Featured image: Responsible tourism can have a huge impact on the lives of local people you visit | Photo by astakhovyaroslav on Envato

My Journey Into Conscious Travel on an African Safari

By Diana Eden, Contributor, Women over 80

Travel is not just about motoring around a foreign land; it is the immersive experience that truly changes us when we are open and willing to look below the surface.

This summer, I went to Africa to see the wild animals. Lions, elephants, and giraffes out in their territory. In truth, I was only thinking about how I could realize the experience I had dreamed of for so long. A ‘bucket list’ trip, if you will, though I like that expression less and less the closer I come to…..well, the bucket! But at 82, I thought I deserved a trip that would deliver significant rewards.

The rewards turned out to be not only the extraordinary wildlife, but the ambitious women of Africa. While on my tour, I met four remarkable women whose lives have been transformed by tourism. I was gently nudged into a more conscious travel experience and relished the opportunity to interact with another part of the world and its human inhabitants.

When I arrived with the tour group in Zimbabwe, I knew nothing about the place. I was now exposed to a large country with massive unemployment and where many who live in the rural villages see little hope of change and even less a secure old age. I knew nothing of the hardships of the coal mining industry, much of it owned by the Chinese, nor that most of the population just live by subsistence farming.

Four ambitious African women leading the way for others

1. Samantha Johnson Lunga, Trip Experience Leader

Samantha Johnson Lunga led my “Ultimate Africa” tour with Overseas Adventure Travel, or OAT. A leader in the small group experience, with a generous attitude towards solo travelers, OAT’s philosophy is that visitors should experience things, not just see them.

Samantha was our `OAT “Trip Experience Leader” or TEL. Into that little acronym is packed 24-hours-a-day responsibilities for 13 travelers, which include seamlessly facilitating the several borders we crossed, checking the Covid Vaccine cards and passports, coordinating the busses that were to meet us, not leaving anyone behind, counting luggage and being in touch with the pilots of our small bush planes.

Samantha’s life did not start easy. A mixed-race child born to a Cape Malaysian mother and a Mozambique father during apartheid, she escaped with her parents from South Africa to Botswana.

Her mother, a strong woman, insisted on her going to a school for white children where she knew Samantha would get an excellent education. Samantha knew she did not want to be a doctor or lawyer as her mother had hoped, but she wanted to go into tourism. A job at a Greek deli gave her money to study at night, and her first job was with The United Touring Company. Before long, Abercrombie and Kent hired her, where she stayed for 15 years. Needing a change, she accepted a job with OAT, where she has been ever since.

 Samantha’s abundant love of her country inspires her to share her culture with the visitors and share the visitors with the local people. The “Ultimate Africa” tour I was on included a visit to a local village where we bought food at the small grocery stores to bring to the family that was going to host us and show us some of their daily activities. 

Also important to her was our visit to the Lukhosi School, where we witnessed how badly needed are desks, computers, and equipment. We also experienced how charming and eager the young students are. We were seated with them, one tourist to a table with two or three students, just to talk and exchange questions about each other’s lives. My little group’s ambitions included a doctor, a teacher, and a lawyer, and one can only hope their dreams can come true.

 We all donated gifts and money to her non-profit. One of Samantha’s previous groups was so affected by their school visit that they set up a fund in her name for donations. Money can still be donated to that fund through OAT. 

3. Ada Shepiadah, Camp Maintenance, Wilderness Safaris

Ada Shepiadah was born in the small town of Maun in Zimbabwe and, as one of 12 children, knew early on that she wanted a better life. I was surprised to learn that she managed to get a diploma in Motor Mechanics and is responsible for the maintenance of the camp. She can fix anything, from broken zippers on the tents to the underside of the jeeps!

Fiercely ambitious (and what is wrong with that?), she is now working at the Santawani Camp in hospitality, serving guests. She says Wilderness Safaris has definitely improved her life. “I just love being out here,” she told me. She has three grown boys and a little girl, again, whom her mother takes care of back home, with the assistance of the two adult boys.

More about the companies I travelled with

Overseas Adventure Travel, or OAT is a leader in the small group experience. With a generous attitude towards solo travelers, OAT’s philosophy is that visitors should experience things, not just see them. To that end, we engaged with local people on quite a personal level. OAT has donated thousands of dollars to the local schools and helped individuals by paying them to talk to the tour groups about their lives and problems, some of which contain controversial subject matter, such as poaching and coal mining.

Another way OAT does good is by eliminating plastic single-use water bottles on all their trips. They provided us with a reusable water bottle and ensured there were safe drinking water sources to fill it.

Wilderness Safaris

Wilderness Safaris builds and staffs the camps and provides the top-notch guides that both protect us and educate us. Founded 40 years ago by two young guides, the company’s main goal is their policy of “non-consumptive conservation tourism,” which continues to generate benefits for the people and wildlife in the areas in which it operates. Their unwavering vision is: “to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife.”

I was impressed that the camps are designed to be light-impact, NOT permanent and are powered by solar. Each cabin has its own little solar panels for lighting and hot water. They also understand the need for the rural children of Africa to learn the importance of conservation and its relevance to them. Hence, the “Children in the Wilderness” program: an environmental and life skills program for local kids, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers.

But best of all, they hire men and women from the local villages and train them over time, giving them life-changing opportunities to gain skills, move up through the ranks and enjoy a better life.

We can all make a difference through travel

We can all make a difference for someone else through our actions. Even small ones. Seeing how tourism has empowered so many women was gratifying, and I felt in getting to know these women and being part of their efforts, I, too, could give back. If one young woman in the African bush can feel encouraged by an octogenarian American tourist, what a gift to give! And what a gift to receive, to feel seen and heard in another part of the world.

Disclaimer: Diana’s trip was NOT sponsored by OAT or Wilderness Safaris. She obtained the permission of these women to share their stories while she was on safari in Africa. This article was also reviewed by a member of our Women’s Travel Advisory Council, Tony Fitzpatrick. 

Read More on Africa