Pygmy hippo safari in Sierra Leone

Planet

The Gola Rainforest and Tiwai Island ecosystems are deeply threatened and we are committed to protecting them, as well as the wildlife that can be found in the rainforests of Sierra Leone. Rampant poaching has severely affected wildlife populations throughout these ecosystems, with the populations of primates and forest duikers particularly badly affected. These areas remain hugely important and are regional strongholds for a breadth of impressive and charismatic species, including bongo, pangolin, forest duikers, royal antelope, water chevrotain, red river hog, leopard, golden cat and many, many primate species. Our visit is designed to have a negligible impact on these ecosystems, as well as to draw the attention of our clients to their plight.

The vast majority of game-viewing activities conducted during this tour will be on foot. This is to ensure that we have little impact on the ecosystems we visit, and do not disturb wildlife if at all possible. This also greatly reduces the environmental impact of this trip. We do conduct some game-viewing by boat from Tiwai Island, but much of this is done with no engines, again limiting fuel usage and noise pollution.

People

It is imperative that local communities see a benefit from ecotourism, and that ecotourism can provide a source of income as an alternative to bushmeat poaching. As such, we insist that all of our local suppliers in Sierra Leone employ people from local communities. The guides, cooks and national parks staff you will meet during your visit are all from local communities, and we encourage clients to engage with these local people as much as possible - this adds a different dimension to the trip and can greatly enhance one's stay in Sierra Leone. We also ask all clients to consider making gratuity payments to local people who have enhanced your stay if possible.

We actively promote the conservation activities intended to preserve pygmy hippo habitat and protect pygmy hippos in Sierra Leone. Our tour directly contributes to such initiatives in Tiwai Island and Gola, and we also work extensively with international non-governmental organisations who are working to protect pygmy hippos and the other elusive and special species that call this area home.