Botswana safari and Chobe river cruise

Planet

On this tour you can expect to witness and encounter many big cats, predators and massive herds of elephants in their natural habitats, and we place a huge importance on ensuring that these fascinating and beautiful creatures and their homes are protected. We believe that “good” tourism to these parts of the world directly has a very positive impact on the conservation efforts that are in place across the country. By opening up the eyes of people across the world to the ongoing fight to conserve the habitats of the country’s wildlife and by actively encouraging investment in these schemes we can help the people of Botswana to preserve the elements that make this country so unique.

As a company we support many wildlife organisations worldwide and we actively encourage our customers to donate to the conservation efforts in Botswana including the Save the Rhino and Big Cat initiatives that are in place. Further to this the ground handlers that we use for this trip are 100% committed to ensuring the ongoing protection of wildlife by supporting charities such as the Maun Animal Welfare Society which provides free veterinary treatment to low income individuals in Northern Botswana. In turn this vital service assists in preventing the spread of disease from domestic animals to the world famous Botswana wildlife population.

The pre-departure briefing on this tour will also include information on respecting the wildlife which you will encounter, including keeping a safe distance and ensuring not to encroach upon their habitats or do anything which may put the animal under any stress or danger. In most game reserves tourists are not permitted to leave their game vehicles, this is for the safety of both the tourists and the wildlife, and our local partners will ensure that the strict measures in place to conserve the habitats of this wildlife are stringently enforced.

Your pre-departure information will also include advice on how to travel in an environmentally responsible way, including responsible use of water, a most precious commodity throughout the areas we will visit, and appropriate waste disposal.

We also ensure that all of the lodges and accommodations we use on this trip have appropriate “green” credentials and have policies in place for environmentally friendly operations. For example the Chobe Princess Safari boat that you will be staying on is operated in an exceptionally environmentally friendly manner, running the latest, most fuel efficient and lowest emission generators during the day, and the entire boat switches over to the battery power through the night. Hot water is provided by a solar heating system, energy-saving lights and biodegradable detergents & amenities are used throughout the vessel, and there is even an on-board sewage processing plant that uses Eco Tabs which purify wastewater before it is pumped back into the river. Likewise, the Kwara & Lebala camps you will be staying at are pioneers in the comprehensive use of eco friendly power, hot water generation and waste water treatment, with extensive policies in place for minimising the footprint of your wildlife experience.

As a company we firmly believe that environmental responsibility starts at home (and the work place of course). We encourage recycling of waste as a company and as individuals. Where possible for business use we use public transport. We are also heavily involved with a project to recycle used or damaged binoculars, which are then sent to conservation projects across the world.

People

As a company we believe in promoting tourism as a sustainable natural resource with the power to conserve, protect and improve lives, and this is particularly relevant on our Botswana itineraries. Tourism in Botswana is an exceptionally important revenue stream and we take every step necessary to ensure that the tours we provide create a 100% positive impact on the communities of the regions we visit.

We ensure that all suppliers or agents that we use to provide the elements of your tour are passionate about protecting the communities, wildlife and landscapes of this remarkable country. The providers that we use are committed to creating and upholding transparent and honest relationships with local communities and suppliers. We use small, local management companies instead of bigger corporations who are based outside of Botswana, so that not only do they hold intimate knowledge of the regions and how to protect them, but also so that as much of the revenue created as possible is filtered straight through to the local communities.

The suppliers that we work with work tirelessly to ensure continued revenue streams for local communities and only hire local people. Our agents provide career opportunities that without the tourism aspect would not be possible, and through established in-house training programs, mentoring systems and ongoing training the local people of the communities we visit are encouraged to prosper.

We are committed to ensuring that on all of our tours we only use lodges and hotels that have a proven track record of treating staff well and fairly. This is evident in all of the accommodations we use, where staff are happy and well cared for, including the Kwara & Lebala camps which are 100% citizen-owned and which pride themselves on creating long-term careers, and not just temporary jobs, for their fully local work force.

As well as this our ground handler partners are continually investing in social responsibility initiatives and support numerous local initiatives including community buses, ongoing investment in local schools and working with the Travel for Impact organisation. On top of this they also have fantastic initiatives in place for promoting the importance of keeping women in the workplace and provide funds to numerous charities including Women Against Rape (WAR) and Bana Ba Letsatsi which operates a rehabilitation center that offers a place of safety for the terrifying number of orphaned and vulnerable children in Maun.

Solely using local agencies and providers means we have up to date local information and can therefore provide the most relevant information in our pre-departure literature. This includes information on on-going initiatives and community efforts that we actively encourage our customers to become involved in, including schemes to provide school children with equipment, information on cultural etiquette and advice on how to engage with and help the local communities. We offer first-hand advice on creating meaningful and respectful relationships between tourists and residents and suggest local areas and communities to visit gaining cultural insights along the way, along with advice on where to buy souvenirs (to ensure the proceeds are going directly to the vendors), where to eat & where to drink.

As a company we are proud of our principle based values which our community can always depend on. We support several home and overseas charities, organisations and campaigns including AfriCat, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Save the Albatross, South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project, Wader Trust, Wildlife SOS India and sponsorship of individual and underprivileged children in many countries. We are committed to ethically working with overseas partners who employ and support local communities and local guides who know and love their region like no other, delighted to share knowledge and are dedicated to looking after our valued passengers.