Overtourism in Africa

Recent media reports about aggressive tourism and overcrowding in the Kenyan Masai Mara has put the spotlight on a much larger problem in sub-Saharan Africa. With travelers worldwide looking for authentic and untouched experiences, could Africa become a victim of its own success? Could it be destroying the pristine wilderness it is selling?

The focus on aggressive tourism in Kenya follows a report in the New York Times in January highlighting the practices of some tour guides in the Masai Mara, captured on video and circulated on social media. The footage shows two cheetahs taking down an antelope. Seconds later, dozens of safari vehicles close in on the animals, with guides hoping to enable their passengers to get that one perfect photograph. 

The article, and others like it, created a PR nightmare for Kenya and for safari operators, tourism players said. But it is a nightmare that many said deserves attention.

“Overcrowding has become a problem on many African safaris,” said Mefi Pishori Alapat, safari designer for Journey to Africa. She said that in smaller ecosystems like the Masai Mara and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, there are often more than 200 vehicles in a small area, with every vehicle competing to get a better view. “It’s not good for the wildlife nor for the safety of guests, as they are racing for the best spot.”

Brian Heath, CEO of the Mara Conservancy, said that tourism growth in the Mara has been explosive. A recent audit showed there are currently 49 tourism facilities in the reserve as well as 153 camps located just outside it. That’s 5,800 beds in about 600 square miles of wilderness. A lot of newly built camps lack the proper licenses and approvals from the government, he said, and numerous “guides” in the reserve lack any accreditation. 

The situation has a direct impact not only on the visitor experience and the image of Africa but also on its wildlife. According to Heath, tourism development in the Mara has resulted in a decline in both the number of wildebeests and in the time they spend in the reserve during the migration.

Overtourism, especially in Africa’s national parks, is not a new problem nor is it exclusive to Kenya. There are several reasons for this. 

Mohanjeet Brar, managing director for Gamewatchers Safaris, said that intra-Africa travel has increased along with the continent’s population, which is expected to double in the next 30 years.

“There’s a growing middle class, with many [people]wanting to explore and experience the sites in their country and within the African continent,” Brar said.

There is also growing demand from international source markets, as travelers are unleashing pent-up demand for bucket list trips like safaris. All of this has led to investors and communities seeing opportunities for more camps, lodges and vehicles.

The reality, said Brar and other operators in Africa, is that uncontrolled growth isn’t sustainable unless one increases the size of the habitat for wildlife. 

“How many more vehicles can the Ngorongoro Crater take?” said Ian Michler, director of Invent Africa Safaris. “How many more lodges should be allowed in the Sabi Sand? And how many more people can be crammed into the Masai Mara during the annual river crossings?” 

Well-managed tourism has many positive impacts, Michler added, but the growing number of visitors heading to wild places poses the ultimate conundrum for the safari or ecotourism sector.

“It’s the ‘elephant-in-the-room’ issue,” he said. “As we chase the rainbow, marketing efforts and annual tourism growth targets get ratcheted up. But under current models, I don’t believe these challenges can be met in any meaningful way or on a widespread scale. And in the meantime, we increasingly degrade much of what we claim to be championing.”

Michler argues that the entire ecotourism model needs rethinking, including questions around funding and the role of governments as custodians of natural heritage. “Protecting the environment needs to be prioritized to similar levels such as those of health and education, which ensures it gets funding and technical support matching,” he said.

Chris Roche, co-founder and marketing director of Wild Expeditions Africa, says ecotourism has an important role to play, even if the concept is under threat from its own success. Among the challenges in Africa is the need for tourism to generate revenue to protect wildlife areas and support local economies. 

“This is often used to justify significant developments, and of course these developments are preferable to less sustainable alternatives like mining, hydropower damming, industrial-scale agriculture and the like,” he said. “The conundrum we are faced with is whether these undiscovered or undisturbed places will survive if we do not give people access to them and in turn generate revenue for their protection.”

In Kenya, the matter has the attention of the government, and there are signs of change on the horizon. A new tourism plan presented by the Mara Conservancy and other stakeholders was adopted this month by the Narok County government (home to the Masai Mara) and includes new regulations, policing guidelines and licensing requirements for camps and guides.

Gamewatchers Safaris’ Brar said Narok’s new governor is committed to ensuring the experience in the Mara reserve improves and that he has already taken important steps, such as installing a new senior warden for the park who is taking strong actions to improve the situation. 

Susan Ongalo, CEO of the Kenya Tourism Federation, said the government is looking at measures such as ticketing systems restricting travelers to visits of only four to five hours. There is also a clear drive to improve regulations that include periodic traffic closures in overcrowded areas and regulating tourism groups. Furthermore, the government is looking to diversify tourism offerings to encourage travel to lesser-known areas of the country.

