With safaris in Africa, for a long time now the goal has been to hunt big game. And safari mass-tourism, where dozens of vehicles chase a leopard is increasingly frowned upon. Travel operators are now instead leaning toward another trend - "gentle tourism."
Those who wish to experience wild animals close up also no longer want to do it in a way that harms the creatures. Even better is when safari companies share a portion of their revenues in nature conservation efforts.
Does the money I'm spending only making a profit for the operator? Or is some of it going toward protecting nature? Above all it is the younger generation among safari guests who when they book a tour post are asking such questions and are choosing a travel company according to ecological criteria, reports Julie Cheetham, business manager of Weeva, a platform that supports tourism operators in the area of sustainability.
South Africa's eco-safari push
Cheetham says that South Africa is at the vanguard of eco-safaris. It is above all in the safari segment that she has seen a great amount of reevaluation. Many safari companies are investing in environmental projects, are joining in the battle against poaching and seeking a balance in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
From the outset, eco-safaris begin by offering the most sustainable lodgings possible. Instead of colonial-style buildings of cement and bricks, the focus now is on more environmentally-friendly lodges built from locally sourced materials, Cheetham points out.
One such venue is the new "Tswalu Loapi Camp" in Kalahari in northern South Africa. It consists chiefly of domestic wood and canvas, stands atop stilts, and has elevated walkways. These provide small animals and reptiles shade.
Listing further efforts, the camp is powered by solar panels and rainwater is collected for showers. There are neither plastic bottles nor trash bags, little to no plastic can be seen here. In the restaurant the menu offers seasonal cuisine with, as much as possible, local ingredients from local suppliers.
The safari operator Singita, which runs lodging in the world-famous Kruger National Park, has undertaken similar measures.
More carbon being compensated than emitted
Many eco-safari companies in the meantime are calculating the energy and water consumption of each individual guest - and, to compensate, providing investments in climate protection projects. What remains on the energy consumption side of the ledger are the long distances travelled. But guests are provided an additional chance to compensate for the greenhouse gases caused by their flights.
The effects of this new sustainability are making people sit up and take notice. Tswalu, a 114,000-hectare reservation, has developed into a carbon-positive protection zone. Carbon compensation now outpaces emissions.
The reservation absorbs 13.5 tons of carbon annually, reports Prince Ngomane, who is in charge of sustainability at the Tswalu Foundation. "We only need about a quarter of this. The rest is made available as a carbon credits," he says.
And so it has come about that other eco-operators such as Singita are promising guests a CO2-neutral stay. Or they document in great detail the aspects of a stay according to sustainability criteria. Cheethem mentions as an example that at some eco-lodges, the menus even list the carbon footprint of individual dishes.
Quietly touring the savannah in an electric car
Even in the savannah electro-mobility is a topic being advanced. In the solar-powered luxury lodge "Cheetah Plains" in Kruger Park, they use electric all-terrain vehicles whose batteries are recharged by solar energy. Numerous other lodges are also experimenting with battery-powered off-road vehicles. But this is not without its problems. Safaris usually cover long distances which are too much for many batteries.
So far, recharging stations in the middle of the savannah are scarcely an option, Weeva director Cheetham notes. Another problem is that dust and sand also are a challenge for electric motors. The Tswalu reservation has therefore invested in four smaller conventional safari vans which consume less fuel than normal-sized ones.
There are other safari mobility options - for example touring on foot, saddling up a horse or hopping on a bicycle. Cheetham says all these are increasingly in demand. But instead of being seated safely inside a vehicle, guests have to depend all the more on the expertise of an experienced ranger, one who just in case carries a loaded rifle along.
100% of the profits for nature preservation
For decades, profit was the top aim of the safari tourism industry. Operators made use of nature without any regard of the long-range effects. By contrast, Tswalu today is regarded as a model example for ecological safaris. In 2021 the reservation's owners devoted 86% of their total investments in nature preservation, rehabilitation of natural habitats and the battle against poaching.
"Lepogo Lodge" in Limpopo Province is taking it a step further. This is a non-profit company that returns 100% of its profits to conservation. Named after the Sotho word for "cheetah," the lodge is focusing on the reintroduction and preservation of cheetahs.
Singita sustainability coordinator Dr. Andrea Ferry sums it up: "Since the safari is essentially a natural product, it makes perfect sense for us to be pioneers in conservation."
