There’s no getting around it these days: sustainable and ecologically responsible travel is HOT! It remains a fiery point of discussion and debate, but we believe in it: climate change is real! As an on-the-ground travel company, we are based on the African continent and see the disastrous consequences of global warming passing before our eyes every day. Indeed, the consequences are far greater in African countries than, say, Europe. People are less resilient to changing extreme weather conditions such as large droughts or, on the contrary, huge rainfalls, which in turn can have a huge impact on food supplies and living conditions of residents.
Even toddlers with barely three words in their vocabulary nowadays know that flying isn’t kind to the planet. Yet, we seem unable to stop: the world has become a vast playground, and our own countries feel small and claustrophobic. And quite honestly? We get that too. The world is so much more than just that tiny place where we were born. The Earth has so much beauty to offer us – memories but also lessons. And hey, if we can’t stop travelling, we better look at other solutions.
The biggest impact on the globe is your trip to the African continent. Flying is just not good for CO2 emissions, that’s one thing for sure. But what is also certain is that you don’t feel like walking to another continent (or do you, to each their own). What can make even a small difference is if you opt for a direct flight. A flight to the African continent with a stopover is cheaper, but also a lot worse for the environment.
Once you set foot on African soil, you still emit some CO2. Just think about transport or the accommodations you stay in. So make the right choices. Take that train to the coast instead of a domestic flight and sleep in an eco-lodge. Kind of clean and – believe us -, also much nicer!
Plastic. It seems to be everywhere. It is a convenient, cheap and versatile product, but unfortunately not so friendly to Mother Nature. Plastic is one of the biggest polluters in the world, as it never decays and ends up being left behind in microscopic particles. Perhaps the problem is even bigger in Africa because there is no proper waste disposal as we know it in Europe. Plastic therefore remains here even longer than we are used to in Europe.
Fortunately, you can do your bit here too! Use single-use plastics as little as possible. For example, bring your own water bottle and fill it at a water ATM or your accommodation and make sure you always carry a reusable bag for small errands on the road. Do you still use plastic? Then make sure it ends up in the bin.
Read more tips on how to travel more environmentally aware here
To minimize your ecological footprint, we reduce your CO2 emissions. To achieve this, we work with various partners who join us in striving for a greener world.
Think, for example, of planting extra trees in the mangrove forests on the coast or investing in cookstoves that allow the local population to prepare their food in a sustainable way. We work with projects such as JustDiggit, Mikoko Pamoja and the Cookstoves Project and we keep our eyes open for sustainable, beautiful collaborations.
In the end, it is our amazing partners who you meet and who have an impact on how sustainably you travel. That’s why we make sure they are educated on sustainable living. Now we have to be honest, in Africa sometimes the options are limited. It is not always possible to have waste collected in remote areas. But we do our best to come up with creative solutions!
We also select accommodations based on sustainability. We look at how they separate waste, what they do with plastic and how they wash their bedding. We are happy to present the sustainable options to you as our customer. All you have to do is choose them!
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