Itinerary (February and September)

Cheetah Project

​Day 1 Sunday
Arrive at Windhoek Airport (airport code WDH) and after clearing customs you’ll be met by our driver and taken straight to the sanctuary, a journey of around 40 minutes. Depending your time of arrival, there should be plenty of time to freshen up and make yourself at home before your official welcome and induction session, then dinner !!

Mondays to Fridays 

The Veterinary Experience runs for 10 days, Mondays through Fridays with the weekend off in between. Your days will be filled with pre-planned practical activities such as the capture and anaesthesia of various resident animals for sampling and health checks, shadowing our resident vets on their daily activities including any emergencies which may arise. Practical sessions are interspersed with engaging presentations about wildlife capture and anaesthesia, behavioural patterns and pharmacology.

At weekends there’s lots to do…or do nothing at all! Take a walk, swim in the pool or book one of the many optional activities available – what better than a horse ride in the desert, mingling with giraffes and watching the beautiful African sunset? 

**Week 3 is spent at the TimBila Reserve wildlife research project.  TimBila is a spectacularly beautiful location, home to a wide range of translocated, rehabilitated and native species all living together in perfect harmony.  Refer to the section below for a detailed description of your week at TimBila Reserve.

Final Sunday Having spent your last night back at the sanctuary, we’ll whisk you off to the airport on Sunday in plenty of time for your flight onwards, or home.

** The Sept 2025 itinerary includes Week 3 at TimBila.  2024 groups have the 2 weeks program as standard with optional 3rd weeks available.
​Itinerary (June and November)
The June and November itinerary has been designed to provide a variety of veterinary, wildlife rehabilitation, husbandry, enrichment and cultural activities.  Intended to be somewhat fluid in structure, the proposed outline is as below, but please be open minded as things can and likely will change.  What’s more, you will get a front-row seat for any unexpected veterinary activities which arise, including emergency call-outs and rescues.
  • ​Day 1 Monday Arrive at Windhoek Airport (airport code WDH) and after clearing customs you’ll be met by our driver and taken straight to the sanctuary, a journey of around 40 minutes.  Make yourself at home before your welcome and orientation in the late afternoon !!
  • Tuesday Animal Husbandry and Welfare intro.  BCS (Body Condition Score) presentation. Horse ride on the reserve (half group) / stable maintenance & grooming (half group)
  • Wednesday Nature walk/spoor tracking.  Carnivore feed (caracals, lions, cheetahs, leopards)
  • Thursday Dart gun introduction.  Carnivore immobilisation presentation.  Horse ride on the reserve (half group) / stable maintenance & grooming (half group)
  • Friday Carnivore immobilisation practical and health check. Zoonotic disease & ethical dilemma discussion
  • Saturday Join with wildlife volunteer activities in the morning. Saturday afternoons are set aside for fun and games with the whole team followed by a delicious braai (BBQ) for dinner.  
  • Sunday Katutura Township tour. 10am pick up for a fun and insightful cultural experience which introduces and enlightens you on the Katutura Township, its struggles and triumphs.
  • Monday Carnivore conflict work presentation – the role of research, rapid response unit, VHF telemetry tracking, etc.  Elephant tracking on the reserve.
  • Tuesday Rabies and Coronavirus in wildlife presentation.  Baboon walk - our rescue baboons adore the interaction and bounding through the bush on their daily walks. 
  • Wednesday Anti Poaching Unit.  Ethics and welfare presentation.  Animal feed and nutrition discussion / practical.  
  • Thursday Animal enrichment practical. 
  • Friday Free day – relax, book one of the many optional activities available or join in with wildlife volunteer activities.  Afternoon Game Drive on Reserve (possibility of rhino tracking)
  • Saturday Departure day (or transfer to Sanctuary / Research program if you’re staying on)

Accommodation and meals : Your accommodation will be one of our large, raised safari tents, basic but very comfortable with a proper bed and all bedding provided. Some have power, others don’t.  Rooms are twin-share, with communal shared bathrooms – if travelling solo you’ll be paired with a roomie of the same-gender.
​
Three meals a day are included so you’ll enjoy the luxury of having your breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for you. You can look forward to some authentic African braais (BBQ) on a weekend too !

Other information  As a desert country, Namibia experiences an average of 300 days of sunshine in the year with hot summers and mild winters (though it gets very cold at night in winter!).  There is no bad time to visit Namibia. The sanctuary does have mosquitoes but no malaria.  A net is not a necessity, but do bring insect repellent. 

TimBila Wildlife Research
​

As part of your stay, we recommend you combine your Veterinary Experience with a week or more at TimBila wildlife research project, a great opportunity to view animals in the wild, to learn and be part of wildlife research, rehabilitation and reserve management.  This is a fantastic way to complete your African wildlife experience.  TimBila Reserve really lives and breathes its bailing as “the place of second chances” for rehabilitated animals.

Operating Saturday to Saturday, research weeks are undertaken as a small group escorted by members of the sanctuary team. All transport, accommodation, meals and training are provided, and a range of activities. A more detailed Info Pack is available, so do please ask.

TimBila is home to a herd of translocated elephants, white rhino, rescued conflict lions and African painted dogs, all successfully rehabilitated. These are in addition to the reserve’s wide range of existing wildlife which include leopard, cheetah, hyena, caracal and many species of reptile and herbivore.  The translocated wildlife is monitored daily by scientists and volunteers to track its progress, and this will be just one aspect of your exciting time at TimBila Reserve. The schedule is varied and will change according to need, but expect to be involved in some or all of:

  • game counts and biodiversity surveys, both daytime and at night
  • species ID
  • wildlife tracking, using tracks, scat markings and GPS
  • lion monitoring
  • elephant monitoring
  • setting camera traps and analysing image data
  • night drives
  • participating in the release of wildlife
  • maintenance and security on the reserve