Amanzitravel Reviews 

With two postponements and a general lack of time leading up to my volunteer experience, things could so easily have gone wrong for me this trip. Luckily, I had Gemma keeping an eye on timeframes, sending me reminders about my trip and remaining upbeat and encouraging throughout the booking process.
With Gemma's help and support, everything went without a hitch and I had a great experience from the time of booking, through preparation, to eventual holiday. Thanks Gemma :)

Trustworthy, Approachable, Just Excellent !
South Africa was my first travel-alone destination and I feel very happy and lucky that I booked my Wildlife Volunteering experience with Amanzi.
Amanzi team was there for anything I needed with prompt and right to the point answers of my questions. They helped me organise bits I was not sure about and remind me other important things that I should be cautious of. I would definitely recommend AmanziTravel to everyone for the programs it offers.

Booking through Amanzi travel was faultless. Gemma answered all questions asked very promptly and made the whole process so easy. Would definitely recommend to anyone

I have booked three volunteer projects with Amanzi and am currently booking another. I have to say they are great!
Gemma always answered any questions that I had no matter how crazy they might have been. She always made sure everything was worked out down to the tiniest detail. In doing so, all my trips have ran very smoothly. I highly recommend this travel company when booking a project. I wouldn't book with any other place.

I've just returned from a fantastic 3 months travelling around Africa - all made possible by Amanzi Travel. All my nerves and questions were put to rest by the friendly and helpful emails from Gemma and her team while I was choosing which projects to book. The company is extremely organised, very prompt at putting together itineraries and organising flights all while being in constant communication with you about your upcoming trip. The 3 volunteering projects I booked were amazing and I can't recommend highly enough if you are thinking of exploring the world and making a difference - do it! Amanzi Travel will help you every step of the way by sending through pre-departure packs, welcome letters from the projects and answering any questions you have. Thank you Amanzi Travel for organising an incredible 3 months in Africa - it was amazing!

I combined a number of volunteering experiences and everything was perfect - from planning to execution, and the locations/activities lived up to my expectations. The honesty of the website makes it easy to trust that you will get what you wish for. "Things are always changing", and when it comes to volunteering with animals this is an understatement, but it is part of life and an adventure to discover exactly what you are volunteering to be part of. The information provided by Amanzi was detailed and yet broad enough to ensure I knew what to expect generally and be pleasantly surprised when some specifics had been updated by the specific sanctuary/game reserve.
I feel confident that more of the full range of opportunities offered by Amanzi will be on my "to do" list.

Amanzi helped me plan a really great experience for my first time volunteering. The projects were rewarding as well as informative and has made me appreciate what life is like in Africa for both humans and animals. Gemma was on hand right up until I left for my trip, even during Christmas holidays, answering no end of questions I had. I felt comfortable going into the unknown with Amanzi behind me incase anything didn't go to plan. I would especially recommend Amanzi if its your first time as they have all the knowledge and experience to help you prepare for your big adventure. Thank you!

I booked a couple of experiences through Amanzi and was totally delighted with the adventures I had! They are a very professional and helpful organisation - I felt that all of the information that was given really helped me make the right decision. I would highly recommend Askari Wilderness Conservation Programme and the 6 Day Namibia experience to anyone. The company helped me with lots of questions and queries and sent me a very comprehensive pack when I'd booked so I knew exactly what I was doing. The project at Askari was the best thing I have ever done - I would never have discovered this project without Amanzi so I will be ever grateful for them! Both experiences were exceptional good value and I met some amazing people. Book now - life is too short!!!!

From the outset Amanzi proved to be a totally professional company to be involved with. We were not sure which experience might suit us,we felt we would like to be with a mixed age range of people as we are in our 60's. Gemma was absolutely great,she steered us towards Imire as it seemed to combine all the elements we wanted from the trip. It felt as though I /we bombarded her with emails asking questions about this and that, she seemed to have the patience of a saint.Nothing was ever too much trouble,she would find answers to our questions and reply immediately. Her colleague who sorted out our flights was equally efficient. An excellent company ,with knowledgeable,friendly staff. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them

I am just back from a fantastic time at the Chiang Mai Elephant nature park. This was made possible by Gemma, Pat and their team at amanzi travel. The service could not have been better and they answered all our questions quickly and thoroughly. I would highly recommend anyone thinking of doing a voluntary experience to use this company. I am currently planning my second trip with Amanzi Travel.

I am 34 years old from UK. I did the Namibia Naankuse Project and I had a great time - 2nd week better than the 1st (different types of project). Amanzi Travel were professional and efficient and were an absolutely pleasure to work with !!! Gemma especially is a gem and a true asset to the business - she was thorough and covered everything we needed to know and I feel goes beyond her "job" .... I would DEFINITELY recommend them to others and will be using them again next year. Thank you Amanzi Travel and to Gemma for looking after us and for being such an ease and a pleasure to work with.

I am 24 years old from NY. I did the Victoria Falls Lion Project and I truly had an incredible experience from start to finish. This project was a perfect balance of both volunteering and vacation. I met wonderful people from across the world who I was able to bond with almost instantly, and truly felt that our work was making a difference for both the wildlife and community. Amanzi Travel made me feel confident in my excursion alone from the beginning stages of choosing a project all the way until the day before leaving. If you're on the fence about making the trip of a lifetime or choosing AmanziTravel, do it!!!! It will be everything you hope for and more. Thank you Amanzi Travel! Looking forward to choosing another trip with them in the future.

