central Africa. The perennial rivers, beautiful waterfall and cascades on the Sundays River makes for a unique sanctuary, attracting several rare bird species and an enviable array of raptors and vultures.
Day 10
Day Notes:
Safari in Nambiti Private Game Reserve
Transfer to Springbok Lodge and first game drive in the Nambiti Private Game Reserve.
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Check-out from Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp
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Transfer from Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp to The Springbok Lodge Nambiti
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Check-in to The Springbok Lodge Nambiti
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Afternoon Game-Drive
Day 11 - 12
Day Notes:
Each day includes morning and afternoon game drives, offering opportunities to encounter the Big Five and a wide range of wildlife in a diverse landscape of savannah, grasslands, and riverine habitats.
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Morning Game-Drive
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Afternoon Game-Drive
Day 13
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Check-out from The Springbok Lodge Nambiti
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Transfer from The Springbok Lodge Nambiti to Durban International Airport
End of Itinerary
Destinations
Zululand
Nambiti Game Reserve
Accommodations
Loziba Wildlife Reserve Tented Camp
The Springbok Lodge Nambiti
Dates: 2 May 2027 - 14 May 2027
Per person sharing: 44,520 ZAR
The conservation & safari trip is subject to a minimum number of people joining the group. For this volunteering trip, we expect a minimum of six people and a maximum of ten people in the group.
Book this safari or design your own
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Book this safari or design your own
Eight days with the reserve team at Loziba. Three days watching it pay off at Nambiti.
Conservation in South Africa
This trip pairs eight days of fieldwork at Loziba Wildlife Reserve with a three-day safari at Nambiti Private Game Reserve, one of KwaZulu-Natal’s Big Five reserves. It is run by Indigo Earth Foundation, the non-profit arm of Indigo Safaris, for travellers who want to spend time working alongside a conservation team rather than watching from the vehicle window for the whole trip.
At Loziba you take part in wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching fieldwork and community projects with the reserve’s own team. At Nambiti you swap the fieldwork for daily game drives across more than 23,000 acres of grassland, savannah and riverine bush. Group size is kept small, six to ten people, so everyone gets proper time in the field rather than a spot on a crowded truck.
The work behind the wildlife.
How You'll Contribute
This is not a trip where conservation is a talking point over dinner. At Loziba you work alongside the reserve's own team on:
- 🐾 Wildlife Monitoring and Conservation
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Camera trapping, tracking and data collection that feeds directly into the reserve's ongoing research.
- 🐾 Anti-poaching Work
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Snare detection, patrol technique and a clear look at what protecting wildlife on a private reserve actually involves.
- 🐾 Habitat and Reserve Management:
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the land-use, species-protection and long-term planning decisions behind running a reserve.
- 🐾 Community projects
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Food garden development and school initiatives that support the people living alongside the reserve.
- 🐾 Hands-on Fieldwork
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Depending on what the reserve needs that week, this can include predator monitoring, camera trap deployment or veterinary-supported wildlife work.
Small projects, real impact.
About Indigo Earth Foundation
Indigo Earth Foundation is a non-profit organisation working to protect wildlife while supporting the communities living closest to it. It formalised in 2025, building on work Christopher Bartlett had already been doing since 2009, reinvesting a share of Indigo Safaris' profits into conservation, education and community projects across Africa, Papua New Guinea and the Caribbean.
The projects it backs tend to be small and under the radar, run by people working directly in the field, where modest support goes a long way. The foundation's focus areas:
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• Wildlife conservation
• Conservation through human development
• Support for animals in need
• Access to education
• Local entrepreneurship
• Access to clean water, health services and other essential resources -
The price of this trip goes directly to the partners involved, through conservancy fees, community-owned accommodation, local employment and the projects visited along the way. Where a trip turns a profit, that goes back into the conservation and community work it supports.
Watch the video below to see the adventure you're in for.
What to know before you go.
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No. The programme is built for participants with a flexible mindset rather than prior field experience, though you should be comfortable walking and taking part in hands-on, practical activities.
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Shared tented camp, or a shared room in Eagle’s View Cottage, with another member of the group. A double bed is available on request.
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Yes, families are welcome, with a recommended minimum age of around 16 for participants.
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Accommodation, meals, the volunteering programme and game drives, and all transfers listed in the itinerary. Flights, bar service, gratuities, visas, travel insurance and any government fee increases are not included.
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Eight of the thirteen days are spent working alongside Loziba’s own conservation team on wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching fieldwork and community projects, rather than only observing wildlife from a vehicle. The final three days are a more conventional Big Five safari at Nambiti Private Game Reserve.