Field Notes

An animal lovers’ guide to helping wildlife around the world:

Pink River Dolphins Board a riverboat in this remote region of the Amazon to survey the area’s animal life — dolphins, caimans, giant river otters — and you’ll help develop conservation strategies for the region and the people who inhabit it.

Sharks Pair with researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature to help feed, identify and tag sharks in Pacific Harbour, Fiji while earning your PADI diver certification in the process.  
 
Lions, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant Track movements, remove invasive plant species and help protect the Big Five from poachers in one of South Africa’s best wildlife hotspots.  
 
Turtles By day, help researchers measure and tag sea turtles in Costa Rica’s Playa Blanca. By night, head to an organic chocolate farm lodge for some well earned R&R.
 
Baby Elephants Walk, feed and bathe baby elephants in a forest river (then shovel their dung) in this small village in Northern Thailand where off-duty activities include river rafting and zip-lining through the jungle.
 
Wolves Help feed, clean and observe wolves rescued from illegal trapping and captivity in this Portuguese conservation area located a mere 45-minute drive from Lisbon.

By the Numbers

28,000 

That's the number of volunteers for Global Volunteers since 1984. The organization specializes in impactful, tax-deductible opportunities to help children and families around the world.

Inn Crowd

Tucked away on a 7,000-acre wildlife reserve in Australia’s Blue Mountains, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley fuses luxury lodging with a chance to contribute to conservation in an area once explored by Charles Darwin. Three days a week, guests can work alongside conservationists to plant trees, help with wildlife surveys, monitor feral animals and count wombats. The pay off? Return to the uber-secluded, romantic resort (which sees an average of one marriage proposal a week, according to staff). Each of its 41 freestanding villas comes with its own private pool, perfect for watching kangaroos, wallaroos and wallabies.

Sweat Equity

Looking to gain extra cardio points while helping out? Consider digging foundations and installing doors and windows to help build homes in Bolivia. Ride a bike 20k to bring donations to a bookstore in Cuba? That’s the idea with Exchange of Pace, which organizes trips for women that combine philanthropy with fitness. Join forces with WWOOF and bail hay, tend animals and pick produce at organic farms throughout the world and earn your room and board in the process.

INTRO: @African Impact

INN CROWD: @One and Only Resorts

SWEAT EQUITY: @WWOOF