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WILDERNESS SAFARIS At Wilderness Safaris, we delight in sharing the wild places of Southern Africa with our guests in a responsible manner. These magnificent remote areas provide a means, for both our guests and ourselves, of reconnecting with our natural spirit something often neglected and forgotten in the modern, fast-paced world in which we live. Our aim is to share what we have learnt over the years, on a journey that constantly changes our own lives, and which we hope will touch and change yours. At the same time, we believe that the future of conservation in Africa depends on the attitude of the communities living next to these wild areas. For too long the needs of these communities were neglected by people involved in conservation work. The twin benefits to the community of tourism ventures and employment create a true appreciation for the value of the land and its wildlife. Finally, we aim to create safaris that are educational, explorative, fun and insightful of our guests needs. We look forward to you joining us on our journey.
Wilderness Safaris is a 22-year-old southern Africa safari specialist, that operates camps and safaris in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles. It is committed to providing highly memorable safaris that are both enriching and rewarding. Wilderness Safaris is run by a
group of likeminded wildlife enthusiasts who have come together to build a
successful safari business, delivering a unique experience for our guests and
fair returns for all shareholders and stakeholders, while ensuring that southern
Africa's pristine wilderness and wildlife areas remain sustainably protected. In
so doing, the foundation of the Wilderness ideology that The worlds
wilderness areas will save humankind is upheld. We want to make a difference
in peoples lives by enabling them to find new paths, and by leaving a legacy of
conservation for our children.
Instead of having one style set
throughout Wilderness camps, we celebrate the difference and uniqueness of each
area and its wildlife so that each group of camps has its own identity, feel
and character. This variety of accommodation, activities and product means that
theres something for everyone wanting to come to Africa. Wilderness Safaris has
its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as regional offices in
Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and in Cape Town, South Africa.
Here are some good reasons why
we feel you should consider choosing Wilderness Safaris to host you in southern
Africa: * Dedicated conservationists and guides own and run Wilderness Safaris and in doing so, they do what they enjoy most. * We have the best locations and are privileged to traverse over vast acres of prime, mostly completely private African wilderness. * Even though some of our camps are located within countries where malaria can occur, we have a superb malarial safety record. Our camps are sprayed regularly and are far removed from populated areas where malaria may occur. Many camps have the new "Mossie Magnet" machine that further helps to minimize the mosquito numbers. * Through The Wilderness Trust, we support strategic conservation causes across southern Africa * We contribute directly to the upliftment of the communities who live closest to the parks and reserves in which we operate. This ensures that these communities become conservationists in their own right and do not have to turn to poaching to survive. We turn the potential poachers into ardent conservationists * By working with communities, we have converted close to half a million acres of land into prime wildlife reserves and conservancies that now have formal conservation protection. * Wilderness Safaris is recognized worldwide for our efforts in conservation. We don't practice conservation in name only. In January 2003 Wilderness Safaris was awarded the "Oscar" of the eco-tourism industry - The World Legacy Award for nature based tourism presented by Conservation International & National Geographic. In October 2003 Wilderness Safaris received the prestigious ASTA Environmental Award * Our camps are small and intimate - most have less than 10 rooms. * We have a no hunting policy in all our reserves, so animals are relaxed, enabling us to offer the best possible game viewing. * Repeat guests form a huge portion of our business and many of our guests have been on safari with us more than 10 times. * We ensure that the camps have their own individual flair. Although the design of each camp varies, each lodge or camp has a warm homely atmosphere. We are not offering a sterile hotel chain in the bush. * We take our responsibility to the environment seriously and look for the same sentiment in our guests. Wildlife and wilderness is our prime motivation and the main reason why our guests choose us. It's an opportunity to escape the pressures and excesses of city living a life changing experience, a journey of self discovery and enrichment. * Wilderness guides take a more holistic view of the environments we operate in and give our guests a broader and more rounded experience than other more traditional areas of Africa where the emphasis is sometimes solely on the "Big 5" and spas in the bush.
