We’re often asked by our travelers during the consulting process, as to how they can assist in making an impact when visiting. If there is one way to really elevate your safari experience, make a point of connecting with the locals, the tribes and the conservation-minded organizations, who make a difference to Africa’s people and wildlife. Not only will you leave with the most beautiful memories of your safari and the wildlife you have encountered along the way, but with a full heart safe in the knowledge that you have enriched and supported another’s life and well being. Here are a few ways to make an impact when travelling on safari.
It seems obvious, but choose to stay at a property that supports conservation focused initiatives – where endangered species are protected and researched, and where there are a number of programmes in place in terms of uplifting and empowering local villages and communities, helping to safeguard their futures. Do your research before you go!
Include an authentic village visit at some point in your trip, and pack lightweight and useful items in your luggage such as colored pencils, shoelaces, flip flops, crayons, deflated soccer balls and paper books so that you can hand them over to the village locals and children, directly.
Tip the staff at your camps and lodges when you depart if you feel it is deserved. There are many hands that you will never see, that go into the preparation and smooth running of your safari experiences – cooks, house keepers, back of house managers, park rangers, anti-poaching units etc. They all have a vital role to play in your experience…
Purchase curios from authentic local market via a pleasant bartering exchange, ask your guide to suggest a place in the town where you are where you know that local men and woman are supporting themselves through creative work and craft. This cuts out the middle man and goes directly back to the source.
