Zambia & Malawi small group safari

Planet

Our responsible touring and environmental awareness policy applies to everyone travelling with us and allows us to experience the lands we are visiting but also have a positive influence on the communities and ultimately the natural environment of Southern Africa. Our tour leaders inform our clients in the implementation of these policies, many of which will seem like common sense.

Some of the initiatives we have in place:


General:
- Cooking on gas when feasible so that we don’t have to burn firewood which depletes limited resources (particularly in desert environments),
- 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).
- Asking clients to limit the amount of bottled drinking water they purchase, and drink the local drinking water in order to limit the amount of plastic bottles that are needlessly used.

We operate a number of tours into the National Parks of South Africa for underprivileged children from the SOS children’s village based in Johannesburg, South Africa. SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental and social development organisation. Its activities focus on neglected and abandoned children and orphans, as well as disadvantaged families. We try to run these tours as often as possible during the course of a year. We believe that the youth are Africa’s future and that environmental education is important. We secure sponsorship from a travel company based in the U.K, donations from clients, and income generated from our own tours to take the children to National Parks. This opportunity allows them to see for themselves wildlife, nature conservation at work, and also show them the many unique employment opportunities that are available in the conservation or tourism industry.

Environmental responsibility – e.g. details of: recycling, protecting wildlife / national parks, etc
Accommodation and Campsites:
- We try to book accommodation that is locally owned and involved in local responsible tourism initiatives. As at November 2007 we’re in the process of auditing all establishments we book to determine levels of commitment to community upliftment projects in their area.
- Campsites used are either locally owned, or a percentage of their income goes towards, schooling, or nature conservation & community projects.

Entrance Fees:
- All entrance fees go directly to the maintenance of National Parks of places of interest
- Entrance fees help with nature conservation practices and anti-poaching activities.

These local initiatives help to maintain local cultures and also sustain the ideals of wildlife conservation. Tourism, goodwill and conservation all work together and we aim to maintain the delicate balance at all times!