We offer Ecovolunteer Missions throughout the year to help us protect the Makay region.
If you support the values and causes we stand for, if you want to help preserve biodiversity and improve the quality of life of isolated populationsor experience a moment out of time, make unforgettable encounters, observe marvellous animals and expend your energy exploring one of the most beautiful places on the planet, our ecovolunteer missions are made for you!
This year, besides revising and improving our “regular” missions, we’ve also come up with 5 new missionsbelow.
Why choose to travel with us?
- Our missions allow you to discover the Makay, one of the most beautiful places on the planet, accompanied by its finest connoisseurs.
- They guarantee the observation of several species of lemur.
- They offer a rare and beneficial opportunity to disconnect and recharge your batteries to the rhythm of nature and the songs of the forest birds, an intense and unforgettable life experience.
- You’ll learn a lot about nature and Malagasy culture, but also about environmental and social issues in developing countries, and about the day-to-day work of a conservation association.
- They provide the opportunity for rich encounters and open the door to strong bonds of friendship.
- If you are a student, you may be able to use them as an internship.
Or because living illegally weighs too heavily on your conscience ;-) Indeed, the environmental charter in the French Constitution states that the environment is the common heritage of all human beings, and that “everyone has a duty to participate in preserving and improving the environment”.
Our missions allow us to make a “useful trip”: since 2012, Naturevolution’s ecovolunteer missions have enabled us to finance a significant part of our conservation activities and aid to Makay communities.
Where do we work?
Since 2010, Naturevolution has been working in the Makay massif in south-west Madagascar.
What do we do?
Our work in the Makay aims to protect the Makay’s natural areas in the long term and to develop ways for local populations to live better and in harmony with their environment. Some projects are carried out in the heart of the massif, while others take place in the surrounding villages, just a few hours’ walk from the Makay canyons.
We offer 2 types of ecovolunteer missions, at different times of the year:
- Solidarity and local development aid
These missions focus on environmental awareness-raising, education, income-generating activities such as beekeeping (construction of beehives) and ecotourism, the creation of vegetable gardens and tree nurseries, waste clean-up, etc. During these missions, you will devote at least two-thirds of your time in the field to the association’s various projects, mainly in or near villages. They also provide an opportunity to discover the largely unexplored heart of the Makay on trekking tours lasting several days and accompanied by our team and the best local trackers. Find out more about our local development aid missions.
- Participatory sciences / Ecological monitoring / Exploration
These missions, which enable us to improve our knowledge of the massif, its biodiversity and the history of its human settlement, aim to carry out monitoring or inventory operations on the Makay’s biodiversity, or archaeological prospecting or mapping of the Makay, all accompanied by our ecoguards, the best connoisseurs of the massif, but also regularly by scientists. These missions mainly take place from one or two fixed base camps set up in the heart of the Makay, but they can also be roamed around the massif. For a few days, they also offer the opportunity to discover and share in the life of the locals in the surrounding villages. Find out more about our participatory science science and exploration missions.
PLEASE NOTE:
Our missions are not “tourism”, so they don’t have a fixed program specifically designed for you. As an ecovolunteer, you will support the day-to-day activities of our teams.
The list of actions carried out during these missions can therefore only be communicated to you a few weeks before departure, as we adapt to our teams’ schedule, to the most urgent needs and priorities, to the season and to the number of registered ecovolunteers.
Naturevolution reserves the right to modify at any time the order and list of actions to be carried out during missions in order to adapt to unforeseen needs and events.
Because a few pictures are worth a thousand words…
How do we live in the field?
- Our camps are in personal tents,
- The work is generally carried out outdoors (or under large expedition tents provided by Naturevolution in the extremely rare event of rain),
- We eat produce bought in the capital, supplemented by local produce offered by the villagers (depending on the season: mangoes, bananas, tomatoes, breeds, sheep, turkeys, chickens, etc.). Everyone can take part in preparing meals and washing up,
- We drink river water, but you can filter it easily. As for cooking water, we systematically boil it,
- A few beers and soft drinks can sometimes be found in the villages,
- Dry toilets and showers are available in the forest.
This life in the wild is relatively comfortable, and above all a source of friendship and good laughs.
Who are the ecovolunteers?
We welcome applications from people of all ages (from 18 upwards, or younger if parents agree), all skills and nationalities, without discrimination.
