With its rich natural beauty and opportunities for breathtaking encounters like nowhere else, Africa has always captivated the hearts of inquisitive and adventurous souls.

Yet with rarity comes fragility, and many of Africa’s wonders–unique within our world—are in crucial need of protection.

In the continent’s interiors, where the call of the wild resonates through the air, respite exists within great sanctuaries where luxury and conservation intertwine. Diligently developed over several decades, these retreats are vital to the upkeep and protection of the habitats that are home to Africa’s incredible wildlife.

Travelling between these landscapes with Based On A True Story can deepen your connection to the natural world. With our established network and robust relationships on the ground, we can work closely with you to identify your personal interests, designing an ultra-personalised journey that allows you to understand and contribute to critical conservation projects.

Using the luxurious lodges of Africa’s conservancies as a base ensures that you experience your uniquely curated safari not only in unparalleled comfort but also with the profound satisfaction of making an impact in an environment with critical conservation needs.

In a world where privacy is a luxury, African conservancies offer an unparalleled retreat in the embrace of nature.

With their boundaries encompassing vast swathes of habitat in regions where the need for conservation is ever present, these reserves provide a safe haven for wildlife with minimal human disturbance.

By prioritising environmental conservation and local community development, these conservancies can offer authentic and immersive experiences while ensuring the landscapes they inhabit are sustainably protected in the long term. 

Wilderness Guardians: Great Plains

Among the key leaders in African conservancies, Great Plains combines environmental conservation, tangible benefits for local communities, and life-changing safari experiences to fund enormous tracts of protected land. 

Boasting some of the finest properties in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe, Great Plains was founded almost 20 years ago by multi-award-winning conservationists, filmmakers, and National Geographic Explorers-at-Large Beverly and Dereck Joubert, who have been filming, researching, and exploring Africa for over 40 years.

With an ethos that conservation comes above all else, their ultimate goal is to protect Africa’s precious lands and animals, a mission that is sustained by their visitors.

From the comfort of stunningly designed and deeply luxurious lodges and camps, guests discover the profound awe of witnessing Africa’s wildlife in its natural habitat. The thrill of seeing a pride of lions on the hunt, the grace of giraffes moving across the plains, or the silent strength of a rhinoceros—it’s a connection that stays with you, inspiring a lifelong commitment to conservation.

By prioritising quality over quantity, Great Plains ensure that every guest leaves with a deeper appreciation of nature and a desire to protect it. However, at the heart of their success is their commitment to the local communities that are integral to this conservation story.

Every guest’s journey here supports the education, healthcare, and livelihoods of the people who rightfully own this land. Creating an environment where nature and humanity thrive together and a model of sustainable tourism that is both inspiring and impactful.

A Jewel in the Okavango Delta

Duba Plains Camp is one of Great Plains Conservation’s flagship projects, located in the heart of the unique Okavango Delta ecosystem. 

A sprawling inland river delta in northern Botswana, the Okavango is an intricate mosaic of permanent marshlands, seasonal floodplains, lagoons, and forested islands. Visible from space as a blue and green patch surrounded by desert landscapes, it is known as the jewel of the Kalahari.

During the region’s dry season, these floodplains swell to immense proportions, creating a refuge for huge concentrations of wildlife, including some of the world’s rarest and most endangered mammals, like African elephants, African wild dogs, leopards, and lions.

Nestled within a private 33-hectare reserve, Duba Plains Camp offers just five stunning suites, each perfectly positioned with views across the surrounding floodplains.

This ultra-exclusive camp evokes a classic 1920s African safari style, making it the perfect setting for a family immersion into the classic Botswanan safari experience.

Intimate Wilderness Retreats

For those seeking even more privacy, Great Plains has designed a collection of exquisite two-bedroom suites that enable guests to enjoy the ultimate secluded safari. 

The Duba Plains Suite, the Dhow Suite at Zarafa, the Selinda Suite on the banks of the Selinda Spillway, and their latest opening, Sitatunga Private Island Suite, all offer an ideal hideaway for honeymoon couples or small families. 

