South Africa birdwatching holiday, self drive

Planet

On this exciting expedition you will discover one of the most beautiful environments in the world, an area rich in landscape and wildlife diversity. We place the utmost importance on ensuring that these fragile lands and those who reside there are protected and that travel to the area is carried out in a responsible and conscientious manner. One of the many ways in which we can do this is to strictly only use operators whose environmental mantras are as stringent as our own.

CARBON REDUCTION
The lodges used on your trip have been chosen with their green credentials firmly in mind. At Makakatana Bay Lodge they take their sustainability responsibilities very seriously and have implemented a wide range of practices to help protect their environment and reduce their carbon footprint. These include embracing renewable energy alternatives with the introduction of solar power across the lodge which has significantly decreased that carbon footprint. There are firm systems in place that control and monitor water usage and wastage, a stringent recycling program is in place, and there is a strict “no plastic bottles” policy in place. An energy saving system is also in place, with the goal of vastly reducing light pollution.

At the lodge, the passionate local chefs create and deliver a wide range of vegan and vegetarian dishes and can even provide recipes on request for those who have enjoyed these delicious and innovative treats to savour them at home as well. These meals have low or even zero CO2 footprints.

Likewise, at Ghost Mountain Inn, the green credentials are just as apparent. The owners and management here have an unwavering focus on responsibility and sustainability and for over 60 years have endeavoured to “tread lightly” with the utmost respect for the surrounding lands. The responsible use of water and electricity, by both staff and guests, is encouraged at all times to keep the environmental impact to a minimum, and new recycling initiatives as part of the waste management system are continuously introduced. The inn have firm resource management processes in place, designed specifically to conserve natural resources. They use products, responsible suppliers and materials which support and encourage sustainable practices and do not threaten the environment. As the inn is so remote, they are part of a team of local people who are pushing for, promoting and seeking funding for the building of a recycling collection centre in Mkuze to negate the problems associated with a lack of municipal infrastructure and the need for recycling matter to be transported vast distances in order to be treated properly. Human powered transport is also promoted here, with canoe safaris and walking and hiking safaris preferred over game drives. The inn’s fantastic Ndumu Charitable Foundation has 3 main objectives: “well-educated children; the development and support of small enterprises; and an enhanced awareness of conservation and sustainable practices in our business and community.”

An eco-conscious mantra runs through every element of the Kosi Forest Lodge, in fact the owners of the lodge come from a conservation background. The goal here is to journey with a purpose, allowing guests to truly be philanthropic travellers. Conscious of the privilege of being situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s first World Heritage Site, Kosi Forest Lodge has been created in an eco-conscious way, using nature as the guide. The operators of this lodge are deeply committed to incorporating eco-conscious systems and initiatives throughout their operations, including the investment in large solar energy farms, the recycling of unused lodge food into feeding schemes for neighbouring creches, and refusing to serve seafood that is not ethically harvested. An innovative culinary team use an incomparable ethical and sustainable philosophy which underpins how everything is sourced and prepared behind the scenes. The Group Executive Chef sources the majority of ingredients from ethical suppliers, local farmers and the local community, creating hyper-local dishes and attempting to completely eradicate damaging food production methods. A preference for non-motorised adventures is also evident here, with canoeing, boating and walking safaris at the forefront. The owners of the lodge also annually supply and plant indigenous and fruit trees in the local area.

A highlight of the work by the owners of the lodge to offset their carbon footprint is the creation of a Spekboom Plantation. Spekboom is an amazing plant which helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by acting like a carbon sponge, improving the quality of air we breathe.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
As a company we support many wildlife organisations worldwide and we actively encourage our customers to donate to the conservation efforts that are in place in South Africa and across the continent including How Many Elephants, the Painted Wolf Foundation, Africat and the Dian Fossey Foundation. The pre-departure briefing on this tour will also include information on respecting the wildlife which you will encounter, including keeping a safe distance and ensuring not to encroach upon their habitats or do anything which may put the animal under any stress or danger. In most game reserves tourists are not permitted to leave their game vehicles, this is for the safety of both the tourists and the wildlife, and our local partners will ensure that the strict measures in place to conserve the habitats of this wildlife are stringently enforced.

