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Travelling with GVI was a life changing experience.
I experience so many new things through my volunteering, which I would never have done if I had just gone backpacking. I made so many friendships with my fellow volunteers and the staff. they made me feel so safe and welcome. Everyday was a new fun experience and you truly did meaningful work. working at a primary school in Thailand felt so rewarding and you could see the effect it was having. and having the opportunity to help turtles in an animal hospital at the local university was amazing. but the best part of the experience was the local culture and how friendly everyone was. by having local guides it made it all so much more authentic and special. I will never forget my trip.
100% recommend for people travelling solo for the first time (that's what I was)

Friendly staff and really exciting opportunity

I had an incredible two weeks staying in Pokhara doing the Women's Empowerment program.

The accommodation was so comfortable and lovely to stay in. The food was incredible - authentic Nepalese food and plenty of western options too. Tara and the GVI crew made us feel so welcome at the hotel became a home very quickly.

We felt so supported by the volunteer guides and the program itself was very rewarding.

Overall an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone - especially solo travellers. It's a great way to get a local understanding of a new place, meet new people and travel on the weekends.

Pokhara is the perfect place for positioning yourself for a couple of weeks and travelling in between.

Thank you GVI Nepal team!

Paid a fortune to book with GVI but turned up and no GVI staff were on base the entire month just 3 other interns. Practically double in price than other volunteers. GVI has poor communication and act more as an agency than a wildlife group. The staff for the actual group on base (Wildlife Sense) were so friendly and supportive, made the experience 100x more enjoyable. If I can say one thing don’t book with GVI, do a little research where you’re volunteering and book through the local wildlife group/s if possible. Also, the internship was advertised as a Marine Turtle conservation program but there was absolutely no work involved with turtles. Very misleading and misinforming.

Volunteering with GVI, I participated on a whale & dolphin conservation project in Tenerife, and I can confidently say that this trip was the experience of a life time! The staff were all incredibly lovely & supporting, helping us to learn how to best perform our tasks and giving us the patience needed as we made mistakes in our learning. The work itself was fulfilling and enriching to the highest degree, and has helped reaffirm that marine conservation is definitely the career route I want to go down! Another highlight, of course, was the other participants. We all came from a wide range of different backgrounds, allowing me to learn more about different cultures as well as the different motivations & career paths people are following when going into marine conservation. All in all, my time with GVI was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m already planning out my next excursion with the team!!

I appreciate the activities and the experiences your organisation offers — I understand why many people see them as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. However, I cannot understand how this can be called “volunteering.”

It is the strangest model I have ever seen:

employees pay to work,

employers get paid by their own employees.

The experiences may be worthwhile, but this is not volunteering in the true sense of the word. At the very least, the terminology should be reconsidered.

Edit after GVI reply:
- Hey stop calling it volunteering
- It is NOT volunteering
- It is unpaid job
- You are being paid for free work!!!
- Stop calling it volunteering

Been going on GVI projects for twenty years, great organisation and would strongly recommend looking into for volunteer work.

Save the world

My experience with GVI at their Fiji base was incredible! I was a research fellow on their marine conservation programme and had the time of my life! I got to do two dives daily during the week, scuba surveys of coral ecosystems, be part of a great GVI team, and also be welcomed into the beautiful rural Fiji village! I am so glad that I undertook this advanture, and I have memories for life!

This has being the most meaningful and memorable experience i’ve ever done and im so thankful for everyone being so kind and amazing. i’ll never forget everyone i had with me and i will 100% be coming back i already miss you ❤️❤️

Everyone was so nice and friendly over here and it made me feel welcomed in this program

Don't do a gvi program.

It is a total money making scam. I have been trying to get a refund of money that they said went to the travel insurance, when they actually never set up the insurance and set me away to a foreign country completely uninsured, in spite of them explicitly telling me that I was insured. I have emailed the feedback email many times, filled in the feedback form and phoned many times over the course of the last two months and haven't even had an acknowledgement of the issue. This is one of many issues.

The one star reviews on here are the ones that ring most true to me. Save yourself the hassle and the over-priced experience, and go with another company!

My kid attended the U-18 Dolphin and Whale Conservation Program in Tenerife, Spain summer of 2025. It was our first time on a GVI program and I relied on Trustpilot reviews when making our decision to commit our resources (time, funds, and our child's interest in marine biology); this was our big investment for the summer.
What I wish I had known before choosing the program is that it is very strict and the kids are given very little opportunity to enjoy the environment and limited access to engage with the science. Access to the ocean was highly restricted and campers were not permitted to go in water past their waist. My kid shared photos of people swimming in beautiful lagoons, but these were tourists, the campers weren’t allowed in water that deep. Much of the time at the beach was in full clothing (GVI t-shirts) with close-toed shoes picking up trash around tourists lounging in swimsuits on beach towels; a situation imbued with embarrassment for a teenager who had come to Tenerife excited to be at the ocean’s edge. Unfortunately the access to marine biology was limited to campers counting dolphins and whales from a boat and apparently little engagement beyond that.
At the base camp the kids were on lockdown, a perhaps reasonable strategy given the location and age group, however, activity within the walls was highly restrictive. For example, the kids were not allowed to step onto the patio adjacent to their bedroom. Boys and girls were separated into two separate facilities and communications were very limited, to the extent that the kids couldn’t even say goodbye to those of a different gender at the end of the two weeks. The cooking experience that was promised was limited to chopping vegetables.
Overall, it was a disappointing experience. I hope this input is helpful to someone out there; I wish we had access to it.

