The Great Primate Handshake – Volunteer in Africa, working to conserve monkeys and apes through film and educational content production

We arrived in Naivasha after a bumpy, dusty drive in our beloved truck (called Nomi). Set up camp and discovered we are living with colobus and vervet monkeys who are mischievous and all like to show off. Also we made friends with the hippo who lives in Lake Naivasha right next to us!

First day was a very early start after a surviving our first night camping. We had lots of fun with spaghetti, some string and a marshmallow, along with other team building activities included the Macarena and an imaginary ball!

After the days cook group prepared our yummy lunch, we all split into our four different teams and the fun and games continued!  Our team (video production) had a play with all the equipment available to us, and got lots of shots of the local wildlife. During our discussions, we decided that we will interview the volunteers about their experiences so far, the start of our many films that we will be making!

Just before dinner, we had a very inspiring talk from a local woman Susan ….. she is a woman who has dedicated her life with the Elsa Conservation trust to the conservation of Lake Naivasha – one of the many lakes within in the Rift Valley. Everyone learnt even more about the importance of conservation and it really hit home just what we are working towards in terms of conservation of the primates we will be helping!

After a candle lit dinner for 20 people, we all watched a film about conservation, which again was very inspiring and educational to many.

Over the next few days we have a very early start where we leave Naivasha, back in the truck and head up to Nanyuki. We will be leaving the comforts of toilets and showers behind us, something we are all excited for!