Our Commitment to Sustainability
FEATURED PROJECTS
Since our founding in 2016, sustainability has been the core principle guiding all operations at Sail Adventure Safaris. Our comprehensive approach encompasses environmental conservation, community development, and wildlife protection across all three of our focus countries.
Our environmental responsibility begins with our Carbon Negative Commitment, ensuring all safaris include 150% carbon offsetting through verified reforestation projects in East Africa. Our Plastic-Free Safari Initiative has eliminated single-use plastics with provision of reusable water bottles and filtration systems, while our Renewable Energy Partnership exclusively works with accommodations utilizing solar power, with our offices operating on 100% renewable energy. We implement comprehensive water conservation systems in camps and lodges while supporting community water projects throughout the region. Our waste management protocols include recycling and composting programs with annual waste reduction targets, complemented by an ongoing conversion to hybrid and electric safari vehicles where infrastructure allows. All guides and staff receive mandatory Leave No Trace training with certification requirements, while we've achieved a 90% reduction in paper use through digital itineraries, invoices, and educational materials. We directly support ecosystem restoration through reforestation in Kenya's Mau Forest, watershed protection in Uganda's Lake Victoria basin, and wildlife corridor restoration in Northern Tanzania.
Our community engagement manifests through our Local Employment Mandate, with 95% of our 75+ team members being East African nationals, and 85% coming from communities adjacent to conservation areas. We provide full scholarships for over 50 students from safari regions annually to pursue conservation and tourism education, while promoting women's economic empowerment through dedicated supply chains from women's cooperatives for safari supplies, crafts, and food products. We develop and promote community-owned tourism enterprises with revenue directly benefiting local populations, while our Cultural Heritage Program documents and preserves traditional ecological knowledge and cultural practices with elder communities. Our Health Access Partnership sponsors mobile clinics in remote safari regions and provides emergency medical evacuation support for community members. We operate guide training facilities in each country focusing on local youth employment, adhere to fair trade principles for all community products and experiences, implement a revenue-sharing model that ties conservation outcomes to community benefits, and provide technology training programs in rural communities near safari destinations.
Wildlife conservation represents the third pillar of our sustainability commitment, with our Sail Conservation Fund directing 5% of all company profits to front-line conservation efforts such as Gorilla Doctors and Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Uganda Conservation Foundation and distributing over $50,000 since 2016. Our proprietary wildlife sighting database is shared with conservation authorities to track population dynamics, and we support innovative solutions for human-wildlife conflict mitigation including predator-proof bomas, beehive fences, and community conservation initiatives. We develop and distribute conservation curriculum materials for schools in wildlife areas, maintain strategic collaborations with land trusts and conservancies to protect crucial wildlife corridors, provide funding and volunteer coordination for wildlife rehabilitation centers in each country, and create custom itineraries featuring hands-on conservation activities with direct benefit to wildlife projects. All of our operations adhere to industry-leading ethical wildlife viewing protocols for minimum viewing distances, maximum vehicle numbers, and behavior guidelines.
Our conservation partnerships span all three countries, including Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, Tanzania National Parks, and the Grumeti Fund in Tanzania; Uganda Wildlife Authority, Gorilla Doctors, Jane Goodall Institute, and Uganda Conservation Foundation in Uganda; and Kenya Wildlife Service, Big Life Foundation, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Save the Elephants, and Rhino Ark in Kenya.
Our sustainability efforts are verified through Global Sustainable Tourism Council certification, Fair Trade Tourism certification, and Green Key accommodation partnership standards.
