What is conservation travel?
Conservation travel is a form of travel that makes a direct and measurable contribution to protecting wildlife and the natural environment. Unlike standard tourism, it goes beyond simply being low impact. Instead, your journey actively supports conservation projects such as wildlife research, habitat restoration, rehabilitation centres, anti-poaching work, and community-led initiatives.
At its core, conservation travel is about:
- Direct support for conservation outcomes (e.g. wildlife, habitats, biodiversity protection)
- Support for people connected with conservation (e.g. local communities, conservation staff, researchers, educators, rehabilitators)
- Educational and ethical engagement for travellers
At its best, conservation travel provides opportunities for hands-on participation and financial support for real conservation projects, delivering a positive impact on wildlife, habitats, and local communities.
This definition is grounded in leading research on ecotourism and conservation tourism, particularly Wearing & Neil’s Ecotourism (2009) and Buckley’s Conservation Tourism (2010), and is supported by more recent studies emphasising ethical governance, measurable conservation outcomes, and local community benefits (Samal, 2023; Miller et al., 2023; Torsney et al., 2025).
How is conservation travel or wildlife volunteering different from a safari?
A safari is usually about observing wildlife for enjoyment, photography, or education. While safaris can offer valuable experiences, the best interests of wildlife and ecosystems are not always the main priority.
Conservation travel goes further by combining meaningful travel with direct and measurable contributions to conservation. Rather than being a passive observer, you play an active role through hands-on participation and financial support - assisting with research, restoring habitats, supporting rehabilitation, and funding local conservation staff - ensuring your experience delivers real benefits for wildlife, ecosystems, and communities.
How do you select conservation project partners?
We carefully select only sustainable, long-term projects with proven positive impacts on wildlife and communities. We have clear criteria that our partners need to meet before we place any travellers with them. These include providing meaningful roles for our travellers, delivering measurable positive impacts on wildlife and communities, and having clear and effective health and safety protocols. We regularly visit every project and carry out an annual evaluation to ensure they continue to meet these criteria.
All of our partner animal rehabilitation centres strictly adhere to the animal welfare guidelines set by SATSA and ABTA. Additionally, we only partner with wildlife research projects in Africa that either maintain fully self-sustaining animal populations or operate under a model we call "assisted sustainable", where minimal human support helps ensure long-term viability. This commitment guarantees that animals live as naturally as possible while upholding the highest standards of care, conservation value, and ethical treatment.