“Only desire, enthusiasm and motivation count”.
No particular scientific background is required, and no diploma is a prerequisite.
If you are a student, you can use your participation in our missions as a study placement.
However, some field activities require good physical condition, others call for creativity, and still others require pedagogy. Simply let us know what your skills and interests are, and we’ll do our best to suggest activities that match them.
The only requirements are that you are :
- checked by a doctor before departure to ensure good physical condition
- able to speak French or English
- friendly and pleasant to live with
How long do missions last?
We prefer 3-week assignments
but we also offer a few shorter assignments (2 weeks). And for even more fun, you can stay as long as you like within the maximum duration of your tourist visa (2 months, extendable by 1 month)!
These times are considered from Paris to Paris. Your presence on Malagasy soil will therefore be 13 days for 2-week trips, 20 days for 3-week trips, 41 days for 6-week trips, etc., respectively.
The sumptuous journey from the capital Antananarivo to the Makay massif may take just 4 days round trip when we visit the northern Makay in the dry season (between May and October), but it can also take considerably longer due to the state of the tracks and the distance from the planned work site (especially in the rainy season). We naturally prefer the shortest approaches for 2-week assignments, to optimize your time on site.
“Almost everything was new to me. Far too many positive aspects to list them all, but among them the exceptional setting, untouched by human pollution, and learning to be resourceful.”
– Ecovolunteer testimonial, April 2019 (mission explo)
You’ll find a description of the different types of mission in the What we do section and a detailed description of the missions on the corresponding pages: Helping local development; Participatory science / Exploration.
Mission dates and rates
Find out more about our upcoming dates below. You can use the filters to refine your search (for example, search for ‘August’).
Dates and rates for upcoming missions
| DÉPART DE TANA | RETOUR À TANA | DURÉE | PRIX | TYPE DE MISSION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 avril 2025 | 25 avril 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 6 avril 2025 | 25 avril 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 20 avril 2025 | 2 mai 2025 | 2 semaines | 1600 € | Aide au développement |
| 20 avril 2025 | 2 mai 2025 | 2 semaines | 2000 € | Science participative |
| 11 mai 2025 | 30 mai 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 11 mai 2025 | 30 mai 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 8 juin 2025 | 27 juin 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 8 juin 2025 | 27 juin 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 6 juillet 2025 | 18 juillet 2025 | 2 semaines | 1600 € | Aide au développement |
| 6 juillet 2025 | 18 juillet 2025 | 2 semaines | 2000 € | Science participative |
| 6 juillet 2025 | 8 août 2025 | 5 semaines | 3750 € | Combinaison |
| 20 juillet 2025 | 8 août 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 20 juillet 2025 | 8 août 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 20 juillet 2025 | 29 août 2025 | 6 semaines | 4200 € | Combinaison |
| 10 août 2025 | 29 août 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 10 août 2025 | 29 août 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 7 septembre 2025 | 26 septembre 2025 | 3 semaines | 2200 € | Aide au développement |
| 7 septembre 2025 | 26 septembre 2025 | 3 semaines | 2750 € | Science participative |
| 5 octobre 2025 | 17 octobre 2025 | 2 semaines | 2000 € | Science participative |
| 5 octobre 2025 | 17 octobre 2025 | 2 semaines | 1600 € | Aide au développement |
| 19 octobre 2025 | 31 octobre 2025 | 2 semaines | 2000 € | Science participative |
| 19 octobre 2025 | 31 octobre 2025 | 2 semaines | 1600 € | Aide au développement |
| 5 octobre 2025 | 31 octobre 2025 | 4 semaines | 3100 € | Combinaison |
Tax exemption
The entire cost of your mission, including airfare, is tax-exempt up to 66% for individuals, 75% if you are subject to the IFI, and 60% for companies (sorry – french citizens only).
Do you want to know why?
As the word says it, in the field, you’ll become a volunteer for Naturevolution. As such, all the expenses you incur – insofar as they are essential to the successful completion of your mission – are reimbursable by the association, unless you declare that you waive the reimbursement of these expenses, in other words that you donate them to the association. In this case, these expenses are considered as a donation and therefore open the right – like a classic donation – to a tax exemption up to 66% for an individual (capped at 20% of income), 75% if you are subject to the IFI (capped at €50,000) and 60% for companies (capped at €10,000 or 0.5% of sales before tax, whichever is higher).
