Nile Cruise and Red Sea vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

We don't use any domestic flights on this trip, instead we use the sleeper train service from Cairo to Aswan, offering a lower carbon alternative to flying. For those opting for the optional excursion to Abu Simbel, we drive rather than fly. The average carbon footprint consumption is 435Kg of CO?e per person on this tour. There are a number of measures the hotels we use are taking to reduce their carbon footprint, these include the use of energy-efficient LED bulbs, recycling waste, giving guests the opportunity to opt out of daily room cleaning and sourcing food suppliers from the locality. We offer the choice of vegetarian and vegan options. Our tour leaders work with local restaurants to eliminate single use plastics and straws.
As a travel company we are acutely aware of our impact on the environment. All of our tours display a carbon footprint, and we strive to reduce our emissions by regularly reviewing our tours and embracing low-impact styles of travel such as trains, public buses or walking – which offer the added benefit of getting a closer connection with the destination and local community.

ENVIRONMEMT & WILDLIFE

There are a number of classical sites that we visit on this tour, all entrance tickets include an element which goes towards the preservation and continued conservation of these sites for future generations and to further learning to the establishment of archaeological research facilities.

We strive to support nature and biodiversity through protection and regeneration projects. We have made the decision to remove all animal interactions in Egypt (horse drawn carriages and camel rides) as we were not satisfied that the welfare conditions were of sufficiently high standards. Our local partner in Egypt supports the ACE (Animal Care in Egypt) hospital in Luxor, making a denotation for each guest that travels with us, in addition we also make a donation to Rewilding Britain and Cool Earth.

The tap water in Egypt is not recommended for drinking and in many cases only bottled water is advised. To encourage customers to avoid single-use plastic on tour, our leaders give advice on refill points each day, the Novotel and Obelisk hotels both offer water coolers and dispensers to refill water bottles. Where tap water isn't safe to drink we recommend Water-to-Go bottles, a filtration bottle allowing you to drink water from any source.

People

LOCAL ECOMONY

Our leaders are the heart of tours. They bring passion and unrivalled knowledge of the destinations and communities that we visit. Their guidance ensures we observe the cultural norms in a destination, they act as a bridge between travelers and the local community and ensure that tourism is a positive experience for both host and guest.

We believe in supporting local; staying in locally-run hotels, exploring markets, buying snacks from street vendors, and by doing this we add money to the local economy and enhance our connection with the local community. There are a number of practical ways in which we do this in Egypt, during our trips we will visit a papyrus institute as well as a number of local markets in Luxor and Aswan where guests can purchase local goods directly helping to support the local communities we pass through.

In Aswan we have the option of visiting a Nubian village and having Nubian dinner at one of the local houses. In Luxor on day nine we include a lunch in a local house on the west bank of the Nile, this is very much a family run experience, we'll get to meet the whole multi generation family who prepare lunch, much of the food we eat comes from their own garden, not only is it a delicious meal

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY & DIVERSITY

Our local partner in Egypt only employs people from the local community, all the services providers are Egyptians. They pay at least the average market wage above the minimum wage in Egypt. They have a workplace diversity strategy to nurture equal employment without regard to race, gender or sexual orientation.