Responsible wildlife vacations
“When I first went on a safari in Kenya, a regular safari goer asked me in the bar at the end of the day ‘what did you see today?’. I had spent the day in a Maasai village, and so told him that I had seen, and chatted at length with, some Maasai elders, their mothers, wives and children. He just laughed, dismissively, and tried to regale me with stories that described the Maasai as worthless.”
Our Wildlife Vacations
Madagascar in depth, small group tour
Madagascar's unique wildlife and off the beaten track gems
Galapagos and Machu Picchu vacation in Ecuador and Peru
Discover Peru's Machu Picchu and the Wildlife-rich Galapagos
Classic Antarctica cruise & South Shetland Islands
Experience all that this remarkable area has to offer!
Trinidad and Tobago vacations
All the main highlights of Trinidad & Tobago
Churchill polar bear tour in Canada
A unique opportunity to encounter polar bears
Spitsbergen wildlife cruises
Encounters with glaciers, polar bears and icebergs.
Galapagos Islands vacation
Home to many interesting species of endemic wildlife
Gorilla Safari & the Masai Mara
Superb safari and trip to see gorillas
Tiger tour in India, land of the Tiger tour
Wildlife tour through India
Costa Rica highlights vacation & beach
Short highlight itinerary covering city, forests and beach.
Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica cruise
The Ultimate Antarctica Experience!
Galapagos & Amazon wildlife vacation, Ecuador
The ultimate wildlife trip to the Amazon and Galapagos
Namibia and Botswana camping safari
Camping safari to Namib desert, Caprivi, Etosha & Okavango
Trinidad and Tobago nature tours
An eco-adventure experience that includes every comfort
Botswana safari and Victoria Falls
An unforgettable wildlife and scenery experience
Whale watching in the Azores
Classic whale watching trip in the Azores archipelago
Camping safari in Southern Africa
Camping safari highlights of Zimbabwe, Botswana & Kruger
Costa Rica wildlife vacation
An amazing variety of Costa Rican wildlife
Self drive vacation in Costa Rica, Pacific Coast
Self-drive Costa Rica's Pacific coast, away from the crowds
Galapagos land based adventure vacation
Amazing wildlife, both on land and underwater
Blue Whale tour in the Azores
Visit the Azores at the best time to see Blue Whales
Sri Lanka tour & beach vacation
Tropical island paradise with cultural tour
Gorilla and game safari in Uganda
The great Silver back Gorilla & wildlife all in one package!
Borneo vacations, tailor made
Rainforests, orangutans, beaches tailor made
Madagascar small group safari
Exceptional journey, expert guides & staggering diversity
Bird watching tours in Hungary
Visit Bukk N.P. with a birding specialist
Galapagos cruise options, tailor made
The greatest wildlife experiences tailor made
Swaziland wildife and culture tour
Explore Eswatini, one of the smallest countries in Africa
Each destination has its issues regarding people’s livelihoods, culture and land rights. And we have a series of destination and wildlife guides that discuss these in detail, as you can see below. For example, the Inuit Alaska Natives in the USA and Aboriginal people in Canada still have a right to hunt a restricted amount of polar bears every year, due to an agreement that respects their cultural heritage. In Uganda, there have been major issues over the displacement of the Batwa tribe from Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks, which are the ancestral tribal lands of these people. Many are now living in the parks’ buffer zones but unable to survive. Some groups are now becoming involved in tourism, but this is a very slow and politically delicate process.
The fact is that people need money and food to live, and sometimes poaching is the only answer for them. This is why we need to put people at the heart of the conservation debates, and educate communities regarding the positive impacts of wildlife tourism. Show people that animals are worth so much more money alive than dead. Up until recently, the traditional ‘ecotourism’ movement’s mantra was ‘Take only photographs, leave only footprints.’ Not to be argued with, of course, it was created to ensure that wildlife tourism did not impact upon flora or fauna. It omitted the other fundamental F word, however: folk.
This is why, at Responsible Travel, our idea for responsible tourism has always been that it should encompass all types of tourism (not just nature based) and that it should deliver ‘better places to live in and to visit’ – with the emphasis firstly on creating better places for local people, and secondly for tourists. We endeavour to work with vacations suppliers that share these beliefs, and don’t just stick a quick visit to a Maasai village at the end of a vacation, in a tokenistic way. Supporting and understanding people’s lifestyles and human rights are just as important on wildlife vacations as any others, and we hope that by taking a responsible wildlife vacation, you will be able to raise a glass in the bar at the end of the day, and toast the people who have made it possible.
Responsible wildlife vacations - in detail
Our safari vacations guide discusses the disempowerment of indigenous groups bordering Africa’s national parks. It also explains the growing model of conservancies: land owned and collectively managed by communities, which is then leased to safari companies, or to lodge owners for a fixed period of time. This means that the communities don’t just benefit from wildlife tourism – they have control over it.
