Why I Keep Coming Back to Great Plains Conservation
Some Partnerships You Build. Some You Discover.
There are operators I recommend because they are reliable. And then there are operators I recommend because every single client who travels with them comes home and tells me it was the best trip of their life. Great Plains Conservation sits firmly in the second category, and has for years.
Founded by wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Dereck Joubert and his wife Beverly, Great Plains operates a collection of intimate, extraordinarily well-positioned camps across Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Every property they run is built around a specific wilderness area they are actively working to protect. The lodges are not incidental to the conservation work. They fund it.
What Makes Great Plains Different From Every Other Luxury Operator
The luxury safari market has no shortage of beautiful tents and exceptional food. What separates Great Plains is the depth of the experience around the accommodation. Their guides are among the best on the continent, not just technically skilled but genuinely passionate about the ecosystems they work in. Guests leave with a real understanding of what they witnessed, not just a collection of photographs.
Their camps are deliberately small. Most accommodate between eight and twelve guests at maximum capacity. That scale is not a constraint; it is a deliberate design choice that shapes everything from the quality of the guiding to the intimacy of the evenings around the fire.
The Properties I Recommend Most Often
In Botswana, Duba Plains Camp sits in a private concession in the Okavango Delta and offers one of the most concentrated predator experiences in Africa. The resident lion prides that hunt buffalo in the flooded grasslands are among the most studied and watched in the world.
In Kenya, Mara Plains Camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy puts guests in the heart of the Great Migration ecosystem with none of the vehicle congestion that plagues the national reserve. The views across the Mara Plains from camp are extraordinary.
ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya's Chyulu Hills is one of the most beautiful properties, sitting at the edge of Amboseli with views directly to Kilimanjaro, it combines exceptional wildlife with a landscape so striking it barely feels real.
The Conservation Commitment Is Real
Great Plains has committed to expanding the protected wilderness areas surrounding their camps through land leases with local communities. They operate a program called Rhinos Without Borders that has translocated black and white rhinos from high-risk areas to safer locations across southern Africa. They fund anti-poaching teams, community schools, and ranger training programs.
This is not conservation as a marketing line. It is the reason the business exists.
Who I Send to Great Plains
Experienced safari travelers who want to go deeper. Clients who have done the Serengeti and want an experience that feels more intimate and more purposeful. Couples who want to be genuinely moved by a place rather than simply impressed by it. Anyone who wants to return home knowing that their travel dollars did something meaningful.
Interested in a Great Plains Conservation safari? Let us plan it together: vdbcuratedtravel.com/plan
