Botswana Responsible Travel

Botswana leads the way in re-shaping sustainable tourism in Africa, and in doing so proves that planet and profit can thrive together. Nearly a fifth of the country is comprised of wildlife reserves, making it one of the largest remaining wilderness areas on the continent. The government of Botswana has long recognised the economic importance of ensuring game reserves and parks remain preserved, and as a result, an impressive 38% of the land is officially protected.

Sustainable travel in Botswana is the underlying theme for all safari trips. The unusual decision to focus purely on high-end, low impact tourism has been hugely successful, leading to the preservation of both environmental and cultural heritage. Botswana Lodges are small with minimal impact, employing people from the local communities as guides and staff, who benefit from sustainable incomes.

Follow these simple Botswana Responsible Travel rules during your trip:

• Water is scarce, so use as little as possible by taking short showers, reusing towels, and turning off taps whilst brushing teeth.
• Take a water bottle to refill rather than buying new plastic ones.
• Minimise the waste you leave at a camp or lodge, as it all has to be transported out of the reserve.
• Use biodegradable toiletries and clothes washing liquid.
• Be careful when smoking – fires start very quickly in the dry bush.
• Don’t buy souvenirs made from elephant ivory, leather or rhino horn – it’s illegal to bring these into the UK.
• Don’t be disappointed if your traditional mokoro (canoe) trip turns out to be in a modern fibreglass boat rather than a hollowed-out sausage tree. Tourism to the Okavango Delta has created a huge demand for mokoros, which means cutting down lots of trees (boats only last around five years), so fibreglass is a viable alternative.