GVI Recensioni 1.072

I did the Wildlife Conservation Internship in Kekoldi and it was probably the best four weeks of my life. It was communicated well that it would be very physically demanding and at times it really could be, despite that it was still incredibly fun. I learned so much from the staff and even some of the participants about animals and even a bit about the culture of the people around us. I really felt at home being there with so many people with similar interests and just a really accepting atmosphere. The food may not have been the best to most people’s standards but it was pretty good considering we were that far in the jungle and with the amount of people he would feed each day. The sleeping accommodations weren’t an issue for me, I really was only in there to sleep, I spent all my time out on the balcony or in the dining area with friends. The rules all made sense as well and were communicated with me before I arrived, such as cold showers, and limited electric. I didn’t expect a lavish lifestyle coming into this and that’s fine with me. Instead I got an amazing experience not everyone has a chance to get. What I didn’t expect were the friends I made. I didn’t expect to get so close with so many people so quickly. Not once did I ever feel alone or lonely either at base or on the weekends. We’d always be watching a show on the balcony (if there’s WiFi), playing games downstairs, or watching watching birds from the dining area, it could get boring at times, but I definitely enjoyed every second I was there. I always felt safe around them and had some of the greatest weekends of my life. Honestly the worst thing about this trip were watching my friends leave or leaving them. This trip has taught me so much about myself and the world around me and made me realize I’m not limited to my little town back in America and pursuing a career in conservation is actually possible without a degree. I can’t wait till I can schedule my next program with GVI.

For anyone who’s thinking about going to Kekoldi:
Don’t do this trip if you expect some easy hikes and a lavish lifestyle, you’re in the middle of the jungle. However you’ll make lifetime memories and have so much fun. You’ll see some of the most amazing sights you’ve ever seen and make the greatest friends. Go on surveys and go down to town on weekends. Take advantage of every moment you have there, it’s all worth it as long as you put effort into it and come here with an open mind.

dreadful experience. My daughter (18) booked a 2 weeks Seychelles trip with accommodation described as a 'hidden gem tropical paradise' by the beach, lively atmosphere with like minded people etc. When she arrived she was told that her accommodation was rat infested so she and others were moved to a run down building near the airport sharing the accommodation and facilities (showers, toilets etc) with people from the Senegalese army!. There was no food given or available over the weekend and no way to get a taxi and shops were shut. There was a curfew from 8pm so they were stuck in their rooms from then. She left after the first day. Ultimately a very risky poorly managed company with no thought for anyone's safety - avoid!!!

Re. your reply: Thankyou for coming back to me. I filled out the feedback and refund forms 3 months ago and have been trying to get a response from GVI since then. I managed to get in touch with your CEO as well and asked him for his view on whether he thinks putting 18 year old girls in un-monitored, shared accommodation with shared facilities with army recruits is appropriate too. So far he has not replied. You have all the information you need already - I look forward to hearing from you soon

Every single day on the GVI Nepal Women's Empowerment program was exciting, fulfilling and memorable. Pokhara is an incredible place which I might never otherwise have thought to visit - but it's an ideal backpacking destination to which I can't wait to return! The GVI homestay was modest but comfortable, and soon felt like home. The staff were so lovely and helpful, especially those with whom I worked on the Women's Empowerment project, and quickly felt more like friends than colleagues. Moreover, I was incredibly lucky to volunteer at the same time as some genuinely wonderful people, who soon felt like friends I'd known for years. That doesn't always happen when travelling with people you don't know, and I felt so blessed to experience it.
The program itself was well-established in the local community, and it was a huge privilege to meet and get to know the women coming to classes. I massively enjoyed creating and delivering the lessons, and only wish that I could have stayed longer to have made resources for more of the curriculum. In the future, I would love to see GVI expand their teaching locations to reach women in more rural locations, who may have little means of transportation but for whom learning English is a potentially life-changing skill. I believe this would massively increase GVI's positive impact in the Pokhara valley, and I would love to return to GVI Nepal to help with this expansion. For the time being, however, it is clear that the Women's Empowerment program is making a genuine difference in the community, and it was a true blessing to be a part of it, even for a short time.
There are a million things I could rave about - the food, the people, the landscape and lake, the weekend treks and smoothies and milk tea, the beauty of the mountains, the food (again). But all of it boils down to this simple message - GO! You will not regret it. Pokhara is an incredible place, and the work GVI is doing in the local community is vital and life-changing. You will experience things which you might never otherwise experience, and you will learn things about yourself and others which will alter your perspective on the world for the better. Do yourself a favour, and get out there!

