Ethical Safari i used to think “safari” just meant pretty photos and gin tonics at sunset. then i watched a captive elephant sway in chains at a tourist camp in thailand and wanted to yeet myself into the sun. never again. here’s how i safari now without hating myself later.
The Time I Accidentally Paid for Animal Abuse
chiang mai, 2014. thought i was “riding elephants ethically.” turns out the place still used bullhooks when nobody was looking. cried in the taxi the whole way back. that day ruined ignorant tourism for me forever.
Red Flags vs Green Flags (Literally Wrote This on a Napkin in Nairobi)
RED FLAGS (run)
- elephant/lion/cheetah rides or walks
- cub petting or “voluntourism” with baby animals
- venues that let you take selfies touching wildlife
- anything called “sanctuary” that breeds or trades animals
- places that guarantee sightings (means they bait or stress animals)
GREEN FLAGS Ethical Safari (book immediately)
- 100% viewing from vehicle or on foot with armed ranger
- camp contributes real money to anti-poaching or community projects
- they cap vehicles per sighting (max 5 is the gold standard)
- local staff actually get paid fairly and have health insurance
- they’re brutally honest when animals aren’t around
Where My Money Actually Goes Now Ethical Safari
- Lewa Conservancy, Kenya → every bed night funds armed ranger patrols
- Ol Pejeta, Kenya → last three northern white rhinos on earth + amazing community programs
- Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Namibia → community-owned, rescues orphans, zero riding
- African Parks managed places (Zakouma, Liwonde, etc.) → they literally bring species back from extinction
- Ruaha Carnivore Project camps, Tanzania → your coffee money tracks wild dogs
Stupidly Simple Ways to Not Be the Worst
- tip guides and trackers directly (most make $15/day)
- stay longer at one camp instead of bouncing everywhere (less carbon)
- fly economy (fewer emissions than business class, fight me)
- buy carbon offsets that aren’t total BS (check gold standard ones)
- don’t post exact locations of endangered animals online (poachers have instagram too)
Camps I’d Sell My Left Kidney to Support Ethical Safari
- Cottar’s 1920s Camp, Kenya (old-school luxury, funds community scouts)
- Asilia’s camps in Ruaha (part of carbon-neutral push, insane wild dog viewing)
- Great Plains Conservation properties (they literally buy land to protect it)
- Wilderness Safaris (pays to lease land from communities so they don’t have to sell to cattle ranchers)
i still drink gin tonics at sunset. i just know the ice was made with solar power and the money i spent helped pay a ranger who stopped three poachers last month.
ethical safari travel isn’t about being perfect. it’s about not making it worse.
which camp or conservancy do you swear by? drop it below because i’m planning 2026 and my bank account is already crying.
now excuse me while i go re-read my own list and judge past-me for that elephant ride again. send tissues and actual conservation donations.
