Overview

Travel to southwest Europe as a volunteer, get to know nature, wildlife and culture of magnificent Portugal and actively contribute to preserving the rare Iberian wolf!

Details

As a volunteer in this wolf conservation project in Portugal, you will live and work on the grounds of a wolf sanctuary, located approx. 30 km north of the country’s vibrant capitol of Lisbon. The sanctuary provides a safe haven for rescued Iberian wolves that were born and/or kept illegally in captivity and are therefore no longer able to live in the wild.

You and your international group of volunteers will assist the team on site with different tasks. These mainly include forest maintenance on the sanctuary grounds and maintaining the infrastructure of the shelter but also feeding the wolves, checking the animals’ water supply and performing monitoring activities. Most of the work is physically quite demanding, but yet extremely rewarding. Note: As you will be part of an ethical conservation project, you won’t be able to touch the wolves.

Get to know southwest Europe in an incomparable way and help protect Portugal’s last big carnivore!

Accommodation

Throughout your time in the project, you will be accommodated in a small wooden cabin with a dormitory (which you will share with other project participants) as well as single rooms, a shared bathroom, a living room and a fully-equipped kitchen in which you can prepare your daily meals. These are not included in the price, but once a week a staff member takes you to a nearby supermarket where you can shop for groceries. Your off time – usually the weekends – can be used for exciting trips together with your team members to explore Lisbon, the Algarve and other great places in Portugal.

About us

NATUCATE is a German agency, specialized in voluntary work, field guide training, nature-oriented educational courses and internships with a focus on nature and species conservation as well as animal protection. Moreover, we create and organize individual sabbaticals; commitment for nature conservation and personal development being in the centre. Sustainable and responsible traveling, so-called ecotourism, as well as nature and adventure travel are further areas of expertise.

Our projects, courses and tours, fulfilling high sustainability standards, enable people – from graduates to best agers – to make an active contribution to protecting and conserving endangered species and ecosystems and, at the same time, to broaden their personal horizon. 

Dates, Services, Costs

Dates

The project runs from February until the end of November. Start dates are every other Wednesday.

Services

  • Placement in the programme
  • Assistance with travel arrangements
  • Assistance with selecting travel insurance
  • Assistance with booking flights
  • Pre-departure information pack
  • Risk coverage certificate
  • Transfer from Vale da Guarda to project site on arrival and from project site to Vale da Guarda at departure
  • Accommodation during the programme
  • Programme-related transfers
  • Programme-related safety equipment
  • English-speaking support by long-term experienced staff
  • 24/7 support throughout the programme

Fees

  • 13 days: 600 EUR (dorm), 850 EUR (single room);
  • 27 days: 950 EUR (dorm), 1.550 EUR (single room)

Find out more, or reserve your place