Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism can mean many things to many people, our view is that when travelling, it's about taking care to appreciate and preserve the natural wonders of the world, to observe and respect the culture and traditions of others and most of all return home wiser from our travel experiences and share this understanding with others.
At Wildlife & Wilderness, we endeavour to operate responsibly by helping to protect the environment here in the UK and aboard in the countries we operate to.
Apart from being incredibly expensive, we have decided not to consume vast quantities of paper by producing a brochure, but to make our website as informative and inspiring as possible to help you plan your trip.
Our Terms & Conditions are found online. At present we email booking forms that can be returned to us without printing; itineraries and invoices are also emailed to clients when possible.
When planning our own business and personal trips we commit to offsetting the carbon emissions created by air travel with www.climatecare.org or the www.worldlandtrust.org and we would always encourage our clients to consider off-setting emissions from their flights with either of these organisations.
We always try to deal with small local ground operators and properties in each country. This encourages employment and promotion of local staff and guides and as a consequence the pounds you spend to benefit the local community directly.
We make sure the trips are run and guided in such a way that there is minimal impact on the environment and this is easier to achieve when you travel as individuals, couples, families and small private groups.
We have a policy that encourages our staff, local agents and clients to support responsible and sustainable tourism for the benefit of the world in which we all live.
Wildlife & Wilderness was recognised at the European Sustainable Tourism Awards in 2011.
Tips for Responsible Travel
• Always show respect for local people; dress appropriately in public and at places of worship and please seek permission before taking a persons photo or video footage.
• Tip camp/hotel staff appropriately, many have a central tips collection box so it can be fairly distributed or invested for the benefit of all staff. Realise that a single member of staff may be supporting a large number of relatives. Please ask us if you are unsure about how much to give.
• Be fair when bargaining for crafts and goods in local markets as this is often the only livelihood of the tradespeople and your wealth is usually considered by comparison.
• Try to conserve water in areas where it is scarce, turn off taps while brushing teeth and the shower in between your washing hair and lathering up.
• Leave behind any excess packaging before you travel, not all countries have effective recycling facilities and return all used batteries for disposal at home.
• Cut down on the weight of your luggage, most hotels, camps, lodges provide toiletries and some are produced in the local community.
• Don't give money to beggars, this cannot be seen as a sustainable way of making a living.
• If you want to take gifts with you we can advise on something appropriate for local schools or community projects.
• When on a self-drive trip, remember to stay on designated roads as off-roading will damage the fragile flora and fauna.
• And finally picking up a few words of the local language speaks volumes, we are happy to provide literature to help you.
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