How hands-on can you get on safari sustainably?

At Marataba Conservation Camps you can take a fully interactive rhino-focused safari and get involved with elective procedures like rhino notching. Image by Marataba

Travel is a force for good when planned with care, and at Extraordinary Journeys, conservation of communities and wildlife is at our core.

We support our many partners in their incredible work to conserve the natural environment, wildlife, and biodiversity. This goes hand-in-hand with uplifting the local communities, by providing employment, healthcare, education, training, and development. When you book a trip with us, it’s sustainable—full stop. Consider us the slow fashion equivalent of travel: ethical, intentional and connections-based.

In celebration of World Wildlife Day, we’re highlighting some of our favorite hands-on, conservation-focused safaris in African destinations where your travel is directly contributing to conservation. Have questions? We’re here to answer them.

Guests can take part in telemetry tracking and data at Usangu Expedition Camp in Ruaha, Tanzania. Image courtesy of Asilia Africa

In Stories: Six Conservation-Focused Experiences

Gone are the days of traveling without considering what kind of impact your visit has on the people and places where you travel. On the blog today we share six of our favorite conservation-focused experiences in Africa where you can take part in a range of hands-on conservation activities, from darting and notching rhinos to monitoring pangolins, photographing cheetah, and counting butterflies—you can can participate in these citizen-science processes which play a key role for conservation purposes throughout Africa.

Itinerary: Congo Basin Discovery

A lowland mountain gorilla baby and their mother in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Image courtesy of Congo Conservation Company

Taking a safari in the Congo Basin means traveling to pristine rainforest in the heart of the Republic of Congo and and spending a week alternating between three distinct, innovative camps in Odzala-Kokoua National Park: Ngaga Camp, Lango Camp, and Mboko Camp. Twenty per cent of the world’s remaining western lowland gorillas live here. Engage with renowned primatologists, take part in two gorilla habituation exercises, hike to see wild chimpanzees, and explore unique ecosystems and wildlife on game drives, and kayaking expeditions.

Then, you’ll take a cruise down the Sangha River into the Central African Republic with your stay directly supporting conservation efforts. From Sangha Lodge you’ll venture out for a Dzanga Baï visit, Ba’Aka indigenous experience, waterfall hike in the Valley of Giants, sundowners on the river, and interact with onsite pangolin researchers.

Accommodation Spotlight: Babson House, Namibia

Feeding a cheetah who is unable to be re-released back into the wild while visiting the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia’s central highlands. Image by JP Pollak

Want to really immerse yourself in cheetah conservation? Neighboring the Cheetah Conservation Fund headquarters in Namibia, the Babson House offers the unique experience of an overnight stay at the conservation center. With cheetahs just steps away from the converted farm house what sleeps just six guests, you’ll experience these graceful creatures up close. Enjoy sundowners on a private veranda overlooking the ever-changing colors of the spectacular Waterberg Plateau.

We’re on the A-List: Featuring Elizabeth Gordon

We’re so honored to announce that our very own CEO and co-founder Elizabeth Gordon has, once again, been named a top travel advisor for East and Southern Africa by Travel + Leisure—one of the most esteemed awards in the industry. Elizabeth’s endless pursuit of transformational travel has rubbed off on all of us and under her leadership we’re motivated to craft journeys as meaningful as this accolade.

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