Very friendly and personal service. Genuinely felt they would go the extra mile to help me out, without ever being pressurising. I would recommend Amanzi to anyone who was considering projects and travelling abroad.

Just came back from a 3 week trip through Southern Africa that I had booked with Amanzi Travel. It was an amazing experience - otherworldly landscapes, incredible wildlife along the way and a nice group of people.
The trip was extremely well organized and managed, right from the beginning. Gemma and the team at Amanzi did a great job proving a lot of info prior to the trip and once on the ground, the crew really took care of us. They were very knowledgeable, good fun, and wow - the food was great.
I definitely would recommend this to others who are up for a bit of an adventure, interested in meeting other people, explore beautiful landscapes and love animals.

My daughter and I booked our volunteer trip to South Africa at the "Living with Big Cats" program through Amanzi Travel and they made everything so easy. When we had questions they answered in a timely manner. Everything was very easy from start to end. I would highly recommend using their services.

Amanzi was the only travel company I looked into when planning my trip to Africa. The website provided all the information I needed to know and the Amanzi team were very quick to reply to any emails and always did so in a friendly and personal way! The high standard and professional services from Amanzi made travelling and planning a trip to Africa seem easy! I would definitely recommend them and would travel with them again!

I had been looking for a good reputable company where I could volunteer with african animals, and I found Amanzi Travel. What attracted me to their company was their informative web site. It was easy to read through, had a number of animals to work with in a variety of countries. The staff is very helpful in answering my questions, and I had a lot of them. Gemma was always great about getting back to me, even on the weekends. I looked long and hard at many different companies and kept going back to Amanzi Travel. I will certainly use them again.

I have wanted to work with lions for a long time and turning 50 this year really focussed my mind into ticking this dream off my bucket list. I found Amanzi Travel via the Internet and right from the start, I found the staff extremely kind and helpful. I had many questions because I wanted to get this experience as right as I possibly could, and everyone there was so helpful and informative. They even threw in some suggestions of their own which proved to be great ideas. One of the aspects of their wisdom was that the staff had actually been to and experienced Antelope Park for themselves, so they could relay advice in a much more meaningful way.
I have now been back from my trip of a lifetime for a couple of weeks, and the fact that I have bored all my friends and family to death with photos, videos and stories galore about my trip is testament in part to Amanzi Travel ensuring that with their amazing assistance, I chose exactly the right volunteer programme for me. I can't thank them enough and would recommend them to anyone wanting a great and memorable experience.

I picked Amanzi Travel for my first volunteer vacation to Africa and I was not disappointed. My first visit to Africa was three years ago, to Tanzania on safari. I fell in love with Africa on that trip and promised myself that I would go back again one day. So when I decided that 2014 would be that year and I would be travelling on my own, I looked into volunteer opportunities, specifically working with lions. The Amanzi Travel Company was recommended by National Geographic as one of the best volunteer travel companies and I soon learned why. From my first email interaction inquiring about their programs to the in depth conversation that I had with Gemma regarding Antelope Park, I found everyone to be very helpful and knowledgeable. Gemma recommended to me the Lion Rehabilitation Project in Zimbabwe, as I wanted to get a close as possible to lions. And it was amazing. My first lion walk occurred on my first day at Antelope Park. I was not expecting to be walking with lions so soon! I had the opportunity to walk with a pair of lion cubs (16-18 months old), at least once a day, sometimes twice. I also participated in ‘cub sitting’ for the 3 month old cubs at the Park. I never imagined that I would be playing with lion cubs and taking them for short walks. I really enjoyed the other activities such as cleaning the enclosures, providing the lions with water, behavior enrichment and research on the Phase 2 lions that are living as a wild pride in large enclosure. I met people from all over the world, and made some new friends that I know I will keep in touch with.
The Pre-Departure Package that I received at the time of making my reservation was complete and was full of vital information regarding my trip. It even included a complete packing list of things that I would need, which included things I would not have thought of. Gemma's suggestion to upgrade to a River Lodge was perfect. As a more mature traveler, I enjoyed having my own bathroom and shower.
I have made a promise to myself, to volunteer in Africa again for wildlife conservation, and I will definitely contact Amanzi Travel to explore my options.

The fortnight I spent on the Desert Elephant Volunteer project was the highlight of the full two months I spent in Africa. I have always wanted to visit Namibia and love elephants so this trip was perfect!

Amanzi provided plenty of information on what the volunteering would entail, including visa requirements and a useful packing checklist. Gemma and the team stayed in close contact and were super helpful at answering all my queries. The pre-departure pack was spot on in terms of how much 'roughing it' would be involved and, as a result, I was well prepared for camping in the desert.

As for the volunteering itself, where to start.... Sleeping under a canopy of stars, driving through beautiful Damaraland, watching elephants splash round a watering hole, hiking up 'kopjes' to watch sunsets, hauling rocks and mixing cement under a hot sun, cool evenings huddled round the campfire eating great food and making new friends.... It was all fantastic! The build week was tough, but lots of fun and so rewarding. Seeing the wild desert elephants on the patrol week was just wonderful. It was humbling to be so close to such huge, intelligent animals.

The project is excellently run in Namibia and we were in safe hands for the two weeks. I learnt so much about the challenges of wildlife conservation as well as picking up useful bush skills. It was true bush living and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you Amanzi for helping to make it possible! I would do it again in a heartbeat.