HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT?
Our 50+ years combined experience and on the ground research means we truly know what sustainable tourism involves. Find out more about our quadruple bottom line and how we are working towards the UN SDGs:
1 - Actively promoting community-based tourism combined with our policy of profit sharing means direct income for rural communities.
2 - Micro-financing of small holdings such as cashew trees nurseries and livestock.
4 - Supporting local schools and offering educational experiences to travellers and facilitating knowledge sharing.
5 - Actively supporting women’s groups and our equal opportunities policy.
6 - Our programs have facilitated the building of pit latrines in rural households.
7 - Solar power is used in our offices and camps. In our camp kitchens we currently use a mixture of natural gas and sustainably sourced firewood or eco-briquettes. We are currently researching viable alternatives including solar cook stoves and biofuel.
8 - Our staff are employed full time and paid above average wages . We invest in staff training.
10 - Our programs are developed in partnership with local communities and built around their specific needs.
12 - Food cooked in camps is shared with the community and we compost organic waste. We opt for local products over imported ones.
13 - We promote walking safaris and community based programs are mostly carried out on foot.
14 - Drinking water is filtered on site instead of buying bottled and we aim to be 100% plastic free by 2022.
15 - We support forest management projects and tree planting.
our vision
Inspired by the philosophies of Ujamaa and Ubuntu our vision is a more curious, empathetic and sustainable world.
our Mission
People, Planet, Profit, Purpose -
Our quadruple bottom line:
To facilitate connection and understanding between people and with the natural world through inspiring, educational and immersive experiences for the adventurous traveller (purpose) while improving the lives and well-being of local communities (people); regenerating and protecting the environment (planet); and contributing to the local economy (profit).
Our core Focus:
We believe in the power of travel to transform the way we relate to each other and the natural world. Our mission is to go beyond the safari and beach holiday experience but to offer travellers unstaged, genuine human interaction and culturally educational experiences through community-based tours and programs. Having this as our focus ensures maximum community involvement and benefits from tourism.
Our Core values:
Businesses can play a vital role in driving positive social, environmental and economic change and have a responsibility to help protect the environment and people against degradation, deprivation and exploitation.
Tourism can ascribe real benefits to local communities and work in harmony with the environment while still being profitable and great value for money; People, Planet and Profit with a Purpose - our quadruple bottom line.
Communities require direct access to the benefits of tourism for conservation initiatives to have the biggest impact.
For tourism initiatives to be truly beneficial for indigenous communities they need to be responsibly managed, and environmentally sustainable.
Indigenous peoples have equally valid ways of knowing. It is important their cultures are celebrated, their rights and identities protected and their indigenous knowledge is preserved for future generations.
As a tour company we feel a responsibility to ensure visitors have the opportunity to learn about local cultures in an environment of mutual respect and understanding, in a way that is beneficial and educational for both visitors and local community in the long term.
Specialisation
Our combined backgrounds and extensive local knowledge means we are particularly well-placed to specialise in this relatively young and still developing sector of community based tourism. As a result we have been able to develop successful educationally focused programs which ascribe tangible benefits to local communities and is one of the things that makes us truly unique.
Social Entrepreneur-ship
Currently an average 10% of net profits from each program you participate in is put back into the community via sustainable grass-roots projects, which utilise local and indigenous knowledge, assisting in its on-going preservation. These projects typically focus on women's empowerment, capacity building, health, education, environmental sustainability and conservation. So as we grow, so do the communities we work with.
Cultural & Environmental Sensitivity
Our programs take into account the unique cultural, and environmental context of each community who also have the power of self-representation meaning they are not only free to choose which aspects of their culture they wish to share and prefer to keep private but are also not expected to "put on a show". We operate a strict "leave no trace" policy to minimise the environmental and cultural impacts of tourism.
Collaboration
Our programs are designed and built in partnership with the community, ensuring their needs and wishes are respected. This has not only enabled us to develop excellent programs but has also set a precedent for how companies operate in their villages.
Nobody lives or works in a vacuum. Sustainability can be achieved more effectively through collaboration. Therefore we actively look to partner with other businesses and organisations to achieve these goals.