ecotourism operator | |
Traded as | WIL () |
Industry | tourism |
Founded | 1983 |
Founders | Colin Bell, Chris McIntyre |
Headquarters | Gaborone, Botswana |
Key people
|
Keith Vincent, CEO Dave Bennett, Chief Sales Officer |
Website | www |
Wilderness Safaris is an ecotourism operator, headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. It operates camps and mobile safaris across eight countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Seychelles. Known for its ongoing conservation work, the company is helping to conserve at least 40 species that fall within the top three threatened categories of the IUCN Red List.
Through the Wilderness Wildlife Trust, Wilderness Safaris funds more than 50 conservation projects every year and it is also a main sponsor of Children in the Wilderness, a non-profit organisation that facilitates sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa.
Wilderness Safaris was founded in Botswana in 1983 by two overland safari guides – Colin Bell and Chris McIntyre. It was the first tour operator of its kind to form a registered company in Botswana, with operations based out of Maun, south of the Okavango Delta.
The Wilderness Safaris interpretation of ecotourism is structured around the 4Cs, a concept adopted from the Long Run Initiative of Jochen Zeitz: a balance of commerce, conservation, community and culture.
Wilderness Safaris’ philosophy is to minimise their impact on the environment and to proactively contribute to the conservation of threatened species in the areas in which they operate.