Meet our team
We're here to help!
Our knowledgeable, adventurous and experienced Africa travel team will help you find a perfect project, where your support is really needed.
Our dedicated staff work hard to make sure our projects continue to be sustainable, meaningful and most of all, awesome!
We pride ourselves on having extensive local knowledge in each country where we operate. Our Africa travel team has visited every project we offer, to ensure that we completely understand what volunteers do and how the programme operates. We are all passionate and motivated, committed to conservation, community development, exploring – and having fun while doing it!
Our team
Chanel Bates
Travel Consultant &
Project Development
Born in South Africa, Chanel now enjoys the island life in beautiful Mauritius. Since graduating from hospitality school in South Africa, Chanel joined Conservation Travel Africa in 2024, and specialises in travel to our volunteer projects in Zimbabwe.
Chanel loves to travel, from exploring Zimbabwe, Mozambique and of course, South Africa, as well as European travels. She enjoys meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and capturing moments – whether it’s people, places, animals or experiences.
One of her favourite memories is waking up to a herd of elephants outside her room, drinking from the splash pool!
Shae Mcmanus
Travel Consultant &
Social Media Manager
Originally from Ireland, Shae’s been calling Africa home since 2021. After her first volunteer trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, she caught the infamous “Africa bug” and made it her mission to one day live and work there.
Shae has a real love for all things conservation and wildlife, and has years of experience specialising in the world of volunteer travel within Africa. She has worked as a host and manager at our Rhino & Elephant Program and also worked in Livingstone, Zambia. She now uses her extensive experience to plan trips for other lucky volunteers!
From her home in Zambia, Shae also now uses her adventurous eye to share stories from our projects on social media, to prepare volunteers for the adventure of a lifetime!
Jane Palmer
Sales & Marketing Manager
Jane has worked for Conservation Travel Africa since its inception in 2012. Before that, she spent a year travelling around Southern Africa, where she met her husband and spent two years working as a lodge manager in Zimbabwe. Jane lived in Zimbabwe for nine years before returning to the UK with her family.
Prior to her decade in Africa, she was an experienced marketing manager, with a keen interest in travel. Having visited more than 25 countries worldwide, Jane now has a particular interest in family travel. She plays a key role in supporting our range of family programs and identifying new opportunities for families to experience and make an impact in Africa.
