South Africa and Swaziland safari
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Wildlife interaction: On numerous occasions during the trip we visit wildlife areas in Kruger, Swaziland, Zululand, Drakensburg, Addo & Hermanus. In Kruger, Zululand & Addo where we do game drives in the safari vehicle, the tour leaders brief the clients on how to behave as we get close to wild animals. While some of the instructions might seem like common sense, in the excitement of the moment they are often forgotten. Keep still in the vehicles, keep quiet, no sudden movements, and most of all never create a situation where the animal feels threatened.
On walks in Swaziland & Drakensburg the areas that we walk in do have wildlife, and here the group is advised to keep still when a wild animal is seen. While on the walks the tour leaders also impress upon the group to not leave in rubbish on the walking trails. In Hermanus during the whale watching season, the whales can be viewed from the lookout points. Clients are told to respect other people viewing these amazing animals, and also not to make too much noise when the whales are near, or to try to get their attention by throwing objects into the water.
Low Impact tourism:
- Maximum group size of 12 clients & minimum of 4, means that at all destinations visited, we do not 'over run' the place that large groups can. Smaller groups create an intimate safari experience, and means that when we interact with local cultures and stay in environmentally sensitive areas, we do not leave a large footprint.
- Cooking on gas when feasible so that we dont have to burn firewood which depletes limited resources.
- Requesting clients to purchase small wooden carvings curio instead of large pieces, again to conserve the forests around the carving markets.
- Ensuring that we take all of our rubbish out of wilderness areas and use proper waste disposal facilities on all tours (and in the workshop). Bottled Water: We encourage clients to drink the local clean drinkable tap water wherever possible in order to minimize the amount of plastic bottle waste produced by the purchase of bottled drinking water.
Community
Local Guides: Our stay in Mkuzi Game Reserve not only supports the wildlife but also the local surrounding villages. Your tour funds are used to support the local Zulu villages which surround the Game Reserve. Our village visit and our local guide create employment and income for the villages increasing the importance of tourism and conservation. Community awareness and prosperity helps to reduce subsistence poaching.
Food: All food and drinks on tour are bought in local grocery stores and fresh produce markets which creates economic activity directly from tourism. When eating at restaurants we always try to go to locally owned and run establishments no large restaurant chains.
Local crafts and produce: At all local markets where fresh produce and crafts are sold and produced, we encourage the clients to barter with the local people. This not only allows the clients to get involved with the local way of life, and interact directly with the local people, but also provides them a platform to experience local life first hand. Having said that, we explain to the clients by bartering too hard for a good deal might seem like a lot of money at the time, but if the amount being haggled over is converted to either US$, Euro or GBP, it amounts to very little. This is the local livelihood and we advise them to keep this in mind at all times.
Accommodation: All accommodation (with the exception of National Parks) used along the way is locally owned, and only employ local people. This provides direct benefits to local people through employment, and also the provision of food and services in the local accommodation.
Charities: In Maun we support Sibandas Fine Art & Fabrics. This is a local community initiative to employ local women who produce hand crafted fabrics. This is a non-profit organisation, and all visits from our groups generate some revenue for the charity and if any clients buy some of the products, it ensures that the charity remains self sufficient.
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