Animal Care: Bali is a volunteer placement in Lovina, from $570 a week per person with a $350 deposit. You help a local team rescue, feed, walk and care for stray dogs in a quiet village on Bali's north coast. Stays run 1-12 weeks and suit travellers aged 18-38, flying into Denpasar. Start dates run from 25 October 2026.
Rescue, feed, walk and care for stray dogs in Lovina, a quiet village on Bali's north coast.
Lovina
Bali
1 stop
You will be met at Denpasar airport during the scheduled pick-up times and driven across the island to Lovina on the north coast. Check in, settle into your room and meet the other volunteers over a welcome dinner.
After breakfast comes your orientation: Balinese culture and the do's and don'ts, house rules, the code of conduct and safety. You meet the local coordinator and the project supervisor for an introduction to the program, and in the afternoon you start at the centre, helping to feed, walk and clean up after the dogs. The day ends with a feedback session with the supervisor, then dinner.
After breakfast you head to the centre: feeding the dogs, cleaning the enclosures, walking them, helping with injured animals and keeping them busy with enrichment, with lunch in between and a feedback session with the supervisor each afternoon. Evenings bring a movie night, a Balinese dance class and a bonfire with the other volunteers and the local team. Friday wraps up the week with a clean of the centre and its grounds and a look back at what you have achieved.
Breakfast, and then the weekend is yours. If you are staying on, north Bali's beaches, rice fields, cliffs and waterfalls are close by. If this was your last week, it is time to pack and say your goodbyes.
Lovina is a quiet stretch of black-sand beaches and fishing villages on Bali's north coast, a long way from the crowds of the south. It is also home to a great many stray and free-roaming dogs. With few vets, uncontrolled breeding and dogs being abandoned, many live without regular food, shelter or medical care, and suffer from malnutrition, injuries, parasites and diseases that could have been prevented.
This program supports a local team working to change that. The dogs they rescue get daily care: feeding, cleaning, exercise and plenty of attention, alongside medical treatment, vaccinations and sterilisation to bring numbers down humanely. You help with the daily running of the centre, and learn about the animal welfare problems Indonesia faces and the practical ways of tackling them.
The work reaches beyond the centre too. The team works with local families and community groups to encourage responsible pet ownership and humane treatment, and finds homes for the dogs that are ready to be adopted.
You arrive on a Sunday and transfer from Denpasar to Lovina in time for a welcome dinner. Monday morning is orientation: Balinese culture, the do's and don'ts, house rules and safety, and an introduction to the program, and by the afternoon you are with the dogs. From Tuesday to Friday you are at the centre, and each day ends with a feedback session with the project supervisor.
Come with an open mind and realistic expectations. Life on a volunteer project is simpler and slower than at home: shared rooms, basic facilities, heat and humidity, and a culture with its own customs. Everyone feels a little out of place at first, and that is normal.
Before you travel, read the programme information we send you. When you arrive, the local team introduces you to the project, the house rules and local customs, and they are there to talk to if you feel homesick or unsure. Most volunteers find the first few days are the hardest, and the rest flies by.
We should always be healthy and maintain our fitness. However, it depends on the project you choose and you should always be ready to work.
Nothing formal. Pack modest, practical clothes that you do not mind getting dirty. On teaching and kindergarten projects, wear neat, casual clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. On construction and conservation projects, wear hard-wearing clothes and closed shoes you do not mind ruining, plus a hat and light long sleeves for the sun. Vest tops and short shorts are not allowed while you are working.
Away from the project, dress with respect for local customs, especially in villages and at religious sites. Your coordinator will tell you about any local rules when you arrive.
Your arrival transfer is included. You will be met at the airport and taken to your accommodation, so there is nothing to arrange for the journey in.
The departure transfer at the end, from your accommodation back to the airport, is not included. You can add it as an optional extra in your account, or make your own way.
Once you have booked your flights, log in to your account and add them under Flight Details so we know when you are landing.
Of course! We encourage everyone to talk over our social networks. You can find a list of them at the bottom of this page. If you’ve joined a tour, we will send you an invite to a dedicated Facebook group made for your tour a few weeks before it starts. Your tour guide and a tour manager will also be in the group to answer any questions you may have. You can also join the General Discussion Board on Facebook!
You need to be between 18 and 70 to join this program. If you are over 60, we will ask for a medical clearance confirming you are fit for the work.
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