Volunteering at Yellowwood Forest

Click on the volunteer name to read their respective reviews of Yellowwood Forest

Rosie & Jamie
Matt & Ali
Naquita

Rosie & Jamie

Volunteering at Yellowwood Forest is great for gaining work experience or building up your CV and will always be a rewarding experience no matter what it is you end up doing. Despite living here for eleven years, Sean and Robyn still classify themselves as a fledgling eco-campsite, which gives some indication of their hopes and ambitions for their home. In my opinion it is by no means fledgling. Yellowwood is an African eco-campsite predominantly, but there is also a bush camp, gift shop, chill out tea room and tea garden/restaurant, pizza oven (which makes some incredibly good pizzas), and a cosy loft house to accommodate a couple. This 'Campsite' also has a rock pool, river and forest with a lovely trail to walk. To me, coming from the UK, I wouldn't classify this as an eco-campsite, but more the beginnings of an eco-resort in an incredibly unique and beautiful location.

Yellowwood Forest is very much at the hub of the community in Morgan Bay, also playing host to weddings, farmer's markets and other special events. From watching the rugby over the weekends, sitting out under the stars with a savanna, bird watching, or braaing, you as a volunteer are never far from socialising with the locals in this homely and laid back place.

At the same time Yellowwood strikes a good balance with the more tranquil and peaceful side of life and if it's a quiet afternoon you're after, you can escape into the forest, sit on the local cliffs and watch dolphins, walk along the beach, bird watch - the bird life here is truly phenomenal - or even just find a quiet corner at Yellowwood in the hammocks.

Every volunteer to Yellowwood will bring with them new skills and ideas which Sean and Robyn encourage you to talk about and put into use. I graduated with a Degree in Publishing Media and after a chat with Robyn explaining exactly what that entails - most people look very quizzical when I tell them - I was put in charge of designing the website for Yellowwood, applying the skills which I learnt at Uni. Not only will it look great on my CV, but it has been great practice for me. Although not every degree is suited to here, many are. For example, Zoology, Ecology, Tourism, Sustainable or International Development, Sustainable Farming and even Engineering.

Your Role as a Volunteer:

As well as web designer I was also in charge of looking after the Gift Shop, helping out with the waitressing and from time to time helping my boyfriend with the more physical work in his roles. But that is really only a snap shot of just some of the things you can do here. As a volunteer you can get involved with:

Building trails in the forest
Helping with the day to day running of the place
Building huts using sustainable building materials
Gardening and maintaining the grounds, including tree planting.
Teaching school groups about the Environment and Conservation.
Helping create and design information brochures, maps and contribute to the website.
Cookery - Yellowwood plays host to some wonderful round the world evenings with a taste of different countries which are very popular in Morgan Bay.

So whatever it is that you end up doing here, you are sure to find your niche.

What to expect from the placement:

The placement itself is unpaid but the accommodation and basic living costs such as electricity and water are provided. Food, drink and travel etc are the responsibility of the volunteer. It is mainly an eco-placement so volunteers who come here need to be interested in nature and wildlife and be willing to be surrounded by it. Nature conservation and African Eco-Living are two big factors here, and even if you're a beginner to it all, like myself you, will come away having learnt a lot about indigenous plants, birds and trees.

There is a trip into East London (the nearest city to Morgan Bay) with Yellowwood either once a week, or once every two weeks to stock up on food and shopping. But you can get into town on your own accord by using the buses or hitching a ride with the locals (which is incredibly safe and easy to do)

Time off is one and a half days a week and a typical day here starts at 8.30 and finishes at 4.30 which leaves your evenings free to do whatever you want.

There is so much to do here in Morgan Bay and you can make your lifestyle as active as you want to.

This includes horse trails, hiking, quad biking, dolphin, whale and shark watching (The Sardine run happens right here on the coast of the Eastern Cape - one of the biggest feeding frenzies on the planet which literally attracts 1000's of great whites and dolphins), braaing, canoeing, visiting local Xhosa Villages, surfing and relaxing at the beach.

You can also visit bays up and down the Wild Coast including Coffee Bay and Chintsa where they have some great backpackers which you can stay at and get a real taste of the travel scene out here and meet other folk like yourself.

There is also scope to meet up with other volunteers working on other placements in the surrounding area.

Sean and Robyn:

Sean and Robyn are both nature conservationists and both studied together at university where they met. As a couple they are great fun and very laid back and friendly. We have made great friends with them since being here, and I hope that when we leave it won't be the last time we see them. As a volunteer they really open up their home to you and by the time you leave you will feel like part of the family.

Yellowwood has been the perfect springboard for my boyfriend and I to settle into South African culture before travelling on. We both hold work visas for South Africa so it has provided us with a base from which to go to job interviews and find out about the work opportunities here. We are very lucky to have found such an incredibly friendly, safe and laid back community. It really has been such a welcome to South Africa. We have both made some real friends here and I for one will be sad to leave Yellowwood and the refreshing and magical way of life here behind.

- Rosie -
(April 2009)

Matt & Ali

We arrived at Yellowwood after having spent two enjoyable weeks in the Western Cape and a rather bumpy 24 hour coach journey to Morgan's Bay! On arrival we had two days to become acclimatized to the campsite and the local area. Although quiet, the area of Morgan's Bay is stunning and very tranquil but it may prove too quiet for some.

The accommodation for Yellowwood volunteers was comfortable though basic and fairly small. We both felt as though the volunteer schedule was too unstructured for us as we prefer to tackle larger projects with an end goal. However, both Sean and Robyn were very accommodating and happy for us to be involved in any and all of the jobs on offer. Although we were assigned different tasks to do on a daily basis this contributed to the feeling of not being able to fulfill a given role.

For future volunteers we would recommend pre-discussing any projects prior to arrival. This would allow forethought by both parties and help to ensure a more rewarding experience. By it's very nature the campsite can be archaic so a more structured volunteer schedule would help to really get the most out of volunteers.

Pro's:
Very relaxed setting
Sean, Robyn and family are lovely
Magnificent floral and fauna
Great pizza
Lots of variety

Con's:
Unstructured volunteer placement
Basic accommodation
Far from nearest urban settlement
Can be too quiet

Naquita

I arrived at Yellowwood Forest late Sunday afternoon, a little nervous not knowing what to expect. This was going to be my first week away from home with people I didn't know- but I was pleasantly surprised. Sean and Robyn are the most down to earth, creative, friendly, easy to talk to, hospitable, cool people I know.

Yellowwood forest is definitely a place to put up your tent and relax (even if it's just for a weekend). In their relaxed environment, it will put you in a place of peace and tranquility, with the amazing birdlife, visits from the monkeys in the mornings and their forest walk or a walk along the river.

If you are not a camper, you can always stop at Yellowwood's for a cup of tea/coffee in their tea garden or even have some pizza (which is the best by far!)

Yellowwood works according to the 3R's - reduce, re-use and recycle. Their craft shop, the loft and bathroom area are all made with recycled or re-used materials. (They are unique and beautiful) They try to be as environmentally friendly as they can. My week I stayed there was definitely beneficial as they taught me tons and gave me lots of career advice.

Yellowwood isn't far from the beach and Morgan Bay hotel. (Walking distance)
There is plenty to explore and experience in the area.

As a volunteer I helped out where I could, whether it be: helping in the craft shop, waitressing, making pizza's, baking, helping at the craft market, gardening, feeding the animals (rabbits, chickens, ducks) or keeping their dog Cassie entertained. ?

I had the best week ever - and definitely recommend it to anyone who needs to get away or would like to volunteer. Definitely a fun destination!

- Niqui -