NVT Garden Route

I had the time of my life during my 3 month internship with NVT as an Environmental Educator. Travelling to a continent I’ve never been before to teach kids about animal and environmental conservation was a dream come true. I got to live and work with new international friends while being surrounded by nature 24/7. The NVT staff were awesome! They are extremely knowledgeable in their expertise, kind and a joy to be around. Humour was an integral part of communication. It really felt like a family. The atmosphere was always light and inviting. Beyond my position in Environment Education, I spent time walking along beautiful beaches to collect and record marine debris for the Marine Debris program. Other days, I woke up early to set up nets to catch and release birds during bird-ringing. Sometimes, I would be paddling up and down the neighbouring estuary to monitor birds and fish levels. There were many more staff outings and research activities. I loved my experience with NVT!

I spent 5 months in Nature’s Valley to complete my MSc degree in animal behaviour and ecology. When I arrived from France, I was a stressed to run my own project but the staff was very understanding and my research work went smoothly. We even published the study in a peer-reviewed scientific journal! Along my own MSc project, I had the opportunity to join the other NVT volunteers on various missions such as bird ringing, bird monitoring, CWAC, education, etc, which I enjoyed very much. Taken together, I saw how a NGO runs. I was living in a big house with the other volunteers. I met incredible people, made new friends. I am still in touch with some of them. The energy I felt was amazing and new. You’re away from your friends/family and it can be difficult sometimes, but when you’re in such beautiful, safe place like Nature’s Valley, you want to enjoy your experience the best you can, so does everyone. When I was there five years ago, the volunteer group clicked and we had a blast!

Natures Valley Trust is a fantastic organisation with passionate staff members that are just as eager to teach as you are to learn, and it is in one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the privilege to visit in South Africa. This internship was the start of a very fruitful and interesting career in conservation and has led me to my dream job in wildlife conservation. What I admire the most about NVT is that they encourage you to participate in all their ongoing projects from education and working with the community to the various research projects. This opened up all sorts of new and exciting avenues for me such as bird ringing. I’ve never looked at a bird the same way again and even got my bird ringing license. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with NVT and the experience and skill set I gained from this internship was invaluable. I would highly recommend it to any budding conservationist that is interested in acquiring new skills and just having and all-round wonderful experience

Nature’s Valley Trust is an excellent organisation providing hands-on experience in nature conservation. Located in a beautiful spot of south-Africa you’ll work on a variety of education and research programs. The experience I gained from this intern program has led me to pursue a career in conservation.