With access to private vehicles, wildlife guides, butlers, and chefs, these suites maintain the perfect balance between luxury and adventure, embodying a true sense of remoteness whilst ensuring absolute comfort. 

Although game drives offer the quintessential safari experience, the region’s waterways offer unique opportunities for up-close encounters with animals by boat, canoe, or mokoro (traditional dugout canoes). 

Guests can also explore on horseback or from the air on scenic helicopter and hot air balloon safaris, with each exploration designed to place you in front of the best wildlife that the area has to offer.

Beyond the Okavango, Great Plains has protected conservancies in neighbouring Zimbabwe, such as Tembo Plains Camp and Mpala Jena, positioned on the banks of the Zambezi River, plus several exquisite camps, lodges, and suites in Kenya’s magnificent Maasai Mara and Chyulu Hills National Park. 

Each of these conservancies holds strategic partnerships with like-minded organisations who collaborate to face the conservation challenges in the local region and beyond.

Visionary Initiatives

As the founders of the groundbreaking Rhinos Without Borders initiative, which has relocated numerous rhinos from areas where poaching risk is high to safety, the Jouberts are true visionaries in Africa’s conservation sphere.

The Great Plains Foundation also created the Big Cat Initiative, which aims to preserve habitat for big cats like lions, cheetahs, and leopards. It has now funded more than 150 projects in 28 countries worldwide. Additionally, Project Rewild Zambezi, has already relocated over 100 elephants, 200 impala, and several giraffes and has ambitious plans for the coming years.

Participating in these relocations and gaining an up-close and intimate connection with Africa’s incredible wildlife is a transformative experience that only a very select few people on Earth will ever be able to access. With our network of close contacts in the field, Based On A True Story can enable this dream, placing you at the core of this legendary conservation effort.

Female Power for Conservation

Women have become central to Africa’s conservation strategies in the past decade. In line with this is the Great Plains Foundation’s most recently founded program, Project Ranger, which supports all-female anti-poaching operations throughout Africa.

Recruited from local communities, female rangers receive training, education, and sustainable employment. This allows them to improve their livelihoods and gain empowerment while making strides in the critical protection of wildlife and natural resources.

Female rangers have proven to be more capable of peacefully de-escalating conflicts with local people. With nurturing instincts that naturally transfer to protecting the environment where their families can thrive, their power goes beyond their work in the field. Mothers also teach their children the value of keeping their local wildlife and environments alive and thriving for generations.

The rise of the All-Female Anti-Poaching Unit has become an essential tool in the fight against illegal poaching. From the Black Mambas, who protect the iconic wildlife of South Africa’s Kruger National Park without guns or other weapons, to Zimbabwe’s Akashinga Conservation Army, trained in military warfare tactics, the female ranger unit model is being developed into a template that can be expanded across the continent.

These female ranger teams have now been utilised throughout Africa, with many conservancies employing their own band of rescuers. From Cottar’s Camp in Kenya to Ol Jogi, female rangers are significantly impacting essential conservation efforts.

Bonding Within Nature 

An African exploration with Based On A True Story offers a life-changing experience; we create adventures that go way beyond the typical safari to provide an engaging collection of rewarding and bonding experiences for families and friends.

Combining the finest luxury private safari lodges with specially set up Hemingway-style luxury camps, we deepen your experience of Africa by placing you within the most breathtaking locations and designing an array of creative and unforgettable daily activities and encounters. 

Immersed within awe-inspiring landscapes and matched with world-expert hosts, children and adults alike can learn about charismatic wildlife, ancient cultures, and the importance of conserving these magnificent natural wonders.

Our dedicated team can also create a philanthropic strategy, ensuring that your journey supports local people and environments in a lasting and meaningful way.

With all logistics and comforts expertly coordinated, this is the perfect opportunity to explore in comfort, safety and exclusivity, free to enjoy being together in the moment and let the days flow seamlessly.