The management and logistical costs (about 35% of the total cost) as well as the transportation costs that you will have incurred on your side (airfare, train tickets and possible hotels) fall within this framework. As far as management and logistical costs are concerned, your waiver of their reimbursement will be mentioned in the contract signed before your departure and you will receive the corresponding tax receipt at the end of the mission.
As for additional expenses (airfare, train tickets and hotels), once the mission is over, we will ask you for the invoices and the letter of waiver for the reimbursement of these expenses in order to issue you the corresponding tax receipt.
The remaining part 65% (approximately) is purely a donation to our conservation program which will result in a tax receipt from us at the end of the mission.
The entire amount of the mission is therefore 66% tax deductible.
Thus, if you are a private individual going on a 3-week mission (for example 2200€) and if you find a plane ticket at 1000€, your mission will only cost you, after tax deduction, (2200€ + 1000€) – 66% = 1088€.
Please note that if you do not pay taxes this year or if your contribution exceeds the limits mentioned, the tax deductibility can be carried forward to the 5 years following the year of the donation.
Finally, we would like to point out that, insofar as our missions take place abroad, this tax exemption on the expenses incurred is only possible because the aim is to protect the environment or to carry out scientific research or to participate in humanitarian works. This is why, on the one hand, we insist on the fact that our missions are neither vacations nor tourism, but that they commit the ecovolunteer to give his time and energy, and on the other hand, we produce a report of each of our missions. This report serves as proof of the real involvement and mobilization of our ecovolunteers in case of a tax audit. Also, in the event that an ecovolunteer refuses to participate in the proposed actions, we reserve the right not to issue the official document (tax receipt) entitling him/her to tax exemption.
Discounts
If you register with 2 people, rates are reduced by 10%.
If you register with 3 or more people, rates are reduced by 20%.
If you have already taken part in a mission with us (in Madagascar or Indonesia), you will benefit from a 10% discount. If you’ve already completed 2 missions, the discount rises to 20%.
These discounts are not cumulative, the discount applied will be the most advantageous for you.
Promotions
We also sometimes offer last-minute promotions to increase the number of registrations and guarantee the departure of our missions. Please note that these promotions are not retroactive, i.e. they do not apply to people who registered before the promotion was introduced. People who decide to cancel their registration and re-register in the hope of benefiting from the promotion will be denied this opportunity.
Combination of missions possible
You can take part in a combination of different missions and discover different aspects of our business. To find out more, please contact us using the form below.
Are you in? Then contact us!
Breakdown of trip price
Logistics costs include :
- Transportation*, meals, hotel accommodation;
- The on-site mission management team ;
- Equipment required for the mission;
- Prior organization to ensure that everything runs smoothly during your stay.
* Note that transport is our main cost item because :
- The journey to the Makay is long and therefore relatively expensive in terms of fuel;
- the tracks are difficult, which means that we have to rent very good quality vehicles, which are more expensive + which almost always means additional repair costs;
- for safety reasons in particular, we are obliged to keep the vehicles with us throughout the mission, which extends the rental period and therefore the cost.
Management fees include :
- Monitoring and evaluating the results and impact of missions;
- Mission promotion ;
- Administrative processing of registrations ;
- Repatriation and civil liability insurance;
- Membership of Naturevolution.
The donation to the conservation program will help finance :
- Wages paid to project staff in the field throughout the year;
- Research and development of strategies and means of action to safeguard the Makay as a whole;
- Travel for our teams to develop the project;
- Day-to-day management and fund-raising activities in France, essential to the success of the conservation program.
The cost of missions does not include :
- International flight + airport taxes ;
- Personal equipment (tent, clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, water bottle, backpack, headlamps, etc.);
- Antimalarials and vaccines;
- Madagascar entry visa ;
- Extra drinks and snacks, as well as souvenirs ;
- Hotel accommodation and any other expenses outside the official mission dates;
- Cancellation insurance.
Crowdfunding
Are you dreaming about it but short on cash? Think crowdfunding!
We can help you raise the necessary funds from your friends and family, your networks, or organize fundraising events (craft sales, screenings, etc.).
To find out more, click here: Crowdfunding
Other business
How much cash should I bring?
