Review Time
It was an adventure and a challenge, we are proud and happy that we did it. The accommodations are simple, but you have everything you need. We had to go beyond our comfort zone, especially because of the humidity, but you can manage it well for 2 weeks. Time flew by because variety of different activities, enough breaks, e.g. after lunch, before we continued. But do not be afraid, the effort you spend is up to you and your condition, no one is forced to go beyond borders. The other activities such as a boat tour, night market, trip to Palankaraya, rainforest tour with guide and hilltop track were interesting and fun. The two volunteer coordinators Cess and Melda were great, warm-hearted and they had an eagle eye on our safety. They had a lot of information about the orangutans. We were a great group and grew together after two weeks. We will never forget the encounters with the wonderful orangutans. We had many opportunities to get closer to them (without touching). And we are so impressed by the team of BOSF in Nyaru Menteng, they are doing such a great job. The whole organization with Great Projects went smooth.
It was all amazing; well maybe not the mozzies. Lauren was really helpful when I was booking, Cess and Oyo looked after us all week. My favourite was seeing Bumi the orangutan pop out from forest school to watch us paint their jungle gym. Also, seeing the Orangutans on the pre release islands, while we were waiting for our second covid test. Making and giving the enchrichmeant activities was very rewarding. The hill top walk was hot but the views were worth it. I can't wait to go back and see how the man made islands are developing. Thank you all for an experince of a life time.
All I can say is WOW, what an experience!! I loved every minute, the humidity not that much!! The rooms were better than anticipated, the food was excellent, and the staff at the Lodge were very accommodating, especially when I needed to change rooms due to two leaks from the ceiling. The experience was just incredible, and I feel very privileged to have been able to get so close to the orang-utans and sun bears. The works we performed we could see the immediate benefit to the apes and bears, particularly from the enrichment activities plus collecting their bedding. The boat ride to feed to orang-utans in the islands was very special. Also the tree planting we did will ensure in decades to come the jungle home of the orang-utans will continue to be there! I was amazed as to how close we could get to the orang-utans and sun bears, which enabled us to study their features, mannerisms and beauty. Kate, Wik & Sam are lovely people who looked after us, and answered our thousands of questions daily, "The Great Projects" is lucky to have such great staff. I have now started to look at what our experiences I can do with "The Great Projects"
Booked the Wildlife Sanctuary project in Namibia. This was one of best experiences ever. Lauren has been super helpful from start to finish. Everything is super well organised. I will definitely book my next project with TGP. Thanks a million! ❤️
This was my first volunteering trip and without doubt THE best thing I have ever done. From booking this trip nearly a year ago I was in good hands right up to my departure date the Great Projects Team were on hand to assist with any questions and were so helpful. I arrived in Sandakan, Borneo a little weary from the flights (understandably)! and met up with some fellow volunteers on route which was great - The great projects had put me in touch with some of the people going. Our driver was already at the arrivals waiting to take us onto our accommodation. When we arrived we were all so impressed by how friendly the staff were and the rooms were great, we had a dorm style room for the one night which was fun. If you love being in the great outdoors then this is the place to go. There were toilets and showers and mozzy nets over the bed and although basis (what do you expect) really comfortable and we all thoroughly enjoyed our first night there. Second day we moved on to the village where we would be staying for the next 8-9 days. The staff were great, the food delicious and the accommodation was comfortable. There were Macaque monkeys everywhere! We saw a beautiful owl that would visit the pier every night and a lovely snake - harmless, coiled round a big tree next to where we would sit and have our meals. Our tour guides Mark and his apprentice Mus were magnificent, so full of knowledge on the area and the animals we saw - which were A LOT!!! They were a lot of fun. Along our river tour we took everyday, we saw a variety of beautiful birds from eagles to hornbills, kites to egrets. We saw Orangutans, twice we saw a mother and her baby - I was overwhelmed when we saw them. Proboscis monkeys, gibbons, long tailed macaques, pig tailed macaques, a crocodile, a water monitor lizard. A feast for the eyes for animal and bird lovers! During our stay we were volunteering in the forest maintaining the newly planted trees from last year and planting new ones - we planted 500 trees between the 8 of us in our group. The work is so rewarding at the end so you don't mind the heat and the odd mozzy bite. The work they do there is helping the wildlife - in particular the orangutans and sun bears enabling them to move through the forest safely. Due to the de-forestation of the area from logging and the palm oil plantations there has been a significant reduction of forest area for these beautiful animals to live in. The planting of these trees is vital and the restoration of the forest will repair the damage caused by years of destruction. Go and volunteer and make a difference - I promise you it will be the best thing you will ever do!!!