Our Credo
Our vision and goals The core philosophy of Wilderness Safaris is to run a good business ensuring that southern Africa's most pristine wilderness and wildlife areas remain sustainably protected - while delivering a great experience for our guests and fair returns for shareholders and stakeholders. Wilderness Safaris tourism projects must help protect and nurture these wild places and our environmental "hotspots". Nearly every region where we have developed a low-density tourism operation, is in an area of high species diversity and/or is a key wilderness area. We are proud that our projects have helped to protect these reserves and have often increased the amount of land under conservation protection. Conservation Involvement:-
Children in the Wilderness
The Children in the Wilderness
program is dedicated to helping children whose childhoods have
been disrupted by life-threatening conditions such as illness,
extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Using environmental
education, therapeutic recreation and good old-fashioned fun,
Children in the Wilderness opens up the minds of
children, increases their self-esteem, builds and strengthens
their capacities to cope with lifes challenges and educates
them with the life skills necessary to actualize their greatest
potential and in the process, creating passionate
environmentalists.
History
In August 2001, actor Paul Newman traveled around southern Africa with Wilderness Safaris. During this safari, it was suggested that the respective upliftment visions of his childrens organization, The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps (www.holeinthewallcamps.org), and Wilderness Safaris could be combined to create a new and uplifting rural African childrens environmental and life skills program. In December 2001 the first Children in the Wilderness program was launched and the first children were successfully hosted.
The Program
For a number of weeks each year, Wilderness Safaris closes some of its camps to paying guests, and invites groups of 16-24 impoverished children and orphans (between the ages of 7 and 18) to participate in a wildlife camp experience. Over the course of these weeklong sessions, children are hosted and entertained, while being educated in all different facets of life including the wildlife of their area, conservation, geography, geology, as well as art, nutrition, health and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Every one of the 7 000
children-in-camp days we have hosted on this program throughout
southern Africa over the past four years has changed the lives
of the children dramatically and positively. Children who had
dropped out of school prior to the camp have rejoined their
schools on returning home. Conservation clubs have been started
in their communities. There has been an overwhelmingly positive
reaction from the children, their families, communities and
teachers.
The Future
As successful as the Children in the Wilderness programs continue to be, the numbers of impoverished rural children and those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic are rising. There is a vital need to grow and expand this program so that it can have a real impact on African communities. It is costly for Wilderness Safaris to close down its camps on a regular basis and the numbers of children we can host are therefore limited. To increase the capacity, there is a real need for permanent venues that will be capable of hosting children all year round. Therefore, the first permanent year-round camp is being planned in South Africa at
Mkambati on the Wild Coast, Eastern
Cape. This purpose-built Children in the Wilderness
camp will in time operate throughout the year to maximize the
number of children that can be hosted. Up to 10 000
children-in-camp nights a year can be hosted at this new
facility, over and above the number of children that will
continue to be hosted in Wilderness Safaris camps throughout
the subcontinent.
How You Can Help
Children in the Wilderness needs commitment and funding from Partner organizations and individuals to include not only the capital outlay required for the set-up of the new Mkambati Camp, but also to assist in covering the day-to-day camp operational expenses. With the support from the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, Wilderness Safaris, and participation by the community and government, such a program is a sound investment for anyone seeking to reap inspirational rewards
for their money.
Age Limits on Safari
In general,
there is a minimum age requirement of 12 years old. Bookings with
children between the ages of 8 and 12 years (between 4 and 6 years
at Jacks and San Camps, where the age policy is different: children
may be 8 years or older) are allowed on condition that a private
vehicle is available and booked for game viewing activities. Private
vehicles for families are not normally charged for (* see exceptions
below) and are subject to availability.
There is no age restriction on the following camps: Kulala Wilderness Camp, Kulala Desert Lodge, North Island, Rocktail Bay Lodge and Pafuri Camp. When booking a camp for exclusive use, there is no age restriction*. *Exceptions:
1. At The River Club, due to vehicle
constraints there is an additional charge per day for a private
vehicle.
