Social Media and the Safari Industry

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Don’t miss the boat and start today!
Web 2.0
Not so long ago I made a remark on Facebook: ‘Johan Knols is wondering why not more safari companies embrace social media’.
I received one comment from someone (thanks Kevin!) who is very active with social media and worked in the safari industry before. His answer was: ‘ I [...]

Eco Tourism And The Wide Span Of Contradiction

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Once upon a time not so long ago, five people came together to decide how to help each other. This is not uncommon, but the five decided that while they were going to help each other, and maybe some other friends as well, they would make it look to us as if they were actually [...]

World Cup Soccer 2010: A Kick In The Nuts Of The Poor

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An event that could easily bankrupt a state
The Rainbow Nation (South Africa) is ready for the second biggest sporting event on the planet: the Fifa’s World Cup Soccer (WCS). 52 Days left and counting down.
It all started on May 15th 2004, when not only South Africa, but basically the whole of Africa got awarded the [...]

Doing Wrong By Being Generous

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A habit that is hard to beat
When going on safari and traveling to Africa, it is nearly impossible to avoid poverty and seeing some misery. Since you just left the wealthy part of the globe, being confronted with adults dressed in rags and kids begging for money can be heart wrenching. It is therefore absolutely [...]

Tourism: Benefit Or Burden?

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You will perhaps remember that movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio – a tale of an undiscovered beach paradise in Thailand that a few wanted to keep for themselves? Outsiders not welcome? It all went wrong in the end, but the message of the film is interesting and relevant.
So hence my question – is tourism [...]

I work In The Safari Industry, But Wildlife Is Annoying

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Two rather disturbing messages received me two days ago. One article was about the killing of an innocent snake and the other message was even worse and was about the relocation of two lions in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Unfortunately I have to admit that tourism does have it’s price for wildlife.
‘We killed the [...]

Baiting Of Wildlife For Your ‘Pleasure’

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The African night falls fast. The lights in your lodge have been switched on and the generator is humming silently in the back -at least that is what I hope for you- . Kerosene lanterns throw a soft light over the campfire area and with a drink in hand everybody is in anticipation of the [...]

Electrical Voltages And Elephants In Musth

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‘Going Green’ was already important in the safari world, but recently ‘environmentally friendly’ has been taken to a new level. Rechargeable batteries, and I am not talking about AA batteries but powerful strong 72 Volt ones, have made their introduction in the African bush.
The first solar electrical powered mode of transport I came across was [...]

Safari Tourism:Who Is To Blame For Environmental Damage?

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I recently signed up on an interactive website and on the forum a discussion was going on who is to blame for different kinds of problems facing the safari-industry and then especially the responsibility of behavior within game reserves and national parks. Some blame the tourists, others the driver-guides and more others blame the owners [...]

7 Ways To Improve the African Safari Trade

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Not everything has to be expensive
Let’s talk boat-cruises. Yes I know, you ask yourself what that has to do with an African Safari. But I know that when you started to read this article that you had an image in your head of a big, white steamer sailing blue waters with tanned people lying on [...]

Be Cool On Safari

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A ’sleeping green’ initiative
The beds
A good night’s sleep is the key to fully enjoy your African safari. However, we are not all used to the relative high humidity and tropical temperatures in Africa. Especially during the night you might wish for some gentle coolness.
Now there is a sustainable solution in the form of cooled canopy [...]

Does being Eco-friendly on Safari help?

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And are you eco-friendly at all?
We book accommodations and safaris that are eco-friendly and we do that very consciously. After all we like to travel in a way that has minimal impact on the environment. We go to great lengths to make sure that we will not leave any signs of our visit in those [...]