Expedition instead of safari

Great Plains offers real discoveries instead of checklists

They were once thought of as special moments, as those experiences that still give you goosebumps years later: we're talking about safaris. This is exactly how Dereck Joubert experienced his first safari with his father in Mozambique at the age of seven. The experience left its mark; Joubert discovered his love for Africa, the animal world and environmental protection. In 2006, when the little boy from back then was already an adult, he founded the unique and leading tourism conservation organization Great Plains together with his wife Beverly Joubert. The Jouberts' portfolio includes 13 renowned safari lodges that they own and a partner lodge in Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Right from the start, they wanted to do something different. They dedicated themselves to the authentic African experience. Of course, without guests having to compromise on the highest levels of comfort and luxury. The basis for Great Plains' actions has always been a strict moral compass and the considerate treatment of Africa's flora and fauna. While in other camps, guests head out in jeeps and tick off their to-do list to spot the Big Five as if it were the shopping list, Great Plains places great value on deep immersion in the wilderness. With the launch of their new "Great Plains Expeditions - Botswana" program, the Joubert's want to offer their guests an even more intense and authentic safari experience.


Research internship in Africa

"There's nothing quite like feeling like the first explorer in an area and doing it for a reason. Sitting around a fire under billions of stars while lions roar in the distance, sharing the excitement of today and the promise of tomorrow. This is the experience we want to share with our guests with these expeditions," says Dereck Joubert at the launch of Great Plains Expeditions. Specifically, this means that guests will spend five days in Botswana exploring the western and central regions of the private Selinda Reserve, dining under the stars and canoeing along the Selinda Spillway.

In the spirit of a true expedition, guests can truly connect with nature and participate in conservation work and data collection. For example, guests can help the team count elephants and hippos, record GPS coordinates of caves, pangolin sightings and nests of large birds of prey. They also make an important contribution to future conservation efforts by using DNA collection kits, pattern analysis tools and software to identify leopards and greyhounds.

Only eight guests will be able to participate, the travel period is from August 1 to October 31, 2021, price on request.

Further information & booking: www.greatplainsconservation.com