Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
UK office
It all starts at home so we have first worked to reduce our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies in place, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.
Leaders & local suppliers
We have an excellent long-term relationship with the local operator who employ and train all leaders. We provide refresher training with a focus on Responsible Tourism.
Most of the tour is spent camping which reduces our energy consumption for the whole trip. We also source all of the food used while camping locally. Furthermore, whilst camping, the leaders ensure that we minimise impact as much as possible by such things as clearing up camping areas after use.
We pay the mandatory park fees which contribute to conservation of the parks and surrounding areas.
Zambia Project
Kasalu Village is part of the rural district of Chikumbi and is dependent on agriculture. It is a poor area with no electricity, no running water, poor access to healthcare and little employment or income opportunities. An inspirational local volunteer, Kelvin Phiri, started teaching 3 children under a tree many years ago and now thanks to his dedication, there is a school in the village with over 200 children attending. He set up the Chikumbi Community Centre (CCC) 8 years ago to improve the lives of the local children, who we have since been supporting alongside Andy Mckee from Baraka Community Partnerships.
Our main achievements over the years includes building 7 bore holes for the village, funding sports and drama camps, providing medical and educational supplies for the local school and clinic, distributing over 10,000 malaria nets for all of the Chikumbi District and nearby villages and building a vegetable garden so the school now has a sustainable income.
There are many more accomplishments after several volunteer groups have visited Kasalu, especially in the cornerstone of our project at the village school. The impact on the village cannot be overstated and we have found in the past our visits have galvanised the villagers into action on various community schemes. Whether we are assisting in the development of the complex, simply interacting with the kids and teaching sports or building a compost and planting some trees, your impact is guaranteed to be lasting and overwhelmingly positive on a social, cultural and environmental level.
Group size
We operate small group tours that have a low impact on the communities we visit and we always ensure our operations do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. This allows us to stay in unique and characterful accommodation that would not have benefitted from tourism due to their limited size.
This tour operator was the first to get access to China over 30 years ago and the first to take a truck to Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side. They have since expanded into 91 countries. Their product is driven by their clients because they listen to feedback and have to constantly evolve to provide a greater experience and better value. The exclusive centres they use have been grown organically and are often owned by ex-leaders. The holidays remain innovative, though you will now be travelling in a Mercedes 16-seater sprinter coach rather than a rusty old Bedford overland truck.
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!
