Ghana ancestral tour

Planet

All of our trips aim to have a positive impact on the countries, communities and environments we visit. Our policy draws on the criteria set out by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and tries to recognise many of the principles within the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

We limit the physical impact of the tours we operate by educating the local communities and by working in partnership with other local companies. For example, we used to hear the constant noise of illegal chainsaw operators cutting trees and the locals used to hunt the rainforest wildlife. We had several community meetings and explained the benefits of responsible tourism to preserve the forest and involve the local community.

Our team don’t use plastic bags in our office or on our tours - when purchasing items, and food for trips, we use reusable fabric bags. Any plastic bottles we do generate we give to remote communities who re-use them as storage containers.

Our clients are encouraged to deal with waste appropriately and limit their use of single-use plastic. On our tours, to reduce the usage of plastic bottles, we use large containers to fill smaller reusable bottles for clients. Our aim is to include personalised reusable metal drinking bottles for all clients, which will be provided on arrival and can be used long after their tour has finished

People

Our policy of operating low-impact, ethical tours allows us to create authentic, cultural connections, which not only enhances the traveller experience, but also creates economic opportunity and social development, whilst preserving local cultures for future generations.

We sponsor 23 community forest committee members who patrol and protect the forest from illegal logging and hunting. To date, approximately USD $130k has been spent on the Brenu and Bonkro projects.

Within the tour there is the opportunity to meet with local communities, such as the Tafi Atome villagers who are protecting the endangered True Mona monkeys, or to meet a local family and sample some of the delicious Ghanaian cuisine.

All our drivers and guides are local and are direct employees rather than freelance contractors. As such, they receive additional workplace benefits such as pension contributions and healthcare. Staff are paid far above the minimum wage and are able to benefit from a company profit sharing scheme.