October 28, 2024
Conservation Safaris at a Glance
Indigo Safaris arranges tailor-made conservation safaris that connect travellers with the wildlife and community projects supported through the Indigo Earth Foundation, from black rhino tracking in Namibia's Damaraland and Kunene regions to painted dog conservation in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park and elephant and community programmes in Kenya's Maasai Mara. Indigo Safaris commits around 50 per cent of net profit to conservation, education and community causes, and itineraries can be tailored to bring you closer to that work, whether through a guided rhino monitoring visit, a community conservancy stay or a marine conservation add-on.
Conservation Safari Tours
Browse our tailor-made conservation safari tours below, each built around one or more of the destinations and partner organisations described above. Itineraries can focus on a single cause and country, or you can combine several across a wider trip
Destination
Activity
Style
Price
Sort
Wildlife protection and community partnership, built into the itinerary.
Conservation Safaris
A conservation safari puts wildlife protection and community partnership at the centre of the itinerary, rather than as a passing mention. Indigo Safaris built its own giving-back arm, the Indigo Earth Foundation, around exactly this idea, and a conservation safari is the most direct way to see where that support goes: tracking black rhino with a monitoring team in Namibia, learning about painted dog research in Zimbabwe, or staying at a lodge whose fees fund a neighbouring community conservancy.
Every conservation safari is tailored around your interests and the causes that matter most to you, whether that is a single species, a particular country, or the wider link between tourism and the community that lives alongside the wildlife. Your safari expert will match these interests against what each partner organisation can currently accommodate before building the itinerary.
Time in the field with the people and partner organisations doing the work.
Why Choose a Conservation Safari with Indigo Safaris
- 🐾 Time with the people doing the work:
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Itineraries can include visits to anti-poaching units, rhino monitoring teams and community conservancies partnered with Indigo Safaris and the Indigo Earth Foundation.
- 🐾 Species-focused itineraries:
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from black rhino tracking in Namibia to painted dog conservation in Zimbabwe and elephant research in Kenya's Maasai Mara.
- 🐾 Community-led tourism:
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many conservation safaris stay at lodges and camps that channel income directly into the community conservancies that protect the land around them.
- 🐾 Half our net profit, put to work:
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Indigo Safaris commits around 50 per cent of net profit to conservation, education and community causes through the Indigo Earth Foundation.
- 🐾 Tailor-made planning:
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conservation experiences are built into a wider safari around your dates and interests, rather than offered as a single fixed itinerary.
Game drives and guided walks, paired with a conservation-focused activity.
What to Expect
A conservation safari usually combines standard game drives and guided walks with a specific conservation-focused activity, such as joining a rhino monitoring team, visiting a community conservancy, or spending time with a research or anti-poaching unit partnered with the Indigo Earth Foundation. These experiences vary by destination and by what each partner organisation can accommodate, so they are arranged as part of a tailor-made itinerary rather than a fixed package.
Many conservation-linked lodges and camps are themselves community-owned or community-partnered, meaning your stay contributes directly to the conservancy fees and local employment that keep the surrounding land protected. Where a guided monitoring or research visit is included, numbers are kept small and timed around the partner organisation’s own schedule.
Seven countries, ten partner organisations, one shared purpose.
Conservation Safaris by Destination
Conservation experiences differ by country and by the partner organisation working there. The table below sets out where Indigo Safaris currently arranges conservation-focused itineraries.
| Destination | Focus | Partner organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Namibia (north-west Namibia) | Desert-adapted elephant coexistence and free-ranging black rhino protection | EHRA; Save the Rhino Trust |
| Zimbabwe (Hwange) | White and black rhino reintroduction and community-based conservation | Community Rhino Conservation Initiative; Imvelo Trust |
| Kenya (Maasai Mara) | Elephant monitoring and community conservancy support | Mara Elephant Project; The Maa Trust |
| Tanzania (Mafia Island) | Marine conservation and dive career training for young islanders | Dive Training in Tanzania (Indigo Earth Foundation) |
| South Africa | Cheetah rescue, rewilding and research | Ashia Cheetah Conservation |
| Zambia (Kafue National Park) | Biodiversity and habitat protection | Musekese Conservation |
| Uganda | Women’s and children’s empowerment linked to gorilla tourism | Gorilla Junction |
Indigo Safaris' giving-back arm, and where a share of your safari fee goes.