On site, there will be few opportunities to spend money. Your main expense may be a Coke or a beer after a long day in the sun. Costs in Madagascar are never too high. We think that €10 a day when you’re traveling and €2 a day when you’re on site will do you just fine.
Do I need insurance?
Repatriation and third-party liability insurance for the entire duration of the mission will be automatically taken out for you with our insurer, MAIF, when you make your payment. But you can take out additional insurance if you wish.
Do I need a visa?
Yes, but this can be obtained simply on arrival at Ivato airport. For rates, see this page of the Madagascar consulate website.
What’s the weather like in the Makay?
Madagascar is a huge island spanning many latitudes and altitudes, and weather and temperatures vary across the island. There are two main seasonal variations, the hot/wet season (November to March) and the dry season (April to October).
From June to September, in the Makay, expect cool evenings, especially when bivouacking by the rivers. So pack a good fleece and a decent down jacket (0 or even -5°C comfort), and even a little hat.
How many of us will there be?
Our missions involve a maximum of ten volunteers. In the event of strong demand, we would look into the possibility of setting up 2 separate groups in different locations, so that each team does not exceed 10 people. On the one hand, this allows us to ensure that the experience we have in this natural wilderness area is as intense as possible, but also that the impact of each of our missions on the natural environment is as limited as possible. There are also times when there are far fewer of us.
In all cases, departures from our missions are guaranteed from 3 people.
Is it dangerous to travel to Madagascar?
Madagascar is a safe country in which to travel, provided you observe a few rules of good conduct and common sense, as in any other country. In particular, avoid walking alone at night in city streets, or displaying obvious signs of affluence such as your smartphone or camera.
You can also consult the recommendations for ecotourists wishing to visit the Makay. This advice forms the basis of the Ecotourism Charter for the New Makay Protected Area.
Can I arrive and/or leave outside the dates indicated?
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get to or from our missions en route for obvious reasons of transport logistics in this very remote region.
On the other hand, outside the mission dates, you can stay in Madagascar and travel around the country on your own.
How can I get in touch with you?
Because of the remoteness of our field sites, telephone communications are not straightforward: so don’t expect to be able to call your loved ones easily during the mission. However, the Makay is increasingly covered by the mobile network, so it’s still possible to call for help, for example, after a few dozen minutes’ walk.
What vaccinations are required to visit Madagascar?
At last count, in addition to the essential DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-poliomyelitis) vaccine update, only the anti-COVID vaccine is compulsory. Some, however, are recommended, such as the typhoid vaccine. Before visiting one of our missions, please consult your doctor or an approved travel clinic, who will be happy to give you more information.
What are the cancellation conditions?
Cancellation by the volunteer :
- if the cancellation is made more than 2 months before departure, the cancellation will be free of charge and the volunteer will be reimbursed in full;
- if cancellation occurs between 2 months and 1 month before departure, the 800€ deposit will be retained;
- if cancellation occurs less than one month before departure, the volunteer will not be eligible for a refund and the full amount of your payment will be retained, except in cases of force majeure or proven medical reason, duly justified.
Cancellation by Naturevolution :
- In the event of non-payment of the participation fee one month before the mission, the ecovolunteer’s reservation will be cancelled and the 800€ deposit retained;
- In the event of cancellation of the mission for logistical or other reasons, the sums paid will be reimbursed in full by Naturevolution.
In view of the difficulty of accessing the site, Naturevolution reserves the right to cancel the mission, in particular in the event of force majeure, damage or meteorological imperative, at any time prior to departure, without any obligation other than reimbursement of the sums paid to Naturevolution.
Such cancellation does not give rise to any right to compensation. In this respect, Naturevolution asks the volunteer to take the necessary precautions (cancellation insurance, changeable plane tickets) when booking plane tickets to Madagascar, and declines all responsibility in the event of additional costs linked to the modification or cancellation of these tickets for any reason whatsoever.
We recommend taking out comprehensive cancellation insurance.
Interested in volunteering with us?
If you would like to take part in one of our ecovolunteer missions, or if you have any questions before deciding, please fill in the pre-registration form below. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible to explain how our missions normally run, give you the steps to take before you leave, present details of our actions in the field, and answer any questions you may have.
Your contact
Tojo Rabefaritra
In charge of ecovolunteer missions