Cairo to Addis Ababa overland adventure, 38 days

Planet

Wildlife
Our travelers have the opportunity to trek in the Simien Mountains National Park which is home to some of Ethiopia’s rarest wildlife and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. This opportunity helps to promote some of Africa’s less well known but incredibly endangered wildlife such as the Walya Ibex, the Simien Fox and the Gelada baboon, all of which are endemic either to the Simien Mountains or Ethiopia. Those visiting the Park make a financial contribution by purchasing permits and we ensure they follow the Park’s code of conduct. This includes being escorted by a trained Park scout, not disturbing or removing any flora or fauna, only camping in designated areas and only buying firewood from Park staff.

Waste
All our travelers receive detailed a pre-departure information document when they book their trip which includes advice on traveling responsibly and what they can do before they leave home to help reduce the amount of waste produced during the trip. This includes removing packaging from personal items which can be recycled at home and taking a reusable water bottle to save buying plastic bottles of water during the trip. Advice is also given about how to act responsibly during the trip such as disposing of rubbish appropriately and our Tour Leaders reiterate this at the beginning of the trip.

People

Friends & neighbours
Our felucca sailboat trip on the River Nile from Aswan is operated by Ahmed Fauzi and his family. We have been working with him since he first started his business and he now owns 3 feluccas, helping to support his family and community.
Many of the sites our travelers can visit and activities they can take part in during the trip are operated by local businesses and employ local guides. These include Egypt and Sudan’s Pyramids and temples, Ethiopia’s rock-hewn churches and treks to the Simien Mountains. Our Tour Leaders enable our travelers to make arrangements directly with these companies and guides, which means they receive payment directly and contributes to providing employment in local communities.

Volunteering & charity
We support two charities in Egypt. In Cairo we have donated computers, teaching materials and financial assistance to the Sudanese Community Development Program, a school for Sudanese refugee children. We have also helped the school set up a Sponsor-a-Child scheme and arranged a letter exchange between the Sudanese children and a UK school. This promotes opportunities for inter-cultural understanding and provides the Sudanese children with great encouragement. We can arrange pre tour visits to the school, and many of our clients regularly donate old clothes and shoes to the Sudanese Refugees via our collection system at our Cairo Hotel. In Luxor we sponsor the Sunshine Project International, a home for abandoned and orphaned children. Apart from a regular financial commitment we have also donated bedding and play equipment to the school. Our travelers in Egypt are given the opportunity to visit the home in Luxor and regularly donate baby toiletries and toys directly there themselves.