Sail Adventure Safaris Partnership with Batwa Empowerment Village (BEV)
Sail Adventure Safaris Partnership with Batwa Empowerment VillageOur partnership with BEV represents a pioneering initiative in community-based tourism that addresses historical injustices while creating sustainable opportunities for one of East Africa's most marginalized indigenous groups.The Batwa, often referred to as the "Keepers of the Forest," are among Africa's oldest indigenous peoples with a history spanning thousands of years in the forests of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. When Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was designated as a national park in 1991, the Batwa were evicted from their ancestral lands with minimal compensation, devastating their traditional forest-based way of life and pushing them into extreme poverty.Established in 2018, our partnership emerged from recognition that conservation must include human wellbeing. The Batwa Empowerment Village, located on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, serves as both a living cultural center and community development hub. The partnership operates on several interconnected levels:Cultural preservation is at the heart of this initiative, with elders documenting traditional ecological knowledge, medicinal practices, and forest skills that were nearly lost in a single generation. Visitors experience authentic demonstrations of traditional hunting techniques, honey gathering, medicinal plant use, and crafts, all narrated by Batwa community members themselves. All our clients that visit Bwindi, as part of their itineraries, we add a visit to the tribe and thus has helped us bridge the gap between our clients and the people in the host destinations we traverse.Economic empowerment comes through direct employment opportunities as cultural guides, and craft producers. Additionally, 100% of all safari fees for Batwa experiences go directly to the community development fund, which has thus far supported the construction of 12 permanent homes, and clean water access points in the different Batwa villages under the stewardship program of BEV.Educational advancement is supported through the Batwa Children's Education Program, which currently sponsors 17 Batwa children from primary through secondary education, with three now pursuing university degrees – the first in their community's history. Land security has been gradually achieved through the purchase of 12 hectares of agricultural land adjacent to the forest, providing food sovereignty and reducing dependency on external aid. The community now cultivates crops and maintains beekeeping operations that generate independent income all this supported through Individual Contributions by Sail Adventure Safaris Clients and other guests from supportive agencies. Healthcare access has improved dramatically through our mobile clinic program, which brings medical professionals to the village monthly, dramatically reducing preventable illnesses and maternal mortality. A Clinic donated by Our Clients (THE HERZOG FAMILY) from the USA is currently under construction.For the Batwa, this partnership means transition from charity recipients to active participants in their community's development and the conservation of their ancestral lands. For visitors, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage with one of the world's oldest forest cultures and oldest surviving tribes while directly contributing to meaningful social impact.
Sail Adventure Safaris Partnership with Batwa Empowerment VillageOur partnership with BEV represents a pioneering initiative in community-based tourism that addresses historical injustices while creating sustainable opportunities for one of East Africa's most marginalized indigenous groups.The Batwa, often referred to as the "Keepers of the Forest," are among Africa's oldest indigenous peoples with a history spanning thousands of years in the forests of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. When Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was designated as a national park in 1991, the Batwa were evicted from their ancestral lands with minimal compensation, devastating their traditional forest-based way of life and pushing them into extreme poverty.Established in 2018, our partnership emerged from recognition that conservation must include human wellbeing. The Batwa Empowerment Village, located on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, serves as both a living cultural center and community development hub. The partnership operates on several interconnected levels:Cultural preservation is at the heart of this initiative, with elders documenting traditional ecological knowledge, medicinal practices, and forest skills that were nearly lost in a single generation. Visitors experience authentic demonstrations of traditional hunting techniques, honey gathering, medicinal plant use, and crafts, all narrated by Batwa community members themselves. All our clients that visit Bwindi, as part of their itineraries, we add a visit to the tribe and thus has helped us bridge the gap between our clients and the people in the host destinations we traverse.Economic empowerment comes through direct employment opportunities as cultural guides, and craft producers. Additionally, 100% of all safari fees for Batwa experiences go directly to the community development fund, which has thus far supported the construction of 12 permanent homes, and clean water access points in the different Batwa villages under the stewardship program of BEV.Educational advancement is supported through the Batwa Children's Education Program, which currently sponsors 17 Batwa children from primary through secondary education, with three now pursuing university degrees – the first in their community's history. Land security has been gradually achieved through the purchase of 12 hectares of agricultural land adjacent to the forest, providing food sovereignty and reducing dependency on external aid. The community now cultivates crops and maintains beekeeping operations that generate independent income all this supported through Individual Contributions by Sail Adventure Safaris Clients and other guests from supportive agencies. Healthcare access has improved dramatically through our mobile clinic program, which brings medical professionals to the village monthly, dramatically reducing preventable illnesses and maternal mortality. A Clinic donated by Our Clients (THE HERZOG FAMILY) from the USA is currently under construction.For the Batwa, this partnership means transition from charity recipients to active participants in their community's development and the conservation of their ancestral lands. For visitors, it provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage with one of the world's oldest forest cultures and oldest surviving tribes while directly contributing to meaningful social impact.
