AN ENRICHING 8 DAY SAFARI EXPERIENCE…
More of us are making conscious decisions about travelling in a more eco-friendly, impactful, and ethical way. We want to connect with nature, with communities, and get a deeper understanding of the places we visit.
At Natural Selection we are proud to introduce our new 8-day Botswana Conservation Itinerary for those of you not only wanting a rich safari experience, but also wanting to see first-hand how responsible tourism can positively impact conservation and communities.
This conservation focused trip will take you deep into the heart of our sustainable safari operation, where you’ll stay at 3 of our luxury camps – Meno a Kwena, Little Sable and Mapula - and get greater insight into 5 projects we are involved in, and how they help us protect some of Africa’s last great wild places.
Your trip will be privately guided by a specialist guide, with deep experience in conservation and a passion about sharing their knowledge and wisdom with you.
We believe this trip will inspire you and give you a better understanding into how, together, we are helping to protect beautiful Botswana and its people.
Your trip will take you deep into the heart of our sustainable safari operation, where you’ll stay at 3 of our unique camps – Meno a Kwena, Little Sable and Mapula - and get greater insight into 5 projects we are involved in, and how they help us protect some of Africa’s last great wild places.
This exclusive conservation focused safari adventure, is an incredible opportunity for you to not only stay at our camps, but also to see the significant difference and impact your stay can have on the conservation of wildlife and the lives of the people living sustainably in and near wildlife areas.
Our exceptional safari guides have had years of experience in the wildlife and conservation space and are passionate about protecting it and teaching about it. Their personal and intimate understanding of the bush, conservation and community, will truly leave you inspired, giving you a better insight into how together we are helping to protect beautiful Botswana and its people.
MENO A KWENA
PROJECT 1: ELEPHANTS FOR AFRICA (EFA)
Elephants for Africa is situated on the north western edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. This conservation project is dedicated to enhancing human-wildlife coexistence in rural farming communities, which we believe is crucial to protect both the elephant and the communities in this wildlife area. The project focuses on mitigating human-wildlife conflict primarily through community workshopping and installing elephant proof fencing.
LITTLE SABLE
PROJECT 2: WILD DOG RESEARCH CAMP
The Wild Dog Research Camp sits within the Moremi Game Reserve, on the south eastern edge of the Okavango Delta. It is the most well established research centre in the Okavango, and has conducted over 30 years of research on wild dog packs, as well as members of the large carnivore guild, the lions, leopards and spotted hyenas. While the various projects supported by this centre are dispersed across the Okavango landscape, on your visit you’ll get to meet the dedicated resident researchers who are available to take you through some of the projects and showcase the importance of applied conservation in Botswana.
PROJECT 3: KHWAI COMMUNITY / VILLAGE
The Khwai community and village is situated on the eastern edge of the Khwai Private Reserve. It is here that we dedicate a lot of time and effort to implementing multiple community outreach initiatives in and around the settlement of Khwai village. This veritably reflects our goal of continuously improving the livelihoods of communities living alongside wildlife. And like it is for us, your visit and interaction with the community, will truly be an insightful and humbling experience.
MAPULA LODGE
PROJECT 4: ELEPHANT EXPRESS
The Elephant Express project is situated on the north eastern edge of the Okavango and is a wonderful solution to a complex human-wildlife conflict issue. The project transports vulnerable members of the community – children, elderly and the disabled – to school and clinics through dangerous elephant corridors. The Elephant Express helps to minimize human-wildlife conflict by creating a space within which elephants and people can co-exist more easily.
PROJECT 5: COMMUNAL HERDING FOR LIVESTOCK & WILDLIFE PROTECTION (CLAWS)
CLAWS has been set up in the north eastern edge of the Okavango Delta to support human wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation. This communal herding program safeguards cattle, creates employment, reduces retaliatory killing of lions, and restores overgrazed landscapes. Here you will see first-hand how by facilitating a return to traditional herding practices, whereby a herder accompanies livestock, lion-livestock interactions are reduced and the perceived conflict between lions and farmers is alleviated. This initiative combines different herds, to reduce the costs of herding per household and achieves two incredible goals: it reduces retaliatory killing of lions, and it improves the grazing land for livestock herders through rotational grazing.
