Gorillas and Masai Mara wildlife vacation

Planet

During our trip, we stay in places/Lodges that use solar power for example Turaco Treetops. This energy is pollution free and causes no green house gases to be emitted after installation.

In the case of tracking the mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, the tracking fees paid are directed to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to support their mission of conserving and sustainably managing the wildlife and the protected areas of Uganda in partnership with the neighboring communities for the benefit of the people of Uganda. We always outline and explain the rules and regulations for gorilla trekking. These regulations will be repeated by your guide before you embark on your trek and it is important that you follow them. In the case when a tourist is suffering from a flu or a cold, they will not be allowed to track as this can easily be transmitted to the Gorillas.

We use a short flight from Entebbe International Airport to Masai Mara. This makes it easy for the tourist to visit the masai village later that day which would otherwise not be accessible incase of using road transport due to distance constraints. These tourists will learn a lot about the community and the way of life of the Masai people for example they track their grazing calves with the iron metal cowbell. They also support them through buying their hand made crafts.

People

During our trip, we visit local family businesses, for example the coffee growers, you will see how coffee is grown, harvested, roasted, grounded and packaged. Coffee tasting can be organized on request and souvenir beans can be purchased. You can as well participate in the harvesting and have an experience of how things are done. This can help to support the locals so that they are able to earn a living.

In Jinja town, there are craft shops like the Art and Craft center where people make different kinds of crafts and sell to travelers for example, handbags, paintings, necklaces among others. By doing this, the local people benefit from them thus supporting the community.
All the accommodation we use is built and designed using wood which is sourced from the local markets. The rooms are decorated with crafts which are made and designed by the community. This also supports the people of that community.

This is a small group tour with numbers not more than 6, meaning that local environments and the communities and all the other species that we encounter are not so much impacted by our stay.

The Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary is under the administration of the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED). In order to access this community, every tourist pays a certain fee to KAFRED.
The money generated from Eco-tourism is used to improve quality and access to education to the local community by building schools for example Bigodi Secondary School. The school has over 350 students whose parents are paying less compared to the other private or community schools.