Volunteering in Bali with FNPF on Nusa Penida island is a fun way to learn about conservation and community development, and a great way to meet traditional Balinese communities on a beautiful island. Easy proximity to Bali means that you can combine a holiday in Bali with the experience of volunteering with FNPF on Nusa Penida. We welcome individuals, couples or larger groups.
Please note that we are not a commercial operation. All proceeds from guests are “donations” and 100% of the money is used to fund FNPF’s project work. By staying with us, you get to stay in a unique environment, participate in conservation and community development work, and provide funds that help FNPF to continue its work.
FNPF’s objectives on Nusa Penida island
- Release and protect endangered bird species and other wildlife by mobilizing local community-based protection
- Community education and development programs
- Habitat restoration
Click here to read the Jetstar Magazine’s article about journalist Claire Dunn’s experience as an FNPF volunteer on Nusa Penida.
Click here to download glossy 1 page “Volunteering on Nusa Penida” flier.
Read about us on Trip Advisor
About Nusa Penida, Bali
Just 14km and 45 minutes by boat from Bali is the small beautiful unspoilt island of Nusa Penida. The island has stunning beaches, amazing coral reefs, rocky hill terrain, sheer cliffs and traditional Balinese village culture (farming, seaweed production, traditional ikat weaving, and many temples). Very few western tourists visit Nusa Penida. You won’t find hotels, bars or restaurants in this island.
About FNPF and the Nusa Penida Bird Sanctuary
FNPF has been running its conservation and community development projects on Nusa Penida since 2004, with a wildlife focus on rebuilding populations of endangered Indonesian bird species, including Bali’s emblem bird, the Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi, also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna, Bali Mynah, and Jalak Bali).
By motivating and mobilizing community-based protection of birds from all villages on the island, FNPF has transformed the whole island of Nusa Penida into a unique bird sanctuary where endangered birds can be released by FNPF to live & breed safely in the wild. All 41 villages have passed a local Balinese village regulation making it a social obligation of residents to protect birds from poachers and bird traders. Elsewhere in Indonesia bird poachers remain the greatest threat to endangered birds.
We are now working with selected villages to extend this community-based protection of wildlife to include sea turtles. We have agreement from 1 village located on a remote beach to work with FNPF to monitor and protect the turtles, and replant the mangrove trees. We will erect a monitoring post and potentially start a turtle hatchery like we ran in Kalimantan.
In return for the community-based protection of wildlife, FNPF sponsors children to attend school and university; runs a community library; funds traditional dance classes; teaches sustainable farming; grows and freely distributes tree saplings for villages to build future incomes from agro-forestry; plants trees on degraded land to restore forests. Education and economic improvements that are in harmony with the environment enable the local communities to improve their wellbeing and participate in conservation. Trees reduce soil erosion, increase rainfall and provide economic benefit to residents and habitat for birds.
Getting to Nusa Penida and getting around on Nusa Penida
Once you arrive in Bali, you must catch a local boat from Sanur or Padangbai. For more details, see our FAQ page.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
You must be 18 years of age or above (unless accompanied by parent or supervisor adults), in reasonable physical condition, and prepared for hands-on manual work in a hot equatorial environment that may occasionally have biting insects.
Volunteers are responsible for their own vaccinations and should optionally bring anti-malarial prophylactics and medications, as well as cream for protection from mosquitoes and sun, plus medicines for common conditions such as diarrhea.
We suggest volunteers donate 4 hours per day.
Let us know if you have specialist skills that could help our work on Nusa Penida.
Accommodation
You will stay at FNPF’s Centre, which is located across the road from a beach with superb coral. The Centre is set on 1 Hectare (approx 2 acres) of land covered in trees, our nursery, organic vegetable garden, bird rehabilitation facility, and a variety of buildings (dormitory, guest rooms, office / community library). It is a beautiful setting. You will be woken by cockerels at sunrise, see the occasional pig and cow wandering around … and will definitely see the highly endangered Bali Starlings settling in the trees every afternoon.
We have reasonable quality accommodation available for individuals or groups. We currently have 4 twin rooms, 1 family room (double bed with 2 bunk beds) and a shared dormitory room with 4 separate beds. All beds have clean new bedding (sheets, pillow, bedcover), mosquito nets, and rooms have an electric fan (no air-con). We have a mix of western and asian toilets, and indoor & outdoor showers. There is no hot water, but don’t worry … the weather is always warm (or hot).
