Orangutan volunteering in Borneo
| country: | Borneo |
| location: | Sabah & Sarawak |
| departures: | 2008: 10 Nov, 10 Dec 2009: 5 Jan, 5 Feb, 5 Mar, 5 Apr, 5 May, 5 Jun, 5 Jul, 5 Aug, 5 Sep, 5 Oct, 5 Nov, 5 Dec |
| price: | From £1599 (4 weeks) excluding flights & travel insurance (compulsory). We can help to arrange flights from the UK. |
| late availability: | Late availability, looking for enthusiastic team members to join other volunteers working with orangutans. Starting 10th October or 10th November in Sarawak, Malaysia. See below for Christmas special. |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Volunteer for 4 weeks at our Matang wildlife centre to help save the orangutan. Join our expert team in bringing rehabilitation and release of orangutans back to this part of Malaysian Borneo. We have teamed up with the state authorities to run a volunteer program at the centre and to re-establish rehabilitation and release. Build, wash, feed, paint, laugh and cry during your time at our wildlife centre, located at the base of the rainforest and National Park around Mount Kubah.
You'll help and experience local life, working and visiting the local tribal community, and contribute to their education and economy, at the same time, minimising your impact through recycling and carbon dioxide mitigation, and making a positive contribution.
In addition to the work you will carry out, your money helps us to carry out research, education programs, and knowledge transfer, whilst at the same time keeping your money in the local area and encouraging ecotourism.
One off opportunity to volunteer your time in Borneo with our orangutans in rehabilitation for 12 days running up to Christmas 2008. The programme is a compressed version of our popular 4 week programme. Starts on the 10th of December in Sarawak Borneo and ends on 22nd. Add extra days stay to take you through Christmas in Borneo. Price per person for 12-day Orangutan special is £898.00 per person includes all meals and accomodation and supervision. Excluding flights and travel insurance. Contact us for more details.
You live in stilted houses and in groups of 3. Volunteers cook themselves and often eat together, recounting the day's events. Night time is free and people often sit around chatting, playing games, or writing their diaries. Then fall asleep to the sound of the nightime rainforest chorus.
We would like to make it clear that volunteers are not allowed direct contact with the orangutans as human habituation and disease transmission interfere with the rehabilitation and release process.
You'll help and experience local life, working and visiting the local tribal community, and contribute to their education and economy, at the same time, minimising your impact through recycling and carbon dioxide mitigation, and making a positive contribution.
In addition to the work you will carry out, your money helps us to carry out research, education programs, and knowledge transfer, whilst at the same time keeping your money in the local area and encouraging ecotourism.
One off opportunity to volunteer your time in Borneo with our orangutans in rehabilitation for 12 days running up to Christmas 2008. The programme is a compressed version of our popular 4 week programme. Starts on the 10th of December in Sarawak Borneo and ends on 22nd. Add extra days stay to take you through Christmas in Borneo. Price per person for 12-day Orangutan special is £898.00 per person includes all meals and accomodation and supervision. Excluding flights and travel insurance. Contact us for more details.
a day in a life of a volunteer
Wake up, have breakfast, go down to the kitchen and prepare the food for the orangutans and other animals, clean out cages, have a cup of tea then build structures, toys, help with rehabilitation and maintain the orangutan building and quarantine area for the rest of the day. Tasks vary according to the month, and you will also get to experience tribal culture and visit the old rehabilitation centre at Semenggoh. You live in stilted houses and in groups of 3. Volunteers cook themselves and often eat together, recounting the day's events. Night time is free and people often sit around chatting, playing games, or writing their diaries. Then fall asleep to the sound of the nightime rainforest chorus.
We would like to make it clear that volunteers are not allowed direct contact with the orangutans as human habituation and disease transmission interfere with the rehabilitation and release process.
travellers' tales
I've had unforgettable experiences with the animals. Also our group of volunteers was great. Last but not least to work with the staff (Leo, Alvin, Hillary, John, Heather...) was fantastic and interesting. (more)
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We work with a local wildlife centre to re-establish rehabilitation and release of orangutans into the Malaysian State of Sarawak. The orangutan sub-species, Pongo Pygmaeus Pygmaeus, is the most endangered of all the orangutan species and needs urgent action now. Your help and manpower goes towards working with local people, Malaysian authorities and universities, and international experts and charities to find a sustainable solution to the problem of orangutan decline.
We are committed to low impact responsible tourism and we offset your carbon dioxide, recycle wherever possible, support local communities financially and educationally, and work towards changing attitudes towards conservation at every level of society. By volunteering you will become part of a community and experience the rainforest lifestyle in the company of orangutans and other exotic animals such as sunbears, gibbons, monkeys, crocodiles, something that few people ever get to experience. And all this whilst contributing to the real changes to save the orangutan. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |