Along a stretch of South Africa’s Western Cape coast, waves now break against the foot of the continent. Whales surface offshore and seals play in the swell. Yet this landscape has not always belonged to the sea.
When the water retreated during earlier periods of lower sea level, grasslands extended across what is now the ocean floor, supporting giant buffalo, oversized zebra and early modern humans. Nor was that the beginning. The sea had been there before, carving caves into the soft limestone. These caves later became shelter for generations of people, whose tools, remains and discarded shells accumulated in layers, preserving stories that would be uncovered tens of thousands of years later.
The caves at De Kelders provided a fitting place for members of The Long Run’s Southern and Western Africa regional community to explore during their annual gathering. Significant to people for millennia, the caves today form part of the experiences offered by Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, which hosted the gathering. Grootbos is a longstanding champion of the Overberg’s fynbos ecosystem and the communities that live alongside it.
A shared approach to Positive Impact
The Long Run is a membership organisation supporting a global community of purpose-driven tourism businesses working to accelerate positive impact. Its approach is guided by the 4Cs: Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. Together, they provide a framework for considering not only what tourism protects, but whom it benefits, what it celebrates and how those efforts can be sustained over time.
Like Asilia, The Long Run has its roots in East Africa. Its founding vision took shape at Segera in Kenya, where the 4Cs were developed as a practical framework through which tourism, people and nature could thrive together. That shared geography was one reason the organisation felt like a natural fit when Asilia joined its community in September 2025.
More importantly, it reflects a shared understanding of what responsible tourism should achieve. Asilia has always believed that travel can help protect wilderness areas, support neighbouring communities and create opportunities that extend well beyond a guest’s stay. However, meaningful impact also requires honest measurement, continued learning and a willingness to examine where more can be done.
Learning through collaboration
The Long Run combines data and technology with personalised human support, helping members analyse and communicate their impact with greater rigour. It also creates opportunities for members and experts to exchange knowledge, discuss challenges and learn from approaches being tested in different landscapes around the world. This combination of evidence, collaboration and shared experience is valuable precisely because no two organisations or destinations are the same.
There is something deeply encouraging about spending time with respected professionals from leading tourism organisations who are willing to speak openly about the challenges involved in creating – and communicating – positive impact. Progress is rarely simple or linear. The road is long and the work can be difficult, but there was a shared conviction among those gathered at Grootbos that it is a journey worth taking.
Seeing the forest differently
The gathering closed with a forest-bathing experience in the ancient milkwood forests of Grootbos, led by ecotherapist and former head of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa, Grant Hine. Despite the name, there was no water involved and no swimsuits were required – fortunate, as we were standing at the cold edge of a winter storm. Instead, Grant invited us to slow down and connect with the sounds, rhythms and textures of the forest.
Standing barefoot on the soft leaf litter, we learnt about the relationships beneath the forest floor: tree roots intertwined with networks of fungi, and the subtle ways in which plants respond to changes and pressures in their environment. It was a complex world conveyed through expert and heartfelt storytelling.
Beyond the practical support offered by a community united by the 4Cs, this experience captured something else its members share: a belief in travel that helps people see a landscape differently. It was a reminder that positive impact is not only about what we protect or what we invest. It is also about helping people understand why a place matters.
That is the kind of experience that stays with a traveller long after the journey ends – and the kind of work worth committing to for the long run.
Commit to responsible travel for your next East Africa adventure
Words by Mark Gillies – Asilia Business Development Manager