Just came back from Uganda/Rwanda on the Great Gorilla Project – a truly wonderful, eye-opening, challenging experience. From the very first contact with the team in London to the final farewell in Kigali, the whole thing was handled professionally – all questions and concerns promptly dealt with. The project team in Africa, Peter and Dennis, were amazing – always happy and willing to answer our questions, openly and honestly, and always looking for ways to improve our experience. They coped brilliantly with all the issues thrown at them and were willing to be flexible when we suggested tweaks to the itinerary, and even, whilst always looking for ways to improve the overall experience, ensuring we had the opportunity to watch the football (Euros) in the evenings, an unexpected bonus! Our group collectively wanted to do more volunteering elements, so Peter and Dennis arranged for a second session to be spent at the children’s Development School helping to repaint another classroom. The days spent at the school were amazing – heart-warming and funny – very much among the main highlights of the trip. Also, we wanted to find a way to further help the Batwa pygmy community that we visited– Peter and Dennis discussed specific needs with the community leader, took us shopping to buy various provisions for them and then took us back to the village to distribute all the goods. Of course, the gorilla and chimp treks were brilliant – all three different and challenging, but we were rewarded with lots of close up encounters, and some fantastic photos/videos. The rangers, guides and porters were so helpful, knowledgeable and keen to make our experience as memorable as possible – it was great to see the local communities directly involved and benefiting from the gorilla conservation program. A special mention should be given to the staff at Golden Monkey in Kisoro, where we spent most of our time, particularly Benard, who was our wifi guru and kept us fuelled with cold beer, Claire, Eric and James, whose happiness and positivity was infectious. Also to Abbott, the chef, who kept us extremely well fed throughout and, finally, to Sheba, the owner, for continually striving to make every aspect of the trip perfect for our group. I’m sure each group is different so it is important that the team is keen to hear requests and suggestions and to put forward options for accommodating them, as well as to learn for future groups. Overall, as an opportunity to visit somewhere a long way from the main tourist trail, to get a real feel for life there and experience some genuine bucket list activites, this trip can’t be beaten – go and do it, with an open mind and a willingness to muck in and be flexible, you won’t regret it.
All in all this was a great trip. The gorilla trekking was definitely the highlight but we also had a great time on the game drive and the chimpanzee habituation. I felt that the level of volunteering was a bit of a token effort and would have liked to of spent more time doing this. The days spent volunteering could have started much earlier and finished later with less free time. I feel that the Potters Village visit should be removed from the itinerary as we were not even allowed to walk around but understand that this is a recent change. We requested to stay at the lake where we did the conservation/tree planting and this was an excellent addition to the trip but again the tree planting was a token effort and I felt we could of done a lot more to help. Peter and Denis our guides were absolutely amazing and I couldn’t fault them. They adapted the itinerary to suit our requests and allowed us to go back to the school a second time to do more painting in our free time. I would 100% recommend this trip as an excellent insight into life in Uganda and I would definitely look at another trip with The Great Projects.
I went on this adventure with no expectations, with the goal of giving all that I could to support a fantastic organisation. I was not disappointed at all. The Great Projects volunteer co-ordinator Cecily lead by example and we achieved so much. The experience was amazing I learnt so much about BOSF and how it operates. The accomodation and food is great and the cultural experiences are also great. If you want a trip where your involvement means so much to others, with the bonus of seeing lots of orangutans then this is for you. (Please be aware that you will not handle the animals). The enrichments that we prepared really made a difference to them. I will be going again to finish off where this 12 days left me early in 2025.
Wow, what an incredible experience. When you volunteer you actually feel like you are making a difference to the lives of these beautiful intelligent animals. It was hard work, definitely not a holiday but with a great team you can achieve so much. From making ice blocks, cutting bedding to planting trees, you get to experience so much. I walked into this project and met 6 stranger's after 12 nights together I left with 6 new friends, we all had the same work ethic to get the job done for the orang-utans. Cess our project leader was amazing, not only did she make sure we were all okay and happy doing the tasks allocated she got stuck in with us, her work ethic matched ours in abundance. Such a lovely person! You are in the jungle don’t expect hot running water, the cold showers were welcome after hot days working, you do get used to them, I promise! If you have any doubts just do it you won’t regret being part of this project it was amazing!
It's the 5th project I do with Great projects and all of them have been truly inspirational and culturally educational. if you are looking for an experience out of the ordinary and look at exotic places with an inquisitive eye than Great Projects should be the place for you to plan your next adventure
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The Great Projects is an expert provider of safe and ethical volunteer holidays abroad for solo travellers, families, and groups. Founded in 2006, we offer a selection of unique and exclusive projects across Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America, and South America. Specialising in wildlife conservation, our projects are perfect for anyone looking to go behind the scenes and work with some of the planet's most endangered species.
As members of ATOL and ABTOT, we are fully committed to ensuring the safety of everyone who travels with us. Plus, with flights, tailor-made travel insurance, and a passionate, dedicated, and friendly team available 24/7, we make booking easy, offering peace of mind to all our volunteers throughout their journey. So what are you waiting for? Find your next adventure today, with The Great Projects.See more
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