Luxury gorilla and wildlife holiday, Uganda

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

The lodge used in Queen Elizabeth park uses solar power for water heating and compound lights.

Vegetarian food is available on the menu daily. Most of the food is locally sourced from the community.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

This safari visits Queen Elizabeth national park where 20% of gate collections by Uganda Wildlife Authority goes directly to community in an initiative termed as revenue sharing. The total amount is given to the community every year where they fund a program of interest like a school, health centre or community hall.

This tour visits the gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest. This contributes heavily to gorilla conservation. The revenue given to communities surrounding the park ensure that these communities protect the gorillas because they benefit directly from having them in their community.

You will drive from Queen Elizabeth national park to Bwindi. Enrooute, you will visit "Save the wildlife project" and later visit the "Ride for a Woman project". Both these projects are run by community members who offer a platform for women to make and sell their crafts hence earning directly for their families. They also run affordable community saving and loans schemes and address the human-wildlife conflict by providing lion lights.

Just like all our tours, we minimize trash on our safaris by encouraging travelers to reuse different materials. We provide travelers with reusable water bottles. We no longer buy the small disposable water cartons but rather the bigger bottles that then ensure minimum plastic and trash on our tours. Whatever rubbish generated while on the safari must be retained in the car and safely disposed of by the driver guide.

We are members of Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF). UCF supports the Uganda Wildlife Authority to recover and manage protected areas, and reducing poaching and wildlife crime. They support wildlife populations through investing in key infrastructure, as ranger posts, marine ranger stations and veterinary labs. They believe that when ranger patrols and veterinary teams access hard-to-reach areas and treat wounded animals, wildlife populations stand the best chance of growth.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Our guides are locals in the countries we work in – they have grown up in Uganda and are in touch with the community. In the park, you will be handed over to ranger guides - who are from the community. They will help you in exploring the forest. This helps with spreading the tourism dollar to many more people on the value chain.

Bwindi Impenetrable national park has some areas that are steep and can be slippery in the rainy season. We encourage clients to take ‘porters’ who help make this journey easier. In return, the porters who are from the community earn the much needed money to supplement their farming incomes. They are the best conservationists of the forest because they directly earn from it.

The lodges used on this tour employ people from the local population. They train them and give them opportunities for growth and promotion. The people in turn understand and appreciate conservation of the wildlands and encourage their community members on the same

We are members of Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF). UCF works with park-adjacent communities to promote wildlife-compatible livelihoods and mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Engaging communities, schools and cultural institutions is key to building a sustainable legacy for conservation.