Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Eco-tourism is the reason why many international travellers visit South Africa. As the country has so much environmental and cultural diversity, scenic beauty and incredible wildlife, it is almost impossible to tour the country without having some sort of nature experience and giving something back to the environment.
Our "conservation through tourism" policy shares the benefits of tourism with local communities and ensures the protection of these areas for future generations. As part of their itinerary our guests will be introduced to various community projects, local guides and environmental conservation.
At Tshukudu Game Lodge we employ 40+ local people. We purchase curios for our shop from local African people and Tshukudu has helped build a local crèche (classroom and toilets) in one of the rural areas. Mrs Sussens, the owner, also supply food on a monthly basis to an aids orphanage.
Seven years into their labouring the Sussens discovered that there was a great need for healthy lions in game reserves around the country. The area was not very supportive of lions due to the many cattle farms; problem lions crossing from the Kruger National Park were often destroyed. In a bid to solve two problems in one go, the Sussens family offered to take any problem lions, and in turn built up a breeding project. This lion breeding project meant that lions could be rescued and either re-introduced or at the least the next generation would have a chance to be introduced into a different game reserve.
Besides committing their efforts to preserving a piece of nature and breeding lions to ensure healthy generations to come, the Sussens family has also developed a reputation for raising orphaned animals. No matter the size or shape, in our orphaned animal project all animals are welcomed and cared for until they are ready to survive on their own. Everything from birds and squirrels to elephants and giraffes has been given a second chance through our animal rehabilitation project. And the young lion cubs, Savannah the cheetah and all sorts of other animals have joined the morning walk in their time, making it the amazing experience it is today.
At Kambaku Safari Lodge, chalets are equipped with lanterns for light, eco-friendly battery power for fans and gas geysers for hot water. Training is at the foundation of our team philosophy and we therefore encourage staff to participate in our training programmes that have been implemented at the lodge. From technical training through to the literacy programme, Kambaku is committed to extensive skills enhancement and development to ensure that our guests are serviced by a dedicated, motivated and professional team.
Nearly all our staff members are employed locally from Acornhoek and Bushbuckridge. We have hired a local builder and contractor to build the staff new accommodation to make it more comfortable for them while at the lodge. We make use of as many local suppliers as possible who deliver to the lodge. We have donated a fairly large amount of money to the local clinic that provides free basic medical services to the local community. We also support local craft makers from time to time.
We separate bottles and tins for recycling. We make use of solar panels at the lodge for powering the electric fence and water plant system. We charge a battery bank with a generator for eco-friendly power supply in the lodge as well as making use of alternative energy sources for heating water and lighting around the lodge. We participate in the Timbavati Reserve clean up operations, erosion management as well as alien plant eradication. Clients are subtly reminded during meal time conversations of environment issues and hopefully they take some of our concerns to heart and reduce their impact on the environment.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
