Beyond Luxury: How African Bush Camps Are Transforming Wilderness Conservation and Communities

Luxury safari experiences are evolving. Dedicated local initiatives and increasingly conscious travellers are raising expectations for sustainable stays. Demand for sustainable luxury experiences is on the rise and for good reason. By blending conscious tourism with a harmonious coexistence between nature and local communities, the tourism industry is repositioning itself to create a meaningful, positive impact.

A wonderful example of this can be found with African Bush Camps and the Bush Camps Foundation. This powerful partnership is challenging the status quo of luxury safari tourism by delivering exceptional, authentic experiences that exist in harmony with nature, wildlife, and local communities.

What are Luxury African Bush Camps?

Founded in 2006 by Zimbabwean entrepreneur and guide Beks Ndlovu, African Bush Camps is a luxury safari operator with a clear mission, to share the beauty of Africa with the world while actively conserving wildlife and empowering local communities. This purpose is at the heart of everything they do.

African Bush Camps offers seventeen unique safari experiences across Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, each with a strong focus on community initiatives, sustainability, and conservation. These camps go beyond high-end luxury, they promote a new era of safari travel, challenging the status quo and inspiring a deeper connection to Africa’s landscapes, wildlife, and cultures.

African Bush Camps are located within UNESCO World Heritage sites, private concessions, and renowned national parks, ensuring visitors enjoy authentic African experiences while contributing to larger conservation and community initiatives. The camps focus on three key areas:

• Authentic experiences: Guests immerse themselves in luxury wilderness stays, with tented camps that bring them as close to nature as possible.
• Tailored safaris: Privately guided tours are customised to each guest’s preferences for a one-of-a-kind adventure.
• Sustainability: Every camp is committed to conserving and protecting the surrounding wildlife and communities with guests invited to see the positive impact their stays help create.

Popular safari experiences include exploring Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta as well as game drives, mokoro safaris and bush walks.

The African Bush Camps Foundation

The African Bush Camps Foundation is a non-profit organisation that works alongside African Bush Camps to forge meaningful partnerships that empower communities to become self-sustaining and independent.

African Bush Camps cover the Foundation’s operating costs, so each night a guest stays in their luxurious safari camps, a donation is made to the Foundation. This donation directly supports community and conservation projects. Guests are invited to visit these projects during their stay to see firsthand the impact of their visit and the sustainable safari initiatives.

The Foundation focuses on three key areas:

Education

One of the main goals is to increase access to education and improve learning facilities for local communities. In 2025, the Foundation plans to expand Maunga Primary School to include secondary education, build a science lab, renovate three schools to support over 2,000 students and serve over 350,000 meals across six schools. The Foundation also works to ensure that no girl misses school due to period poverty by providing free menstrual products, ensuring girls remain confident and able to attend classes.

Community Empowerment

This initiative focuses on creating sustainable solutions for skills development and addressing unemployment. This year, the Foundation will empower women through the Kufadza scouts and female guides programs, promote two trainee guides, and implement initiatives for positive, lasting change within local communities. Past community projects have included sewing groups, weaving projects, community gardens, and healthcare centres.

Conservation Initiatives

The Foundation works to improve human and wildlife coexistence. With the support of Kufadza female scouts, Zambia’s first all-female ranger team, regular patrols are conducted to combat poaching, snares, and other illegal activities. The scouts are armed with military assault rifles for protection and hike up to ten miles daily on patrol. They also work closely with local communities to educate residents on the importance of conservation.

This year, the Foundation’s conservation projects aim to reduce poaching and illegal activities by 25% across three national parks and minimise human-wildlife conflict with the lion boma guardian projects.

Bespoke Safari Experiences

All African Bush Camps offer bespoke itineraries tailored to each guest’s wishes. Whether you’re interested in cultural tours, conservation initiatives, or luxurious relaxation retreats, these camps cater to all preferences. If you’re unsure what you would like to do, there are numerous pre-designed itineraries to explore at your leisure.

Safari Guiding that Goes to a Whole New Level

At African Bush Camps safari guides are at the heart of every guest experience. Guides are master storytellers, and exceptional teachers, and possess an impressive knowledge of the African bush, its wildlife, and its people. Walk, talk, drive, sit around the campfire and learn with your dedicated guide as they bring the wilderness and its history to life.

Each year, African Bush Camps close for a highly anticipated week of guide training. During this time, guides refine their skills in tourism, sustainability, and conservation. They also take part in wildlife tracking, expand their knowledge of plant and insect species, and undergo essential medical and equipment training. This immersive week fosters learning, mentorship, and collaboration among guides, ensuring an unparalleled safari experience for guests and continued development for camp guides.

Visiting African Bush Camps

The best time to book your safari will depend on the region you wish to visit (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia) and your preferences. It’s important to time your visit in a way that will optimise your experience, for example, bird watching and game sighting may be better in the dry seasons and when there is limited vegetation to help improve visibility for animal sightings. Photographers may prefer to visit in winter when the skies are flooded with spectacular colours and sunsets.

Botswana and Zimbabwe’s dry season runs from June to October. This is a good time to view wildlife which congregates around water sources. In particular, the Okavango Delta experiences annual flooding that attracts diverse wildlife. The Mana Pools in Zimbabwe increase wildlife sightings as animals flock to limited water sources. The dry season in Zambia runs from May through November, an optimal time to explore the Lower Zambezi National Park with exceptional game-viewing. It’s worth noting that October and November can be very hot in Zambia with temperatures often exceeding 40°C, if you prefer cooler climates it is best to avoid these months.

Curate your dream safari experience

For more information on bespoke luxury African safaris please speak with a member of our team. We’re dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences with memories that will last a lifetime.

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