Kenya birding and wildlife vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
Where we can, we use partners that adhere to sustainability practises. Due to the location of a lot of our partners they actively look to minimise energy consumption by using solar power, and reduce water usage. Rondo Retreat uses solar for all heating as well as offering indigenous tree planting as part of your stay on reclaimed land.

Tumbili Cliff Lodge and Rondo Retreat both use locally sourced food where possible, reducing food miles as well as contributing towards sustaining local farmers.

Saruni Basecamp Mara has the highest EcoTourism rating of gold for its responsible practices and recycling as just a part of it.

On this trip you will be encouraged to bring and use reusable water bottles that can be used throughout your journey. We strive to help our customers minimise their use of single-use plastic wherever they travel in the world.

During this trip we also reduce flying by driving between locations rather than internal flights, thereby reducing further air miles and carbon emissions.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The use of National Parks within our itineraries is widespread, with all park fees going directly to the local authorities responsible for maintaining and protecting the and flora and fauna within the parks, for example in Kakamega and the lakes on the trip.

Saruni Basecamp Mara operates within a community owned conservation area, where daily night stays go straight towards the local community and allow them to see an immediate return to them protecting the wildlife. This has led to them being able to protect over a million acres for wildlife which has helped to protect biodiversity while supporting locals and provide safe spaces for endangered game.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Through this trip the local economy is supported through buying food locally at Rondo, Tumbili and Saruni to Tumbili offering a visit to the local Pokot village. This allows guests to understand the local culture as well as to purchase items from the local women which helps to provide them with an alternative source of income.

At Saruni Mara, they work with local Masai women to provide a market for their beadwork services, this has led to over 250 women receiving remuneration for their work and allows guests to support them and visit and see the skill that goes into their manufacturing.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of the accommodation that we use on this trip source local employees to help them run their businesses. They also source local food products, which not only helps the environment due to reduced travel of the products, but also helps the local population create revenue.

Saruni employs 100% Kenyans across the board of which 86% are from the local communities that they work with. This has helped to improve employment, with 330 staff hired and also has led to the ability to offer training and improvement as the employees make their way through the company.

Tumbili was set up by a local guide and is fully staffed by locals from the area around the lake, they have also trained staff up as well as local guides to take you on your trips around the lake, further increasing the impact on the local community.

Rondo Retreat hires local guides that have grown up in Kakamega and know the area and birds better than anyone else, meaning the local population is benefitting form the guests but also that locals have the opportunity to learn and develop as guides and get the training through Rondo Retreat. They also hire all staff locally from the forest meaning a direct impact on the local area.
Where possible our partners use local guides, as they know the land, wildlife, and environment the best. This results in a higher customer experience, gives them a greater understanding of the fragile balance of the area they’re visiting, and means that a local person is being employed!

This trip has a local guide accompany our guests throughout the journey meaning direct employment and further allows our customers to understand the locations and the culture of the areas, as well as the guests benefiting from the local guides at each lodge as well.

Pre-travel all of our customers are presented with what we call a ‘travel pack’. Within this travel pack our customers receive all the detail about their trip. The detail includes useful information on the destinations they are traveling to, including, but not limited to, the social and political situations within the destination. We also give guidelines on what to pack to try and minimise the amount of luggage our customers take resulting in lower fuel usage on planes and other vehicles.