Go See Kenya - Life As A Volunteer
A day in the life: You will start the day early to catch all the wildlife at its most active. A healthy and hearty breakfast featuring lots of tropical fruit, toast and cereal will be on offer. After breakfast, depending on which group you are assigned to that week, you will either have a number of tasks; pile on to the research vessel to watch the waves for any sign of fins; yank on the hiking boots to explore the local coral rag forest, or hop onto your bike and ride to one of the schools for a morning of energetic and high-volume English teaching or community work, such as helping build libraries, washing facilities, painting and making desks. A buffet lunch will then be served around one pm back at the lodge after which you have a couple of hours free to have a dip in the pool or a well-earned snooze in the shade. Around half-past three you will either be given a highly-informative yet fun-packed lecture in the first fortnight of your time here, after which afternoons will be free for individual projects and sports (avid footballers, netballers and volleyballers take note). You will then be expected to dedicate a half-hour to data entry, after which there will be a quick meeting (and of course a beer) to talk through today’s finds and tomorrows activities. Dinner will be at around 19:30 and then it’s star-gazing, bush-baby spotting, story-telling and soaking up the atmosphere time.
Weekend Activities
Weekends are free to explore the area. There are many activities that you can do, including trekking, mountain climbing, scuba diving, snorkeling or even safari in one of the many National Game Parks or Reserves such as Tsavo East or the Masai Mara run by the nearby Kenya Wildlife Service. If there are specific trips you would like to do, just let us know and we will do our best to try and arrange it.
Scuba and snorkelling: Learning to scuba dive up to PADI advanced open water is a possibility as Go See Kenya employs a fully qualified dive instructor ‘Nassoro’. Instruction for beginners will be undertaken in the swimming pool before moving out to the reefs of the area as you progress. For the intrepid and already qualified diver, trips can be organised for your days off.
The PADI open water course costs £300 including course materials and certificate and the advanced open water course will be £240 also to include the materials and certificate. If you are interested in doing a diving course, please contact Ally for advice as the spaces are limited and specialised insurance may be required.
MY Kisiwani is the live aboard dive boat and does week-long trips to the Island of Pemba, Tanzania at the end of the expedition. Special rates can be arranged for those who are interested after their 3 or 6 week experience. PADI AOW is essential.
Big game fishing: Is available at the subsidised rate of £300 per boat day with a maximum of 4 volunteers to a boat.
Safari: Shimba Hills National Reserve and the Mwalugange Elephant Reserve are under 2 hours drive from Shimoni.
Diani Beach: has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with kilometres of white sand and tropical blue seas. As a result, there are numerous hotels, bars, restaurants and shopping facilities. There is also a championship golf course. Duncan will be your guide to Diani on your days off. There will be a mini bus available for hire to Diani. The cost to hire the mini bus will be £60 for the return trip. The mini bus can take 7 passengers. If you want to stay the night we can recommend ‘Stilts’, a short walk from the beach and bars. This unusual place to stay consists of small two person wooden cabins build on stilts set amongst the trees. There are also private villas available for rent along the beach at very competitive rates.