Responsible Tourism in Botswana

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As the travel industry continues to prioritize responsible tourism, it can get harder to decide where you should devote time or resources to make a bigger impact on local communities, wildlife, and environments. At Ker & Downey, our philosophy has always been to give back in ways that are more personal and powerful than just tourism dollars, so we partner with some incredible companies that make it easy for you to do good while you travel.

Ker & Downey makes responsible tourism in Botswana easy. While you are traveling on a once-in-a-lifetime journey, you are directly impacting the lives of children. When you travel on our Desert to Delta Safari, a donation is made to Bana Ba Letsatsi, a center in Maun that supports over 250 at-risk orphaned children and youth. The center is a safe place for the children to receive counseling and education, but also provides for basic needs like food, clothing, medical attention, and showers. Simply by staying in the luxurious properties of Okuti, Kanana, and the newly-opened Dinaka, you are making a direct impact in the lives of the children by keeping the doors open, the lights on, and the water running at Bana Ba Letsatsi. Our Desert to Delta Safari also gives you the opportunity to interact with local Bushmen on the most genuine Bushmen walk you’ll find. You can also sleep out under the stars, and see an incredible variety of wildlife on a number of safari activities.

Ker & Downey’s Devon Chapman traveled to Botswana where she visited Ker & Downey Botswana camps, including their newest Dinaka Camp, just north of the Kalahari Game Reserve. She’s sharing why the Desert to Delta Safari should be your next journey to Botswana.

Where were you? Traveling with Ker & Downey Botswana to several of their camps throughout the Okavango Delta, and to their latest camp, Dinaka, just north of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Highlight of the trip? Coming back to Dinaka one evening after sundowners, there was a pride of nine lion resting at the watering hole right in front of camp. It was amazing to sit and watch them in the moonlight, and then to go back to dinner and be able to continue to watch their activity right from camp.

Favorite activity? The flood waters had just come in a few weeks before we arrived, so we were able to go out for a mokoro ride through the channels surrounding Kanana. Right as the sun was setting, we came across a small group of elephants grazing on the shore. It is a completely different experience to float by and watch these magnificent creatures without the vehicle or any other noise around.

Don’t miss… The sleepout deck at Dinaka. Because there is absolutely no light pollution out at Dinaka, the stargazing is phenomenal. The staff will walk you through the night sky, and they have great stories to go along with it! An amazing experience is to head out to their sleepout deck, and sleep under the constellations. Plus, you get to wake up to one of the most amazing sun rises you’ll ever see.

Anything else you want to add? The Ker & Downey Botswana staff are truly some of the best in Botswana. When you stay in these camps you feel like you’re welcomed as part of the family, and the staff just add so much more to your trip. The Okuti staff choir performance is something I’ll remember forever, as well as all the wonderful guides and camp staff we met.

Turn your once-in-a-lifetime journey into an opportunity to impact the lives of others with a journey to Botswana. To make an even bigger impact on the children of Bana Ba Letsatsi, you can even pack extra clothes and school supplies in your bag. They’ll get distributed among the children at the center. Contact your luxury travel designer to start planning your journey.

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