Frequently Asked Questions

No experience is required for Safari4u’s Pre-Vet Programme and we accept people from all backgrounds including pre-vet undergraduates, first or second year vet students, students on a gap year, even people simply interested in working with animals! This programme is designed to give students a hands-on veterinary experience that they might not get in their home country, whether it be to build up a resume, to decide if veterinary medicine is the right path, or just to experience the wildlife of Africa while helping animals in need!

Add-On Courses are designed for any level of learning from those with an interest in the topic, pre-vets and vet students to qualified vets who want to gain specialised experience or South African qualification. There will however be no assumption of knowledge but due to the small group size, learning pace can be adjusted for each group of students.

If your university offers an internship course, credit may be available. We have qualified trainers on staff, and we can also complete a reference letter or paperwork required by your educational institution on request. Please note that we are, however, not a Registered Training Organisation with Education Training Quality Assurance (ETQA). Some universities are aligned with the South African Veterinary Counsil (SAVC) and registering with them in advance may allow you more advanced work during your stay.

You will need to check with your university. On request, we can provide more detail on the units in the Artificial Insemination and Pregnancy Diagnosis courses as these are a recognised qualification within South Africa. Each student, upon passing, will receive a certificate of completion which you may be of benefit for your university paperwork. Some of the courses do have an exam as well.

Add-On Courses must be booked in combination with a minimum of 1 week in the Pre-Vet Programme creating a minimum 2 week stay. The Add-On Courses are priced at a full week stay so if the course is only 2 days, you will be with the PreVet Programme for the remaining 5 days in the booked week. Should you wish to stay on the PreVet programme longer, you just book to the total number of weeks you wish to stay, we will confirm your arrival and departure date to ensure there is no confusion.

Your Add-On Course can fall anywhere in your stay with the PreVet Programme, it doesn’t have to be at only the start or the end of your stay, it does however have to match the available dates that the particular Add-On Course is running. For all add-on courses, the course STARTS on the date listed so they must be able to begin at 8am on this day and not be requiring an arrival collection after this time. We will arrange transport to and from the PreVet Programme to your Add-On Course.

Should you want to stay and complete more than one Add-On Course, pending the dates being available, you are more than welcome to book this as well but you will still require a minimum of 1 week on the PreVet Programme in addition to those bookings.

South Africans citizens or, foreigners with permanent residency or visa entitling them to stay in South Africa for a period of time over 1 year, will be given the opportunity to join just the add-on courses without the requirement of staying with the PreVet Programme as well.

The caveat for this is you must arrange your own transport to and from the Add-On Course location. We will provide details (times, locations, etc) on request for this. All meals and accommodation during the course are still provided.

The price for this is in ZAR with the exception of the Game Capture Course which remains in USD.

Some universities offer scholarship opportunities for international internships or programs.

• Welcome Pack
• Access to the Safari4u Game Capture Manual and other reference materials
• Safari4u T-shirt
• All meals (excluding snacks, soft drinks, etc)
• All accommodation and bedding
• Transport to and from organised programme activities (including from the PreVet Programme to/ from any booked Add-On Courses)
• Transport to and from the PreVet Programme from East London Airport, East London bus stop or hotels in the East London area (Monday arrival/ departure day)
• Your fee also acts as the main source of funding for our Non-Profit Company –East Coast Animal Care. This funding provides the supplies and medications necessary to treat the animals of Wild Coast and greater Chintsa areas.
• If you are attending an Add-On Course, you will receive a certificate from your assessor on completion.
• For the Artificial Insemination, Pregnancy Diagnosis and Animal Husbandry Add-On Courses, you will be provided with a dustcoat and gumboots for use for the duration of your course.

• Flights
• Travel/ medical insurance
• Vaccination costs
• Visa costs (if required)
• Weekend activity costs
• Snacks, soft drink, alcohol, etc

For current travel risks, refer to the U.S. travel department site:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/south-africa-travel-advisory.html

Or as an alternative, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has a concise information page.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/south-africa

The major city in the area is East London. The town of Chintsa is a small community though and rarely has any safety issues due to an increased community security presence.