Conservation levy fees are included in your trip, and at Makakatana Bay Lodge these go towards organisations and projects that are very close to the family owners of the lodge. These organisations include African Wildlife Vets which is a non-profit organisation of dedicated wildlife veterinarians who work around the clock to support and save countless animals in the Zululand area, and the Ezemvelo Wildlife Anti -poaching Unit. The lodge also vehemently follow the iSimangaliso Wetland Park environmental policies, guidelines and internal park rules and fully understand the importance of preserving this precious UNESCO World Heritage Site and their responsibilities in doing so. Throughout your time here you will be introduced to the conservation efforts in place here and given advice on how you too can help contribute to the fight for species survival. As well as protecting the larger wildlife that South Africa is famous for, the lodge take great pride in their commitments to helping the smaller creatures that may sometimes be forgotten about, especially bees, and have their own sustainable bee hives and dedicated bee keeper. In the surrounding wetland area, communities are being taught to “swarm catch” and collect bees for beekeeping instead of destroying local wild hives and killing the bees to get the precious honey. The lodge works with local bee conservationists to promote education and awareness around this issue.

At Ghost Mountain Inn, as part of their very impressive Ndumu Charitable Foundation, the lodge delivers environmental education to local children to help them fully understand the importance of the conservation of the local wildlife and environment. The inn’s guides often take local children into the reserve to see the wild animals (often for the first time) to gain a deeper understanding and relationship with them.

Likewise, at Kosi Forest Lodge the emphasis placed on conserving the environment and wildlife is more than evident. The use of single use plastic has been banned throughout the lodge and staff areas, with each guest also being provided with a reusable water bottle upon arrival. Regular litter clean-ups are conducted within the river and lake systems of Kosi Bay with children from the local community. It forms a vital component of educating the youth within Mnyayisa on the importance of caring for their natural environment. Through the lodge’s fantastic Isibindi Foundation, they also work alongside the community to create an environmental centre which will be used to provide various educational workshops focusing on tourism and conservation, as well as serve as a base for environmental clubs for local children.

Through this foundation the lodge owners also support a wide array of environmental and wildlife projects including anti-poaching units, turtle protection programs, marine area monitoring and much more.

People

As a company we believe in promoting tourism as a sustainable natural resource with the power to conserve, protect and improve lives, and this is particularly relevant on our African itineraries. Tourism in Africa is an exceptionally important revenue stream and we take every step necessary to ensure that the tours we provide create a 100% positive impact on the communities of the regions we visit. We are committed to ensuring that on all of our tours we only use lodges and hotels that have a proven track record of supporting their local communities and treating their staff well and fairly.

LOCAL ECONOMY
Organisations and projects supported by Makakatana Bay Lodge include Destiny House Children’s Ministries which exists to empower and enable children to fulfil their potential and provides a loving home for 24 orphaned and abandoned children, whilst providing an Early Childhood Development Programme to the wider community. They also support the Vukunyane Development Project whose goal is to raise environmental awareness among local schools and communities through effective, professional training.

The team at Ghost Mountain Inn are some of the most dedicated social responsibility leaders that we have come across and they are fully committed to creating a positive balance between tourism, community and conservation. Through their wonderful Ndumu Charitable Foundation, and with the assistance of guests and local businesses, the Inn operates countless initiatives designed to assist local communities and conservation efforts to thrive. The community focus is primarily on education and assisting learners at an early stage in their development in order to have a lifelong impact. They work with and aim to raise awareness and sponsorship for the local schoolchildren in the Mkuze and Ubombo areas. Guests are welcome to visit schools if they are interested, to meet learners and teachers in order to attain further insight into how they can assist. The inn assist with continuous donations of clothes, linen, bedding and towels to a local project creating a place of safety for woman and children at Ubombo, and are firm promoters of the “Pack for a Purpose” scheme. The Pack for a Purchase initiative invites those who are travelling to the area to leave some space in their luggage to bring with them much needed supplies for local children and families. We ourselves encourage our customers to become involved in the scheme and can provide a list of suitable items that are currently required. The property also supports the local community with donations of usable waste.