All Inclusive Rates in our Camps The next ingredient of the Wilderness "recipe" is that we try to be as all-inclusive as possible in our camps and on our safaris. All the camps and safaris listed have all the core activities included in the cost, and many include drinks and laundry as well. Optional excursions such as hot air ballooning, helicopter flights and scuba are naturally excluded. However, all the main activities, such as park fees, game drives, game walks, mekoros, boating and meals (with the exception of city centers such as Victoria Falls and Windhoek), are included. Most camps and some safaris even include local drinks, mineral water, beers and wines! As a general rule, the Botswana
and Zimbabwe camps and 4 paw safaris,
Drinks At our camps and lodges we
include certain drinks within reason. What is included is in direct relation to
what the guest has paid and what drinks in camp cost. Our drink policy per camp
is listed below:
Eco-Friendly The camps must be eco-friendly. We employ full-time ecologists whose job is to ensure that our camps are as eco-friendly as possible. Their focus is to work with the park or reserve authorities and with our camp managers to make sure that we "tread" as gently as possible. Guaranteed Departures All of our fly-in safaris have guaranteed departures for a minimum of two people - and some have guaranteed departures for one guest once they have paid the single surcharge. Our vehicle and camping safari departures are guaranteed once you have paid your deposit and we have confirmed your booking in writing. You can therefore book your safari safe in the knowledge that we will not cancel your holiday. We are one of the very few companies who offer this guarantee. With us, you can plan your holiday with confidence. A comprehensive information pack detailing important information about your safari will be sent to your agent prior to departure. Please make sure you receive this.
How we supply power in our camps Most camps have no access to
regular electrical power as we are in such remote locations. The camps may have
a generator on site that produces 220V electricity, or they may use solar
panels. We don't want to have the sounds of a generator in camp, so the
generators are silenced as much as possible - and they run for only three or
four hours in the morning and the same again in the afternoon when guests are
out on activities. The electricity created is used to power ice machines, deep
freezers and fridges (with special "hold over plates" which are able to keep
food and drinks cold all day). The generator also has to charge up the batteries
that store the power for the bedroom lights and for the fans above the beds.
There is ample electricity for charging batteries for video cameras direct from
the generator (when you are out on game drives) - but not for hairdryers and air
conditioning.
Meals In Camps and Lodges This varies from country to
country and is dependent on what we can buy in that country. Generally, we are
not a "nouvelle cuisine" safari company. We prefer to opt for good, wholesome
home style cooking at elegantly set dining tables (sometimes under the stars,
sometimes under thatch or canvas) where guests can discuss and debate the day's
events with their guides. The meal times are geared around the best game viewing
times, and the activities specific to a particular camp. In game viewing areas,
for instance, we don't come back into camp at 8am just to have breakfast. We
would rather be out in the field enjoying the fauna and flora when the viewing
is at its best. Our meal times take this into account. In these camps, we
abandon the traditional three meals a day routine. We start off at first light
with a very quick continental breakfast of juices, tea or coffee plus a quick
bowl of cereal or toast - and then we are off in the vehicles. We usually return
at approximately 10 or 11am for a large brunch - literally, a combination of
breakfast and lunch. Light snacks and tea / coffee / juices would be provided
before the start of the afternoon game drive which would be followed by a return
to camp for a hearty dinner. We can cater for vegetarians, but please warn us
when making your reservation so that we can be fully prepared. On cross country safaris,
refrigerators or cooler boxes are on the vehicles and fresh food is enjoyed each
day. Most meals on safari are included, the exception being any lunches or
dinners in bigger towns such as Victoria Falls or in Windhoek, where there are a
variety of restaurant choices. Please refer to the individual itineraries for
exact details. There is no additional food kitty to be collected on arrival. On
accommodated safaris - (5 Paw) - (
No Fences We do not build walls or put up electric fences around our camps, nor are the campsites we use on some safaris fenced. Animals do sometimes wander through the camps. Please listen to your guide's instructions to ensure you are safe. There has never been a guest injured in any way in a tented camp or campsite who has obeyed the rules. Keep your tent door or flaps closed and you will be safe. We provide flashlights in all camps, but some of the camping safaris require that guests bring their own. Our Guides We pride ourselves in the dedication, experience and enthusiasm of our guides. From top management to camp staff, we are committed to ensuring that everything is done to make each safari a memorable experience. Our professionalism has attracted guides who are serious about a career in wildlife and are very experienced in their region of operation. They are all excellent naturalists, keen conservationists, and quite a few are accomplished photographers. Private Guides Wilderness Safaris' private guides have years of experience and an extensive knowledge of, and passion for, the areas in which they work. These guides are able to accompany your party throughout all or part of your safari in their particular country of operation and can turn the trip into the experience of a lifetime. Having an intimate knowledge of each camp and area they are able to expose the relevant highlights, adding continuity and depth as your journey unfolds, and effectively tailor making your experience around any special interests. Many guests return year after year to be guided by a particular guide with whom they have built up a relationship on previous trips.