Most students choose to fly. There are a few domestic carriers such as FlySafair and Airlink which arrive and depart daily at a number of different times from East London Airport (King Phalo Airport, ELS). You can get connections from Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport), Cape Town, and Durban (King Shaka International Airport).

When you arrive at the East London Airport, look out for a Safari4u staff member or our transfer service driver holding a sign with your name. If you don’t see them, wait at the Information Desk.

Chintsa is about an hour’s drive from East London. You will meet our staff and others on the programme on your arrival to your accommodation.

If you choose to use another form of transport to arrive at the programme (such as bus or private vehicle), please let us know directly and we can give you instructions.

If you are booking an add-on for South African citizens, we will give you times and directions to your course location.

Monday is our designated arrival/ departure day for students. You will be collected on arrival to East London Airport (King Phalo Airport, ELS) by our staff or a transfer service. If you are staying elsewhere in East London, we may be able to arrange pick up from there.

All Monday departures are requested to be packed and out of their rooms by 10am in order to clean rooms for new arrivals. You will not be placed onto the programme and as such morning departures are recommended.

If you choose to arrive or depart on a day other than Monday, a transfer fee will be charged. (There is no additional charge if due to flight delay, etc).

You must ensure you collect your bags in Johannesburg (OR Tambo) International Airport, Cape Town International Airport or Durban (King Shaka) International Airport. East London does not have a customs office and as such you will have to take your bags through customs before the domestic flight to East London. You should check your bags in again at the domestic terminal for this flight.

There is no best time to volunteer as animals require health support all year round and there are always improvements to be made on the farms, game reserves, and in villages. However, due to the heat over Summer, we do not operate in December or January as planned game captures are not run to maintain health of the animals.

The longer you can stay, the better as you will get to know the different species and procedures more in depth and with time more responsibility will be given to you. We generally recommend a minimum of 3 weeks, but we offer from 2 weeks and up to 6 months. The 3-week period is to allow for fluctuations in availability for different programme activities.

Safari4u is located in Chintsa (pronounced Sin-sa), a small coastal village located near East London, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. (It is sometimes spelled the old way of “Cintsa.”) Each student is provided a bed and personal bed space- we guarantee that all housing is safe and comfortable. This accommodation includes kitchen and bathroom facilities. Whilst the programme is based in the Chintsa, we do tend to travel to where the animals need us so be prepared to drive long distances!

All of our overnight locations have bed and bathroom facilities provided.

Most of our Add-On Courses provide their own accommodations where the same standards apply but at a site closer to the course location.

Bedrooms sleep between 4 and 8 people. A single supplement for the PreVet Programme is available on request at time of booking.

You are provided with the food for 3 meals a day during your stay. Breakfast and Dinner are catered for at your accommodation and lunch is self-catered with the plentiful food we provide due to the differences in peoples tastes. Dinner is a prepared meal made by the staff at our accommodation and ready for when you get back after your day’s work.

Breakfasts can include cereals, toast, eggs, fruit, etc.

Lunches can include sandwiches, green salad, pasta salad, toasties, fruit etc.

We can cater to most dietary requirements and a vegetarian option is available on request for all dinners.

Although your meals are included in the programme fee, during the travel in the programme we regularly go past supermarkets and other smaller stores, so you’ll have access to almost anything you need. Chintsa East also has a small store with basic needs which is in walking distance from your accommodation.

There is nowhere nearby to exchange foreign currency or travellers cheques that we can easily visit (although we can in emergency situations). If you prefer this method of finance, you will need to exchange any foreign currency at Johannesburg International Airport.

