Throughout the year I spent living in Southern Africa, I was constantly struck by the disparity between the continent’s luxurious hotels and the living conditions of the local population. I began to question the efficacy of tourism in Africa as a vehicle of providing upward mobility to the continent’s residents. I’d seen the failure of international aid time and time again. And when travelers to Africa passed out candies to children and brought ‘gifts’ for their host communities, I often found myself often questioning whether international visitors—while well-intentioned—were truly helping.

But I truly believe that there are countless wonderful development initiatives around Africa and that tourism, if executed correctly, can have positive impacts.

Malealea Lodge in Lesotho provides the perfect example of how tourism and charity can truly benefit a community in a sustainable way.

Malealea Lodge in Lesotho

Malealea is a small, environmentally friendly, no-frills lodge, tucked away amongst Lesotho’s tallest peaks. The lodge is a destination in its own right, and a gateway to the beautiful hiking trails in Africa’s Kingdom in the Sky. It is a blissful place to stay, and a cornerstone of the Malealea village community.

The owners of the Malealea Lodge have created a development trust that works closely with the local community to assess areas of need.

Malealea is a shining example of a well-orchestrated interplay between development and tourism. It represents what the travel industry could do.

Malealea works closely with the local village to expand employment opportunities in the community and give back in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Proceeds from the lodge have funded schools, land reclamation projects, recycling initiatives and orphan care. The lodge seeks to promote sustainability both among its visitors and in the surrounding community. It employs many local individuals as hiking and pony trekking guides.

Malealea Lodge Tours and Activities

Mariella and I fell in love with Malealea the moment we arrived at the lodge and absorbed the sweeping views around us. We had five days in the village and immediately sat down to map them out, agreeing that the plethora of activities would likely keep our days occupied to maximum capacity.

During our five day stay at Malealea Lodge, Mariella and I signed up for an overnight pony trekking excursion into the surrounding villages and participated in many hikes around the area.

We filled our agenda to the brim partly because the activities were of such great value and partly because we felt good about where our tourist dollars would be going.

Sustainable Tourism in Africa

I visited Malealea Lodge in Lesotho with Mariella shortly after the close of my volunteer service in Namibia. It was at a time in which I began to really start thinking about the interplay between tourism, volunteerism and development. As a backpacker and avid explorer of the world, I like to think that there is a big distinction between tourists and travelers. I like to think that by traveling on public transport, eating in local establishments and purchasing goods directly from street vendors, I am impacting my host community in a positive way.

And I truly do believe that travel can be beneficial in many ways–both to the individual explorer and to his or her host community. Tourism has extraordinary potential in Africa. The continent’s abundance of wonderful destinations has the potential to draw millions of vacationers who could bring valuable dollars to local economies.

But the tourist dollars that enter the country rarely fall into the right hands.

I think tourism in many parts of Africa provides a perfect example of how the travel industry can take strides toward advancing the well-being of the host country. When I traveled around parts of Namibia and Botswana, it saddened me to see how many luxury resorts coexisted with destitute poverty and how little this high-end tourism really benefitted locals.

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