Guests at Sausage Tree and Potato Bush Camps will now be able to enjoy cruising the Lower Zambezi river with nothing but the sound of birdsong and chortle of hippos thanks to a new solar-powered e-pontoon. Pioneered by Green Safaris, the e-pontoon does away with the telltale smell of diesel and engine rumble to glide silently without disturbing wildlife.

Seating 10 passengers, the 90 kilowatt / 115 horsepower craft, Green Safaris estimates that the change to solar power will save 8 000 litres / 2 100gal per vessel a year. Together with e-boats and e-cruisers for game drives at their other properties in Zambia, the safari operator is making strides to minimize carbon production, reduce pollution and mitigate reliance on fossil fuels.