Last year, an alarming video posted online recorded four-wheel-drive safari vehicles in Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve racing after hunting cheetahs and nearly scaring them off their kill.

In July, a Spanish traveler was trampled to death by elephants in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa, the third time this year that a tourist was killed by wildlife on a safari.

And in September, wildlife researchers and tourism representatives in Arusha, Tanzania, raised concerns about safari companies causing significant distress to wildlife and damaging natural habitat.

All of these events makes careful vetting of a safari company ever more important — for the safety of both the visitors and the wildlife they hope to see, but also the communities supported by safari tourism.

“Our travel choices can make a huge difference in helping to save Africa’s landscapes and protect endangered wildlife,” said Kaddu Sebunya, chief executive of the African Wildlife Foundation, an international conservation organization based in Nairobi. “When travelers book a safari with a reputable company at the forefront of conservation-based tourism, they are not only contributing to conservation, but also to the economic well-being of local communities.”

Hope to go on safari someday? Here’s what you can do to have that great experience of a lifetime, but also ensure that your hard-earned dollars benefit local people and protect nature.