Looking for the right Safari lodge can be a bit of a challenge.

Firstly there are the different titles for fundamentally one form of accommodation.  There’s almost no difference between a safari lodge, a game lodge, a camp, although the camps may be canvas rather than permanent they are almost always far to luxurious to live up to their name.  

African safaris are usually pretty expensive, this mainly due to most Safari lodges are geared towards offering a trip of a lifetime or honeymoons so people lucky enough to go on safari want it to an amazing experience, so the Safari Lodges cater to that level of expectation. 

When you read the promotional material of safari lodges the term the big five will keep appearing this is a group of large game animals that are deemed to be the animals which are must to see while on safari.  The term was initially coined by game hunters referring to the most difficult to hunt, even in these enlightened times the term has survived and is comprised of Lions, African elephants, Cape buffalo, leopards and rhinos.  

Obviously there is a wealth of wildlife to see aside from these five types of large mammal, but "the big five" is often used as a way of communicating that a safari lodge can cater for all your wildlife watching needs, the term can be understood, to really mean, that within a specific game reserve or national park, there is a wealth of wildlife, which will can hope to see such as, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, mongooses, vervet monkeys, baboons and the list goes on.  But as the big five have the share same bush habitat as other animals, guests staying at a safari lodge usually expect to see this as a complement to the core animals of interest.  

The concept of an eco safari is one that is starting to take hold amongst the safari lodges of Eastern and Southern Africa.  The logic of safari lodges turning to ecotourism makes perfect sense, as most of them operate from the point of view of conservation of the immediate wildlife around them.  

Many lodge operators also know that if they also try to protect and limit the impact their lodge has on the wider environment, the more appealing their lodge will be to many of their guests.  So many lodges are turning to the principles of ecotourism in a more universal sense; namely thinking about the natural environment, the treatment of waste, renewable energy and the use of renewable building materials.  

When it comes to community involvement many, safari lodges are years ahead of some the more environmentally focused eco safari lodges.  Many  socially minded safari lodges take pride in their fair treatment of staff, their development efforts for the surrounding community and their contribution to local non governmental organisations.  

Eco Tourism and Ethical Practices are growing in the Safari world, South Africa has it's own Ethical and EcoTourism Organisation, there is also the an Organisation which takes in all the countries of Southern Africa.  In East Africa, Kenya has lead the way with its own Ecotourism Organisation, which has been used by a Safari Lodge in neighbouring Tanzania for certification purposes.  Tanzania is currently developing an organisation dedicated to certify and promotw Eco Tourism and Ethical Practices.  

In short there are lots choices open to those seeking an eco-friendly or ethical safari, and it is important to take your time before choosing which one option to go with.