Trans Africa overland expedition, 23 weeks

Planet

Water: We have a great appreciation of how vital a resource water is, especially in some of the desert and semi-desert areas we travel through on this journey. As we are frequently camping in the bush with no facilities on this trip, we carry a lot of our water for cooking, drinking and washing with us. We find that filling up heavy jerry cans, helps focus the mind on the importance of water conservation! Water for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene is prioritised over showering which may have to wait for a few days until we reach a location with running water.

We also encourage our travellers to bring reusable water bottles from home with them for the trip. These can be filled from the truck's water supplies which helps to minimise the usage of plastic water bottles.

Energy: On this trip, our accommodation for most nights is under canvas (or under the stars!), often wild camping in the bush with no facilities. This means our energy consumption is kept to a minimum - importantly, there is no chance of leaving taps running or lights on! Having minimal lighting and no heating or air conditioning can make our travellers more aware of their energy use and how much is really needed and is often wasted.

We always leave wild camping areas as we found them (or better than we found them), ensuring we leave as little trace of our presence as possible.

People

Friends & neighbours: We purchase food locally, with the majority from markets and roadside sellers. This also gives our travellers opportunities to meet and engage with local people. Additionally, we advise our clients that they can support the economies of the communities they are travelling through by using local shops, cafés and restaurants. Our tents are purchased locally in order to support the local economy and to reduce the environmental impact of international transportation. Many of the sites our travellers can visit and activities they can take part in during the trip employ local guides, including Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mount Cameroun trek, Lope National Park and Robben Island.

Local crafts and cultures: Our travellers are encouraged to support local craftspeople both in our detailed pre-departure information which they receive before travel and by our crew whilst on the road. We also provide guidance in our pre-departure information on bargaining responsibly and paying what you think an item is worth, rather than trying to bargain as low as possible. The difference of a pound or two is minimal to us but for a local artisan it could mean the difference between whether their family eats that night or not.

Our pre-departure information also gives further guidance to our travellers about Responsible Travel which is re-emphasised by our Tour Leader at the start of the trip. Clients are, for example, advised about respecting local customs particularly in terms of dress and behaviour; water conservation; respecting and conserving wildlife and their habitats and not purchasing endangered species products.