Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Both lodges used in this itinerary have been selected for their commitment to responsible travel in the Quirimbas National Park. Each Lodge directly employs approx 30 permanent staff sourced and trained from the immediate community. The extended families of these staff members will rely on these salaries. Your holiday will therefore directly affect approx 600 people's lives. In addition, many third party services, food supplies and services are sourced from the community itself, directly affecting approx another 20 to 30 individuals and their extended families.
On Ibo Island traditional silversmiths hand craft exquisite intricate jewellery using ancient Arab techniques and tools. The key element to sustain this craft is providing high quality raw materials so that the quality of jewellery is sufficient. In order to do this, Ibo Island Lodge has set up a distribution network with a company in Cape Town called Africa Nova who will be able to provide a far greater return for the crafters. This jewellery is found no where else in the world and guests can observe the art and commission pieces from the lodges' silversmiths project. You can visit and learn more about these community projects from the lodge.
This area is a key breeding ground for several Indian Ocean turtle species. The lodges run projects to support international research efforts into turtle biology and ecology and to protect marine turtles, and turtle eggs, from illegal and inadvertent harvesting on the areas sandy beaches. The ultimate aim is to create a sustainable economic alternative to turtle harvesting for the coastal and island communities through tourism.
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.
Listen to the podcast below:
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!
