Our Responsible Travel Journey

Thirty years of learning, improving

and asking better questions

Responsible travel is not a badge you earn once and then file away. It is an ongoing process. One that changes as the travel industry changes, as destinations develop, and as we learn more about the impact of the journeys we create.

Cedarberg Africa has been planning tailor-made holidays for 30 years. Over that time, we have seen African tourism change enormously. Small safari camps have become leaders in conservation. Community-owned reserves have grown in confidence. Travellers have become more thoughtful about where their money goes. And the best lodges now understand that luxury and responsibility can sit very comfortably together.

We are still learning too.

Choosing the right partners: how Cedarberg chooses & reviews its suppliers

We do not own lodges or run conservation areas ourselves. Our influence lies in the partners we choose to support. That means asking more of our suppliers and looking beyond the brochure image.

In general we like to support smaller camps & lodges with a lighter footprint. If these are locally owned, even better.

We want to understand how a lodge or camp approaches:

  • Local employment and staff development
  • Community partnerships
  • Conservation fees and wildlife protection
  • Avoiding exploitative wildlife interactions
  • Water, waste and energy use
  • Plastic reduction
  • Cultural sensitivity
  • Ethical wildlife experiences
  • Long-term land stewardship
  • Support for local guides, makers and small businesses

Some properties are already doing exceptional work. Others are at an earlier stage. Our job is to know the difference and guide our clients honestly. We want to give honest feedback, not just green-washing.

“Nature is our biggest ally and greatest inspiration.”

David Attenborough

Designing Better Safaris

Making footprints that matter!

Responsible travel is also about itinerary design.

That may mean staying longer in fewer places, trying to use lodges that contribute directly to conservation, travelling in shoulder season where possible, or combining celebrated highlights with lesser-known regions that benefit from tourism.

It may also mean being honest about trade-offs. Africa is a vast continent, and many journeys involve long-haul flights and unavoidable internal travel. We cannot remove that impact entirely.

But we can plan carefully, reduce unnecessary backtracking, and make sure that your safari trip brings meaningful value to the destinations visited.

Our Own Story

Cedarberg Africa began as a small family-run business in rural South Africa. That local grounding still shapes us.

Some of our team members have been with us for many years. Many live in Clanwilliam or nearby communities. Our long-standing support for Lemoenland Pre-School grew directly out of seeing a need close to home. Our support for the Cape Leopard Trust reflects our connection with the Cederberg mountains. And our Greenpop partnership gives every booking a small but tangible environmental contribution.

We do not claim to have all the answers. But we do care, and we are actively working to make our choices clearer, better and more useful to our clients.

A few milestones:

1995 โ€” Cedarberg Africa begins as a family-run specialist travel company rooted in South Africa.

2001 โ€” Lemoenland Pre-School is established to support early childhood education for children from local farming communities.

Over the years โ€” Cedarberg Africa grows into a specialist African travel company, while keeping its personal, hands-on approach.

Today โ€” We support Lemoenland Pre-School, the Cape Leopard Trust and Greenpop. We are collecting information on our suppliers sustainability initiatives, and developing how we can better assess, and communicate that supplier sustainability.

Next โ€” We are working towards clearer guidance for clients who want their African journey to have a stronger positive impact.

Ask us to recommend lodges, camps and experiences
that align with your values as well as your travel style. Chat to Us

Our Partners

What we started way back in 2001 – as a way to provide pre-school education for farmworker’s children – is now a thriving centre for growth and development of children who live in the Clanwilliam, a farming town in the Cederberg.ย 

Learn more about our mission involving Lemoenland HERE.

The Cape Leopard Trust is an active predator conservation working group.ย CLT focuses primarily on the study and continued conservation of the elusive, and endangered, Cape leopard.

Learn more about how we support those conserving the animals living in our local regions HERE.

Greenpop is on a mission to plant trees, green communities and empower environmental stewards across sub-Saharan Africa. What began as an urban greening project in the city centres has now expanded into fynbos planting and reforestation.ย Learn more about how we are getting our hands dirty with Greenpop HERE.