Gap Year Programs in South Africa

Intern in Cape Town, where ocean views, rich history, and endless adventure shape your gap year. Cape Town is a city like no other, framed by Table Mountain, bordered by two oceans, and alive with the rhythm of the Rainbow Nation. During this 12-week program, you’ll live and intern in South Africa, gaining real-world experience and cultural insight alongside a cohort of peers destined to become fast friends. Intern 15–20 hours per week at a placement matched to your interests, whether with an NGO tackling social change, an established ecotourism company, or a creative business in Cape Town’s growing tech and startup scene. An optional 15-hour course helps you reflect on your experience and build career-ready skills, and optional U.S. college credit is available through online courses through ASU Online. Two guided excursions have you exploring the dark history of Robben Island, the maximum-security prison where Nelson Mandela was held, and Elephant’s Eye, a cave lookout with sweeping views. You’ll return home career-ready, globally connected, and with memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

Seamester is the educational adventure of a lifetime! For more than 40 years, we have offered unparalleled educational voyages where students spend a semester at sea sailing between islands, countries, and even continents. We design our programs to provide engaging learning experiences with real outcomes in ways that are impossible to replicate in the traditional classroom. Living as part of a close-knit team on an ocean-going vessel, our students learn fundamental lessons beyond academics: teamwork, leadership, and personal responsibility. They receive academic credit from the University of South Florida, along with PADI scuba certifications and IYT sailing certifications. Our programs are designed to inspire students to realize that it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters the most.

A volunteering experience with bite! Relocate to the incredible setting of the South African bush for the animal encounter of a lifetime, working closely with the entire spectrum of safari wildlife on a working game reserve. This special program calls for animal lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to join the effort to protect Africa’s iconic big game species through park patrols, predator tracking, species surveys, and more. As part of its mission to study and conserve all that spectacular wildlife and support the ecosystem they habitat, the reserve operates a range of conservation projects in which the volunteer can actively participate.

Are you looking for an epic adventure that will change your life forever? Then look no further! This Ultimate Gap Year Experience is unique; you will be transported to four different projects across southern Africa, working on the front lines of conservation and connecting with local and expert professionals who are just as passionate about conservation work as you are. One day, you could be releasing pangolins rescued from poachers back into the wild, and then learning bush skills from a master tracker and tracking a herd of elephants the next. You will be part of the conservation community, listening to stories of the land from the locals. Completely immersed, you will see what it’s like to live and breathe meaningful African conservation. It’s not always easy to nurse injured animals back to health, but the reintroduction, monitoring, and seeing them thrive afterward is a memory that will last a lifetime. This is a hands-on experience where your efforts will be rewarded—many of these wildlife projects wouldn’t exist without volunteers like you. This program is also tailored to how much time you have, your skills, and what you would like to achieve.

Help Protect, Rescue, and Care for Animals Around the World If you’re passionate about animals and dream of making a real difference, our Animal Care & Wildlife Volunteering Abroad Programs offer unforgettable opportunities to work hands-on with animals in need. With Volunteering Journeys, you can join projects that protect wildlife and rescue domestic animals in Sri Lanka, Peru, and South Africa — three of the world’s most biodiverse and inspiring destinations. Whether you’re looking to care for stray dogs, assist with wildlife rehabilitation, or help protect endangered elephants and sea lions, these programs are perfect for animal lovers, veterinary students, and gap-year travelers who want to combine meaningful work with adventure.

At Projects Abroad, we’re passionate about travel with a purpose. Since being founded in 1992, more than 130,000 volunteers have traveled to over 20 destinations around the world. Our programs will make you step out of your comfort zone and engage with your new friends from around the world. These are long-term projects, led by local people and aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. By taking part in our programs, even for a short time, you will be contributing towards a sustained effort to support the communities that host us! We believe no other provider offers the safety and security to their volunteers and interns that we do. You'll receive 24-hour staff support from our trained staff, alongside a gold standard of safety planning of your trip - so you don't have to worry about a thing. Choose a project you are passionate about from working with children to medical internship, conservation, and wildlife volunteering. We offer projects starting at one week in over 20 stunning destinations across Asia, Africa, Latin America & The Caribbean, South Pacific & Europe. Ready to make a difference? Follow the link to visit our website!

Are you a student or young professional looking to enhance your career prospects through international work experience and hands-on learning? At Intern Abroad HQ, we help students and young professionals turn career aspirations into reality. We organize affordable internships in 20 destinations across 24 career fields that are tailored to meet each individual’s academic, professional, or personal requirements. With over 200 internship programs across Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America and South America to choose from, and options to intern from 2 weeks to 6 months either full-time or part-time, in-country or virtually, we facilitate career-enhancing experiences that work for you, not just the host organization. Intern Abroad HQ is proudly brought to you by the team behind International Volunteer HQ. We have collectively supported over 120,000 program participants since 2007 and are the only B Corp certified provider in our field.

Whether you want to support vulnerable communities in developing countries, help conserve the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, or protect animals in the Amazon, Love Volunteers has a program for you. With over 200 projects in 40 countries there's something for everyone! For over 7 years Love Volunteers has provided safe, affordable and ethical volunteering and gap year projects. Join a program today for a life-changing experience.

Looking to apply your talent and expertise to a good cause? Find a program that matches your interests and skills through Volunteer World! We are the largest volunteer abroad comparison platform around the globe, enabling you to seek and compare offers from major travel agencies as well as smaller grassroots NGOs and local specialists in more than 80 countries. All these with just one click! Find projects in wildlife, teaching, community development, and several other areas. Simply choose your desired destination and desired travel date, and our search engine will compare the best volunteer abroad programs on your behalf. Whether you wish to gain experience at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa or teach English at a monastery in Nepal, we've got you covered. Volunteer World guarantees a quick and easy application. We will guide you through this process, as well as help plan your next meaningful trip. We provide free access to quality-checked projects and flexible options. And if anything goes wrong, we've got your back with our qualified support team and our refund guarantee.

Make a difference to the wild animals of Africa on our Monkey Rehabilitation trip in South Africa. You don’t have to go far in South Africa to spot a vervet monkey. As their natural habitat shrinks and ours grows, they have adapted to life in ever-growing urban landscapes. While vervet monkeys are so cute (especially the young ones!), they’re just as smart. Wait until you see one opening a door or window to get to your food. This leads to conflict, causing many monkeys to be injured by disgruntled farmers or startled city dwellers. And then, there are the labs and people who think wild animals are pets. All this to say, there are plenty of monkeys in South Africa that need rehabilitation. And you can be a part of it! Spend your days volunteering at a monkey rehabilitation center in Limpopo Province. On your days off, wildlife reserves and big, wild animals are waiting.