The Indigo Earth Foundation
The Indigo Earth Foundation was established by Indigo Safaris' founder, Christopher Bartlett, a field guide, adventure traveller and underwater photojournalist who has reinvested part of Indigo Safaris' profits into conservation and community projects since founding the company in 2009. Indigo Safaris now gives 50 per cent of its net profits to organisations working across five focus areas: wildlife conservation, marine conservation, community projects, education and humanitarian aid. Wildlife partnerships include Save the Rhino Trust and EHRA in Namibia, the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative and Imvelo Trust in Zimbabwe, and the Mara Elephant Project and The Maa Trust in Kenya, alongside marine and community partners such as Dive Training in Tanzania on Mafia Island, Ischinde Kindergarten and Orphans in the Wild in Tanzania's Mufindi district, Ashia Cheetah Conservation in South Africa, Musekese Conservation in Zambia and Gorilla Junction in Uganda. The Foundation also backs partners outside Indigo Safaris' safari destinations, including Mozambique, Dominica, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea, which are not covered on this page.
What guests ask before booking a conservation safari.
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A conservation safari is a tailor-made itinerary built around wildlife protection and community partnership, such as visiting a rhino monitoring team, an elephant conservation project, or a lodge that channels its fees into a neighbouring community conservancy.
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Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Uganda each have conservation-linked itineraries built around Indigo Earth Foundation partner organisations, covering rhino, elephant, cheetah, marine and biodiversity conservation work, as well as community programmes tied to gorilla tourism in Uganda.
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Indigo Safaris commits around 50 per cent of net profit to conservation, education and community causes through the Indigo Earth Foundation, and many conservation safaris also stay at lodges whose fees fund the community conservancies that protect the surrounding land directly.
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Yes. Conservation-focused activities are built into a wider tailor-made itinerary, so a trip can combine standard game drives with a rhino monitoring visit, a community conservancy stay or a marine conservation add-on.
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Many conservation activities suit families, though age guidance and access vary by partner organisation and destination. Speak to a safari expert when planning so the itinerary matches your group.
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A safari expert matches your interests, whether that is a single species, a specific country or a particular partner organisation, against what each partner can currently accommodate, then builds a tailor-made itinerary around your dates.
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No previous experience is required for most conservation activities, such as a guided rhino monitoring visit or a community conservancy stay. Research and anti-poaching visits are generally limited to small groups and timed around the partner organisation’s own schedule, so numbers and access are confirmed when your itinerary is planned.
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You can build a conservation safari around rhino protection in Namibia and Zimbabwe, elephant conservation and coexistence work in Namibia and Kenya, cheetah conservation in South Africa, biodiversity protection in Zambia, community programmes tied to gorilla tourism in Uganda, or marine conservation and dive training in Tanzania, depending on the destinations and causes that matter most to you.
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The Indigo Earth Foundation is the giving-back arm of Indigo Safaris, founded by Indigo Safaris’ founder Christopher Bartlett as an extension of the profit reinvestment he began when starting the company in 2009. Indigo Safaris now gives 50 per cent of its net profits to selected organisations working in conservation, education and community development.
Ready to Plan Your Conservation Safari?
From rhino tracking in Namibia to marine dive training in Tanzania, Indigo Safaris will help you plan a conservation safari built around the causes and destinations that matter most to you. Start planning or contact us to speak with a safari expert.
Conservation Stories from the Blog
Our blog carries further reading on conservation work across our destinations, alongside stories from the wider Indigo Safaris world. Recent posts are pulled through automatically below.
April 19, 2024
July 26, 2023