Complete Kenya safari

Planet

This itinerary features immersive stays at safari lodges that we personally regard to be industry-leading in terms of the conservation work they undertake.

Safari tourism in Kenya is a particularly important feature underpinning community conservation work, since it provides local people with a livelihood that is directly correlated with the protection of species and success of wildlife reintroduction programmes. The presence of the lodges in protected areas also incentivises the preservation of less ‘celebrity’ flora and fauna.

We particularly recommend the lodges on this tour for their fantastic guides and the conscientious approach they have to wildlife. Safari guides are at the front line of conservation, responsible for educating guests, encouraging the protection of the environment, and also the choices they make on-the-ground (such as observing wildlife from a respectful distance, ensuring no litter or human objects fall out of the safari vehicle, and even reporting any malpractice incidents or poaching threats to the relevant authorities), are amongst the most important in conserving the national parks and the animals that call them home. It is for this reason that we take our role of recommending guides to our guests very seriously.

Our offices in the UK and in Bangkok take a leading role in setting the standard for an environmentally friendly work environment. Alongside ensuring that our waste is appropriately recycled, we have instituted a paperless work system, in which paper usage is kept to a bare minimum. We have also implemented a plastic ban in our offices, starting with coffee cups and single-use plastic drinks bottles, and expanding to encompass food packaging as far as possible. Each office has a designated ‘sustainability officer’, who helps to implement programmes and answer questions, whilst all team members are able to set the environmental agenda by highlighting their ideas on a specific sustainability channel in our internal communications network.

People

The safari accommodations we promote all have a strong focus on recruiting staff form within their local communities: many aim for at least 75% of their staff coming from their immediate local community. This provides jobs and skills and is one of the most direct ways of positively affecting community development.

Our accommodation choices make use of locally owned properties where possible and often include adventurous, authentic choices such as local homestays which therefore involve local people and their communities in the very fabric of our holidays.

Holidays are locally-guided by knowledgeable locals who possess a wealth of information on the local environment and culture.

We encourage all our travellers to research local customs and read your trip notes before you depart to ensure you are conscientious and respectful in a different culture.

In most cases we strongly recommend that you do not give money to children beggars. If begging is a successful enterprise, parents are encouraged to forsake their children’s education in pursuit of this opportunity.

Talk to us about packing for a purpose and see if you can get involved by making a small material contribution to the communities you are visiting. We have developed partnerships with charities and accommodations throughout Kenya and are constantly working to extend our reach with the help of our travellers.