Pilot Guides Perhaps the best way to travel around southern Africa is with your own pilot and plane. We have a number of guides who are qualified pilots and who will accompany you throughout the trip, allowing for seamless interpretation and unrivalled flexibility. These pilot-guides combine perfectly with the resident camp guides to ensure that not only do you benefit from years of local knowledge but also from an overall holistic interpretation that takes your entire safari into account. Independent Specialist Guides and Hosts While our private guides may be recognized as specialists in their own right, we do also organize independent specialist and private guides for groups with very specific requirements. These interests may range from ornithology to astronomy, paleontology, photography, botany and even anthropology. In such cases we contract independent guides - often university academics and recognized authorities - with whom we have worked before and who understand our business, camps and culture. Another aspect that can transform a group safari is the addition of a host or hostess, who will ensure the seamless running of every aspect of the safari, down to the preparation of Kosher. Our History At Wilderness Safaris we're very
proud of our rich heritage. Our 22 years in Africa have resulted in a wealth of
experience and knowledge which we strive to pass on to all the guests who travel
with us. Around this time, the government
of Botswana reviewed the use of land in the Okavango and superb areas outside
the national parks became available for tender. This single act changed the face
of safaris in Botswana forever and allowed Wilderness to develop and grow in a
meaningful way. Similar developments took place in other countries - Malawi,
Namibia and Zimbabwe all developed lodge and camp circuits which changed the
emphasis of the business. An important development at this time was the
introduction of meaningful community involvement in both ownership and operating
of concessions. Although this had already taken place at Rocktail Bay and Ndumo
in South Africa, the model that was developed between Wilderness Safaris Namibia
and the people of the Damaraland area was to set new standards for the industry.
So successful has this project been that the area was declared a Conservancy by
the Namibian Government, and Damaraland Camp won the international
"Tourism for Tomorrow" award in 2005. Our Camps and Lodges
Safaris that include Camping
The size of our camps and safaris All our camps are small. Our
smallest comprises of three rooms and our largest, ten rooms. Most are between
four and eight rooms, so that guests enjoy great exclusivity and personal
attention. The small size of the camps also ensures that we minimize our impact
on the area. Smoking Policy We have a no smoking policy at meals, on our vehicles, on the aircraft, and on boats (in fact anywhere where there is a fire hazard). If you are a smoker, we will have "smoke breaks" on the drives to keep you happy! We ask that you respect this ruling, and thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Vehicles
All our tailor-made safaris are sold on a "shared vehicle" basis. However, many of our guests have a special interest, be it photography or birding, or perhaps they just want to be on their own so that they can dictate the pace without worrying about the interests of another. Private vehicles and guides can be arranged, but at an extra cost. We can only guarantee a private vehicle service if you have booked this in advance, as some camps have vehicle restrictions by law and we cannot guarantee that the camps will have a spare vehicle and a spare guide if you try to book on site. So, if you require this facility, please book the private vehicle service with your travel agent when you are booking your safari.
African Safari Consultants
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