Tanzania photography safari
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Our local agents were the first company in Tanzania to carry out a complete carbon footprint audit on all their camps and offices.
The carbon footprint audit, completed in May 2008, was based on a year of data collected in the field by an environmental consultant, and audited by Energy For Sustainable Development (ESD) working with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management. Assessment is the first step in the carbon management process, which provides the building blocks to carry the company to a greener future. It enables them to develop their company strategy for reducing carbon emissions by setting targets that undergo regular assessments.
They now have the source data of our energy usage and carbon emissions, both for their camps and offices. They also have a carbon footprint offset value for each one their safari camps. The Bronze Rating from Eco tourism Society of Kenya, awarded in June 2008, is a holistic assessment of their performance and approach to ecotourism. This rating covers carbon emissions, environmental policy and conservation, community work, training and education, employment practices and health care. The Ecotourism Society of Kenya provides an internationally recognized environmental benchmark for East Africa.
By staying in just two camps, this minimises the amount of driving which takes place with an emphasis on the second property very much on walking safaris, thereby again reducing the amount of driving. The camps themselves are low impact, mobile camps, which use environmentally friendly toilets and solar panels.
For every one of our group departures we provide clients with an in depth information pack on how to travel responsibly offering advice on travelling in country. This ranges from cultural sensitivities, to environmental awareness with an emphasis on showing respect to your hosts ensuring that each traveller sets a precedent and adheres to a strict code of conduct.
To mitigate the carbon dioxide released into the high atmosphere through your air travel, for every international flight we book from the UK, we are giving £10 per client to Rainforest Concern. Rainforests have a central role to play in the slowing of climate change and yet we are removing forests from the planet at a faster rate than they can grow back. It is thus axiomatic to try and preserve the forests that we have rather than replanting. Rainforest Concern was established in 1993 to protect threatened natural habitats, the biodiversity they contain and the indigenous people who still depend on them for their survival.
Community
The guides we use on this tour are from the surrounding region and money raised from this tour helps support the training and education of the guides themselves. A percentage of the money raised from bed nights here is also paid to support the Nomad Trust, which in turn is committed to supporting numerous community projects across Tanzania, including the Loliondo Community Project, Tongwe Trust and Mimampwe Honey Trust.
These were all born organically as a result of continual contact with the issues in the different areas. The trust now provides administrative and fund raising support for the following affiliated trusts, and is a totally non-profit making organization. Any funds given to the individual projects are 100% committed to those projects themselves.
For each of our tours, every client receives a detailed confirmation pack prior to departure, which includes information on the area which they visit and information on the rules of wildlife watching. This is then reinforced on arrival in country as each of our specialist expert leaders provides a briefing on wildlife watching and ensures our clients adhere to a strict code of conduct. On our clients return, we then ask them to complete a questionnaire, which asks them to rate the guides and activities to ensure our tours they maintain the highest standards responsible wildlife travel.
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