Desert & Delta Safaris, The Pioneers of Female Leadership in Africa That Inspired a Continent
Desert & Delta Safaris, The Originators Of The Female Guiding Movement
The Pioneers Of Female Leadership In Africa That Inspired A Continent
Desert & Delta Safaris is the inspiration for female guides across Africa. The Botswana-based company pioneered the empowerment of women in Africa by being the first safari company on the continent to establish an all-female guiding team at its flagship lodge, Chobe Game Lodge and a record it holds to this day as the only safari company in Africa to maintain a purely female-led guiding team. By empowering women through employment, Desert & Delta Safaris has spearheaded a continent-wide movement of safari lodges hiring female guides. In doing so, they didn't just inspire change; they helped build an entire sector for women in travel, not only across Botswana but across Africa as a whole.
The safari guide industry has long been dominated by men, with the assumption that the physical strength and expert wildlife knowledge required to be a guide could not be achieved by women. Desert & Delta Safaris has quashed this and redefined what it means to be a safari guide. This set a standard, and many other safari companies across Botswana and Africa have followed by employing women, with results proving that having a career in the tourism industry does not have to be a dream; it is a reality. A true innovator and leader, Desert & Delta Safaris has revolutionised the lives of women and girls across the nation.
The mission to inspire women and girls across Africa started at Chobe Game Lodge in 2004 when Florence Kagiso (National Geographic’s ‘The Innovator’ 2021) was hired as the first female guide. Understanding the incredible potential an all-female guide team could have on the local community, the Desert & Delta Safaris team worked tirelessly to employ more women and formed “Chobe’s Angels”, Chobe’s guide team, now consisting of 21 inspirational women.
This work is nothing short of admirable and has caused unimaginably positive effects across Botswana. When Florence was hired, there were just eight qualified female guides in the entire country. Desert & Delta Safaris radically changed this statistic and, consequently, there are now 70–80 female safari guides in Botswana. A staggering testament to the reach of this programme: over two-thirds of all female safari guides in Botswana today can trace the start of their careers back to Chobe Game Lodge. Desert & Delta Safaris didn’t just open a door – it built the entire pathway.
The commitment at Desert & Delta Safaris to women extends far beyond the guiding team. Women are at the very heart of the company – not just in the bush, but in the boardroom and throughout management too. More than 50% of all managerial positions across the company are held by women, from the head office to individual safari camp management teams, where a strong female presence in senior leadership roles is the norm rather than the exception. Desert & Delta Safaris has long understood what the broader industry is only beginning to recognise: that empowering women at every level of an organisation – in guiding, in management, and in leadership – creates stronger teams, better outcomes, and a more sustainable and equitable tourism industry for all.
“I never imagined I would become a guide, let alone head up an entire female guiding team and oversee all safari activities at Chobe Game Lodge. The opportunities Desert & Delta Safaris has opened up – not just for me but for so many others – have been truly life-changing. We have seen waitresses supported through their training to become fully-fledged guides; women who now stand in the bush with confidence, sharing their knowledge and passion with guests from around the world. That is what this company has made possible.” – Tshepiso Vivian Makhwaje (known as Vivian), Environmentalist and Head of Safari Activities, Chobe Game Lodge.
An all-female guide team has been found to create a calm and friendly environment, an atmosphere that particularly makes female solo travellers feel more at ease. It has also been found that female guides take better care of vehicles than male guides. Since Chobe Game Lodge introduced electric game vehicles in November 2014 as part of their commitment to sustainability, the company saw that the vehicles required less regular maintenance.
Safari guiding across Africa has been a male-dominated profession and continues to be. However, the work of Desert & Delta Safaris and the invaluable impacts this has on a grander scale, through inspiring women and girls to pursue a career and paving the way for other companies to follow suit, has had fantastically beneficial results – a movement that continues to grow, not just on International Women’s Day but every day.
About Desert & Delta
One of the original safari operators in Botswana, founded in 1982, The nine Desert & Delta Safaris camps are set in prime locations in northern Botswana’s famous game reserves, national parks & wilderness concessions, with one just across the Chobe River in Namibia’s Eastern Zambezi Region. Together, these luxurious lodges offer an outstandingly diverse safari experience whilst providing the personalised service and attention to detail for which Desert & Delta Safaris is known. Guests are immersed in a safari experience that develops an understanding of the animals, people, and geography of this magnificent country.
At the heart of the company is developing the human potential of tourism in Botswana. The Desert & Delta Safaris CARES philosophy is the foundation on which Desert & Delta Safaris is built, highlighting its core values in developing human potential and building a sustainable tourism model. They employ approximately 320 staff members within the nine safari lodges, and all the guides are recruited from nearby communities. The company places a strong focus on training through a highly successful skills development programme as well as focusing on healthcare, environmental responsibility, and equality.
