Sustainability
At Sausage Tree Safari Camp, we believe that sustainability is about making thoughtful choices every day — caring for the environment, supporting our local communities and helping protect the wild places we are privileged to call home.
Caring for our environment
We continually look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Our camp is solar powered, helping us reduce our reliance on conventional energy while ensuring that the lights stay on. We recycle wherever possible, minimise waste, conserve water and energy and make a conscious effort to reduce our use of plastic.
For us sustainability is not about being perfect. It is about making better choices wherever we can and encouraging our guests to do the same.
What we commit to
Sausage Tree is solar-powered. We employ staff from the surrounding communities, procure supplies locally where possible, and clear alien plants while nurturing the indigenous flora that belongs in this reserve.
Every booking with Sausage Tree contributes R50 to Daktari Bush School, the local conservation-education programme we have supported since the camp opened. We also support the Black Mambas anti-poaching unit, and promote guest visits to the Nourish Eco-Village community project in nearby Hoedspruit.
Pack for a Purpose
We are members of Pack for a Purpose — an initiative that lets travellers carry a small quantity of supplies in their luggage to support projects at their destination. If you have a few kilos of space, please get in touch ahead of arrival for the current Daktari and Nourish supply list.
Measuring What Matters
Sausage Tree uses Baotree to help us collect, manage and understand our water, waste and energy data in one place.
We track our progress over time so that we can make more informed decisions and keep improving the way we measure our impact.
Supporting our community and conservation partners
We are proud to support a number of local initiatives that are making a meaningful difference to people, wildlife and the future of our natural environment.
Daktari Bush School
Our support of Daktari is particularly close to our hearts, as two of our wonderful Sausage Tree team members are Daktari graduates. Karrine, one of our Front of House ladies, and Kabelo, our Assistant Chef, both attended Daktari — inspiring youth to protect nature and shape their future — and went on to become valued members of our team. It is incredibly rewarding to see the opportunities created through Daktari come full circle here at Sausage Tree.
We support their environmental education programme through donations, our Pack for a Purpose initiative and game drives for the children. We also contribute R50 from every booking at Sausage Tree to Daktari, helping them inspire local, underprivileged children to care for and protect their environment.
Pack for a Purpose
Through Pack for a Purpose, our guests can make a big difference simply by packing a little extra in their luggage. Some much-needed supplies such as school books, basic medical kit items, toiletries and stationery support local community and educational initiatives such as Daktari and Nourish Eco Village — a small gesture can make a big difference. Kindly get in touch for their supply lists.
Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit
We are so proud to support the Black Mambas — an inspiring and the world’s first all-women anti-poaching unit based right here in Olifants West and dedicated to protecting our wildlife and our precious natural heritage. They patrol, unarmed, using their presence and local knowledge to deter poachers and have significantly reduced incidents of snaring and poaching. It is thanks to them that the black and white rhino population, as well as all the animals on the Olifants West Nature Reserve, are protected — and part of why the wildlife you come to see is still here.
Their work extends beyond just anti-poaching, helping to create awareness and stronger connections between local communities and conservation, and empowering women from underserved communities to become leaders in conservation.
The Bush Babies
Rooted in Nature, Growing for the Future
An environmental education programme within the Greater Kruger National Park that inspires children from an early age to connect with and care for their natural environment through real-life experiences, education and time spent in nature. By giving children the opportunity to learn and explore they are helping to nurture the next generation of environmental stewards.
We were delighted to recently donate 100 copies of ‘Thandi’s Tales’, a book created and illustrated by our very own Matilda Carne, in collaboration with Lewyn Maefala, founder of the Bush Babies. This beautiful story brings together nature, learning and local voices and is available for purchase at our camp.
Read it with your children. Start the journey early.
Nourish Eco Village
Nourish Eco Village is a local initiative focused on sustainable living, education, food production and community development, demonstrating how people and nature can thrive alongside one another. They create real options, from early learning and meals to skills and small business support, so families can rise out of poverty with dignity.
With a deep-rooted understanding built over years of hands-on work with rural communities, Nourish built their eco-village to provide a place where community members can access learning, skills training and income-generating opportunities, and strengthen local support for conservation. Nourish warmly welcomes visitors for immersive learning and meaningful cultural exchanges, so if you would like to explore a new culture or grow a new skill, please plan a visit.
Making a difference, together
We believe that every choice matters — from the way we operate our camp to the organisations we choose to support — and when our guests join us in these efforts, the impact becomes even greater.
Together, we can help protect the bush we love, support the communities around us and leave a lighter footprint for generations to come.
