Small group Botswana safari

Small group Botswana safari

How this holiday makes a difference

Environment

The Rhino Sanctuary was set up by the local community to restore an area which had been used as a cattle post to it’s natural state. Rhinos were introduced in the sanctuary as it is being used as a breeding centre for the re-introduction of both black & white rhinos into the national parks of Botswana after the natural population had virtually been hunted to extinction by poachers. Proceeds from visitors to the park help with the rhino breeding programme and go to the local community.

Botswana is a wilderness paradise, and while in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe, we stay in un-fenced camps. The guides will teach you how to interact and approach wildlife in a manner that causes them to be comfortable with humans in their habitat. Having wildlife that does not run away at the approach of a game viewing vehicle can only be achieved if all you visit these areas behaved in an appropriate way when approaching wildlife.

All entrance fees for the National Parks are used by the Botswana of Wildlife to maintain the condition and infrastructure of the National Parks, and run regular anti-poaching patrols.

We encourage clients to drink the local clean drinkable tap water wherever possible in order to minimize the amount of plastic bottle waste produced buy the purchase of bottled drinking water.

SOS trees project - Okavango Botswana
For hundreds of years, the local communities in and around Botswana's Okavango Delta have used the wood of the sausage tree to craft their traditional mokoro (dugout canoes). The knowledge and skill have been passed down from generation to generation and, up until recently, has been a sustainable practice. With increasing numbers of people visiting the Delta each year, more mokoro are needed and as a direct result, more and more sausage trees are being felled and the sausage tree is sadly disappearing from the region. A traditional wooden mokoro will have to be replaced every five years, thereby placing increased pressure on the dwindling sausage tree supply.

We have established a project to encourage polers in the local communities to buy replica fiberglass mokoro’s, which have a lifespan of approximately ten years, are more stable and are produced without any negative affect to the environment. As such, sponsorship for each fiberglass mokoro is needed, and a portion of the tour cost will be donated to the project, but we also will offer our clients the opportunity to contribute to this worthwhile cause. Please feel free to contact the Sunway Safaris office for more information on the SOS trees project or if you would like to make any contributions towards this project. It is something that is close to all of our hearts and we hope that it will be successful.

Community

A local Botswana guide travels with us through the national parks & the Okavango Delta. This ensures employment for local people and direct benefits for the community from tourism. The local guides are highly knowledgeable so please ask plenty of questions, you’ll be amazed at what you can learn.

We use local 'polers' to take us into the Okavango Delta. The polers have an intimate knowledge of the Okavango Delta, and their employment as guides ensure that the local community benefit from tourism and ensures that these areas are conserved for future generations.

All accommodation used is locally owned and run, ensuring employment and economic benefit for the local communities. All food and drinks on tour are bought in local grocery stores which creates economic activity directly from tourism.

Small group Botswana safari