What To Bring

AERU Volunteer Uniform

You will receive two AERU/Elephant Park branded work T-shirts, as well as an AERU branded knitted Fleece. They are yours to keep. You will need to supply your own trousers/shorts however. These need to be hard wearing and neutral colours such as black, khaki, brown, olive or dark blue/dark denim (no camouflage, or other patterns). Shorts must be no shorter than mid-thigh in length. No light blue denim/jeans are allowed when on duty in the field. This is to keep a professional appearance.

A waterproof jacket or poncho is always a good idea whatever time of year you are planning to visit the park, as the weather can be very unpredictable. Please remember, this should also be a neutral colour – green, brown or black is preferred. We do have rain jackets available that you can borrow during your stay.

A good pair of walking boots / trainers is essential. Open shoes or flip flops are not allowed when in the field with the elephants. A hat (neutral colouring) is vital – it gets very hot here; the African sun is more intense than many overseas volunteers are used to.

Other useful items you may wish to bring include:

  • Swimming costume (we have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world on our doorstep, which you can visit on the weekends)
  • Books, games, CDs etc for the evenings, binoculars, personal first aid kit, laptop or tablet
  • Car hire companies in SA require a credit card and a valid driving licence so remember to bring both with if you want to hire a car on a weekend
  • Gumboots / rubber boots are useful – but only if you can fit them in your luggage (we do have several pairs available to borrow)
  • Small rucksack for out in the field, or moonbag
  • Warm tops, fleeces or jacket (waterproof trousers may come in handy in wet weather – especially if you come in winter time. Night temperatures can drop to 0°C in winter)
  • Clothes of neutral colours (Clothing for layering is always good as it often warms up during the day)
  • 1 pair of working gloves (the gardening ‘leather’ type - for cleaning out elephant pens and bringing branches in for the elephants). We have pairs for volunteers to borrow, but most volunteers prefer to have their own
  • Latex gloves for lab / dung walk (we use up to 20 gloves per week)
  • South African plug adaptors
  • Sunscreen (SPF 30 or more), a sun hat or cap and sunglasses
  • Bath or swimming towels
  • Camera
  • A torch / flashlight
  • Water bottle
  • Insect repellent