GVI Avis 

My private mobile number was apparently held by them which then made it available for B2B marketing. I never knowingly provided my private number to this company for marketing purposes.

I am now trying to establish where they obtained my number, how it was linked to my professional profile, and why it was being used for business marketing. I have also requested that all my data be deleted and permanently suppressed.

Very concerning handling of personal data.

PURE SCAM: Took money until the day before filing liquidation
Do NOT trust this company or any other business run by these directors.
They knowingly scammed thousands of students and families out of thousands of pounds. Right up until the day before filing for liquidation, they were actively taking payment, even offering sneaky "discounts" if you paid your full fees upfront. They knew full well they were shutting down, yet they deliberately took money they had no intention of honoring.
They have left students with shattered dreams and parents saddled with thousands in debt. It is predatory, dishonest, and a complete disgrace. Check who owns any company before you give them a single penny, because these directors cannot be trusted

Scam City.

Where do I even begin…
Pushed hundreds, if not thousands of students to urgently pay for their conservation programmes, promoting early pay discounts and constant messages.

Didn’t pay the conservation hubs who do the ACTUAL conservation work in various corners of the world.

Drained the accounts and liquidated, providing no chance of a refund and left students chasing banks to try and recuperate the thousands spent.

Set up other companies such as Bushwise- offering exactly the same thing. Another ticking time bomb.

Absolute scam artists Jamie Akker and Andrew Valentine with a history of borderline fraud. No morales or accountability, leaving no refunds or EVEN AN APOLOGY after vanishing with thousands of students’ money.

Own up. Take accountability. Get out of your mansions, and pay back the people who invested time, money, and excitement into the conservation work you promised.

Absolute joke of a company, ran by money hungry, corrupt men.

Self explanatory really, scammers in it for profit at the expense of young adults who wanted to actually do something meaningful.

What went wrong?
GVI desperately hounded for money, took it then cancelled all trips, paid for by children and young adults. They also kept money which was supposed to go to the conservation project (our one told us they were owed 60,000 and not paid anything since January) They told customers they were liquidating ‘GVI’last week, but there appears to be no such limited company. They have given no more information about it, just a non working link and now ignoring everyone and appear to be disappearing. As of 5thJuly only one of the GVI named companies GVI experiences has requested voluntary liquidation, and that was done on 16th June, way before they announced it to customers.
They were still touting for new business days after liquidation announcement have proof of that. Gave no apologies, just a self righteous hypocritical liquidation announcement.
What could improve your experience?
Just do the right thing, that’s all, not difficult. Pay people the money they owe, or if they want to keep the money, prosecute them and bar the two directors.
Advice
If you are considering giving money to any limited company check companies house, and if it has ever had directors named Andrew James Valentine or Brett Jamie Akker be prepared to see it as a donation to them.

Like many of the other recent reviews, we were recently informed of GVI's intention to enter voluntarily liquidation, putting many customers/volunteers and staff in severe difficulty and at risk of losing significant sums of money.

The directors appear to run several companies of a similar nature and it's certainly very questionable about how they have handled this entire situation.

Our only advice would be to thoroughly check the background of any other company that offers similar activities. We relied on a recommendation and GVI's company history and did not check further, which we now regret and would hate to see anyone go through the same as us.

The company has gone into liquidation without providing likely thousands of students their promised programs. I was due to do the Peruvian Amazon Internship. GVI had not paid the Kawsay Research Centre, the local project they were using to host volunteers and interns, for 6 months and thus owed the centre > $60 000. GVI never delivered on promises to host one-to-one talks about the program, never delivered conservation courses that they said they would, and consistently engaged in intimidation tactics, by telling students that they would lose their place because programs were full, even if you could still book onto them. This company has taken advantage of students and conservation projects across the world. They are morally bankrupt (and apparently financially bankrupt) and I would advise directly engaging with the conservation projects instead of using a third party like GVI. The Kawsay Centre has been extremely helpful so I would highly recommend booking directly through their website if you wanted to do something like this!

My internship was cancelled a week before it was supposed to happen with no real explanation.
I now know they have gone into liquidation as after not receiving an update email I was promised, I emailed asking abt it and got the automatic response saying liquidation had occured.

