Botswana tourism waterhole Newsletter
This year we are celebrating a legend – Mr. Albert Ndereki – probably the longest serving member of the Botswana tourism industry!
He has just moved into semi-retirement but will be making regular visits to Chobe Game Lodge to help out with the ecotourism department. Chobe just wouldn’t be the same without him.
At We Are Africa in May this year Albert was awarded the coveted SHAPE AFRICA award for his 40+ years of service in Botswana.
As a young man he was part of the construction crew building the iconic Chobe Game Lodge in 1971. The first lodge of its kind in the country, putting high-end luxury tourism on the Botswana map for the very first time.
Today, Albert is widely acknowledged with the locals as the encyclopaedia of Ecotourism. Albert manages all elements of the lodge’s award winning ecotourism facilities including the industry’s first BioGas plant in Botswana, water-treatment plants, solar plant & the incredible waste management systems on site that crush cans and turn glass bottles to building bricks.
Albert has led guests our ‘back of house ecotours’ since the lodge was amongst the first properties to be fully Botswana eco certified in 2012.
He takes immense pride in showing travellers everything that happens behind the scenes in one of the world’s most innovative sustainable properties. Not just the first solar powered boats or one of the largest grey water treatment plants in the industry…but sharing with guests the journey we have taken in thriving in the way we’ve adapted the way we operate.
His laughter is infectious as he shares anecdotes from years gone by. From the days when Liz Taylor & Richard Burton called him to the suite during their second honeymoon in the 70’s to the tales of getting the first gas to bubble away from the biogas plant.
Albert’s passion & humility has a lasting affect on the visitors that get to meet him. His talks share the history of how far Botswana has come as a country since he first started working.
There is no doubt that Albert has a positive impact on our world by changing the way people think about their own waste management. And not just guests, but through his numerous presentations & collaborations with local NGO’s and community outreach programs where he speaks about ecotourism and managing our resources.
This year Albert is moving into semi-retirement and we want to recognise this great man as a stalwart of Africa’s tourism industry.
Every now and then we need to recognise some of the individuals in our industry who quietly work away doing their bit!
Albert has worked so diligently and is a proud Motswana and an inspiration and a legacy to all.