BECAUSE IT’S THERE
You don’t need a map to get to Mount Everest Base Camp; just follow the rubbish
That’s what one disappointed mountaineer said after her trip to the Himalayas in 2019, and I’m writing about that situation today because if one World Heritage site is in trouble, perhaps we should be worried about others such as the Okavango Delta. Too many people are going to Everest and they are leaving tonnes of rubbish behind as they try to reach the highest point on the planet, but that hasn’t always been the case.
Until about 30 years ago, only experienced climbers were given permits to try to climb to the 8849 metre summit, so only a handful of people risked their lives in the freezing oxygen deprived conditions each year. It was exclusive and extremely dangerous, but the experts had the roof of the world to themselves as they climbed in small groups at their chosen pace, and from what I’ve read, it was a magical experience.
Now, however, the Chinese and Nepalese governments have sanctioned adventure tourism on the mountain, so relatively inexperienced climbers with mountains of cash can have a go. The average cost for the month-long training programme and the climb is P900,000, but as many as 700 climbers can be on the route at the same time.
That cost includes food, equipment and the canned oxygen that is essential to keep most climbers alive at the cruising altitude of commercial airplanes. But 300 people have died since 1992, and a lot of the gear and many of the bodies are still up there.
Okay, that kind of thing isn’t going to happen in the swamps, and if it did, the hyenas and other scavengers would clean up most of the mess. Still, the money thing could be a problem because, as we’ve seen on Everest, there are a lot of restless people out there with money to burn.
In the past, the government has tried to protect the natural beauty of Botswana by favouring a high-cost, low impact approach to tourism, and it has been very effective. I’m worried, however, that there will be pressure to change that policy to high-cost and a bit more impact in an effort to revive the ailing tourism industry once the travel bans and health concerns fade away.
But high prices don’t seem to keep people away like they used to, so that could move to high-cost, high-impact if we are not careful… and I’ve already seen what could happen if too many tourists were to flood into Botswana. The last few times I’ve visited Chobe, big cat sightings were commonly surrounded by 4x4s packed with tourists, and most evenings, the river near Kasane was choked with booze cruise boats and clients.
Encouraging crowds might be good for short-term local employment, but it would damage the product… and that kind of experience is readily available at lower prices in South Africa, Kenya and other countries, so I doubt it would be a wise long-term approach.
Hopefully, my concerns are rubbish, but Botswana is much easier and cheaper to visit than Mt Everest, so I think they are worth considering while the unique attraction of Botswana is still there.