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There are a great many dive centres in the Red Sea. This has created enormous pressure on the reef system and the need for constant management and awareness of the marine environment. When selecting the dive centre to be used in this itinerary we specifically requested that a written environmental policy was in place. We are satisfied that the Dive Centre is very environmentally aware and actively works to reduce the damage to the coral reefs in the Red Sea through e.g. have dive groups of no more than 6 divers, take part in clean-up dives, training all staff in environmental awareness, ensure their divers exhibit good buoyancy before taken to pristine dive sites, enforce refresher dives for people who have not dived in 6 months, train and employ local Bedouin and Egyptian dive professionals up to instructor level and donate to local projects.
This itinerary is designed to both introduce divers to new, less dived locations whilst also relieving the pressure on the more central and frequently dived shore dive sites around Dahab. Drivers are given a Reef Awareness briefing prior to driving, introducing them to the fragile environment which is the Red Sea. We follow strict guidelines outlines by the National Parks of Egypt and SSDM on marine conservation and diver conduct.
Our local partners who organise the desert trek, are a unique team with almost 20 yrs of safari experience within the Sinai area, combining a complete understanding of Western needs with Eastern knowledge and culture. An integral part of their safaris are the traditions of the Bedouin lifestyle with regards to tented camps, camel handling, food preparation & bread making, herbal medicine, healing and star gazing. Over the years, the safari company has built up special relationships with many local Bedouin families and helped them with issues such as medical care, building of animal water troughs and construction of an eco-lodge run by local Bedouins.
Many Bedouin families choose to live a traditional desert dwelling life-style. However, in the present day they also need an income, which can be provided through tourism. All our Sinai trips help local Bedouins by giving them regular work, either as jeep driver or camel guide, and paying them a fair daily wage.
While on safari in remote areas we explain to our guests that purchasing local crafts from the women and children creates a certain independence and pride and can provide an income for a whole family. By creating this income families have the choice to continue residing in the desert plain as opposed to many who must relocate to the resort towns to earn a living.
When not camping the hotel used in this itinerary is locally owned by a prestigious Bedouin Sheikh and his family, built on lands belonging to their ancestors. Lease fees are introduced directly into the local community and distributed between family members. By avoiding foreign owned hotel chains whose profits disappear out of the country, choosing this hotel and dive centre for your holiday ensures that the money you pay stays within the country and benefits the local economy.
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.
Whilst volunteering on a coral reef in Tanzania, the founder of this company fell in love with Africa. Using her academic background in environmental science, she decided to do something practical and help the continent develop a sustainable tourism portfolio. She developed holidays which combine the obvious itinerary highlights with more unusual experiences such as home stays and township visits. She believes that there are great benefits to travel: it is a chance to widen your horizons, learn about other people and see a bit more of the world than just that little place you call home.
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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!
