experiences
superlatives
"one of the best experiences of my life"
"To sum it up it was one of the best experiences of my life. The owners are so kind and make you feel so much at home...... every single member of staff is so passionate about animals and loves all the animals that stay here. Some of the lions stay and some of them get relocated but the owners always make sure they are placed somewhere nice, they love them too much not too. They want you to ask questions about what they do and are open and honest and everything that they do too. It terms of our duties you can be on cub duty where you look after the cubs, rangers which can range from cleaning the enclosures, to digging roads, to getting veggies to feed the giraffes. You also have cheetah days, game drives and lion walks. You get brilliant perks with being a volunteer and you get to see the cub’s loads. You get 3 massive cooked meals a day and you never have the same meal twice. They are so accommodating and would do anything to make your stay better. So please whether you are looking to volunteer ........you will not be disappointed.......... Ukutula, Gill and Willy, thank you so much for my brilliant experience you are doing the best job ever!"
Georgia B.
Georgia B.
"once in a lifetime place"I have just arrived back in the UK after two weeks volunteering at Ukutula and I can honestly say that it has definitely some of the best weeks of my life. The people are amazing, especially Gill and Willi, nothing is too much trouble, and their passion for the research and conservation of lions. I cannot stress how amazing this place is and the animals are so well looked after and understood, the staff of Ukutula know what is best for the lions and how to care for them in order to conserve and help those left in the wild. - I am already planning my trip back next year!
Kate R. Salisbury, UK Visited May 2014 “volunteering at Ukutula - WOW!”"I have just spent 2 weeks as a volunteer at Ukutula - and met Courtney and Alex too (see comment Trip of a lifetime). Gill and Willi, the owners, are committed to the conservation of these wonderful big cats and everything they do here is dedicated to this. They are also involved in lion research. I was a bit concerned before I went as you hear so much about lion breeding for trophy hunting, but I can assure you they are absolutely against this (as am I). Being able to hold and interact with the four 2 month old cubs and 3 month old "devils" was a dream come true...let alone holding/feeding baby Leigh! Staff, accommodation and food were wonderful. We also helped on ranger duties such as road repairs, collecting vegetables for the resident ostriches and antelope and collecting food for the lions too. We also went on the most amazing walks with a few "gremlins" (18 month old lions)...awesome is just not the word! Hated to leave and will try to return....
Best experience you will ever have." July 2014 - Sue S. Melbourne Australia |
"amazing""I was a volunteer here for a month...,the accommodation was amazing the services the lodge offer from room servicing to food to the laundry service was awesome. I couldn't have asked for a better place to stay whilst in South Africa. The staff made me feel like I was part of the family, incredibly helpful all the time and very friendly."
"fantastic""I did a volunteer placement here and it was the best thing I have ever done. Really worth going to......Gill and Willi are lovely people and will go out of their way to make your stay the best it can be."
Visited December 2013. Steph London, UK "a trip I know that I will be doing again!”I volunteered at the Ukutula Lion Park in March - it was an amazing experience! I have always had a passion for lions and that passion certainly increased by doing this project! I enjoyed having hands on experience with the lion cubs, both the smaller ones and the larger ones - feeding and playing with them was so much fun, even stimulating the smaller ones (although the least pleasant job when it came to cubs)! Ranger duties were also great as we got to see the adult lions feeding - although quite frightening, it was something I would happily watch again. Watching cheetahs being fed whilst I was INSIDE their enclosure was so cool - although again, it was quite frightening! With ranger duties, no two days were ever the same! The accommodation I stayed in was situated within the larger cubs enclosure (which is actually a lot more fun than it sounds) and was top of the range with an En suite bathroom and was cleaned on a daily basis! On the whole, volunteering at Ukutula was probably the best thing I have ever done in my life and I will definitely do it again."