ATMs, however, are frequently found through South Africa and accept most foreign bank card. You will find most places also accept cards as payment, however, you should always have some cash with you in case, especially during of our community outreach visits. In saying that however, we do not recommend carrying large amounts of cash everywhere either.

A huge variety of wildlife is right on our doorstep, including general game – zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, nyala, impala and blesbok to name a few. Local game reserves in the area also hold larger game such as lion, rhino, hyaena and buffalo. You will regularly work with dogs, cows, goats, sheep, pigs as well as gaining experience with wildlife.

Potentially dangerous snakes in the area include the Puff Adder and the Boomslang. These are seldom seen by students and additionally, most venomous snakes prefer to conserve their venom, so bites are rare. In the rare case of an emergency, we have staff that are fully trained and equipped to help you. Scorpions are not common in Eastern Cape and the most important spiders to note in this area are Black widows, Crab spiders, and Violin spiders, however these are also rarely seen.

Whilst there are some areas in South Africa where malaria occurs, there is only a high risk in the north of the country to as far south as Richards Bay. The Eastern Cape is far south enough that it is not generally necessary to take anti-malarial drugs when only visiting this province or any area south of Chintsa.

Precautionary measures to prevent mosquito bites should still be taken and, if you’re concerned about mosquitos, you can:

• speak to your doctor about prophylaxis
• use insect repellent.
• wear long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing.

Weekends are free time and activity fees over weekends are not included in your package. We are happy to help you plan and book any activities or tours for this time. Local activities available to you include horseback riding on the beach, a stay at a Big5 reserve, spa massages, and ATV riding, surf boat trips, a visit to the local brewery, or you can simply relax on the beach just a minute’s walk down the hill!

All of our staff have travelled around the area so if there is a particular activity you’re interested in, chat to us and we can recommend more. If you are continuing your travels, we can also recommend things further afield as well.

Students work Monday to Friday for approximately 8 hours a day, however if there is an emergency we may be called to work outside of these times. The start times will vary depending on your daily activity but 8.30- 9.00am is the usual start time for most days.

Your workday will vary depending on transport times, the activity in question, and also how successful the work is conducted. We average 50 hours a week but we calculate this to reflect what a vet would charge as their hours for clients.

Wifi is available at your accommodation and in a number of locations in Chintsa, though it is not advisable to bring laptops or notebooks as travelling with these can be risky. Smart phones are recommended, however Safari4u is not liable for damage or loss. Students should be aware however, that wifi can go in and out for a variety of reasons in South Africa.

If you do decide to bring personal electronic devices such as laptops, we also recommend not taking them during your work activities but rather leaving them at the accommodation for increased security.

Students can register for a South African SIM card (Vodacom or MTN are the preferable brands) and buy airtime for local and international calls- this card can be used in a smart phone or in a cheap disposable cell phone that can be purchased on arrival. eSims are also available for dual sim equipped phones. It is advisable to purchase your sim card at any of the international airports you arrive into as you will require your passport to register the SIM card.

It is advised to download and activate the free app “WhatsApp” as we have a student group to share information on regarding programme times and activities. Students also enjoy sharing photos through this method too.

We include a packing list for you but keep in mind that you will often be working on farms and game reserves and will have direct contact with a variety of animals. You should be prepared to get your clothes dirty, and they should be comfortable and easy to move in.

The Eastern Cape has a varied climate, and you should pack accordingly. For winter (May, June, July) you can expect highs of 25C and lows of 10C however if we travel inland nights can drop below freezing (below 0C). In the warmer months, temperatures reach 30C most days.

It is important to take extra of any personal medications and prescriptions you may have as specific brands may not be available here, or they may require prescription rather than being available over-the-counter.

Bedding is fully provided at your accommodation and washing facilities are also available and charged based on bag size.

Additional items such as toiletries may be purchased on arrival for those staying longer but you should inform us as soon as possible so that we can arrange transport to a shop to buy these.

**Note: As a general rule, all travellers should only pack as much as they can carry.**