Namibia self drive desert safari

Wolwedans is a collection of unique desert lodges that demonstrate excellent responsible travel criteria. For many years the lodge has been famous for its chef training programme which has upskilled local namibians not only from Wolwedans but across the country. Today their lodges are all mostly locally managed with many local staff having benefitted from years of high quality training and benefits such as schooling for their families – all provided by proceeds of tourism.

A particular highlight of this tour is the visit to Twyfelfontein visitor centre which as well as providing local employment opportunities is also a unique building in its own right. It is composed from a collection of completely recycled materials from old tyres to metallic oil drums. The centre is designed to be capable of being removed from the environment completely and leaving no residue should it ever be required to be dismantled.

The Lodge is a landmark in Namibia for the tourism industry as it is the first middle-market establishment in the country that is 100% owned by the community. The European Union funded the project through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism's Development Programme. At the same time, the private sector has been called in to supply the training and management skills until the community becomes self-sustainable. The purpose of the Lodge is not only to offer a professional service, great surroundings, extremely good food, well-trained guides and exceptionally good local management but, at the same time, to benefit the local community thanks to the revenues generated by the Lodge.

For all of our tours we provide customers with an itinerary specific responsible travel guide aprox 4 weeks before they depart. This includes a generic travellers code of conduct which emphasises basic responsible travel advice – e.g. reduction of waste and consumption of natural resources, purchase local produce where possible etc. Our holidays are specifically designed to bring guests into direct contact with locals from a range of different tribes and cultures across Africa. We also therefore provide destination specific guidance including advice on local customs and some key phrases in certain languages (e.g. Swahili). We also offer guidance on how to barter responsibly for local curios and what curios should be avoided (e.g. certain wildlife artefacts such as coral, turtle shells etc.). As all of our guides and groundhandlers are local we also give guidance on what a fair and reasonable level of tipping would be at the end of the holiday.

We support the work of Tourism Concern both in distributing their advice to customers and as an active participant in the Ethical Tour Operators Group. Our managing director sits on this group and is a regular attendee of meetings contributing to work towards developing industry wide fair trade standards. We also distribute materials to customers and make periodic donations for the following charities: Tree Aid; International Fund for Wildlife and Survival International Trust. In Southern Africa we support the Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative and forward their guidance to all customers on which seafood is sustainable when offered a choice at restaurants.