Our Responsible Tourism Policy
As a tourism stakeholder we believe in low impact tourism to conserve Uganda’s wildlife and heritage for future generations to enjoy. With our understanding and shared passion for biodiversity, our active Responsible Tourism Policy supported by our Future Generations Trust consciously and actively aims to protect the surrounding communities and wildlife areas in which we operate daily.
Our tours are centred around experiencing, viewing and photographing wildlife – but with as little impact on the wildlife and environment as possible. With mountain gorilla viewing being one of our primary safari activities we have chosen to be part of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) “Be Gorilla Friendly” campaign. We also operate tours involving community activities and we aim to ensure they are authentic and non invasive as possible for the people involved.
Our operations are almost exclusively managed by a Ugandan staff compliment (over 95%) and are fully Ugandan registered, operating in a legal and tax compliant manner belonging to trade and industry associations such as AUTO, ATTA, and USAGA and where possible we also sit on the boards of these organizations to help with guidance within the industry so that others may also benefit from our experiences learnt over more than twenty years of tourism in Africa.
We choose, to utilise facilities for our guests that comply with these low impact aims – fuel efficient vehicles and boats, accommodation at small intimate camps and lodges and those with sustainable fuels use. By encouraging our safari guests to act in a responsible way with insight and understanding with local customs – to ensure your safari in Uganda is more enjoyable and fulfilling
The Future Generations Trust, established in 2019, and overseen by a Board of Trustees, is an extension of our time as a company in Uganda since 1996. Funded by Wild Frontiers and Exclusive Camps & Lodges Uganda guests with each person and bed night contributing towards the trust income which is used to fund our commitment to achieving these goals:
1. Creating a New Generation of Conservationists and Solutions to counter Human/Wildlife Conflict.
2. Promoting and Supporting Sustainable and Self-Funding Mechanisms to provide economic growth to our surrounding communities.
3. Encouraging Staff Volunteer Programs to assist local communities and younger generation educational projects
4. Ensuring our impact on the Environment within our Operations Are Ethical, Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable.
How you as our guest can assist us?
Participate in the community tourism products we offer, sample local food and buy local crafts as this helps generate income for those people.
If you who wish to make donations eg schooling items, clothes or monetary gifts we would encourage you to do so through our Future Generations Trust or organisations we have identified. We can also advise on what would be most useful – please do ask us. An example of one of the easiest and well received gifts that can be shared by many is a football – brought to Africa flat and then pumped up and delivered to a group of children at a school.
Some of our preferred projects and community products that are also supported by the Future Generations Trust are listed below:
The Bwindi Hospital in Buhoma
Bwindi, which is the epicentre of tourism to Uganda and has grown tremendously over the years. We feel this hospital project which has been running for some time plays a big part in supporting this large and scattered community and hence support it with annual donations, and often take visitors to see the work that is being done first hand.
Ishasha Community Uplift Group
This Group whose livelihoods are focused on subsistence farming is based in a small rural community, close to the edge of southern Queen Elizabeth National Park.
They face daily challenges including crop raiding as they work towards earning a living to support their families. In spite of living hand to mouth, some of the community members have initiated a Savings and Credit scheme towards which they contribute regularly, allowing them to build up funds for investments in additional land and income bearing projects such as chicken rearing. They also offer an educational tourism activity for visitors which brings in much required income – Agartha’s Tate of Uganda tour. Agartha is a craftswomen, tailor and subsistence farmer who welcomes you into her homestead and shares with you how the women of the Bakiga tribe prepare their local food and keep their home. During the tour Agartha weaves in stories of life as a Bakiga wife whilst encouraging you to taste what you have prepared together.
The Batwa Experiences at Buhoma, Bwindi
We support visitors participating in the Batwa experiences created as part of the Batwa Empowerment Village (BEV) and community visits.
It offers several different experiences including a cultural experience in the forest with Batwa guides to learn how they lived and hunted, learn about medicinal plants and watch for animals and birds. You may opt to share a traditional meal with the Batwa, hear ancient legends and traditional songs and join in a mock hunting party. You can even test your skill with a Batwa bow and arrow and participate in traditional dances.