Indrajit G. UK - May 2015 |
“wow! amazing place""So I have now visited Ukutula twice and at time of writing I am packing for my 3rd visit. I have always visited as a volunteer rather than a guest but believe Ukutula offers a great experience whichever you choose. The site is fantastic - over 200 acres of fenced African bush with zebra, giraffe and ostrich roaming free. The 'farm' is host to a breeding programme of lions used for research by the University of Pretoria for tracing the recessive White lion gene and research into TB which is badly affecting the lions in the Kruger National Park...As a volunteer your duties include collection of deceased hoofed animals like cattle, horses and gazelle from local reserves and farms which are cut up and fed to the older lions, cleaning enclosures, collecting veggies from a local pack-house for feeding to the zebra, giraffe and ostrich and some occasional work on roadways. Don't be too discouraged by the dead animals, you very quickly become acclimatised and a good friend of mine – a hard-core vegetarian - even came to terms with the need for lions to eat meat and the use of dead animals being an efficient way to utilise the carcases. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to! The best bit is by far the hands-on interaction with young lion cubs and occasionally cheetah and tiger cubs and hyena pups and the unsupervised time spent playing with the slightly older 'devil' cubs (12-24 weeks). There is a really nice swimming pool and bar on site and vollies (volunteers) are fed 3 good, wholesome meals per day and washing is done for you.....what Willie and Gill have achieved is a balance between conservation, education and tourism. The atmosphere is great: staff are friendly and everyone comes away having made some really good friends. Over half the people I have met there have been back....."
September 2015 helibenny Lincolnshire, United Kingdom |
"absolutely incredible place”
"I worked at Ukutula as a volunteer for 2 weeks in July and I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. They are strongly against the breeding of lions for hunting purposes and are committed to the conservation of the lions. The reserve is involved in research on feline TB and AIDS, fertility and the rare white lion gene, and they hope that this research will help support these beautiful animals in the future. Ukutula is home to over 100 lions and many other animals such as tigers, cheetahs, giraffe, hyena, ostriches etc. All of the animals have lovely big enclosures and plenty of space to roam around.
Lion cubs - because there are so many lions, there are always lion cubs! Cubs are taken away from their mothers at 2-3 weeks so they can be hand raised and are human friendly, so they don't get stressed when humans come to do research. The mothers do not mourn, they look for the cubs for a couple of hours, then give up and show no signs of distress. There is a cub interaction area where as a volunteer you would work on half the days. It was so amazing to be able to play with these gorgeous animals!
Lion walks - another highlight for me was the lion walks. Some of the older lions (up to 2 years old) are taken out for lion walks around the game reserve. It is incredible to get to walk alongside such big lions out in the bush. During our stay, one of the lions caught an antelope on the walk! Safe to say their instincts are in no way impaired by being hand raised!
Accommodation - the atmosphere of the place was great. Lots of volunteers, very social and fun place to be. We had three lovely cooked meals a day, the rooms were lovely. There is wifi and a couple of swimming pools, a bar for the night. I would recommend this place to anyone!
Visited July 2014.
Kate Leicestershire UK
Lion cubs - because there are so many lions, there are always lion cubs! Cubs are taken away from their mothers at 2-3 weeks so they can be hand raised and are human friendly, so they don't get stressed when humans come to do research. The mothers do not mourn, they look for the cubs for a couple of hours, then give up and show no signs of distress. There is a cub interaction area where as a volunteer you would work on half the days. It was so amazing to be able to play with these gorgeous animals!
Lion walks - another highlight for me was the lion walks. Some of the older lions (up to 2 years old) are taken out for lion walks around the game reserve. It is incredible to get to walk alongside such big lions out in the bush. During our stay, one of the lions caught an antelope on the walk! Safe to say their instincts are in no way impaired by being hand raised!
Accommodation - the atmosphere of the place was great. Lots of volunteers, very social and fun place to be. We had three lovely cooked meals a day, the rooms were lovely. There is wifi and a couple of swimming pools, a bar for the night. I would recommend this place to anyone!
Visited July 2014.
Kate Leicestershire UK
“one of the BEST places I have ever had the pleasure to stay at!!”
