Sustainability is Key at Selinda

The Selinda Game Reserve falls under the umbrella of The Great Plains Conservation company. After visiting their various camps in Botswana, I have no doubt that they are fulfilling their mission: to find the right formula between conservation, communities and commerce.

There are a number of initiatives that this company has undertaken to reduce their footprint. Not only are they concerned about conserving the land and the animals but they are also trying to devise systems to reduce the impact that their guests create while visiting this vast and beautiful land.

Do you ever wonder what happens to all of your waste when you are staying at a beautiful lodge in the bush? Or even a luxurious hotel anywhere in the world?

If you are at Selinda, you might even have a meal cooked on the bio-gas that is produced by a mixture of human waste, elephant and hippo dung and kitchen scraps.

How to cook a meal on pure waste…human, hippo and elephant poo!

Do you ever consider how you can have electricity in your room or hot water in your shower? Selinda and Zarafa are beautiful camps that do not try to hide the fact that they use solar power to heat their geysers. This set of panels was right outside my tent.

My hot water source

Zarafa goes even further by having a full solar power station. Pete, one of the reserve’s mangers, was kind enough to show me how the system works. Amazingly, enough with a bank of solar panels and batteries, the camp is almost 100% self-sufficient. LED lighting is used throughout the camp and yes, ladies there are even low voltage Baby Bliss hairdryers available in all the tents!

Pete and Mary checking out the power

Zarafa power station

Zarafa batteries

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