I have no definite response on whether I receive a refund of any amount as the cost was extremely high including other costs like flights, insurance and medication. I’m sure many people have been affected by this and have lost their hard earned money and savings due to this.

Until Liquidators are appointed contact the registered companies address Brett Jamie Akker resigned on the 29 June 2026 from Second Nature Global Ltd (16470670), GVI Travel Ltd (09660367), GVI II Ltd (15772721), Second Nature Group Ltd (15922787). This is all on the UK Companies House website. The companies have been registered at The Clock Tower, Chelwood Gate Road Nutley, East Sussex UK TN22 3 HE. we were contacted by the Kawsay Centre in Peru on the 28.07.2026. Companies house tell you all you need to know about the selfstyled “serial entrepreneur” see on You Tube director Mr Akker.

GVI's closure has left participants, suppliers and employees facing uncertainty, financial loss and a serious lack of communication.

GVI publicly stated that liquidator details would be provided within 48 hours. At the time of writing, many affected parties are still waiting for the information they were promised. A commitment was made publicly, yet many people remain without the clarity they deserve.

There are numerous public accounts from participants who say they paid for programmes that have now been cancelled without receiving refunds, while employees have also reported unpaid salaries and unreimbursed business expenses. Anyone considering booking with this organisation, or any successor connected with its operations, should carry out thorough due diligence.

If you have lost money or believe you have been adversely affected, keep every contract, invoice, receipt, bank record and email. Seek independent legal advice and, where you have evidence that you believe points to unlawful conduct, report the matter to the appropriate authorities so it can be properly investigated. Also ensure that you lodge a claim with the appointed liquidator once the formal process is underway.

The people affected by this deserve transparency, accountability and answers—not silence.

We had a terrible time with this organisation when they hard sold a £4000 trip to Peru - took £500 deposit, sent her a bill for £7000 and then refused to back out - she was 17. We did threaten legal action as she was only 17 - and i did some background research and found that the owner, Richard Walton, was running hard selling consultancy services (OutSell Services) - We backed out of GVI, but we found the details of the Peruvian Environmental Project through cunning google searches, and contacted them directly - She has just returned from 4 months and had a brilliant time with them - All the other volunteers were GVI - though they had no support from GVI at all - The projects are independent - and honestly Kawsay Research Station in Peru, Raul Bello and his team were absolutely brilliant - Fab project, serious work, and looked after my now 19 year old daughter amazingly - She learnt loads and had a ball - Contact them directly - Much cheaper and no difference in service - and then all the money goes to the project -

4 days to go and our son’s trip has been cancelled as they’ve announced they’ve gone into liquidation. There goes his dreams and our hard earned savings. I hope the owners of this terrible scam can live with themselves. At least I can see their home address on companies house.

Utterly disappointing. I am at the end of my internship in Costa Rica with GVI. They are nothing but a pathetic travel agency who sell you a lie. Me and my fiancé made it exceptionally clear of pre-existing medical conditions and despite repeated confirmation that it would be no issue and adjustments could be made from the sales teams none could be. I have been allowed to go on a whole 3 trails over 4 weeks. By comparison other participants have done 3 in a week every week. I have spent more time doing the cleaning duty than in the field. The staff on base are all amazing is the only upside. They effectively seem to function independently of the GVI program as a whole so do not trust a damn thing on that cursed website. I will only be able to partially complete the internship as there wasn’t time for me to lead a trail (a requirement on the certificate) and I had not had the opportunity to go out for 3 weeks now on any trails. Honestly I’m appalled by the GVI team, they are scam artists and lie as easily as they breathe. I’m supposed to have heard back from the customer service team 2 weeks ago after having someone call on my behalf. Spoiler, still nothing. It’s a damn shame as it could’ve been so good if the team who organises this weren’t all liars with predatory marketing. Oh and if you have any hopes of seeing any cats like the marketing would have you believe you could. There is a near 0% chance with staff never having seen them either.

