Wilderness Safaris hosted an intimate engagement to celebrate its exclusive Members Club in Francistown on Tuesday, 25 June 2019. Held at Marang Hotel, the event welcomed potential members to learn more about the programme and Children in the Wilderness (CITW), Wilderness Safaris’ non-profit partner and the beneficiary of all membership joining fees. Guests were also treated to a screening of the acclaimed documentary, Into the Okavango,recent winner of the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year 2019 award.
Since launching seven years ago in South Africa, and in Gaborone in January 2017, the Wilderness Safaris Members Club has focused on ensuring that like-minded African residents, citizens and safari aficionados have the opportunity to explore Wilderness Safaris’ footprint and camps across all regions of operation, including Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, at the best available rates. The joining fee is BWP5 500.00 for a two-year membership, with 100% of these funds channelled directly to CITW.
“We are delighted to see how the Members Club has grown in Botswana over the past two years, with 75 members joining from across the country, including Francistown. As the programme has been specifically designed to empower local citizens to enjoy the unrivalled beauty of Wilderness Safaris camps at significantly reduced rates, including discounts of up to 80% off international rates, we are looking forward to welcoming many more Batswana to the Club in the coming months”, commented Fern Brasem, Business Manager for the Members Club in Botswana.
Whilst Wilderness Safaris remains a business-to-business operation, hosting thousands of international guests every year through its travel trade network across the globe, the company has also enjoyed support from many experienced southern African safari-goers over the past 36 years of operation. “These guests have become great friends of Wilderness, sharing our vision to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife through high-end ecotourism. We know, by virtue of their support for CITW, that our members are serious about exploring our Wilderness Safaris experiences, while giving back to community empowerment and conservation at the same time. We are proud to have raised over BWP500 000 through membership fees for CITW to date”, Fern added.
The benefits of the Members Club are unique and generous, offering a bespoke safari service to local residents and citizens, their travelling guests and families. An experienced team is on hand to tailor-make each life-changing journey, proactively sourcing availability for members throughout the year and offering the best safari options at the best available rates. Discounts offered depend on space available and lead times. The Members Club also works closely with Wilderness Air to ensure that booking flights to/from the camps is also simpler and cheaper. There is no limit to the number of times members can travel, nor the number of bednights they book, but reservations are subject to availability (and terms and conditions do apply).
Benefits of the membership include, but are not limited to:
- Exclusive rates in high and low seasons at Wilderness Safaris camps in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Discounts of up to 40% when travelling within 14 days of booking
- Discounted rates on flights with Wilderness Air and Wilderness Safaris road transfers
- Discounted rates for children under 16
- Access to all Wilderness-owned properties – over 30 exclusive safari camps in six countries
- Opportunities to travel to managed properties
- Members’ family and guests travel on member rates
- Terms and conditions apply
In addition, there is:
- No upfront purchase of bednights
- No limit on the number of bednights a member uses in the two-year membership period
Terms and Conditions apply:
- BWP5 500.00 per membership in Botswana, directly channelled to CITW – a non-profit environmental and life skills educational programme for rural children focusing on the next generation of decision-makers: inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future
- Members must be residents and citizens of an African country
- A principal member must accompany each booking
- Maximum six guests per booking at the member rate, all of whom must be African residents
- Membership valid for two years
“While Wilderness Safaris’ influence on conservation and community is significant, we truly believe that supporters who join our Members Club also contribute enormously to the success of sustainable ecotourism in order to make a positive impact in Africa. Many of our members are role-players in their own industries and help broadcast our vision of sustainability, joining us in collectively driving a Wilderness Safaris that inspires positive action. We are proud to now welcome members from Francistown and the surrounding communities, who also subscribe to our beliefs on the importance of community, shared values and shared purpose, and have had the opportunity to engage them and grow that relationship further”, Fern concluded.
