2 independent reviews for Comoros small group vacation

Hi Vickie, Thanks very much for taking the time to write a review about your recent trip to the Comoros. I’m really glad to hear that you were able to see the turtles. Another group member mentioned you were fortunate to see both the adult turtles and the hatchlings, which must’ve been a very special experience. We take the welfare and protection of local wildlife very seriously and will be addressing the turtle situation you mentioned, with our local team and with great concern. A red light should always be used when viewing the turtles and a respectful distance from the turtles kept. It was not acceptable for anybody to get close to the turtles with a bright torch and this should have been managed by the guide. It is common for locals not to be educated about protection of the natural world and its wildlife but the guides should at least have a fairly decent grasp of this and I’m very sorry to hear that this didn’t seem to be the case on your trip. We certainly do our best here to make sure that correct measures are taken when it comes to viewing wildlife and approaching their habitats and I will be addressing the management of this activity with our local team to avoid any incidents like this from occurring in the future. With regards to your comments about benefitting local people, we work with a local team in Comoros, as well as smaller locally-owned accommodations and we employ local guides and drivers. This does benefit the local economy as well as providing an authentic experience for our travelers and keeping carbon emissions down by not employing a western guide. I am very sorry to hear about the unpleasant experience of finding that islands were littered. As I know you’re well aware, this part of Africa is underdeveloped in terms of tourist infrastructure, especially in comparison to some of its other East African neighbours. The experience in a destination such as this is expected to be a raw and unpolished one, but I can really appreciate how seeing all of the litter you mentioned wouldn’t have been pleasant. We are particularly interested in wildlife and the natural world and would be sad to see this, too. There is a long way to go in terms of educating these countries to look after their natural landscapes and wild habitats, but also, a long way to go in terms of local people actually being able to access the infrastructure and facilities to deal with the amount of rubbish they are discarding. I can appreciate it’s not a a very nice sight but sadly this is the reality in many parts of the continent. The guides should also have given clear information about activities and I’m sorry to hear that this wasn’t always the case. I’ll be sure to speak to our local team about this, including the hike to the lake. I’m very sorry for the lack of clarity here. Please know that this is not how we intend our tours to be run and we are working hard with our local team to iron out the creases and to avoid this happening in the future. Comoros is one of our more challenging destinations in terms of infrastructure, due to the sheer fact that it receives very few international tourists. It’s important to see a trip like this as a journey and an insight into island Africa and to manage expectations, as the experience will never be a perfectly polished one. That said, we will be working hard to make changes where possible and know our local team is keen to do so, in order to bring more tourism to the Comoros and to ensure that our travelers have a positive experience. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour overall and we really appreciate the time you have taken to write with feedback.