Please be wary.
Cap Ternay internship, Seychelles.
After applying for two internships I have not been on either one.
After a lack of communication before leaving, I was questioned for over half an hour upon arriving at Seychelles airport. When I talked about doing an internship with GVI they immediately questioned it, and I was told by airport staff that “they are not who you think they  are” and “once you find out what it is really like you will wish to come home early”. I was obviously very confused and alarmed by these comments.
When arriving at a hotel, I contacted my family and friends who then found a shocking review from just over a week ago. I was appalled to find out that local authorities have had to close down the station because it had not met the minimum sanitation requirements. Additionally I found out there is no permit there. The fact that I found this out through a review and not through GVI is extremely concerning and unprofessional.
This is a huge disappointment after over a year of planning and such huge expenses which have gone into making this possible.
My previous coastal internship with GVI was also cancelled just two days before departure. The lack of communication after this was appalling and the clarification on when I will be getting a refund was extremely vague. To then find out it will take 6 months is ridiculous. Since discovering reviews about people in similar positions, it sounds like this is becoming a huge issue.
Further, I have sent an email 3 weeks ago stating all of this and still heard nothing.
Please be wary as these trips are expensive!!

Cancelled our program with 1 week's notice and withheld our money

GVI completely breached their contract by cancelling our volunteer program for 2 people with only 1 week notice

.GVI verbally promised a full refund would clear on 19th June, but that date has passed and no money has arrived. They are now ignoring our follow-up emails and refusing to give a payment date. We have been forced to file a formal dispute with NatWest Bank to recover our money. Avoid this company—they take your money years in advance and leave you stranded at the last minute without a refund.

I did the big 5 conservation internship in Limpopo and it was absolutely incredible. We went driving about 8 hours a day collecting data for wildlife. I saw the best things I’ve ever seen in my life. Highlights were the wild dogs, lions and elephants!

I went to the marine program in FIJI and absolutely fell in love with the base, community and people. I had only planned my stay for 2 weeks and absolutely wished I did longer, as I built ties with the staff and other volunteers. I deeply enjoyed my time and know I will be back soon. Shout out to my brother ilisa for making me feel so comfortable and excited to explore fiji. To mads who help me get my advanced open water and brigette coordinating and getting things organized while on base.

I never knew I could love a vacation so much. Nature, culture, elephants and some of the best people I’ve ever met. I loved this experience so much, I did it twice!

I was meant to go on an experience to Ghana earlier this year, but the trip was cancelled by GVI in December 2025. Since the experience was cancelled by GVI, I was offered a refund (£2261.03). I was told that this would take up to 180 days, which I feel is an extortionate amount of time, but it's in their Ts&Cs so it is what it is.

I asked on a few occasions if there has been any update on my refund. The customer support team on the phone mention that they cannot see or do much when it comes to refunds, and this lies with the Feedback team. When emailing the feedback team, I would never hear back - only automated replies.

The 180 days have now passed and I am still without my refund. I called GVI expressing that I will be reporting them to Trading Standards and prepared to take legal action if nothing is done. The person on the phone initially said that there's nothing they can do and I will need to contact the feedback team. I expressed that I had been ignored by them on multiple occasions, and I'd like the contact details of actual people. I was copied into an email marked as urgent to the feedback team and two senior staff members, explaining that I was concerned about my refund and that I was considering taking legal action. 3 days later and still no reply. I will be reporting GVI and I will be taking legal action.

It's a real shame as I would have considered booking another trip in the future. But after this experience, I will be staying well clear of GVI. I suppose that if your trip goes ahead and all goes to plan, then you will be happy. But if things go wrong, don't expect it to be an easy process. I'm extremely disappointed and still without my refund.

I'm not sure if the company are experiencing financial issues (there has been a lot of changes with ownership and the executive team), have poor procedures in place, poor higher management, or if they are simply unethical. But either way, I would honestly advise to use another provider for overseas volunteering/experiences. I'm never one to complain or leave negative reviews, but I want to warn people before parting with their hard earned money. GVI are great at giving customer service to get people to sign up for their programs and happy to take your money, but will do endeavor to hold onto it and not return it.

Great experience and self growth. Met friends for life and learned some vital experience in wildlife conservation. Great trips on days off to Blyde Canyon, Kruger NP and Cape Town. Seeing the big five and cheetah regularly and socials at Masashla.
My placement at Umoya was a highlight, working hands on with animals through their rehabilitation and release back into wild living.