1of7
There are no woolly "wherever possible" or "if available" caveats to our commitments to responsible travel practices benefiting local communities. On this Tanzania safari and cultural tour, we believe that all members in local communities must see rewards from tourism if they are to have an interest in safeguarding their environments.
In Tanzania we co-operate with the Cultural Tourism Programs initiated by local communities who decided to do something for themselves to benefit from the tourism potential. They were supported in this by the Dutch Aid agency SNV. In Ilkurot, and Mtu Wa Mbu our activities with the villagers benefit their communities directly through the fees we pay - supporting families, local guides and a number of local farmers and businesses along the way.
We have also built and continue to fund a primary school at Ilkurot for use by the wider community. All of our campsites are locally owned and staffed by Tanzanians. All of our foodstuffs are bought locally - often involving our clients in the shopping from markets along the way. Our drivers and guides adhere to the behaviour guidelines for conservation as set out by Friends of Conservation. Our staff are paid well above average wages and have contracts of employment with agreed conditions of service. We do not recruit on tribal or cultural allegiance grounds. We employ many local guides and camp assistants en-route. Treating our staff fairly creates loyalty to our company and commitment to providing our clients with superb service.
We provide our clients with advice on responsible travel behaviour and encourage them to share their cultures with the peoples they meet as a way of improving understanding of our two very different life-styles.
We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
