Emboo River camp trailblazes the way and gives us a glimpse of what the future of the safari industry must inevitably look like as the world looks towards overhauling how we travel, live and exist (the new normal).

Emboo has the first fully electric land cruisers in the Masai Mara. Not only do these unique vehicles allow an almost silent experience with no emissions, but also avoid ‘polluting the lungs’ of any hapless wildlife nearby.

Onto the favourite subject of solar power; everything, and we mean everything dependent on electricity in the camp, is powered by the sun. Even the vehicles’ batteries are powered by the panels and there is electric supply 24 hours a day. Capable of producing a massive 26 kilowatts of electricity, the 60 panels require no regular maintenance other than a rinse down from time to time. This system is simply amazing.

Each room also has its own solar-powered water heater, meaning there’s hot water in the nicest camp showers you’ve ever used. And even in the unlikely event, there is a prolonged period without 72 hours of sunshine, it can be switched to run from the big solar plant.

The location of Emboo is, as the name suggests, by the river, with a wonderful panorama overlooking the cavorting hippos and to the rolling savannah beyond. The evening fireside routine is perhaps the one nod to the more traditional safari set-ups, though how would a safari be complete without it!

The eco-credentials even extend to the kitchen, where a plan is currently underway to use natural waste to produce biogas, which will subsequently be used for the oven. They have their own small vegetable patch on site, from which some of the produce is obtained, with the remainder coming from William’s own plot nearby.

So how then does the camp deal with effluents? Emboo creates no effluent. In fact, black and grey water is treated in lagoons using a variety of natural cypress and typha plant varieties, which are indigenous to the local wetland systems. The subsequent clean water (tests show it’s cleaner than the river) is used for purposes not involving human contact, such as toilet cisterns.

What about the waste, though? Well, one might be inclined to think there’s a sneaky incinerator hidden out of sight from the guests somewhere, but there isn’t any. Once again, it’s in hand, a stable-like building which separates items into four categories of waste, each to be individually utilized.

The bottles are turned into glassware, either to be utilized within the lodge or where there is an excess, it’s given to the community. The cardboard is used for nurturing seeds into saplings as part of the reforestation campaign or compressed into briquettes. The metals go to local artisans to be used to make curios, and plastic is provided to a local recycling company.

So, where is the safari guilt? Well, you have to fly or drive to get there, which creates emissions, and you are offered the chance to make up for this by planting a tree before you leave. Of course, it is an indigenous one as well, so it is helping to protect this important area and maintain the delicate ecosystem.

Emboo has already inspired other camps to start following suit, and some have already adopted electric vehicles. But as we emerge from a pandemic probably caused by environmental factors, Emboo is building up a popular following for those who increasingly are thinking carefully about not just having a good time, but also doing so responsibly.

Source: https://bit.ly/3w5r1Gy