How does Baobab support ecotourism?

Baobab holidays provide a form of sustainable tourism, based on ethical & environmental principles (see also Our Philosophy). We avoid at all cost resorts manufactured for mass tourism. We will introduce you to real places – not the images designed for tourists. However, what does ethical & environmental principles mean in practise? And do we put our money where our mouth is?

African Safaris
Cultural Tourism Programmes
Accomodation

African Safaris

The safari company used by baobab (shidolya) is owned
and run, for over 12 years, by a Tanzanian couple. They
employ highly knowledgeable and experienced Tanzanian
guides, drivers and cooks. This ensures an enhancement
of your holiday experience through the provision of local
information. All the food cooked for you during the
safaris is bought locally, to help the local communities
benefit economically from tourism.

For most small group trips, during the non-safari days, Baobab has made a Tanzanian tour guide available to accompany you and enhance your holiday experience, and at the same time providing alternative employment.

Cultural Tourism Programmes

Tanzania’s cultural tourism programme is entirely run by local people. All proceeds go to the local communities, either through wages or as community project fees. In the Arusha region, some of the development projects in Longido have included building a cattle dip (now completed) ensuring the Maasai livelihood through healthy cattle, free of tick-borne diseases. At present, they are building a boarding school. The profits from the Mto wa Mbu programme are amongst others used to promote energy saving stoves, requiring three times less firewood! This reduces the use of unsustainable energy resources significantly. The profits from the Sandemu Iraqw cultural programme all go towards the preservation and promotion of the rapidly fading Iraqw culture. In the Usambara Mountains, the proceeds from the Irente Viewpoint and Growing Rock walks are invested in improvement of the farming and irrigation systems to raise the local standard of living.

Accommodation

The small-scale hotels used by Baobab are important employers providing jobs for local people. All the food served in these hotels is bought locally, to help the surrounding communities benefit economically from tourism.

buying food locally

Matemwe Bungalows at Zanzibar, minimize environmental impacts of tourism by using e.g. solar power for lighting and hot water. Furthermore, thanks to donations from guests, maintenance of the local school library and teacher’s office has now been completed. The owners are also assisting in setting up a vegetable garden at the local school and the lodge. Matemwe staff makes huge cement flowerpots, which undoubtedly will become a most desired item for other hotels and premises, providing an additional source of income for the locals.

At Mafia Island, Pole Pole Bungalow resort treats all their wastewaters in a phyto-purification system and has initiated the first recycling scheme on the island. They have generated a Trust from tourist proceeds, to support local community projects, such as building a school and providing student bursaries. Most food served is bought from local fishermen and cooperative farms and grown organically.

At Chole Island, Chole Mjini Treehouses donates US$15 levies per tourist night towards three different community societies, the Chole Social Development Society, Chole Economic Development Society and Chole Society for Women's Development. These Societies have full autonomy and decide on the village projects to be funded, including schooling and healthcare. Both Pole-Pole and Chole Mjini are important employers, providing jobs for locals, whose income generation is restricted by Mafia Islands’ Marine Park policies.

Relax in the knowledge your giving something back.

smiling african mask