Where will you be this world tourism day?

World Tourism Day is coming - where will you be? As one of the Karoo game lodges most heavily involved in local conservation efforts, this is always a great time of year at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, and the perfect opportunity to celebrate all things African through ethical tourism at our 4-star game Lodge.

What is World Tourism Day, anyway?

Celebrated every year on the 27th of September since 1980, World Tourism Day is the brainchild of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. The date memorialized, the day the UNWTO adopted its statutes, a milestone for tourism globally.World Tourism Day isn’t just about celebrating travel, though. The idea is to raise awareness around tourist-focused issues and shine a spotlight on how tourism has positive effects that ripple through the world - be it in society, culturally, politically or economically.

Travel the world, change the world

With this in mind, there’s no wonder we at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge love World Tourism Day. It fits beautifully with our view of travel as a holistic entity, helping to empower local communities and preserve our precious living heritage for our children. We believe it’s the duty of African game lodges like our own to help guide the positive future of tourism, while still making sure visitors have the time of their life.

Are you keen to celebrate World Tourism Day with Buffelsdrift Game Lodge?

Why just enjoy the local wildlife like a ‘true’ tourist? Why not broaden your travels into something even more meaningful? Buffelsdrift Game Lodge is proud to be a contributing member of a wide range of programs which focus on captive care, rescue and rehabilitation of our gorgeous local wildlife. Although many of our visitors choose it as the perfect way to spend a gap year, or an extended holiday, our minimum stay is only 2 weeks. September is a great time to be in the bush, watching as the seasons transition and your surroundings come to life again after the long cold of winter.All our volunteers work with qualified facilitators, experiencing all facets of the conservation process. You’ll learn more about the animal kingdom, why animals behave as they do, what goes into rescue and rehab, how to meet the unique needs of animals in captive care or rehabilitation through enrichment, nature-focused diets, controlled relocation and more. You’ll also gain invaluable insight into how modern ethical tourism helps manage human-animal conflicts, and how tourism done right can create a safe, positive environment for all - including community upliftment through our school support program.

Conservation through tourism - why your travels matter

Even if you aren’t able to participate directly in our volunteer programs, know that your tourist efforts at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge are helping to create a better planet for us all. That’s why we founded the Buffelsdrift Foundation, hoping to shape a future where humans and animals live together peacefully. We support a huge variety of nature-focused programs, but all carry the same message of hope and optimism for a brighter future. Our focus is on ethical tourism that leaves both our visitors and our natural heritage better off than before.We’re sure you won’t fail to notice the 3 largest members of the Buffelsdrift team - they’re hard to miss, after all! But did you know that our three elephants, homed at the reserve as they are unsuitable for wild release, are the poster-children for our efforts in the Buffelsdrift N/a’an Kusê foundation? This specialist foundation helps support the elephants of the Mangetti Reserve in North-Eastern Namibia. Through non-intrusive monitoring, collars and camera traps, conservationists can track and support the herd, as well as manage local conflicts, without impinging on the lives of these wild animals.Celebrate the true heritage of World Tourism Day with Buffelsdrift Game Lodge. Not only can you enjoy some of the best holiday packages and safaris at this spectacular time of year, but you can help shape a brighter future for our wildlife too.