North and south Luangwa exploration, Zambia

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Both camps featured in the itinerary run exclusively off solar power.

At both of the camps included in the itinerary there is a heavy focus on walking and should guests like to avoid travelling on safari by vehicle at all that is very possible at these camps as they have expert local walking guides.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The local operator behind the two camps in this itinerary have been a staunch supporter of Conservation South Luangwa for over a decade providing financial support through The Luangwa Conservation & Community Fund and critical logistical support for wildlife de-snaring.

As one of only two tourism operators in the North Luangwa National Park, they have been a close partner in the Park’s recovery and continues to provide financial contributions to North Luangwa Conservation Programme protected area management work. Their commitment to its ethos is truly captured in the remote and wild space that is North Luangwa.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

The local operators are actively involved, through their own initiative, The Tafika Fund, in sustainably uplifting the surrounding community and Mwanya area. The Tafika Fund was set up by John and Carol Coppinger in 1998 and has been managed by Carol ever since. Through donations from generous guests and tour operators (as well as substantial financial support from Remote Africa), The Tafika Fund has managed to successfully implement and maintain a number long-term initiatives over the years, including:

Mkasanga School - From ongoing building renovation, to the purchase and supply of stationery, textbooks and over 2500 library books, desks, school supplies, additional educational material and the payment of teachers' salaries, the Tafika Fund makes a significant difference to present lives and future aspirations of Mkasanga scholars.

Mkasanga Clinic - The Tafika Fund built an outpatient clinic in Mkasanga, which acts as a first aid centre for the 2036 residents of Mkasanga. The clinic officially opened its doors in March 2006 and now includes an inpatient and maternity wing. A government medical officer oversees the clinic and tends to patients while the fund pays a monthly wage for an assistant to the officer. Periodically, medical supplies may be donated to supplement the clinic provisions.

Scholarship Programme - Full educational scholarships are offered to the top Mkasanga graduates each year. The scholarships are fully comprehensive and include school fees, accommodation, food, travel and school material costs. Four new students are afforded scholarships per annum. Presently, 15 pupils are supported by the scholarship programme and, thanks to individual sponsors, the number of scholarships continues to grow.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

The local community has been an integral part of the development of the company. Their ethos has always been to build camps with local materials and utilise local skills as far as possible. Being traditionally reliant on subsistence farming as a way of life, unless the communities derive direct and significant benefits from tourism there is little incentive to protect the wonderful wildlife that they share the area with. Consequently, apart from merely providing jobs, a great deal of work has gone into projects, mentioned above, sponsoring education, building and supporting a clinic, developing a massively popular football league and supporting community tourism development projects. Almost all the wildlife guides are from the immediate area and have received their training from scratch.