The Foundation focuses primarily on improving early childhood development and education within the inn’s immediate communities. One of the many ECD centres that they support is the Big 5 creche in Mkuze. Last year they donated the land that the creche is built on and the inn continues to improve the facilities and support where it can, including a very recent upgrade to the building and play areas. Where possible, the inn sources solely local suppliers including the use of local crafters to produce a variety of operating supplies such as placemats, trays and uniforms. They also provide local businesses and entrepreneurs with ongoing business support and management skills.

As part of this commitment to community, the inn also provide a number of experiences designed to create an understanding of the local culture and a warm connection between tourists and locals eager to share their stories and traditions. These include Zulu cultural walks, local homestead visits, a “Learn to stick fight” session with local Zulu boys where guests can also have a bone reading with a local Sangoma or sample traditional food and drink, and visits to local schools.
As part of their Journey with a Purpose philosophy and their Isibindi Foundation, the owners of Kosi Forest Lodge are incredibly committed to their responsibilities to their local community, with a wide range of projects designed to give back to their surrounding communities. They state, “Twenty-seven years of pioneering sustainable wildlife lodges, that is built on the bedrock that they include and empower our neighbouring communities”. In April 2020 the foundation launched a massive Covid relief response for all of the homesteads in the area. This included travelling daily to every single homestead in the surrounding community with trucks filled with food to feed some of the most vulnerable members of the community, making and distributing masks and information sheets in Zulu, and working with the local clinics to screen every homestead.

The company have created micro-economies in neighbouring communities to supply the lodge, they have programs for repairing and supplying water pumps for local communities, provide upgraded electrical supply, they support the Mnyayisa Primary School with nutrition programmes, educational discussions on conservation and donations of various items, and they work closely with the women in the Mnyayisa community in creating a large scale commercial vegetable garden. Local woman will sell the produce in town to earn an income and to ensure the future sustainability of the garden into the future.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
As the organiser of your tour, we solely use lodges and accommodations where firm policies are in place that are dedicated to teaching and employing local people and giving them the opportunity to advance in their careers and skills. At Ghost Mountain Inn, they offer learnerships to local graduates and various resources are provided to uplift the schools in the area. They proudly host the Sisonke Siyakhula (Together we Grow) Learnership programme, which is run in-house for young members of the community providing them with opportunities of hands-on learning within the hotel and providing them with future employment opportunities. Whilst the region is somewhat remote, where possible, they seek and support local procurement and provide employment opportunities in an endeavour to uplift and empower the people of their neighbouring communities. Throughout your trip, all guides are local and know these lands like no other.

At Kosi Forest Lodge, when the lodge was created, the majority of the construction staff were from the local community and received on the job training throughout the process. This has resulted in the community feeling real ownership in the lodge. Many of the construction workers later received training to become part of the operations staff and continuous training is provided to help employees feel empowered to further their careers and fulfil their potential. Kitchen staff receive regular training from Carl Moller, Isibindi Group Executive Chef, to further their skills, and guides who show potential in receiving their driver’s license are assisted by the lodge.

Over 95% of the staff at the lodge is employed from the local community and 26 of the 34 lodge employees were either unemployed or had no previous work experience. They are now trained and working in a high-end ecotourism lodge. The percentage of staff PDI (Previously Disadvantaged Individuals) is 100%. The current lodge manager started working at the lodge as a general building labourer. With support from the lodge he attained his FGASA guide quali?cation, received further training at sister lodges, attended hotel school and is now the lodge’s General Manager. In 2018 the annual wage bill paid to the Mnyayiza community was R2 038 000.00.