Our mission is conservation through exploration: protecting our planet by inspiring travelers, supporting local communities and boldly influencing the entire travel industry.
Our Dilemma
There’s no getting around the fact that as a travel company, we are contributing to the problem of climate change. With more than 8,000 travelers annually on 100-plus adventures on all seven continents, we expend tons of CO2. And it’s warming the earth’s atmosphere, with destructive consequences. We wrestle with this quandary, especially since our product is nature travel—how can we harm the very places and creatures we take our guests to see? And how can we mitigate that impact?
Our Conviction
Ultimately, however, we believe that what we do offers a net benefit to the fate of the planet. Our product—conservation travel—imbues value to natural habitats, bringing economic resources to local communities and inspiring them to protect wild places and the wildlife that thrives within them. And by bringing travelers deep into nature and face to face with its greatest spectacles, we allow them to feel awe, wonder and joy. When we experience the beauty and silence of wilderness, or meet an animal up close and share an inquisitive gaze, we come to understand what is at stake. In those moments, we discover what it is to love what is threatened…and we must love it, in order to protect it. Our hope is that our travelers go home transformed, as ambassadors for conservation, bent on finding political and technological solutions to address the climate crisis.
Our Response
Recognizing our contribution to environmental degradation, we are dedicated to reducing it—and not just our own impact: Since our founding in 1985, Nat Hab has been committed to global leadership to make the entire travel industry more sustainable. Our goal isn’t simply to be the most environmentally responsible tour operator in the world, however, but to continually raise the bar on sustainability, and to challenge other travel-related businesses to raise their standards as well.
Our efforts to mitigate our environmental impact are currently focused on these endeavors. Click on the boxes below to learn more!
Carbon-Neutral Travel
Since 2007, Nat Hab has offset all CO2 output generated on our trips and in our office operations, making important strides since to increase our commitment and lead the travel industry. Learn more about what we’re doing to mitigate our carbon impact.
Electric Safari Vehicle
With the creation of our first electric safari vehicle, which came fully on line in our operations in 2023, Nat Hab is reinforcing our commitment to protecting the environment and inspiring our peers in the travel industry and beyond. This green innovation is part of our broader initiative to continuously elevate the game drive experience for a more immersive and sustainable safari.
Reducing Waste
In 2019, Nat Hab operated the World’s First Zero Waste Adventure. We learned a lot about how to reduce waste on our trips and in our office operations, and we’re sharing those lessons with the travel industry. Read more about these important accomplishments.
Green Office Community
Under the leadership of our in-house Green Team, Nat Hab is consistently raising the bar on eco-friendly operations, from materials sourcing to recycling to helping our staff cycle or carpool to work—and rewarding them for their efforts! Discover all we’re doing to go ever greener.
World Wildlife Fund
Since 2003, Nat Hab has been WWF’s official conservation travel partner, leveraging nature travel to protect wild places. Through financial support, including giving 1% of Nat Hab’s gross sales plus $175,000 annually through 2028, and traveler donations, this partnership has provided millions of dollars for WWF priorities.
Nat Hab Philanthropy
In addition to our partnership with WWF, Nat Hab supports a wide variety of philanthropic initiatives in the destinations we visit. Our commitment to conservation and sustainable development inspires our leadership role in boosting grassroots efforts in places our guests have come to know and love. Check out these inspiring projects!
Community Relief Fund
When the pandemic hit, tourism came to a sudden halt around the world. With no jobs, many local tourism workers, along with the extended families they support, have faced hunger, health crises and the loss of income to send their children to school. And with fewer rangers, drivers and guides on the ground in parks and reserves, poaching has increased. Recognizing this challenge, Nat Hab set up our Community Relief Fund, seeded it with $25,000, and invited our travelers to give, too, so we could send direct economic support to local people who’ve been hardest hit. Since then, the fund has exceeded $340,000.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a biofuel made from renewable sources like cooking oil and waste, designed to power aircraft. Nat Hab has partnered with Tomorrow’s Air and Neste to invest in this growing sustainability strategy. While the planes you take on our adventures may not use SAF directly, our investment ensures SAF is supplied to airports near production facilities, minimizing transportation emissions. This process is tracked, verified, and allocated to those who fund it. Our Mission at Nat Hab is to influence the travel industry boldly. By investing in SAF, we aim to shape the future of fuel use in tourism. Currently, SAF production is less than 1% of total jet fuel demand, indicating significant growth potential. We are proud to be part of this initiative!
Annual Sustainability Report
Our mission at Natural Habitat Adventures is conservation through exploration—we use the power of conservation travel to protect nature and transform the world for the better. As a leader in sustainable travel, we are heartened to see a growing emphasis across the industry on practices and innovations that inspire us to collectively address global environmental challenges. At Nat Hab, we strive to ensure that our impact is resoundingly positive—and we want to be transparent about our achievements, our progress and our challenges. Toward that end, we are pleased to share the results of our ongoing efforts in our annual Sustainability Report.
