Tanzania and Kenya anti poaching project
| country: | Kenya, Tanzania |
| departures: | 2009: 14 Feb |
| price: | From £2195 (18 days) including flights from the UK plus local payment of US $400. Price includes accommodation, meals and transport. This trip can also be booked without flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
18 days working on an anti-poaching community project and exploring the awe inspiring scenery of Tanzania and Kenya
On the border between Kenya and Tanzania, a pioneering project is working with local communities to develop alternative livelihoods to illegal poaching and environmentally destructive charcoal production.
Over 8 days we'll be working with a community of former poachers to build and develop a cultural centre which will create employment opportunities for the local people.
We'll also have the chance to enjoy some of the most magnificent wildlife East Africa has to offer in the parks of Arusha, Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
8 Day Community Project
From Arusha, we cross the border into Kenya and to our base at Kidong village. As we'll be living and working with the villagers as part of their community, learning some of their language is a must so over the first 3 mornings we'll get to grips with Kiswahili! The main part of our stay will be spent helping to develop the cultural centre. This may include assisting in the construction of the exhibition centre, restaurant or accommodation facilities. We'll also take part in a de-snaring patrol and take several trips into the surrounding area to learn about its indigenous wildlife and people. On our final day we will share our experiences in an environmental workshop in the local school.
Ngorongoro & the Serengeti
We cross back to Tanzania to take in some of the most spectacular game viewing in Africa. Our first stop is Tarangire National Park, where the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem lives among the primeval baobab trees. We continue to the Ngorongoro crater; the world's largest intact caldera. Rhino, lion and elephant are the big attraction here, whilst flamingo occupy pride of place on the shallow soda lake. After a dramatic drive through the Great Rift Valley, we reach the Serengeti and are at once among the vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and Grant's gazelle. We hope to see plenty of Africa's hunters, including lion, cheetah and leopard on the huge Serengeti plains.
On the border between Kenya and Tanzania, a pioneering project is working with local communities to develop alternative livelihoods to illegal poaching and environmentally destructive charcoal production.
Over 8 days we'll be working with a community of former poachers to build and develop a cultural centre which will create employment opportunities for the local people.
We'll also have the chance to enjoy some of the most magnificent wildlife East Africa has to offer in the parks of Arusha, Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
8 Day Community Project
From Arusha, we cross the border into Kenya and to our base at Kidong village. As we'll be living and working with the villagers as part of their community, learning some of their language is a must so over the first 3 mornings we'll get to grips with Kiswahili! The main part of our stay will be spent helping to develop the cultural centre. This may include assisting in the construction of the exhibition centre, restaurant or accommodation facilities. We'll also take part in a de-snaring patrol and take several trips into the surrounding area to learn about its indigenous wildlife and people. On our final day we will share our experiences in an environmental workshop in the local school.
Ngorongoro & the Serengeti
We cross back to Tanzania to take in some of the most spectacular game viewing in Africa. Our first stop is Tarangire National Park, where the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem lives among the primeval baobab trees. We continue to the Ngorongoro crater; the world's largest intact caldera. Rhino, lion and elephant are the big attraction here, whilst flamingo occupy pride of place on the shallow soda lake. After a dramatic drive through the Great Rift Valley, we reach the Serengeti and are at once among the vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and Grant's gazelle. We hope to see plenty of Africa's hunters, including lion, cheetah and leopard on the huge Serengeti plains.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London - Kilimanjaro. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Kilimanjaro, drive to Moshi. |
| Day 3: | Drive to Taveta (Kenya); arrive project at Kidong Village. |
| Day 4-10: | Project work. |
| Day 11: | Drive to Tarangire NP (Tanzania); game drive. |
| Day 12: | Drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area; Game-viewing in crater. |
| Day 13: | Drive to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge; game viewing en route. |
| Day 14-15: | In Serengeti National Park; game drives and optional balloon flight. |
| Day 16: | Drive Arusha. |
| Day 17: | Fly London. |
| Day 18: | Arrive London. |
a taste of volunteering trip - what's it all about?
This type of trip is ideal for people who are unable to take very long periods off work but who are interested in volunteering to work with communities in need, or in wildlife conservation. These shorter trips combine volunteering with an opportunity to see the main sights in destinations. Find out more about 'taste of volunteering'award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The aim of this project is to provide the communities with alternative, sustainable livelihood choices.
By accessing revenue from tourism that is attracted by the wildlife of Tsavo West NP, communities shift their economic dependence on to the maintenance of wildlife populations rather than on hunting them, and through education and awareness, communities recognise there is economic value in maintaining their environment. The presence of volunteers represents the first step in this particular community accessing tourism and supplementing their income through conservation and the funding and labour provided by volunteers is an essential contribution to getting their project off the ground. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |