Fancy a frog safari? Maybe not, but the idea might well appeal to an eight-year-old visiting Botswana's Okavango Delta. While many safari lodges don't accept under-twelves, CC Africa recognises children as the eco-travellers of the future and loses no time in educating them for the role.

The company's two Botswanan lodges offer family game drives, bush walks for kids, special children's eco-guides and wildlife colouring books. Kid's fishing trips, bush tracking lessons and, of course, frog-finding safaris can also be arranged. Children are taught an appreciation of wildlife and landscapes that goes beyond the thrill of big game sightings, by guides trained to explain how the components of an ecosystem work together. Through being entertained, children can absorb CC Africa's strong philosophy: "Care of the wild, care of the land, care of the people."

That's not to say the company's camps are drenched in righteousness, nor that they aren't secluded getaways for those without children. At Nxabega, ten en suite safari tents overlook flood plains and papyrus-lined waterways. Chic interiors feature leather headboards, cowhide rugs and parchment or porcupine quill lampshades. The main building, of local timber, reed and thatch, is decorated with ostrich egg chandeliers, large mirrors and African art.

Its sister lodge, Sandibe, was constructed in a natural clearing without felling a single tree; saplings were transplanted into the surrounding forest. Eight en suite thatched cottages with open-air showers, private decks and warm, earthy décor overlook the watery Delta. The pathways around the camp have been used by wildlife for centuries.

Both lodges offer game drives, walks, mokoro trips and plenty of downtime. At Sandibe, San Bushmen demonstrate traditional skills, including making grass rope, constructing traps and animal tracking. Cuisine draws on pan-African flavours: cumin, vanilla and nutmeg. Guests can choose breakfast in bed, lamp-lit cocktails on a river island, picnics or private bush dinners under the stars.

But CC Africa has broader goals. South African president Thabo Mbeki is not the only one talking of an African renaissance. Dave Varty, one of the company's founders, is also fond of the phrase, using it to describe his belief in tourism's power to change the African continent for the better. To this end, certain blanket principles apply to all CC Africa properties. (The two Cs originally stood for Conservation Corporation.) Over 30 years' experience has fed into the company model of sustainable tourism, which links nature, local people and tourists as cogs that turn the wheel of the African wildlife experience. A conservation team advises managers of the company's 30 properties in Southern and East Africa. An annual award is made to the lodge that makes the greatest strides toward minimising environmental impact and there are awards for individuals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to conservation. Donations are made to charities such as the Endangered Wildlife Trust. At each lodge, staff volunteers form Green Teams to monitor energy, water and waste disposal policies, or to control alien plants.

The company declares its commitment to rural development, working closely with experts on projects such as the construction of classrooms, libraries and clinics, funding bursaries and supplying loans (rather than hand-outs) to small businesses.

CC Africa hasn't yet been in Botswana long enough to match its extensive community achievements elsewhere - at Phinda, in South Africa, for example. But in just three years, local staff have been trained as guides, the head chef and the operations manager. The company has established a community vegetable garden just outside the Delta, from which fresh produce is bought. And while further planned community projects take hold, Nxabega and Sandibe will continue to nurture new generations of eco-tourists who will hopefully care as much for the welfare of people as for conservation and who won't overlook the smaller members of an ecosystem - such as frogs.