Responsible Tourism

So far as responsible tourism – or eco-tourism – is concerned, most of the factors concerned have already been taken into account by us for those guests who book their East African safari through Zagas Explorer.

Hence we at Zagas Explorer are careful only to select those destinations, and in particular individual hotels, camps and lodges, that support environmentally-friendly practices, and ensure that the local community – rather than just some foreign located lodge owner – benefits significantly from their presence. In particular, it is important that local staffs – camp staff as well as guides and drivers – are employed, as is common throughout.

There are a number of initiatives that you yourself might think of taking: Learn something about the local culture and traditions in the area of East Africa that you are intending to visit. This could greatly enrich your appreciation of what you see. Being in East Africa isn’t just about game viewing – indeed a visit to a local village, and in particular its school, will almost certainly provide you with memories that may last longer than any game sightings. Most camps and lodges support a local village school, and will be delighted to give you details of their project and to accept any donations that you may wish to make – as everywhere, a basic education is one of the most precious things that a child can be given. Some people may be reluctant to make a cash donation, since they lack confidence that it will reach its intended recipients. However if you can find space in your luggage for such basics as pens, pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners, educational posters or books of any kind (although the latter are heavy) then these will be gladly accepted. Just leave them with your camp manager.

Respect the wildlife code: respect its privacy: it is their habitat, after all; don’t try to feed any animals; keep as quiet as possible in their presence; don’t remove souvenirs of wildlife origin (e.g. antlers from a discovered carcass), which, in any case, is often an illegal act.

Offset the environmental impact of your trip by coming to an arrangement with one of the several Carbon-offsetting organizations that exist. We do have to point out, however, that, whatever certain sections of society might claim, the case for man-made global warming, due to carbon emissions, is far from proven, and hence you should not feel under any obligation to do this.