COSTS TO VOLUNTEER with FNPF
A donation is requested to cover your costs and to contribute to the cost of running the FNPF facility and projects. Please appreciate that the volunteer programme provides you with fun and experience, and provides FNPF with your assistance and a small donation towards funding our projects.
Please see the table at the bottom of this page to calculate the cost of volunteering with FNPF on Nusa Penida.
Note FNPF can provide discounted accommodation for volunteers wishing to do scientific research.
Volunteers must cover all personal travel costs to and from Nusa Penida, and their own daily food costs. We do not provide food because we do not have the staff to cater, plus we prefer if visitors spend money in the local warungs (local restaurant) and shops. There are a few warungs within a few minutes walk from FNPF’s Centre where the average cost of a meal is approx Rp 9,000 (approx AUD$1). Or you can purchase fresh fish from the local fishermen and have a bbq at the Centre. Clean bottled drinking water is available free of charge at the FNPF Centre.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
Volunteers can participate in general volunteering activities, or project specific activities (see below). But most importantly you should come prepared to be pro-active. We are seeking volunteers who want to participate and who are willing seek ways to help. Note that our staff are all locals from Nusa Penida. They will be too intimidated to ask a western volunteer to do some work. So it is partly upto you to pro-actively ask them what you can do to help.
In general, we would like volunteers to work with staff in the morning and then use the afternoon for free time to enjoy the island. We encourage you to visit the many villages on the island, because this is an important way of showing local people that FNPF is bringing tourists to Nusa Penida.
We also request that volunteers are available at 6.00pm most evenings to provide conversational English to locals. We invite locals to come to the FNPF Centre to practice their spoken English.
General Volunteering
Volunteers do not need experience in the field, just a willingness to help and a passion for the work that we do … growing & planting trees, communtiy development, and protection of endangered wildlife.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with FNPF staff in a variety of activities.
- Assist in the nursery (fill polybags with soil, plant seeds and seedlings, weeding)
- Plant and monitor status of tree saplings on FNPF’s reforestation sites
- Plant saplings along roadways to create corridors of trees across the island
- Build fire breaks on reforestation sites to protect the tree saplings
- Monitor & count the status of the saplings on the reforestation site
- GPS mapping of various locations on the island
- Teach spoken English at local schools to children (we typically need upto 1 month advance notice to place a volunteer at a local school)
- Teach spoken English at our Centre to local adults who want to increase their employment opportunities in tourism
- Teach / demonstrate conservation & sustainable farming methods to local farmers
- General maintenance at the FNPF Centre
- Monitor the various species of endangered birds that FNPF has rehabilitated and released
- Monitor other wildlife (turtles, butterflies, bats)
The activities depend on time of year (we plant during wet season), the amount of notice you give us (teaching schedule in local schools need to be agreed in advance with teachers), and your specific skills and interests. Our goal is for you to help us, whilst also ensuring you have an enjoyable and interesting experience.
You will also have a lot of spare time to enjoy the island. The island is large so it is best to rent a motorcycle. We also have some bicycles available for your use.
Project Specific Volunteers
Volunteers need to have specific skills. Currently we are looking for volunteers who can help us with the following:
- Design and creation of marketing / education brochures and posters describing FNPFs work, for display at the Nusa Penida Centre and the office in Ubud.
- Design and implement Permaculture pilot project to demonstrate benefits to local communities.
- Writing grant proposals to raise funds to build a Turtle Monitoring post, and a a Field Post at the reforestation site.
Scientific Research
For volunteers wishing to do scientific research, please contact us.
WHAT MUST I BRING TO NUSA PENIDA?
At minimum, you must bring Indonesian Rupiah cash and a photocopy of your passport.
But please click here and read our NUSA PENIDA section on the FAQ page for more information on what you should bring to Nusa Penida.
NEXT STEPS IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER
Please review the pricing at the bottom of this page.
If you are still keen to volunteer, then please CLICK HERE TO APPLY and send the application form to info@fnpf.org
We will then review your request and confirm whether we have availability. To secure your placement, you will then be asked to pay a deposit of 50% to secure your place. Please note that we cannot secure a place without a deposit (we receive many requests to volunteer from people who change their plans).
PRICES
See below, or click here to download prices
PAY YOUR DEPOSIT
Once we have processed your application, we will send you an email confirming availability. You will be asked to pay a deposit. To pay your deposit, please click the DONATE button below:
