Five antidotes to over-tourism in Africa
Shocking scenes from East Africa of hundreds of safari vehicles surrounding migrating wildebeest—in some cases preventing them from crossing the river—should be a wake-up call for tourists and tour operators. The spectacular Serengeti migration is becoming a tourist and animal trap, locking them into a spiral of worsening tourist experiences and animal welfare outcomes. Some wildebeest even died because of the tourists blocking their way.
Since the wildebeest can’t change their migration routes to avoid humans, it is clear that the change must come from our side. What can tourists do to reduce the pressure on the wildebeest migration? Here are our top five antidotes to over-tourism:
1. Take the road less travelled
When planning your trip, take a little extra time to investigate parts of Africa that are not featured on every postcard. This doesn’t mean you have to go to dangerous countries or places where there are no tourist facilities.
Many African countries are perfectly safe and cater for all kinds of tourist experiences, yet they are not overflowing with tourists. Namibia is an excellent example—it is safe, boasts excellent roads and thousands of accommodation options that fit every budget.
Even in Namibia, however, postcard-perfect places like Sossusvlei in the south are being threatened by over-tourism. To avoid the crowds of vehicles queueing for a glimpse of the famous dunes, plan your visit to the lesser-known—yet equally spectacular—northwestern Namibia. Multi-day expeditions into this remote corner of the country are just what you need to get away from the crowds.
Conservancy Safaris note: If you travel with us, you will get to climb magnificent dunes and soak in the absolute quiet of the desert with just you and your loved ones. Find out more about our expeditions here.
2. Ask the right questions of tour operators
Whether you use a travel agent or book directly with a tour operator, learn to ask the right questions.
Do they have any rules for their guides while on safari? Good operators will have trained their guides on how to behave around animals, either in vehicles or on foot. Your chosen tour operator should be able to tell you their basic rules that ensure human and animal safety.
How many other safari vehicles are you likely to see at wildlife sightings? In some places that have high tourist densities, the number of vehicles at popular sightings (e.g. Big 5 animals) are strictly limited. In places where there are few other tourists, these limitations are less important. What you don’t want to hear is that there are no limitations in high tourism areas.
Conservancy Safaris note: Our expeditions venture into remote areas where there are few other tourist vehicles, so over-crowding is rarely a problem. In the few cases where we encounter other vehicles at sightings (e.g. during our Etosha trips), we move on rather than add to the crowd.
3. Talk to your guide
Some of the worst guide behaviour found in Africa is due to the guide wanting to ‘perform’ to meet the guests’ expectations.
Make sure to have a conversation with your guide early in your visit or drive to set your expectations. The best wildlife sightings occur when the animal you are watching is totally relaxed and ignores your presence. Let your guide know that those are the experiences you want, rather than trying to get as close to the animal as possible.
Ask your guide questions about animal behaviour while at a sighting. For example, how do you know that the elephant in front of us is relaxed? What signs are you looking for? What changes in behaviour would signal that we should back off?
Such questions show that your primary concern is the animal’s welfare rather than a too-close-for-comfort experience. If you are with other tourists that are not part of your group, the guide’s answers will educate them, too.
Conservancy Safaris note: Our expedition trips are exclusive—your group will have the safari vehicle to yourself, and our guide’s full attention. Our guides have many years of experience with tracking animals and will welcome your questions about animal behaviour.
4. Include over-tourism issues in your ratings
TripAdvisor and other rating sites are useful tools for evaluating where to stay. You can help others to identify good operators and avoid the pitfalls of over-tourism using your rating remarks.
Make it a practice to mention good guiding practices or low tourist volumes in your rating comments. For example, “my guide always stayed a respectful distance from the animals we saw, ensuring relaxed, natural sightings,” or “this place is so remote that we saw few other tourist vehicles during our safari—so refreshing!”
On the flip side, warnings of poor guide behaviour or over-tourism in your ratings will get the attention of other tourists and the tour operators. When ratings go down because animals are stressed by the guides, the tour operators will act and animals will win.
Conservancy Safaris note: You can find our guest reviews on Trip Advisor (expeditions, Etaambura) or browse our Testimonials page.
5. Make your footprint count
Among the many reasons to take the road less travelled and avoid over-tourism is to maximise the impact of your stay for the good of people and animals. Choosing tour operators that really care about people and nature will contribute to these positive impacts.
Before and during your stay, ask your hosts how they interact with the people in the area where they operate. In some cases, they may have community projects for people living outside the parks or reserves where they operate. In others, they may have formal agreements with nearby communities.
Several tourism companies also contribute to nature conservation in the local area. They may fund anti-poaching teams, research projects, reserve management, or more than one of these. Operators that make such contributions are more than happy to tell you about it. Those that don’t may change the subject!
Conservancy Safaris note: “Make your footprint count” is our motto—it is why we started our company in the first place. Our lodge and safari company are owned by five communal conservancies in Namibia that are involved in both rural development and nature conservation. We run a school feeding programme and a project to support community game guards (find out more here).
Conclusion
Over-tourism is becoming a big problem in parts of Africa, but you need not be part of the problem. By taking some of the steps above, your trip can be part of the solution. If you’re looking for an exclusive safari with a guide who respects and understands animals, while having a positive impact on people and nature, then look no further. Contact us to book your safari now.
