GVI Recenzje 1081

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.

My daughter Lilly who is 18 and Autistic decided she wanted to go out to Ghana to volunteer. I was lucky enough to have a friend whose daughter had been with GVI the previous year.
I can highly recommend going with GVI the support is commendable, there is no silly question and no question unanswered. We were fully supported throughout the whole process. We booked a year in advance as the whole experience is quite pricey with the fee, flights, visa and vaccinations, but they worked out a payment plan which was affordable to me.
I felt my daughter was going to be 100% supported and kept safe and she was.
Lilly has had the most amazing and memorable time of her life, not only doing good for the children of Kokrobite, Ghana but making friends for life, giving her the self worth she is, the confidence to progress, and the footing to progress with travelling.
The Base she stayed at was homely and welcoming. She staff was friendly and always on hand to chat about anything. The gardens were beautiful surrounded with fruit trees.
Lilly is planning to go out there again next Summer and can highly recommend GVI.
The programme Lilly participated in was the Education with primary school children.

My experience with the actual on site (Costa Rica) GVI employees was great. They, and the locals, were very kind and the chef made great food. However, I was told I should have received a a discount as I referred a friend who was on the same trip as me. She has completed and received a discount, it was just me who was not given it. When complaining in December I was told I was owed £500 and this would be refunded to me.
It has been 8 months of waiting patiently and chasing up the money but I do not receive and response from GVI anymore so I’ve had to resort to Trustpilot! It’s kind of ridiculous that they’re blatantly ignoring me after agreeing I was owed this in emails.

I went on the South Africa trip, and I couldn't recommend it more. The program leaders were incredibly passionate and approachable, and none of us wanted to leave.

Misleading advertisement, harsh upscale of price in comparison to other services

I booked for my daughter to go on a Dugong marine conservation trip in Thailand. Unfortunately the whole trip that she went on was not accurately described on the website and it felt as though the sales team would do anything to have my daughter commit to the programme. Here are the issues.

1. The trip originally was advertised as being located in Ao Nang when she booked. The camp had since moved to Trang. A member of the team called her up to say that the trip had moved to Trang. However not knowing what this meant she said it was ok but when she went on the induction, she saw that the Trang site was not offering the same programme as in Ao Nang and the accommodation did not look as nice.

2. When she found out from other GVI attendees about Trang they had told her that the Trang camp is indeed on the beach but the sea is full of jellyfish which makes it impossible to swim. This obviously is not described in the brochure. There is also virtually nothing to do in Trang, it is very much a backwater. I would not recommend staying more than one night there.

3. My daughter was allowed to switch back to Ao Nang camp, and GVI said that the same programmes would be offered there so they would not have to refund. However there were no marine conservation programmes offered at the Ao Nang camp. The company that runs the conservation project mainly deals with beach cleanups and forest and seedling care. While this is good for some clients, this was not what was advertised originally and definitely not the original programme. The team that are running the conservation project have said that the GVI sales team often go above and beyond to promise potential participants stuff to lure them onto the project. This is not fulfilled and there are many unhappy participants on the project who are not getting what they came for. When I spoke to GVI about this, they said it was my daughter's decision to change camps so of course she would not be getting what she had originally booked onto. This response subverted what the team had said to my daughter when she was thinking of cancelling and asking for a refund.

4. Accommodation is basic which is what was advertised however please take into account that what GVI are offering is a bunk bed in a dorm and you can get that for around £6-10 a night in Ao Nang. So they are making quite a bit of profit on that.

5. The team don't like me to be in contact with them. I am the person that paid for the trip and my daughter is a YP who may not have so much experience of these types of businesses. However I have to say that unless you are wanting to work in conservation as a profession, GVI is not really the place for you and you are being charged through the nose for something that can be booked directly yourself, with a better environment and helping the local companies. This is without GVI skimming off a large amount of the profit.

As a result I do not recommend GVI except if you like to spend about £1K to £2K more than you should be paying for volunteering on a conservation project. I am very sad to be writing this review but it has been such a disappointing experience given the rave reviews that we saw on trustpilot before ours.

Such an amazing experience where i met life long friends and gained so much knowledge. Everyday was packed with new opportunities to help the turtles as well as presentations so we can inderstand our impact!

Will overcharge you and then ignore you for weeks, then lie about payments due. The whole thing feels very dodgy. No support when I am emailing, and fees seem to be made up at a whim. My friend has been charged more than me for an identical trip and no one can tell us why.

Also the bring a friend discount comes as a refund which takes a year to arrive… so I very much doubt I will see that money. also feels very dodgy.

Would recommend The Great Projects instead, great customer service and feels professional and safe.