Tiger safaris
The biggest threat to tigers is the demand from China for tiger body parts, which are used in the highly lucrative Traditional Chinese Medicine market. Our guide highlights some of the atrocities involved in this so called medical practice that has no scientific backing. Another issue regarding tiger safaris is the abuse of tigers at the infamous Tiger Temple in Thailand. A no go area, in our opinion.
Gorilla safaris
Uganda and Rwanda are also cited as having one of the most progressive conservation strategies worldwide, charging high fees for permits, and having extremely strict limitations on visitor numbers. But does it work? And what about the indigenous Batwa who were evicted from the parks to make way for the gorillas? Read more in our guide.
Bear watching
We raise the issue of the hunting rights of the Inuit of northern Alaska and Canada, or the Yupik of Central Alaska, when it comes to polar bears. Which comes first - culture or conservation? And when it comes to watching Finland’s brown bears, the age old hunting practice of leaving bait to lure them out of the woods has been applied to wildlife watching. We discuss the pros and cons.
Orangutan vacations
Volunteering is a very popular, and important, aspect of wildlife vacations when it comes to orangutans. However, philanthropic travelers should take a step back: choosing the wrong volunteer placement is not just worthless – it can actually cause even more harm and our guide helps you understand how to choose wisely. Deforestation for palm oil is also having a drastic impact on the survival of orangutans. Read our guide for more details.
Whale watching
Whale watching vacations are a global success - demonstrating that these massive marine mammals are worth far more alive than dead. Only three countries still practise whale hunting, while dozens more have embraced whale tourism. But this must still be done in a responsible way, taking heed of important guidelines and ensuring the whales are not distressed. Our guide explains how to watch whales with minimum impact.
Dolphin watching travel guide
This guide helps clarify some of the issues around our instinct to touch, cuddle, and nurture dolphins. There must be very strict guidelines around responsible dolphin watching, and we highlight them in the issues page of our guide.
Elephant trekking vacations
Elephant riding has long been on the Asia traveler’s bucket list. Whether learning how to be a mahout in Thailand, tracking tigers through the jungles of Nepal or riding a rescued elephant in a Sri Lankan sanctuary, it has traditionally been seen as a way of getting closer to nature while simultaneously conserving this endangered species. However, more and more travelers and tour operators are starting to question the ethics of riding these wild animals, as well as the methods used to train them. Read more about our stance in our guide.
Watching wildlife responsibly

For further information about the global work of the Born Free Foundation, visit http://www.bornfree.org.uk/
For more information about animal welfare issues in tourism, check out Our stance on wildlife.
Responsible wildlife vacations
Responsible Travel asks the experts
Chris Morris, from our supplier IntoAfrica, on how to ensure you are choosing an ethical Maasai tour: “It’s very, very difficult. Any question asked of a tour operator in advance is likely to be met with a very satisfactory answer. But direct straight questions, like “How much do you pay to the Maasai village when I go there?” or “Who do you pay the money to?” and “How do you support the village and where can we see the evidence?” should be met with direct and clear answers – any fudging or nebulous “whenever possibles” should switch on a warning light. Asking the tour operator for the contacts of someone who has been on, say, a homestay before, so you can call and talk to them about their experience would be useful. I keep a huge list of folk stretching back 15 years from all around the world, who’ve indicated they would be happy to do this for prospective guests. Invariably I can find someone in the inquirer’s country they can call and chat to at length about their experience.”Dr. Christopher Kidd, Forest Peoples Programme in Uganda:
“When Bwindi and Mgahinga were gazetted as national parks, conservation organisations enforced an exclusionary policy which saw all Batwa evicted from the National Parks. These evictions took place in violation of international law and despite the Batwa’s historical coexistence with the gorillas. The effects have been to render the Batwa entirely landless and impoverished on the borders of the National Parks. With gorilla numbers on the increase the conservation of these landscapes may be measured as a success but it is questionable that this had to happen at the expense of the Batwa. Travelers should be aware of the continued impoverishment of the Batwa who receive little or no benefits from conservation and exist as a marginalised community on the edge of Ugandan society. Changes to conservation practice and theory in the last decade have highlighted the importance of involving communities in the long term conservation of the world’s landscapes and the vital role indigenous peoples have, but these changes in thought have still to be felt in Uganda. The Batwa continue to struggle to have their lands and livelihoods returned to them and to have their rights to their lands recognised by the Uganda government”.
Harriet Whitmarsh, from our supplier The Great Projects:
“Our project is in Batang Ai, where there are wild orangutans. You stay with a local Dayak tribe and go out trekking with them in the forest, which provides local jobs. Additionally, that particular community was on the point of being evicted from the forest by the government, but now that they’ve established themselves as a money making tourist center, the government were less inclined to kick them out. It really does help.”
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