New Cross-Border Route Redefines Nature Tourism

Five southern African nations have launched the continent’s first transboundary birding route, connecting vast ecosystems into a single tourism experience that supports conservation and local livelihoods.

“No single country could offer what these five nations can achieve together,” said Nyambe Nyambe, Executive Director of the KAZA Secretariat. “This route combines diverse habitats into one experience that puts the region on the global birding map.”

The initiative links 36 protected areas across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, covering a region larger than France and Germany combined and supporting more than 650 bird species. The route also trains local guides, with 69 already certified and over 100 tourism partners involved, helping create jobs while promoting sustainable travel across wetlands, savannas and river systems that form key migratory corridors.