Mombo Camp (Including Little Mombo) Top Hotel in Travel + Leisure 2013 World's Best Awards Readers' Survey
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwired - July 02, 2013) - In exciting news for the recognition of the responsible ecotourism industry in Botswana and the Okavango Delta, Wilderness Safaris is proud to announce that Mombo Camp (including Little Mombo) is ranked No. 1 on the Travel + Leisure 2013 World's Best Awards list of Top 100 Hotels.
While Mombo and Little Mombo have been recognized frequently on the Africa and Botswana categories of Travel + Leisure World's Best lists since 2006, they have never been featured at the very top of this prestigious record and this is an achievement of which we are very proud.
"Our emphasis in terms of luxury and service excellence is really on sharing and appreciating the amazing natural environment in which we operate," said Keith Vincent, acting CEO of Wilderness Safaris. "We believe that the luxury of space and of intact, functioning natural ecosystems and the privilege of being able to watch timeless interactions between wildlife is the real luxury. This notwithstanding, we obviously aim to achieve a world-class luxury safari experience, and are extremely proud to have been able to do this to the exacting standards of the readers of Travel + Leisure. To have been able to do so in a camp that is 100 percent powered by solar energy and is more than 100km (and a 10-hour drive by 4x4) from the nearest small town is even more exciting. We are humbled that our guests and readers of Travel + Leisure are also committed to sustainability and have voted for a natural luxury and vast wilderness experience that makes a difference to our world."
In addition to a light ecological footprint, both Mombo and Little Mombo Camps are deeply committed to Wilderness Safaris' 4Cs ethic (Commerce, Conservation, Community and Culture). Mombo's rhino conservation project continues to thrive under the guidance of Poster Malongwa, who monitors the black and white rhino reintroduced into the Mombo area of the Moremi Game Reserve over 12 years ago. This successful reintroduction program is a collaborative conservation effort between Wilderness Safaris, Wilderness Safaris Wilderness Trust, Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and the Botswana Government.
"Given that Botswana is one of Africa's foremost wildlife and ecotourism destinations and one that embraces a true low impact and high experiential value tourism model, we are thrilled that Mombo's accolade will also promote the destination in this way. Wilderness Safaris was born in Botswana 30 years ago and the conservation of its pristine wilderness areas in which we operate remains a primary concern of ours," added Vincent.
Representing the best in travel, the annual World's Best Awards are based on Travel + Leisure readers' ratings of hotels, destinations and companies around the globe. Highlights from the 2013 World's Best Awards were announced today on www.TravelandLeisure.com. Winners will be honored during an awards ceremony in New York on 18 July and the results published in the magazine's August issue.
To view a brief video of the highlights of a stay at Mombo or Little Mombo, click here.
To read the online article on travelandleisure.com, click here.
About Wilderness:
Wilderness Safaris is an ecotourism company that specializes in memorable wildlife experiences in some of the most remote and pristine areas in Africa. In this way it offers its guests private access to three million hectares of Africa's finest wildlife reserves, while remaining fiercely committed to protecting our planet's precious natural and cultural resources.
Wilderness Safaris operates camps and safaris in some of Africa's best wildlife and wilderness reserves across nine different countries: Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Seychelles.
Recognizing that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals through its Children in the Wilderness program, as well as through the Wilderness Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in Africa.
Wilderness Safaris firmly believes that its single most important achievement to date is to have built a sustainable business model that does not compromise environmental principles and which provides jobs, training, skills, careers, adjusted horizons, hope and a realistic alternative to less sustainable development.
Wilderness Safaris is part of the Wilderness organization, a group of responsible ecotourism companies and conservation and community development vehicles that together endeavour to use responsible tourism to build sustainable conservation economies in Africa.
From humble beginnings in 1983, Wilderness Safaris has grown substantially over the last 30 years - not only in size but also in its ability to positively impact Africa. Click here to view its retrospective video, narrated by Map Ives, Environmental Manager for Botswana.
The following files are available for download:
