Is it time to rethink the word “Safari”?
The word safari is iconic. It conjures instant imagery of open plains, lions at dawn, canvas tents, G&Ts at sundown.
It’s also one of the most effective marketing words in travel because it sells a dream. But maybe that’s the problem.
Because for all its familiarity, safari has become a kind of shorthand for a singular narrative. One that frames Africa as a destination for spectacle, rather than depth. For observation, rather than participation. For first-timers, rather than relationships that build over time.
And that narrative feels increasingly stuck.
A word with weight
Let me be clear: safari isn’t inherently bad. Its roots lie in the Arabic safar, meaning “to journey”. It is a word that, in theory, could contain endless possibility. But its literal meaning is not how it resonates emotionally. Safari has evolved into a specific meaning that needs a little introspection.
The Western popularisation of the word safari was born out of colonial-era hunting expeditions. Big-game hunts. Expensive, exclusive, and undeniably masculine.
These safaris weren’t about connection to place. They were about dominance – over animals, over landscapes, over narratives. Pith helmets. Rifles. Trophy shots. Conquest dressed up as adventure.
Even though the industry has clearly shifted toward a different type of safari, the architecture of those early expeditions remains. The guest in the observers seat, the guide as interpreter, and the land curated as backdrop.
Safari still tends to mean one thing: A game drive. A lodge. Wildlife. Stillness. Observation. Africa framed as something to see, not to be with. And so, even today, the word often carries a quiet weight of hierarchy and performance.
There’s something undeniably patriarchal about how safari feels. It’s the language of checklists; “bucket list” moments; curated awe; consumed through the lens of comfort and control.
And while awe is a beautiful and powerful thing, are we doing this in the most meaningful and impactful way? When the same word is used to describe both a community-led conservation experience and a high-luxury, fly-in wildlife itinerary, it starts to lose meaning. Or worse, it compresses nuance into cliché.
But Africa is not a cliché
It’s layered. Vibrant. Political. Young. Entrepreneurial. Joyful. It’s culture, people, art, music, movement.
And yet, the industry keeps circling back to the same frame – safari-first mindset, because it sells.
Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with brilliant, thoughtful colleagues asking the same thing: How do we change the perception that Africa is just a once-in-a-lifetime destination? Or that it only offers one kind of experience?
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It’s made me think deeply about the language we use as second nature. The words we lean on without questioning. The ones that sound familiar to us, but that quietly shape the expectations of the travellers who hear them.
Are we, unintentionally, reinforcing the idea that Africa is for one type of experience? That it is a product to consume, rather than fully understand and appreciate? Are we helping or hurting when we use the word safari to describe it all?
What if we loosened our grip on the word?
This isn’t a call to cancel safari. It’s a call to expand it. To interrogate it. To let it intentionally evolve.
What if we replaced safari with a word that:
What if we stopped designing travel just to impress and started designing it to transform?
The words we use shape the products we build
And the products we build shape the future of travel. Because it is those products that drive, and reinforce, the demand from our customers. If we want to see change in the external perception of Africa, we need to change from the inside out.
At Impact Travel Lab, I work with brands and businesses who want to move beyond the brochure and create experiences that are emotionally resonant, commercially smart, and culturally alive.
Rethinking the language is just one part of the work. But it matters. Because when a word gets stuck, it usually means something deeper needs to shift.
So, what does “safari” mean to you now?
And what could it mean if we let it?
#RethinkSafari #TravelToAfrica #TourismLanguage #ImpactTravelLab #BrandLanguage #TourismLeadership #TravelMarketing
it's an unobtrusive journey into nature, with light footsteps, to fully appreciation it in all its guises, magnificent and raw. I hold no colonial association myself, although I see reference to it in accommodation and resort decor. My understanding is that it's a native African term for a journey... so maybe it's time to honour its original meaning and place within the landscape and its people.
That’s exactly what we’ve been thinking about with @FewandFar and our new lodge @Fewandfarluvhondo. How do we reimagine a safari? That’s been our mission for the last few years and now our reality.
Loved your take on this, Lindsey. I’ve been in this industry for years. “Safari” I’ve always associated it with adventure, wildlife, and connection to nature. I never really stopped to think about how deep the word “safari” actually goes. It’s something we say so often, but this really made me reflect. thank you for that.
Fantastic point- I have been thinking along very much the same lines - the woke youth and new asian travellers don't have the same perception
Wow, Lindsey, you really struck a chord and made us all think. And yes, Africa is not only about Safari but of course the wildlife, the history of the continent, the cultures, traditions and much much more. I believe to really understand and appreciate Africa you need a guide. But, a guide that understands Africa, loves Africa, and most importantly gives you a perspective from all angles so that Africa can truly be understood......