IMAGES:
BEN
PIP
E
Top 4 conservation safarisHELP BEHIND THE SCENES AT AN
ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
WHERE: Jabulani, South Africa
Jabulani is a flamboyantly luxurious lodge in
Kapama Private Game Reserve, created by
people who care passionately about animal
welfare: 50% of its nightly rates go directly
to Kapama’s rescue project for orphaned
and injured elephants. Guests can visit its
immaculate new donor-funded orphanage,
South Africa’s first, and get stuck into tasks
such as harvesting fodder and mucking out the
paddock where the elephants spend the night.
jabulanisafari.comLEARN HOW SCIENTISTS MONITOR
WILDLIFE
WHERE: Usangu Expedition Camp, Tanzania
Opened in June, this is the first safari camp in
the Usangu Wetlands of Ruaha National Park,
a region of critical conservation importance
that’s home to roan antelopes, sables (a species
of marten), wild dogs, as-yet-unidentified
amphibians and ostriches. As well as wildlife-
watching in a boat or safari vehicle or on foot,
guests can spend time at the neighbouring
research station, helping naturalists collect
scientific data via camera traps and telemetry.
asiliaafrica.comPLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN RHINO
CONSERVATION
WHERE: Marataba Conservation Camps,
South Africa
Launched in 2020, Marataba is aimed at
those wishing to ramp up their connection
with the natural world. Focused on various
rewilding projects, the surrounding Marakele
National Park is a centre of excellence for
rhino conservation and one of the few places
where you can help immobilise a rhino, notch
its ear for identification, collect samples for
DNA analysis and microchip its horn and body.
maratabacamps.co.zaBRUSH UP YOUR BUSH SKILLS
WHERE: Kwapa Camp, Botswana
Kwapa is the bush headquarters of guide
training school African Guide Academy, set
in the southern floodplains of the Okavango
Delta. As well as preparing guides for their
professional exams, it offers short courses for
nature-lovers. Options include everything from
basic bush skills courses to seven-day survival
primers and tracking courses that explain how
to deduce the age, gender and behaviour of
animals from their prints. Equipped with fresh
knowledge, your future safari experiences will
be all the richer. guidetrainingcourses.comTHE PURPOSEFUL SAFARI
An infrared camera used for
tracking animal movements
Above: Two rhinos at a
watering hole, Marataba,
South Africa