We do not separate ourselves from a conservation company. Our camps are sustainable, with minimal impact on the environment and our Foundation projects empower local communities. Our aim is to conserve and preserve the beautiful areas in Southern Africa.
How Your Stay Can Help Endangered Species
Visiting Africa has a huge positive impact on conservation. Not only does tourism mean more guests in parks and less space for poachers to hide, but it also provides livelihoods for the community members in vulnerable wildlife areas. By linking these jobs to tourism, communities embrace these conservation activities and are less likely to resort to poaching.
Did You Know: We rebuilt our flagship camp, Somalisa (Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe), in 2013, taking it completely off the grid. Among others, the transition brought about the installation of solar-energised pumps that transport water to the waterholes surrounding our camps. Further down the line, we have three camps in Mana Pools (Zimbabwe), our camps at Linyanti (Botswana), and camps in the Khwai region (Botswana) that are now also off the grid.
AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS FOUNDATION 2021: OUR HIGHLIGHTS
African Bush Camps has a long-standing foundation, fondly known as African Bush Camps Foundation, which was founded in 2006. The foundation’s work is centered around creating opportunities that empower rural communities situated in vulnerable wildlife areas.
The African Bush Camps Foundation is committed to improve the livelihoods of communities surrounding our camps in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe through Community Empowerment, Education and Conservation projects and initiatives.
“It was imperative when we started the commercial side of the business at the time of Somalisa’s inception that we also begin a part of the business that would take care of the environmental and community development, Our Foundation. After all, that’s what we’re passionate about. We felt that tourism would be the perfect vehicle to engage with communities and foster relationships with them to partner with them to conserve wild spaces because of the places that we operate, which are all environmentally sensitive areas places of ecological significance. We believe that our footprint needs to be as light as possible. One of the ways we can ensure that our footprints and our effects on those areas are light is by making sure that we build sustainably through the use of sustainable materials we build off the ground. We use lightweight structures, whether it’s lightweight steel or canvas, which is one of the signatures of our build.
The wildlife, of course, is the biggest drawcard, but thankfully, supporting that wildlife are the communities that reside alongside that, and one of the things that made me very proud is being able to work with people from those communities that are giving back and adding value and buy into the vision of being able to do this together, and if you look all over the world many people will travel, but the one most significant impact that people live with is the memories of the time that they’ve spent with the people of Africa, and it’s the warmth of the people of Africa that probably really drive the message home and make the most significant impact” – Beks Ndlovu, CEO & Professional Guide
Eco-Conscious Travel
Sustainable travel is unlike any other travel experience. With the help of sustainable camps, travelers are thrust into their surrounding environment and are led on a journey into an educational and incredible experience. Choosing to stay at a sustainable camp, affords you the opportunity to learn about the local people, their environment, including the wildlife and ecosystems surrounding these communities. Choosing to stay at a sustainable camp also helps to ensure that you are travelling and positively contributing to your surrounding environment.
With African Bush Camps, you can rest assured in knowing that we have covered all the basis when it comes to making sure you have the ideal, eco-conscious African Safari.
Different Sustainability factors we implement throughout our Camps
Mana Pools is rich and varied in biodiversity, has extensive wetlands, and offers a phenomenal landscape. It is considered ecologically sensitive since the surrounding ecosystem is quite fragile.
As a company operating within the travel, tourism, and conservation space, it is increasingly important to us to conserve these beautiful parts of the world, its people, and wildlife for generations to come, and to make every effort to build our camps in a sustainable way. In fact, sustainability is embedded in the design of each of our camps. Our materials are locally sourced, and we try to be as environmentally friendly as possible when it comes to construction. Our mobile-tented camps, which include Migrations Expeditions and Zambezi Expeditions, are literally “pack and go”. The only thing left behind after the season ends is our footprints. These mobile tented camps make use of sewage treatment systems.
We are proud to say that we do not measure our profit in currency only, but in the impact, we make on the lives of our staff and the communities surrounding our camps. We cannot separate a true African Bush Camps experience from the people, magnificent wildlife and the awe-inspiring communities around our camps. It is our goal to offer each traveller a truly immersive, African safari experience, that encapsulates not only the wildlife but the people of Africa and its rich resources.
The African Bush Camps Foundation focuses on addressing key areas such as local employment, healthcare, wildlife conservation, and education in the communities around our camps. Some of our itineraries include visiting the local communities.
We are confident in saying that African Bush Camps truly offer one of the most unique, immersive and exclusive African safari experiences in Southern Africa.
