Lake conservation in Guatemala
Aldous Huxley described Lake Atitlan as "too much of a good thing, it touches the limit of the permissibly picturesque". But the lake, surrounded by three volcanoes and 340m deep in places, needs urgent attention if it is to maintain its natural beauty. You will be talking to locals about issues such as recycling, while helping to clean up the lake and surrounding hillsides. Volunteers who speak some Spanish can also work on educational programmes in local schools and with indigenous women in nearby small towns. Others can take Spanish classes in small groups or one-to-one (from $51 for 10 hours' tuition). All volunteers have the option of staying with a local family.
• From $270 a week to $2,945 for six months, plus $249 registration fee (excluding international flights) with volunteerhq.org
Support women's rights in Morocco
Based in either the capital, Rabat, or in a village, volunteers will work with vulnerable women and young girls through teaching art, organising sport, offering academic support, and taking part in workshops and activities designed to help the women help themselves. Want to be able to chat more freely with the women? Volunteers can take discounted language classes in Arabic or French with local staff, from $90 for 10 hours a week.
• From $310 for a week to $3,500 for six-month stays, plus $249 registration fee (excluding international flights) with volunteerhq.org
Help with Japan's tsunami recovery
The seaside town of Ishinomaki was devastated by the 2011 tsunami, and residents welcome all the help they can get to get the place back on its feet. With It's Not Just Mud (INJM, itsnotjustmud.com), an Ishinomaki-based volunteer organisation specialising in disaster relief, you can help locals rebuild their town. Be prepared to get dirty and roll your sleeves up – you could be cleaning houses, clearing drains, shovelling mud or debris from local parks or helping in a temporary housing shelter … whatever needs doing at the time. A three-day volunteering stint is offered as part of Inside Japan's 14-day, self-guided Tohoku Treasures itinerary, which can be tailored to volunteers' requests.
• £1,470 for 13 nights (includes a donation of ¥3,000 – about £25 – to INJM) with accommodation in Ishinomaki, Tokyo, Sendai and the Nikko national park, but not international flights), insidejapantours.com
Work on a botanical garden in the Caribbean
The stunning Dutch Antilles island of St Eustatius is home to two national parks where volunteers can build trails, maintain the diverse flora and fauna, and help with surveys and night patrols of turtles during the nesting season. You need to like camping and the great outdoors – your accommodation is a tent out in the wild, and the island is famed for its snorkelling and hiking.
• £420 for two weeks, £690 for four weeks or £1,230 for eight weeks (excluding all flights), starting on 1 October, 5 November and various dates in early 2013 with workingabroad.com
Work and play in Kerala, India
This busy two-week trip combines volunteering in a school with enjoying this beautiful corner of southern India. The work bit involves helping local staff look after children and young people at a special needs school, through arts and crafts, songs and games. Over the long weekends you can cram in some of the highlights Kerala is famous for: floating along the backwaters by houseboat, going fishing, and visiting historic Kochi, an elephant camp and the Athirapally waterfalls.
• £615 (reduced from £699) for two weeks with i-to-i.com
Work in Costa Rica
True Travellers Society was set up as a reaction to organisations trying to jump on the voluntourism bandwagon and make a fat profit. It lists dozens of volunteer programme links for projects all over the world, such as one calling for eight interns in Costa Rica with experience in graphic design, marketing, environmentalism (sea turtles), and international and community development who can commit for at least three months at the Casa Milagro Foundation. They are looking for motivated individuals (there is real work to be done) and provide some benefits.
• truetravellers.org
Animal rescue in the Amazon, Ecuador
Independent Volunteer was set up in 2006 to provide "do it yourself volunteer opportunities", listing programmes that you don't "have to pay a large sum of money to" to join. The site is an aggregator that lists hundreds of volunteering opportunities around the world – the kind it's hard to find on Google – to whom you apply and liaise with directly. We found a position at the Fundación Fauna de la Amazonía in Ecuador, which requires volunteers to commit for a minimum of two weeks and carry out daily feeding, caretaking and cleaning of animals, as well as animal observation, maintenance work and helping with community projects. Volunteers pay $100 a week, which goes directly to the centre to cover costs.
• independentvolunteer.org
Work with kids in Bolivia
Working on similar lines to Independent Volunteer, Volunteer South America is also designed to put backpackers and independent travellers in touch directly with grassroots organisations and projects in Latin and South America. Like other independent sites, there is an element of risk and luck involved in where volunteers end up (there are no photos showing the place you're going, and no hand-holding once you get there) but the site has a useful "scams and warnings" section that advises you check out, verify or even visit (if you're in that part of the world already) the programmes before you start. For several years, Volunteer South America has been working with Luz del Mundo in Bolivia, a home/child minding centre in Santa Cruz that is always on the look out for volunteers to teach English, music and drama. There are no fees for volunteers; they estimate living costs in Santa Cruz are around $80 a week.
• volunteersouthamerica.net
Work on an organic farm, South Africa and worldwide
Wwoof holds lists of organic farms and smallholdings all over the world that offer food and board in exchange for work on their land. You don't pay for placements but are expected to work between 25 and 30 hours a week, and usually live with the family. The scheme is very popular with people interested in the organic movement and alternative ways of living. You must become a member of Wwoof (£15) to take part in the scheme but can browse the site before joining. Many European countries have their own associations but Wwoof Independents lists hosts in countries that don't have a national organisation. South Africa has some interesting posts on this site, including one in the Eastern Cape for a farm striving to be completely organic and self-sustainable and grow "just about everything possible", including their own coffee. Another farm, in KwaZulu-Natal, claims to be ideal for "excellent hikes, walks and horse riding trails … through forest, plantations and grasslands".
Conservation work, UK-wide
If you don't want to fly half-way round the world to volunteer, there are plenty of opportunities closer to home. The National Trust has numerous working opportunities, from gardening to storytelling in a historic property, and from single days to working holidays. Last-minute availability includes a week helping rangers on the north Cornwall coast (hay-raking, pond-clearing and reed-cutting) and restoration of Colby Woodland Garden in Pembrokeshire (both cost £145 including accommodation and run from 6-13 October).
The Brecon Beacons national park (breconbeacons.org) runs programmes throughout the year, including work parties where you might help maintain footpaths and bridleways, help conserve woodland sites (thinning, coppicing and grass cutting) for a day (no fee).
The National Trust for Scotland runs Thistle Camps at its properties (nts.org.uk/ThistleCamps/Information). These popular working holidays are conservation-based and involve landscaping, maintenance or path-building plus some monitoring of wildlife. Camps run from March-November and costs range from about £90-£250, including basic accommodation and food. The next round of applications will open in mid-December – the island holidays are particularly popular and fill up fast.