Going home tomorrow, just thought i’d come on here and write a review, basically i applied to spend a month in kefalonia working with sea turtles, turns out when i got here it was mid advertised and i would actually be working with sea grass and doing bird watches, also the food is terrible they give you the same food every day, and it’s all vegetarian and small portions. however i did make some amazing friends being here and we’re all staying in touch and the we managed to do so much on the days off but we also go told we’d have weekends off and turns out we had monday and tuesday off one week and sunday and monday off the next week and pretty much everywhere was closed on sundays. Also the accommodation we stayed in wasn’t that bad at the start, we were in a basement room with 2 single beds, a kitchen and a bathroom all open layout, but into the second week we were laid in bed and the heard a bang, the bathroom roof has fallen down, and there was mold all on the walls, it was a good trip but the amount of money you pay is absolutely ridiculous for the bare minimum we, the food is given to you cold and you have no microwave, no kettle, nor toasters nothing in your room just a bed a fridge and a toilet. the only good part was making friends with everybody here. but would not ever do it again

Paid so much money for the bare minimum, meals were really bad basically gave us the same thing every single day no variety at all. The accommodation was shocking there was mould on our walls and the bathroom roof fell down. The trip was also falsely advertised gvi advertised it as if we were working with turtles when we were working with seagrass the whole time? Ridiculous

I received phone calls and clear communications until they received the £2200 then it all stopped.
I received an email shortly before the experience was due to take place informing me that the experience has been cancelled.
I'd spent an additional £900 on flights ensuring a spot to arrive and depart in the small window we were allocated.
I asked about a refund and was told it would take 180 days which is the most absurd refund policy I've ever heard of.
I emailed back to Nora, who had told me the experience had been cancelled, and asked for more clarity so I could attempt the recoup the cost through the insurance. She replied in hypotheticals, as if we'd never had communion.
It took a year to save up for this experience. £3000 isn't something available casually, and as I haven't received a penny back, I can't use that money to create any other memories.
I'm just left confused, feeling silly, stupid and heart broken.
I'm really sad and wish I'd never heard of this company.

Went to the Kekoldi, Costa Rica so called "Wild Cat Program"..was completely lied to prior to arriving that I would be taught lots of things to do with big cats and that my Program was specialist in this area and that I would also be involved in turtle conservation work 3 days a week also, when in reality they pretend people are doing separate programs (bird Program, wild cat Program, herp program) and you actually all do the same general program. There is no turtle program included, it's completely separate and I had to demand to be sent down to the turtle base which they did after I complained only for a week out of 4 weeks I was there. The terrain is tough and getting to base is up an exhausting hill, some of the staff are great but others insensitive to slow walkers on surveys (hikes) and rush ahead, most of the staff are new interns or new apprentice turned staff who are also still learning and others have either mid range general knowledge , only one staff member had any real experience to pass on..all being at base less than a year. The "program" is just made up as they go along with poor direction and you basically either just do surveys (timed, rushed hikes) or do nothing at base..its not really conservation at all and they make no attempt to actually conserve (1 example is they give you a GVI tshirt which is given to you in a single use plastic bag!!)
GVI are also a profit making organisation and trust me the money is not going to base, for equipment, or the staff or to improve the program or to create a great experience
The food is awful (rice and beans everyday), cold showers with structure rules (only allowed 1shower a day, and no power allowed to be used after 4pm but when you are hiking all day you're basically sweating in the humidity, dirty and smelling all the time with nothing to do because of no power access). You are not allowed to leave base, it's incredibly isolating as the base is cut off in the middle of nowhere except wkds but you have to hike down and up the treacherous hill to leave.
The base is also a bit fake..it is not in primary forest, it's on an abandoned old agricultural area of land (previously cacao plantation) and you only get to see primary and secondary rainforest on the hiking which is exhausting. All you will see (no matter what program you are on) is lizards, frogs and birds so if you're expecting to experience any mammals it's a lucky shot and rare.
Too many participants also at base, overcrowded, all very young adults wanting to party high school type culture so if you're wanting time alone or sleep it's impossible with all the noise.
Very and overly expensive for very little. Total rip off.
Total rip off, lying company

Everything about the marine life is absolutely breathtaking and being able to see so much in such a short period of time is crazy to me. You get what you pay for in that sense. The house community is absolutely great. I would say, do go with the expectation that you might not get along with everyone but I guess that’s life. Yes there are some rules but these in my opinion make it a smoother sailing experience, stick to them and everything will be great. The project manager ale is an absolute treasure. She is great especially in times of crisis, and she is always there with an ear to listen. If you are looking for a trip in which you want to help make a difference then go for it. There are more exciting days things throughout the program than others but that is conservation in a nutshell. Hope this helps

I'm 63 so used to more comforts. I was expecting some things to be basic but it was way more run down and basic than expecting. I had been on 2 others. The youth didn't have high expectations so they sat better with it. It was very isolated so you were pretty much stuck there but that was good for socialising. The biggest surprise was all the cooking with limited ingredients and mostly fried frozen food. I assumed from my last 2 experiences that a cook would be an overseer and we would help. We were it. It was hard to put in a full day of activities and cook for 26 people lunch and dinner and clean up. It was hard to work around various allergies and have vegetarian options. I felt sorry for the restaurant industry. I absolutely hated the kitchen rotation. One of the staff said it was good for young people to learn to cook with basic ingredients as they probably hadn't done it before. I don't think that goal was explained in the ads to join the program - it was marine conservation after all - not leaving home and surviving 101.
The snorkelling was definitely a highlight. I found the prices everyone has paid varied enormously for the same program. That seemed very unfair. All the people I talked to wouldn't do another GVI program. There are less advertised ones around that are better and getting known by word of mouth.

Program was completely misadvertised. I was a research fellow who was told I’d get daily meetings with an advisor and able to produce a full fledged paper. When I got to base I was told I would have to change my entire topic and not be able to do a paper. The program advisor did not give me the data I needed until I was 3 weeks in and I had to continuously remind them to give it to me. They offered no help or support. The program head also created a pretty hostile environment that caused 4 participants and staff to leave early. Something needs to change. Additionally many of the activities felt like filler and the only real activity that felt useful was the boat surveys.

The program advertises grants available, however, there is a very ambiguous process as to how they are allotted. I was told on my first interaction that I would receive a very generous grant, and when I went to pay for the program, I was given half the amount verbally told to me. The organization is quite disorganized. Pay in one platform and you don't get a receipt or confirmation. I had to send screenshots of my bank payments multiple times as I was told my payment was outstanding. Upload paperwork in another platform, only to be asked for the same paperwork multiple times. The program was also vastly different from what was marketed on the website. For example, the program in which I participated advertised daily boating to collect cetacean data. However, we only did a boat ride twice (not due to weather). There are strict curfews and rules making grown adults feel like students in boarding school. Overall, I made the best of the experience as it was a great opportunity to meet people from other cultures and explore a beautiful region, but there are many improvements GVI needs to make in order to provide the services they are promising.

My time volunteering in Madagascar, teaching English to children, was excellent.
The staff and other participants were super knowledgeable and really friendly. Everyone was keen to get involved with the projects and bring fresh ideas to the lessons.
Madagascar itself has so much to see and do: lemurs, island visits, snorkeling, and beaches. Highly recommend it and really wish I had stayed longer!

My 17-year-old daughter has just returned from the Kefalonia, Greece trip and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The overall success of the trip largely depends on the attitude and engagement of the participants—she embraced every opportunity, formed wonderful friendships, and took part in a range of exciting activities.

It’s important to note that this is not a luxury holiday. Accommodation is in tents on a campsite, which may come as a surprise to those expecting hotel-level comfort.

Least enjoyable aspect: The toilet facilities
Most rewarding aspect: Building meaningful new friendships

The group was very well supervised, and participants were not allowed to leave the campsite without staff accompaniment. While some may have found this level of oversight restrictive, as a parent, I found it reassuring to know my daughter was in a safe and structured environment.

She had a fantastic time and is already looking forward to joining another trip in a different country next year. If your child enjoys adventure, is open-minded, and willing to embrace new experiences, they will likely find this trip very rewarding.

As with most things in life, the experience is truly what you make of it.

Everyone is so lovely and helpful, the atmosphere is so warm and each day is filled with something new and exciting, it never gets boring!

My daughter has had a lot of fun and strongly recommends this experience to all! She has made loads of new friends!

