WILD INITIATIVES: KORU CAMP

Tucked within the Mvuu Private Nature Reserve in Limpopo, South Africa, Koru Camp is not your typical safari destination. It’s the first wilderness camp designed exclusively for local communities surrounding Greater Kruger—many of whom have never stepped foot inside the park. The camp exists to shift that narrative. By offering immersive, multi-day stays in nature to nonprofit partners, Koru Camp invites young people, educators, and community leaders to experience the land firsthand. Through guided safaris, conservation learning, and practical skill-building, the camp addresses a deep-rooted disconnect—one that fuels wildlife crime by isolating people from the ecosystems they live beside. The goal? To create a generational shift in how nature is valued and protected.

What Drives Koru Camp

Koru Camp is built on a simple but radical belief: communities should have access to the landscapes they live alongside. The camp offers a nonprofit, educational safari experience for locals who’ve historically been excluded from South Africa’s conservation conversation. In a region where wildlife crime is often a symptom of disconnection, Koru provides the antidote—real-life encounters with the wilderness of Greater Kruger. Every stay is designed to cultivate curiosity, foster a love for the land, and inspire a culture of protection from within.

Vision and Mission

Koru Camp envisions a world where wild places and local communities thrive together. Their mission is rooted in connection—using powerful wilderness experiences to ignite a lifelong bond with nature. Through a scalable model, Koru equips communities with tools, knowledge, and space to take ownership of conservation efforts. It’s about shifting perspectives, from separation to stewardship. From witnessing wildlife to protecting it.

The Story

Koru Camp began with a personal calling. Founder Peter Eastwood, once a successful entrepreneur in New Zealand, was moved to act after witnessing the brutal toll of rhino poaching in iMfolozi Park in 2007. What began as financial support for anti-poaching units soon grew into something deeper: a vision to change the roots of the problem through education and inclusion. Eastwood recognized that true protection comes from love—and love comes from experience.

With this understanding, he set out to create a space where young people and community members could reconnect with the land that had, for too long, been kept out of reach. After acquiring the Mvuu Private Nature Reserve through the Tanglewood Foundation, Koru Camp was born. Since opening in 2022, it has served as a bridge—connecting people to the land, and conservation to community.

Environmental Sustainability

Sustainability isn’t a side project at Koru Camp—it’s woven into the everyday. The camp runs entirely off-grid, powered by solar energy and supported by gas for cooking and heating limited-use showers. Meals are meat-free and locally sourced, emphasizing nourishment with minimal impact. The approach is intentional and educational: teaching guests to “take only what you need” and to consider the ripple effect of consumption.

With the renovation of the new camp completed in May 2025, Koru will introduce composting systems and a working vegetable garden—both practical and symbolic tools for teaching self-sufficiency and ecological responsibility. Every activity is designed not just to teach conservation, but to live it. From waste reduction to water use, the camp leads by example, showing that sustainability is a way of life that belongs to everyone.

Donating to Koru Camp is an investment in our environment’s future and the empowerment of disadvantaged communities. Your stay at Sashwa already supports them, but we encourage anyone who feels inspired to get more involved to make an additional donation. Join us in fostering a deeper appreciation of the natural world and inspiring the next generation of conservationists.