It took me a while to decide to send this as I don’t like putting negative reviews out there, but for the sake of honesty, I have to share.
Initially I had plenty communication from GVI, especially when a little late on a payment. Once I had paid everything off communication to me became very sparse.
When asking for clarification on various things answers weren’t very forthcoming or straightforward. The online meetings weren’t very informative.
Once arriving in Greece, the “leaders” were over strict with the kids on what they could do. Bathroom facilities were questionable at best.
The kids did a snorkel course to make sure of their abilities and then they had to wear life vests while snorkelling. I heard there was plenty plastic in the water, but they weren’t allowed to dive down to collect and help clean. The insta worthy pictures of beautiful caves were from brief stop off to take a couple shots and then carry on.
My daughter said that the last 2 days of the trip were lovely.
I don’t believe the Leaders were trained or even knew properly what their roles were or how to engage with the teens in a healthy manner.
The food was not up to any kind of decent standard.
Considering what I paid for the two weeks and flights, we could have enjoyed a two week family holiday with good food and accommodation.
If you have money to spare and don’t have to sacrifice for a year for your child to have an over priced supposedly environmental experience, then go for it. The kids loved connecting with other kids from around the world, but I believe with a little thought and effort one could far better choreographer a magical turtle educational experience for way less. And do beach and underwater cleanups that would actually benefit them.
I hope this review can create some clarity for GVI and for those thinking of using their services.

Had a really meaningful experience with GVI Nepal doing the healthcare internship. Worked with local women's groups to cover as variety of topics (first aid, women's health, etc...). Program staff were really friendly and attentive. Plus, had the opportunity to immerse myself in Nepali culture through attending the local Teejs festival through the program. Learned so much and have made many lifelong memories.

The teaching program in Madagascar is very well organised, I had a lovely time teaching. Loads of pocket money is necessary to go through the experience. People that don´t have access to large financial resources end up cutting the program short or being very sad, as they can´t participate in (or organise) any activities during their free time. To clarify, in my opinion, one has to “rich” to fully enjoy this. Otherwise you’re stuck on base with instant noodles. Meanwhile, the way you manage your free time and whether or not you make friends impacts a good 90% of the experience.

This year, my 15-year-old son participated in the GVI U-18 program (volunteer program) held in Nepal for the first time.

I was worried about my son travelling to Nepal alone, but I now feel that the interactions he had with his fellow participants in the program and the people he met through local volunteer activities have helped him grow even more.

The first half of the two-week program focused on volunteer activities, where he learned the importance of helping others. The second half involved a three-day trek through the foothills of the Himalayas. Despite the harsh weather, they encouraged each other and finally reached their destination, where they were greeted by the breathtaking natural scenery of the Himalayas. This experience left him with an unforgettable sense of accomplishment and a memory that will stay with him forever.

This wonderful experience was made possible thanks to the GVI staff who explained everything about the program and the support of the local GVI staff in Nepal. While it takes a great deal of courage for any parent to send their child abroad alone for a program, we are overjoyed that my son was able to gain this once-in-a-lifetime experience through this program.

Special thanks to Ms. Jamie, GVI Support Coordinator, who helped and supported us throughout the application process and Mr. Tara, GVI Country Manager in Nepal, who looked after our kids through the two weeks. Thank you very much!!

I had an amazing experience volunteering in Costa Rica. The staff were really friendly and supportive and we did lots of fun and memorable activities.

My 17 year old went to Costa Rica - having gone to Mexico in 2024. She had an unforgettable experience visiting beautiful locations, observing unique wildlife, getting up close to turtles and giving back via volunteering in the local communities and beach clean ups. Lots to include on her personal statement for university and experiences to share in university interviews - well worth it!

Please please please do not send money to this organization. They cancelled my daughter’s trip 5 weeks before she was due to start in Mexico and are refusing to refund the money I paid to them, starting in February this year. Having chased them to ask for the refund of the first payment, made in February, which according to their 180 day refund policy is due this week, they have just written to me to tell me that the 180 days starts from the date I requested the refund (which was the day they cancelled the trip), so now they are saying November for the refund. None of this was my fault, it was entirely their doing and I am still hugely out of pocket (not to mention the lost cost of flights and insurances that I have not been able to get refunded as the changes made by GVI were too late). They will say ‘we didn’t tell you to book flights so early’ I think 5 weeks before a trip to Mexico for a 15 year old is certainly not unreasonably early - some would say I left it a bit late…really shocked at how an organization that promotes itself as one that meets UN sustainability goals can get away with behaving like this.