We make an effort to raise local awareness of tourism and thereby increase access to the tourism product. Several training units on developing business skills have been developed. These materials have been used in both the Co-operative and amongst villages who have started tourism-related businesses. Our soil reclamation projects and tree planting are small micro business projects. We have an adult education and community development programme to establish ‘learning circles’ who take up development issues in their villages. Efforts to protect the natural environment have focused on water conservation, waste management and energy conservation. Wine bottles from the lodge have been used to construct a ‘greenhouse’ in the community garden. Drinks cans have been used to make gabions for soil erosion prevention and little desks for the pre-school. Meetings are held at the clinic where members of the community can be counselled and tested for HIV by trained professionals. We have run an awareness and destigmatization campaign and provide support for people living with HIV. We have built 3 classrooms at Junior school and pre-primary school. We also have a large hall for community entertainment including a generator, tv & video sets. The school and museum are paid from trip fees and the balance of the hiking trails is donated to our development trust.

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
