Kenya holiday, safari and cultural tour
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
There are tremendous attractions in East Africa but the effect of tourism on fragile environments and indigenous cultures is often degrading. This need not be so and we want to avoid contributing to further damage whilst recognising that foreign visitors can bring great benefits. Therefore our trips are designed to give real insights into the lands we travel through with minimum impact on the people and places we visit.
We provide an intelligent traveller's alternative to the myriad adventure treks and safaris. We don’t miss the wildlife spectaculars, the so called “Big Five” - but you’ll see and learn something of the other five hundred as well and we'll never make you feel like a package tourist.
Community
There are no woolly "wherever possible" or "if available" caveats to our commitments to responsible travel practices benefiting local communities. We believe that all members in local communities must see rewards from tourism if they are to have an interest in safeguarding their environments. In Kenya we have negotiated directly with local community leaders to provide the services we require. These enable our clients to share village life and cultural insights with the Maasai, Kikuyu and Samburu peoples (including home-stays) and the community benefits directly from the visit.
In addition, we have a number of schemes in primary schools to provide equipment, uniforms, building materials and pay school fees and our clients have the chance to visit these during the safari if they wish. These schools are in Maji Moto, Olanganaiyo, Elementaita and Mt Kenya and you can visit them on this trip. All of our hotels and bush campsites, are locally owned and staffed by Kenyans. In the Mara we lease our permanent campsite direct from the Maasai-run Siana Wildlife Trust. All of our foodstuffs are bought locally - often involving our clients in the shopping from markets along the way. Our drivers and guides adhere to the behaviour guidelines for conservation as set out by Friends of Conservation.
Our staff are paid well above average wages and have contracts of employment with agreed conditions of service. We do not recruit on tribal or cultural allegiance grounds. We employ many local guides and camp assistants en-route. Treating our staff fairly creates loyalty to our company and commitment to providing our clients with superb service. We provide our clients with advice on responsible travel behaviour and encourage them to share their cultures with the peoples they meet as a way of improving understanding of our two very different life-styles. With the exception of the overheads for a small UK office - all of the money paid for this safari remains in Kenya - and with Kenyans.
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