Eco-Friendly Tips

Waterfall in remote forest		The river Nile		Okavango Delta

Ecotourism in Africa

It is important to respect and conserve the natural environment of each and every country that you visit within Africa. Nature has granted Africa with many beautiful elements which need to be preserved so that the next visitors may enjoy Africa's exquisite beauty. There are also a number of interesting cultures in Africa that should be respected, remember how you would like to be treated in your own home country. Wherever you go, only take memories and leave foot prints!

We have put together a few guidelines and envionment tips for keeping on good terms with the locals!

Eco-Friendly Travel Africa:

• Do not drop your cigarette butts anywhere-dispose of them properly. Do not smoke on game drives, the dry African bush ignites very easily, and a flash fire can kill many animals in a very short period of time
• Ask before taking a photo of local Africans. Don’t just stick a camera in their faces, put yourself in their place: if you were walking out of your house, you wouldn’t appreciate it if a bus full of tourists took photos of you without asking. Bear in mind that certain tribes believe that you take their spirit away if you take a photo of them. Others might ask you for a bit of money. You also make friends if you actually send the developed photo over, once you get home.
• Be aware of the amount of plastic bottles you will be using on your overland tour if you buy bottled water continuously. The trucks have large water tanks on them.
• Do not buy anything made from ivory and pieces of coral.
• In most African countries it is custom to haggle over prices. If you take the time for it, it can be the best experience, with lots of laughter and good humour. However, do not haggle the salesman down to the last penny/cent, he is only trying to make a living.
• African children might be asking you for sweets, bear in mind that dental treatment is NOT readily available in the African bush! We recommend handing out pens, pieces of paper and any old clothes.
• The age old adagios: “people are asking for food, so give” or “if you give food, you encourage begging” have caused many a heated discussion around the campfire at night. Please bear in mind that if you hand out left-over food at your lunch stop, the next truck that passes through there will have many more people standing around them, expecting to be given food. At the same time it is a great way to interact with the locals, most Africans are very friendly and are just very curious to see what is happening in such a big vehicle.

Treat all local Africans and their home countries with respect, you are travelling on and through their territory, after all!