Botswana and Zimbabwe safari vacation

Planet

Working with partners on the ground in Africa who share our belief in conservation and the importance of working in a meaningful way with local communities, is core to our our company ethos.

NATIONAL PARKS
National parks in Africa play an important role in wildlife conservation and protection, and the park fees contribute towards the cost of maintaining these havens. Chobe is one of the three parks that are protected by Botswana's Dept of Wildlife & National Parks. The parks also create employment and offer training opportunities.

Hwange is the largest National Park in Zimbabwe and protects over 400 bird species and 100 different species of animal, including approximately 30,000 elephants making it one of the most important sanctuaries left in Southern Africa.

SOMALISA CAMP - HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
This is an authentic bush camp that aims to minimise its effect on the natural surroundings by using solar lighting and providing guests with hot water bottles when the nights are cooler. The camp kitchens make good use of organic local produce. The camp itself has been constructed around elephant traversing paths, taking care not to obstruct these ancient routes.

PALM RIVER HOTEL
The hotel uses a hybrid energy system combining solar power with hydroelectric. Guests are given re-usable glass bottles to refill (complementary) off a water purification system, reducing the need for single use plastic bottles.

People

The two safari lodges on this trip have excellent community credentials been chosen by us in part because of their close community links.

MUCHENJE LODGE - CHOBE NATIONAL PARK - BOTSWANA
Muchenje Lodge actively supports the local Mabele Primary school, which caters for children between 6-12 years old and has over 170 pupils. The lodge works closely with Pack for a Purpose which gives guidance on what you can bring as suitable gifts for local organisations, and has a page dedicated to items that Mabele needs. For those wanting to understand local traditions, Muchenje offers opportunities to visit the local community and the home of an elder in the village.

SOMALISA & AFRICAN BUSH FOUNDATION
Somalisa Camp is run by an independently owned African safari company that aims to take visitors to the less explored, quieter and unspoilt areas of Africa, whilst ensuring that the experience is authentic, environmentally-friendly and benefits the local community. The company has set up its own foundation - African Bush Camps Foundation – which focuses on establishing meaningful partnerships with rural communities to ensure that the profits from tourism create long lasting development. Their work is concentrated on the communities that live near to wildlife areas in Zimbabwe and Botswana, with the aim of conserving the environment through these communities.

The Foundation also supports vulnerable children within primary schools and gives scholarships and funding for secondary schooling through an AIDS orphans programme.

PALM RIVER HOTEL
The hotel have formed the PHG foundation that is a committee that covers multiple important projects: environmental preservation, recycling, community support, wildlife protection to name a few.