Ride for a Women in Buhoma
Ride 4 a Woman is a charitable organisation set up to support and empower women struggling with poverty, HIV and domestic violence in Buhoma. The Trust provides ongoing support by buying, using and selling their locally made products and taking clients to visit their projects
Wildlife Clubs of Uganda
Started in 1975, Wildlife Clubs of Uganda is a nationwide organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and the environment by engaging youth in conservation education. We maintain a network of over 1000 Wildlife Clubs in schools and communities nationwide, and work with youth everyday to realize the importance of Uganda’s wildlife, wild landscapes, and natural resources. In all our activities, we seek a more sustainable and prosperous future for all Ugandans. The Trust is initiating Wildlife Clubs at:
- Paraa Primary School for the youth surrounding Paraa at Murchison Falls National Park
- Zendaiere Primary School for the youth adjacent to Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Watoto Primary School in Buhoma adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Uganda Conservation Foundation
We have actively supported and also encourage support to this organisation which is involved in many productive projects around Uganda including the Elephant trench in Ishasha which is close to our Ishasha Community and Wilderness Camp. The Conservation Foundation works tirelessly on Park Recovery in Uganda as well as a network of Anti-Poaching activities in mainly Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park and has provided invaluable support to The Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Large Carnivore Monitoring Project – Southern QENP
Future Generations Trust is funding a group of researchers and stakeholders in Queen Elizabeth National Park are working towards initiating mechanisms to monitor the large carnivores (hyena, lion, leopard) towards better understandings and recovery programmes for populations in the Park with the aim of addressing the lion-human wildlife conflict and develop a formal collaborative framework for all stakeholders.
Our Lodges and Camps
Our policy is to be as environmentally friendly as possible and in keeping with this our camps and lodges are small establishments catering for a maximum of 20 guests and with an ecological footprint as small as possible whilst at the same time ensuring that international standards and visitor expectations are met.
“War on Waste” – We are constantly searching for new ways in all our operations to use best available practices to actively minimize the amount of waste at all of our lodge and camps including refuse disposal methods, recycling, reusing and repairing.
We construct from local materials, for example commercially farmed wood, with designs that do not require huge foundations and thick brick walls or use canvas tents that can be easily removed at the end of the term of occupation.
We support local industry purchasing as many products manufactured within Uganda as possible when designing and building the lodge or camp – woven bed spreads, local furniture, matting, baskets and local art for décor.
We employ local Ugandan staff in our lodges and camps including in management positions. We also actively encourage their growth and advancement within the organisation often with internal training to assist in this process. Our first source of staff is always from the local communities around the area where the lodge / camp is based and only if skills required are not available do we search elsewhere.
Supplies of fresh food are done locally whenever possible. Menus are tailored to utilise the best of the fresh fruit and vegetables currently available – this is generally a seasonal thing as within Uganda there is a large range of suitable fresh produce available.
Dry goods and manufactured goods are also purchased locally with the emphasis on Ugandan products – tea, coffee, honey, flour, and sugar to name a few. We avoid using products of manufacturing companies known to not be using sustainable production methods.
Our power sources are predominately solar which is used for lighting and limited power supply for charging of computers and cameras.
Water heating is done with energy efficient burners that use shavings and off cuts from the local saw mills. No indigenous trees or supplies from within National Park areas are used.
Water supplies are rainfall and gravity fed whenever possible, but where pumps are used they are small independent ones that are linked to storage facilities where it can be efficiently monitored.
Guests are encouraged to not have fresh linen / towels each and every day as an added way to also saving on water usage.
Waste disposal systems are designed and implemented in line with Ugandan environmental laws and international practices.
The above seeks to give an overview of our responsible tourism practices developed within our Uganda operations and should you have any specific questions or require further information or clarification we would be happy to assist you – please contact us.
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With over 20 years of operation in Uganda under our belt, we are one of the longest established and largest safari operators in the country.