No matter whether you have travelled on safari to Africa many times before, or whether you are visiting for the first time, this magnificent, mysterious continent will draw you in and leave you with a renewed sense of wonderment. We call that being re-enchanted.
For most of us, our days are determined by routine of some sort. This may be a self-imposed discipline, doing things that have great meaning and joy for us; or it may be a means to an end, where we are caught in the rhythm and flow of something of which we are a part. Either way, it is an enormous pleasure and privilege to step outside of this and find a way to be re-enchanted.
Mike and I live this through the work that we do, and we realise how lucky we are to have this opportunity right on our doorstep. For six years, we lived in Victoria Falls, from where we travelled both within the country and to our regional neighbours. During this time, we became so familiar with the national parks and conservation areas that our partners operate in. We also became very aware of the conservation efforts they were establishing, as well as the relationships they were building with local communities.
Education was always identified as one of the primary areas for support by the tourism operations, followed by food support and sustainable practices to bring income into the community.
We applied all our knowledge during the four years we lived in Botswana’s Okavango Delta to build Xigera Safari Lodge. We initiated a leopard research project in conjunction with the University of Botswana’s Okavango Research Institute, sponsoring a young MPhil student. In addition, we launched a community programme in Habu Village in partnership with WildEntrust, where organic waste from the lodge kitchens was composted and sent to Habu to enrich the soil in the community gardens. The aim was to create a circular economy by buying back the vegetables grown there for use at Xigera Safari Lodge.
What is re-enchanting about this is that nowadays no prominent, well-established safari operator runs a purely commercial operation. They genuinely understand that their work is mutually dependent on the wellbeing of the surrounding community and the conservation of the natural area in which they operate.
This is not always easy, because there are areas of conflict, particularly well-documented and published areas of human-wildlife conflict. But man, beast and nature are meant to live together harmoniously somehow. So, the ongoing search for ways to solve this challenge is re-enchanting in itself, and the impact of the operator, the community, and the wellbeing of the protected area are now more critical to safari travel than ever before.
Both Mike and I are privileged to have been a part of this journey collectively for the last eight decades. We know the places and the people. We have built lodges, relationships, portfolios, and connections. Through these partnerships, we connect our guests to areas that have been conserved, some rewilded, all being managed for their conservation potential. Ongoing research is being undertaken to protect species, drop boundaries, re-establish corridors, and more.
These efforts are blended with input from the communities that are most influential and affected by this collective intent.
By travelling to these destinations, you make a positive impact—not only on yourself, but on the whole.
Become re-enchanted.
