{"id":43139,"date":"2022-05-19T01:06:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T23:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=43139"},"modified":"2026-10-14T12:55:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:55:29","slug":"green-tourism-in-gauteng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/green-tourism-in-gauteng\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Tourism in Gauteng: How to Travel Lightly, and Where to Go"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More travellers now want their trips to do some good: to protect wild places, support the people who live near them and leave as small a footprint as possible. You do not need to go far from the city to travel this way in Gauteng.<\/p><div id=\"gaute-443251954\" class=\"gaute-after-paragraph-1 gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What green tourism means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Green tourism, or ecotourism, brings together four ideas: conservation, community, culture and commerce. The Mexican architect and environmentalist H\u00e9ctor Ceballos-Lascur\u00e1in is credited with coining the term &#8220;ecotourism&#8221; in the 1980s. He described it as travel to relatively undisturbed natural areas to enjoy and appreciate nature, in a way that supports conservation, has a low impact and benefits local people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice it covers nature travel, responsible travel and sustainable tourism, and it starts with small choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to travel lightly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Respect wildlife. It is their home: stay in your vehicle unless you are allowed out, and keep your distance when you take photos.<\/li><li>Choose operators and lodges that put conservation first, and book directly or through a reputable agent.<\/li><li>Buy local. Handmade crafts and food from local producers keep money in the community.<\/li><li>Learn a little about local customs, and a few words of the local language. Your hosts will notice.<\/li><li>Walk, cycle or use public transport such as the Gautrain where you can.<\/li><li>Choose direct flights where possible, and pack a refillable water bottle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three places to try it in Gauteng<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dinokeng Game Reserve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 40 minutes from Pretoria, Dinokeng is Gauteng&#8217;s only Big Five game reserve, and it is malaria-free. Its name means &#8220;a place of rivers&#8221; in the languages of the baTswana and baPedi people who traditionally lived here. The reserve sits within a growing metropolis and aims to show that people and wild animals can share the same landscape. You can stay in a lodge, a self-catering chalet or a campsite, and permit and conservation fees help fund the reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One practical tip: the reserve has warned about fake social media adverts offering accommodation inside Dinokeng. Book directly with a lodge or through a reputable agency, and never pay an unverified account. Read more in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/the-beauty-of-dinokeng-game-reserve\/\">Dinokeng Game Reserve<\/a>, or see <a href=\"https:\/\/visit.gauteng.net\/visit\/dinokeng-game-reserve-vg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details on Visit Gauteng<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the edge of Roodepoort, this garden and nature reserve is built around a waterfall in a rocky gorge. About 240 bird species have been recorded here, and a breeding pair of Verreaux&#8217;s eagles nests on the cliffs near the waterfall. Walking trails, a restaurant and wide lawns make it an easy half-day trip. <a href=\"https:\/\/visit.gauteng.net\/visit\/walter-sisulu-national-botanical-garden-vg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details on Visit Gauteng<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pretoria National Botanical Garden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Pretoria&#8217;s eastern suburbs, this 76-hectare garden is a calm green space right in the city, with a waterfall, wetland and grassland areas and guided tours that explain South Africa&#8217;s plant life. It is a good choice for a slow morning walk or a family picnic. <a href=\"https:\/\/visit.gauteng.net\/visit\/pretoria-national-botanical-garden-2-gn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Details on Visit Gauteng<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-508693471\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Before you go<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check opening times, fees and any booking requirements with each venue before you set off, and take your rubbish home with you. If you are not sure whether a lodge or tour operator is genuine, ask the venue directly or book through an established agent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More travellers now want their trips to do some good: to protect wild places, support the people who live near them and leave as small a footprint as possible. You do not need to go far from the city to travel this way in Gauteng. What green tourism means Green tourism, or ecotourism, brings together<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"Green Tourism in Gauteng: Where to Go, How to Travel Lightly","rank_math_description":"What green tourism means, simple ways to travel lightly, and three places to try it in Gauteng: Dinokeng, Walter Sisulu and the Pretoria botanical garden.","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[11570],"class_list":["post-43139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-visit-gauteng"],"authors":[{"term_id":11570,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"gauteng-staff-writer","display_name":"Gauteng Staff Writer","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b8087b6cbb961de62a23e4755a5539c52ec6a12ea806223b6c00811341f31997?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g","job_title":"","description":"We are passionate about celebrating Gauteng\u2019s vibrancy, helping residents and visitors navigate the province, and keeping our community up to date with everything happening around them."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43139"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43155,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43139\/revisions\/43155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43139"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=43139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}