Sierra Leone discovery tour

Planet

We are one of only a few operators currently offering tours to Sierra Leone, and we wholly recognise the importance of sustainability in this destination. As a country still largely undiscovered by tourists it is important that the natural beauty of all destinations we visit on the tour are maintained for future generations.

CARBON REDUCTION

This is one of our slower paced tours where we have a focus on hiking, village tours, beach relaxation and non-motorised water-sports on 5 days to minimise our carbon footprint, whilst still visiting beautiful regions of Sierra Leone.

As a small group tour our internal transfers are on a shared basis to reduce the overall carbon footprint.

If we book flights for our clients for this tour we will automatically include carbon offsets. We also encourage clients who book their own flights to consider the carbon impact, and to offset where possible.

This tour has vegetarian and vegan options available for all days of the tour.

Food provided on the trip is locally sourced whenever viable to support the local economy and reduce the environmental impact

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

This tour includes a visit to the infamous Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. They are Sierra Leone’s primary conservation organisation, and their mission is to use education and community conservation to eliminate the wildlife trade and safeguard the remaining natural habitats in the country. The tour here is conducted by an expert nature guide.

We make a small donation to the sanctuary for every Sierra Leone tour booked to assist in preservation of the endangered chimpanzees.

All lodges on this trip are committed to reducing water consumption and plastic consumption. We are also working with lodges to develop their sustainability practices, to see active improvement year on year.

We pay conservation levies and fees into all parks and nature reserves visited to ensure funds are available for the protection of the area for future generations.

All of our clients receive a welcome pack prior to travel that includes items that emphasise to importance of making a difference during travel, including how to reduce the impact on nature and the environment whilst on the tour.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

The lodges outside of Freetown used on this trip are locally owned, with over 90% of people working there coming from the local areas.

We only work with locally owned Sierra Leone companies in creating this trip, and all our guides are from the local regions. We firmly believe that those that are impacted by tourism are the ones that should benefit from tourism, and continue support the development of tourism roles.

When visiting more remote regions we always use guides with local expertise to ensure that our groups always follow designated trails thereby reducing any impact to the local environment and biodiversity.

Buying local crafts is a great way to support the local community, and we visit 3 destinations on this trip offering the opportunity to purchase locally created crafts and souvenirs. Bartering is common practice but we advise to do so in a respectful and friendly manner, ensuring the price paid is still fair as this is often the only source of income for the sellers.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

We are a female owned and operated small company and have a workplace diversity strategy in place to ensure that if recruiting we champion equal employment opportunities across race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and nationality.

This tour visits local villages providing an opportunity for remote communities to benefit from tourism, without a need to relocate. Visiting Robgbonko Village Retreat offers an authentic cultural experience where you will have meaningful interactions with genuine locals, and will learn all about local village life.