15 Gift Ideas for Adventurous Travellers and Nature Lovers.

Whether it be to mark high days or holidays, we regularly find ourselves seeking out the perfect gift for our loved ones, which can be tricky. But if you’re racking your brain trying to think of something amazing for the wildlife enthusiast in your life, then this will help you. Here are 15 unique gift ideas that are perfect for anyone who has a love of travel, nature, and wildlife.

Gift Ideas for Conservationists

If you’re playing Santa to someone who has a passion for saving the environment then consider me your magic little helper because I’ve rounded up 5 gifts that give back to the planet.

1. Adopt an endangered animal

As adorable as they are, bringing home a bow-tied baby elephant or panda is just not right, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adopt an endangered animal for your loved one. There are plenty of wildlife conservation projects such as WWF, Defenders of Wildlife, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and World Animal Foundation, that protect wild animals and their habitats with a symbolic species adoption. You can even make the gift a little more special by adding a plushy of their favourite animal to the adoption kit.

Watch the video from My Visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya.

2. A token of Africa from BeadWORKS

From jewellery to homeware, pet products and keychains, you’re bound to find something that your loved one will adore. BeadWORKS is a community-driven project that not only helps fight poaching in Africa but also enhances local lives by reducing reliance on natural resources and empowering pastoralist women in northern Kenya by transforming their skills into income.

Beadwork is a long-standing staple of Kenyan tradition and plays an essential part in the ornamentation of their body. While there are each pattern has a meaning, generally white signifies peace, blue signifies water, green the grass upon which their livestock depend, and red; blood, warriors and bravery.

3. A Lush Charity Pot

I LOVE Lush products and I’m confident that your environmentalist loved one will too. The company is well known for hand making each of their fresh, organic and vegan-friendly cosmetics that fight against animal testing and are great for the skin. As if this weren’t cool enough, they have also come out with a Charity Pot body lotion where 100% of the purchase price goes toward animal rights, environmental rights, or human rights organisations. Each pot has a sticker on the lid that tells you where the donation is going to.

4. PangeaSeed artwork

Art is inspiring, it tells stories, gives life to open spaces and also helps the environment. Well, at least PangeaSeed’s art does. This creative non-profit is dedicated to using “Artivism” to raise awareness about the ocean and the importance of its creatures.

The Earth without art is just “eh” – Demetri Martin

5. A Bureo skateboard

As someone who skateboards there is no such thing as too many boards. So, if you know someone who does and also has a passion for the ocean, Bureo’s boards will make an epic holiday gift. Their boards are made from discarded fishing nets which are collected from coastal communities in Chile. If you’re not a boarder but still want to support the cause, they also make sunglasses and apparel.

Gift Ideas for Adventure Travelers

We all have that one friend who is always off on some crazy adventure (in my case I need to accept that it is me). When they’re not surfing in South America, they’re biking in Indonesia or trekking some far off mountain in Africa. They practically live out of a backpack or suitcase, so when it comes to gifts it can get a little tricky. Don’t worry, here’s a few gift ideas that will help capture those epic moments, inspire future adventures, and make life on the road a little bit more enjoyable.

1. A GoPro

Everyone loves taking photos of their experiences, but there are times when holding a camera is just annoying or not possible. Enter the GoPro. This is the ultimate gift for thrill seekers and gadget-lovers. In fact, GoPro was founded by a surfer, skier, and motorcyclist who wanted a better way to film himself and his friends surfing. I love mine.

2. A Grayl Trail Water Filter

There are two things that every adventure seeker needs – a water bottle and a water purification kit. Or, a water bottle that can purify your water. The Grayl Trail does just that, using a coconut husk-derived carbon filter that protects against the full spectrum of pathogens as well as many chemicals and heavy metals. As a bonus, they also pledge a percentage of their sales to environmental preservation.

3. Scratch map

So this one might not be as “useful” as the other gift ideas, however, I’m always for any gift that encourages its recipient to see more of the world. A Scratch Map is not just fun and pretty way to keep track of your travels, but it will also inspire your adventurous loved one to travel more. Actually, if anybody is reading, I’d love one of these to mark the many wonderful places I’ve been to.

4. The Trtl Pillow

The worst part about travelling is having little to no neck support while trying to catch a snooze on a long haul flight. Sure, memory foam pillows are okay but they’re bulky and don’t quite cut it. Enter the Trtl Travel Pillow. It is super lightweight, provides ample neck support, and is easy on the wallet.

5. Flight 001 5-in-1 Adapter

Adapter plugs are often one of those essential travel items that people forget to purchase. Plus there is the effort of having to find the specific one for each new destination you travel to. Thankfully, this compact adapter set enables travellers to plug in in 150 countries, and it comes with a colour-coded map to make it easy to determine which prong situation accompanies their destination.

Gift Ideas for safari lovers

Whether the recipient is a seasoned safari-goer or a first-timer, these safari-themed gift ideas are sure to be a hit this holiday season

1. Binoculars

This is a fantastic gift for all kinds of safari enthusiasts. For a wildlife safari a magnification of between 8x and 10x is recommended but remember the more you zoom, the shakier the view becomes. Binoculars from Nikon and Zeiss are always a great bet.

2. Photography equipment

For a gift that’ll excite a budding wildlife photographer, look no further than the Olloclip Lens Set, which turns the iPhone’s built-in front and rear cameras into wide-angle, fish-eye, and macro 15x lenses.

3. The right sized travel bag

If your gift recipient is thinking about going on a safari in Africa, a lightweight travel bag would a fantastic gift. While international flights have the usual restriction of 20kgs per person, luggage restrictions are much more intense (about 14kgs) on smaller bush planes that fly between African parks. This makes having a lightweight bag (and water resistant) super important.

4. A good book

I’m going to level with you here, flights can be really long and the excitement of travelling wears thin once you’ve been in the air for a while. Save your friend from the torture of in-flight movies and get him/her a good book to read. I’d personally recommend Peter Allison’s Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide or an epic fantasy like The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

5. A Big Five safari experience in South Africa

Is there a better gift to give a safari lover than the chance to spot the Big Five in person. For many people, going on a safari is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so this is guaranteed to be a gift that will bring an endless flow of gratitude and joy from your loved one. The best part is that this grand gesture doesn’t have to break the bank. There are plenty of amazing, The best part is that this grand gesture doesn’t have to break the bank! There are plenty of amazing, budget-friendly safari experiences.

The holiday season doesn’t mean just buying gifts for others. Spoiling yourself is a must and what better way to do so than by lounging on a tropical island? Treat yourself to an adventure, go on an island safari in Zanzibar.

For more inspiration read my: Ten Reasons to Love Zanzibar.

** This is a guest post by Jodi, a Writer for Bookallsafaris.com, an adventure enthusiast, and a Douglas Adams groupie. She lives in South Africa and has a passion for surfing, ocean conservation, and trawling pre-loved bookstores for a leather-bound volume of The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.