How to book an ethical safari

How to know if a safari company is ethical

Below we list some of the green flags and red flags to look out for when searching for a company:

Green flags for finding an 'ethical', reputable safari company:

• The safari company is licensed. This is SO important. If they are licensed, that means they are having to abide by certain standards, ethics and codes in order to obtain those licenses (especially a TATO license) . This could include anything from ensuring revenue earnings are going toward local conservation projects, to ensuring that guides are properly trained.

• The safari company does not promote activities such as 'lion walking' or 'elephant riding'. These experiences are un-ethical as they are exploiting animals for entertainment and human interactions, and they do not account for the animals' welfare.

• The safari company should interfere with the wildlife as little as possible, not entice the animal or encourage any unnatural behaviours.

• Reviews and testimonials from other guests are positive with no mention of anything that made them feel uncomfortable such as aggressive driving or chasing animals.

• Companies employ local people, particularly Eastern African companies like Tanzania.

• They do not participate in “canned hunting'' safaris which is when wild animals are reared only to be hunted.

• When choosing a safari, ensure that the safari company tries as much as possible not to interact or disturb the animals.

• The company supports local community projects or anti-poaching initiatives.

• They have a large fleet of vehicles and guides. This indicates they are a well established company.

  It's worth noting here that some of the newer or 'smaller' local safari companies may not have enough funds to be able to hold all licenses (TATO for example if not mandatory to operate a safari company in Tazania) or donate funds directly to local community projects. However, just because they don't openly donate funds, does not mean that they do not support them and aren't an ethical operator. Just proceed with more caution.

  What you can do to help

  It's important to note that a lot of safari companies put pressure on their guides to find 'the Big 5' for clients. Clients will also put pressure on the guides and this unfortunately leads to un-ethical behaviours, such as aggressive driving or distrubing the widlife. Set expectations with your guide on your first day and communicate that you understand that wildlife sightings are never guaranteed and you priortise ethical l viewings. We need to play our part.

Check out our travel tip on our personal recommended safari company!

Common red flags to look out for:

• The company holds no licenses (not even the mandatory one to be operating in Tanzania)

• They do not have a physical registered office.

• They do not have many reviews or reviews mention that animals were 'chased' or the guide was driving aggressively.

• If the safari company 'guarantees to get you closer to the animals than anyone else'. This is a biggie! This likely will equate to aggressive driving and not putting the welfare of the animals first.

• The safari company offers you extremely affordable and low-cost safaris in comparison to other companies. They are likely not as experinced and not able to compete with the reputable companies, therefore offer huge discounts.

• The safari company is involved in 'canned hunting' safaris. This is when animals such as lions are bred, purely to be hunted. It's absolutely horrific and unfortunately some safari companies are associated with this.

• They don't employ local people and don't support local communities.