If you are any older then 16 I wouldn’t recommend, there isn’t much freedom on these trips and they can make you feel quite secluded, on the other hand me a 16-17 year old went on a walk one night to clear my head, on that walk a witnessed a road accident, I was very trumatized and returned back to the place I was staying, I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone what happened as I shouldn’t of been out on a walk in which I admit was my fault, the staff on the gvi trip wanted to find out what happened and after questioning everyone they stated that if no one owns up to being out and seeing what happened they will get the police involved, they stated that whoever saw this incident will get the proper support they needed from staff (which was something I heavily needed, I am now going to see a therapist for PTSD) i had come forward and after that was told I needed to pack my stuff and I’d be picked up midday, mind you this was at 8-9am I had then packed my stuff and was waiting for 11 hours with no support whatsoever, and kicked off the trip, despite paying 5k for this trip I had to pay £60-70 for a taxi to the airport, on top of this i had some bad encounters with staff, one of the staff members by the name of Christian was Shockley bad, I struggle with car sickness and a day prior had to scram out of the car to throw up, so from then on I was sitting in the front, when Cristian joined the group after a pit stop at the start of the trip he made me sit in the back even though I explained the situation, this made me feel very uncomfortable and un heard, too add on to this I also have anxiety which makes me struggle with food (eating disorder) Christian in front of the whole group asked me why I wasn’t eating which was extremely unprofessional he then went on to say “I used to be fussy too” which made me feel so embarrassed, all eyes were on me and I hated that expecially since it was a sensitive topic and there were so many ways to get around that for example pulling me aside and making sure I was ok, the activities were fun but wasn’t displayed as it really was, the volunteering wasn’t that much of volunteering and I didn’t feel like I was really doing much, take this review how you’d like because everyone’s different but I don’t think I was treated well to my needs at all.

My sixteen-year-old daughter took a leap of faith joining GVI Costa Rica for her first solo trip, and it was life-changing. The program was beautifully structured—safe, supportive, and packed with wonder. The wildlife and the incredible turtle conservation program stole her heart, and the days were a dream of hikes, swimming in waterfalls, and farm-to-table experiences with local families.

Evenings brought bonfires, stargazing, and friendships she’ll never forget. We’d braced for very basic living, but instead she feasted on fresh eggs in the breakfast tortillas, pineapples, coconuts, and even homemade hot chocolate from cacao fruit.

She returned glowing with confidence, memories, and a love for GVI that will last a lifetime.

The marine conservation activities were amazing apparently, as well as the other daily activities, hikes, kayaking quiz night, kareoke etc according to Lucy (17) my daughter who said they were fantastic. In hindsight she is so glad to have had the experience and made 4 incredible friends (for life) from around the world. She loved visiting the town and the shops and a place where there was a pool and loved the yacht cruise and movie night. The overall experience was amazing and she learnt a lot about herself, her friends, the island, the turtles etc Unfortunately the accommodation and ablution facilities were of a terrible standard. The food was also of a very poor standard and after I complained on Day 4 to Michelle de Villiers at GVI apparently there was some improvement thereafter. Lucy was battling and I nearly flew her out of Kefalonia prematurely but she put a brave face on and carried on - thank goodness she had a circle of friends who were looking out for each other. Woj was apparently "weird" according to my daughter and the team leaders/supervisors were not on the same page and there seemed to be major dissension among them - it seems like they had never worked together and there was no camaraderie between them. The GVI staff were far too strict and wouldn't allow the girls to go to the beach or the neighboring beach camp restaurant for decent food in their spare time even with a buddy system in place. The girls were forced to subscribe to a modesty policy which no one was forewarned of - even though lucy did ask about this in the online meeting with GVI before the tour. I am very disappointed that I paid 46000 ZAR = 2300 euros (192 euros a day) and do not feel we got our money's worth. Note we also paid R25k airfares for Lucy to fly from Durban to Greece, another R5k for her to fly to Kefalonia and back from Athens, and another R10k pocket money, so over teh GVI fee of R46k we spent another R40k so R86k in total which is a lot of money. South Africa where I live has humble, simple but clean and hygienic camp sites on the KZN coastline and Kruger national parks and SANParks. The food was mostly vegetarian (pearl barley and hummus and cucumber) or hot dogs which is not nutritious. There was insufficient food and snacks provided considering what we paid. Greece is a country that prides itself on simple but delicious food and yet Lucy didnt even get a chicken gyros (bread and chicken chips and salad) on the odd occasion as dinner - gyros is a simple cheap meal. Lucy felt intimidated by the staff and didn't want to be targeted after I complained. I will not be recommending GVI if Kefalonia is the standard of the tours offered.

Absolutely wonderful experience, provided support and help wherever needed and gave me the opportunity to work with amazing people in a field that means so much to me. Thank you for everything!