Are private conservancies the answer? 

Most Africa specialists in the U.S. say their clients are not immediately affected by the overcrowding problem because they visit private concessions and conservancies. 

These privatized areas are usually in or adjacent to national parks, and their unfenced boundaries let animals roam freely between the areas. Access is restricted to guests staying at private lodges or camps within the concession.

Samantha McClure, owner of Austin, Texas-based Small World Travel, said her agency only uses camps on private concessions away from the high-traffic areas. The same is true for Raza Visram of AfricanMecca Safaris, who says private concessions offer excellent low-density experiences. 

Brar said the conservancies, which he said amount to 12% of Kenya’s land mass, bring “huge benefits to communities and wildlife — a true success story.” 

In other parts of Africa, private game reserves have also helped keep overcrowding in check. Don Scott, owner of Tanda Tula, said private reserves in the greater Kruger area of South Africa have for many years operated with strict game drive and walking protocols. “All activities are led by qualified guides who are required to hold certain minimum qualifications before they are permitted to guide in these areas. Anyone caught breaking the rules of the game drive or walking protocols is firmly dealt with,” he said. 

A criticism of private game reserves and conservancies is that they tend to carry a hefty price tag and thus are not within reach of everyone. 

Nicole Robinson, the chief marketing officer for
AndBeyond, which also operates in private conservancies, said tourism has and should continue to drive revenue within national parks to ensure their conservation and longevity. 

“Safaris and experiencing Africa’s natural areas and wildlife regions should never become an experience which is reserved for people of a specific income bracket,” she said. “It is an important way for people from all over the world to engage with nature and the natural world.”

And Michler of Invent Africa Safaris said that while private conservancies may build smaller lodges and have lighter footprints, their numbers continue to grow. 

“All categories of tourism are involved in the problem of overtourism, including conservancies, as we all seek profit and growth,” he said. “The use of well-trained guides and an attempt at adhering to ‘best practices’ and environmental ethics are mitigating factors, but very few operators are going to shun opportunities to expand in favor of protecting the environment.” 

The myth of an ‘untouched’ Africa

It’s easy to point fingers at governments for not enforcing rules, safari guides for irresponsibly approaching wildlife or lodge owners for overbuilding, but travelers and the travel trade also bear responsibility. 

The industry has helped create a myth that all travelers can expect to see Africa’s most iconic species under the most natural of conditions.

“The truth is that in many instances, travelers simply become one of those adding to the throng cajoling their guide or driver, often naive or poorly trained, into harassing wildlife for that perfect photograph,” Michler said.

Travel advisors can help by educating their clients prior to their trips, said Elizabeth Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Extraordinary Journeys. 

“Guides feel pressure from clients who are looking for the best picture — thank you, Instagram,” Gordon said. “It is also disappointing when clients ask if they can pet animals on their trips. Travelers need to understand that these animals are wild, they are not supposed to be pets.” 

Marcelo Novais, business development manager for Grand Africa Safaris, agreed, emphasizing the importance of educating clients that they will be in the wild and that animals need space to follow their natural instincts. 

“They need to know that they are the spectators here. This type of knowledge gives travelers the opportunity to better understand the animals and their habitats,” he said. 

Unfortunately, travelers often put safari guides in impossible situations. 

“We need to talk to guests to respect and not force the guide to do something uncomfortable,” Journey to Africa’s Alapat said, adding that safari guides at budget companies often have low salaries and may hesitate to stand up to clients who pay tips. “At Journey to Africa, we work with partners who train their safari guides to drive away from the mass of vehicles and head to another location for a different experience.” 

Gordon said travel agents should also learn about and recommend lesser-known destinations and low-season travel. 

“We are also encouraging people to stop obsessing over the migration. There are plenty of resident game to be seen throughout the year and throughout the Mara,” she said. “Why be stuck with 200 other vehicles when there are incredible opportunities to experience amazing wildlife sightings with nobody else around during other times of the year?”

Roche said the overwhelming concentration of tourists in a few core areas means that other ecosystems are left marginalized and vulnerable to losing conservation value. He said this is even true of savannah areas with equal levels of large mammals but less visitation, but it is a bigger problem for less-celebrated ecosystems such as the rainforests of Gabon and the Republic of Congo. 

Finally, many stakeholders cite the importance of working with certified operators. In Kenya, Brar said, travel agencies should only work with members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators, the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Ecotourism Kenya.

Michler said travel sellers have a role to play in setting expectations. 

“Don’t market the myth that every park and reserve is wild and pristine,” he said.