"I have just arrived home after volunteering at Ukutula for two weeks. Before I went, I read some great reviews and some really disturbing ones that left me doubtful about the type of place I was going to. Well ALL my worries have been squashed! The amount of care and passion that the owners, staff and volunteers inject into the Lion Park is not only genuine but truly inspiring! All the animals are so well looked after, healthy and protected. And the owners Gill and Willi, are hands on 24/7 and have a very deep and genuine love for their animals and for their future and they teach everyone how to care and respect each and every one of their animals. I absolutely loved my time at Ukutula and can honestly say it has changed the way I think and feel about life. I totally recommend Ukutula as a place to visit but if you can, VOLUNTEER!!! It is so much more rewarding than just visiting for the day.....Ukutula is by far the most caring and above board place I have had the pleasure to experience and they will make your visit one of the most memorable you will ever experience! For those booked already to go as a volunteer, you will enjoy waking up to the lion roar every morning and even at night as they communicate to each other where they are and their territory, you will enjoy hands on interaction with lion cubs of various ages, lion walks with the adolescent lions, getting your hands dirty cleaning out all the various animal enclosures, and feeding all the various animals, enjoy great meals and meeting new people but most of all, you will fall in love with the whole experience! I say this with absolutely no doubt.....and you will love the owners Gill and Willi as much as myself and everyone else that has had the pleasure in meeting and working with them. And more than likely you will go away wanting to go back again. Thank you Gill, Willi and all the staff and fellow volunteers for such an amazing experience. I look forward to seeing you again one day!"
Trudi :)
Brisbane Australia September 2014
Trudi :)
Brisbane Australia September 2014
“trip of a lifetime!”
"My husband and I just got back from volunteering in South Africa at Ukutula. It was absolutely amazing. It was by far the BEST trip we have ever been on and experienced. Outstanding. Ukutula has many animals that they care for dearly ...We stayed for 2 weeks in July and got to know the owners Willie and Gill very well. They are both the NICEST most caring thoughtful people. Willie even gave us a ride back to the airport when we had to leave.....during his busy day. So sweet. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. Gill is just incredible, she is so smart and kind and knowledgeable. Ukutula breeds lions and we learned that many lions out in the wild are very sick with Tuberculosis. At Ukutula, studies have been done and actually prove that the lions here are not only happy, but NONE are sick and NONE have Tuberculosis. They do so much research to HELP the animals. They focus on breeding white lions, and they explain everything to you shortly after you arrive as to how and why this all works. As a Volunteer, you stay in a chalet and each day you have a job to do, whether it is playing with the cubs and feeding them (breakfast lunch and dinner) or working with the Rangers (who are so fun and nice!) to help out around Ukutula on various tasks (many include feeding the animals). We met so many people from all over the world who were volunteering with us. As an animal lover, especially of BIG CATS, this trip on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the best, I'd give it an 11! It exceeded my expectations. The highlight of the trip (there are so many) - go on the lion walks. You walk with lions 1-2 years in age and it is absolutely amazing. Bring a good camera! Another highlight - bottle feeding the 4 week old cub. Priceless. Also, having the Cheetah drink water from my hands. As a side note, we arrived in July (Winter). The mornings and evenings are COLD! We should have packed warmer clothes. You will need a heavier jacket, gloves, a hat helps too during their winter. The afternoons warm up so you can wear a t-shirt. It was sunny every single day. Then in the evening (6:00pm) it gets cold again once the sun goes down. Also - the food was great. We were served breakfast lunch and dinner and all meals were well and they have bottled water as well if you prefer, although their tap water is all filtered and I had no issues at all with food/water/feeling ill. I felt great. Awesome trip. Amazing experience. Trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend it."
Visited July 2014 - Courtney N.
Visited July 2014 - Courtney N.
"walking with lions"
"This is a wonderful volunteering experience, looking after baby lions all lions are healthy and are well looked after, a lot of research is done here and the lions are only placed in reserves where they will be safe from poachers. All lions are born naturally and are taken from mother at a few weeks old, in the wild it is unlikely all cubs will survive. The accommodation is very good and all staff are very friendly. A wonderful time getting close to lions, walking with them in the bush."
Feb 2014, Sheila, Plymouth UK
Feb 2014, Sheila, Plymouth UK