Economic Responsibility

We use locally owned and locally operated infrastructure:

• We support and promote local restaurants and shops which source services locally

• We focus on using locally owned hotels, guesthouses, and homestays

We provide employment and business opportunities for local people:

• All our drivers and guides are local and are direct employees rather than freelance contractors.  As such, they receive additional workplace benefits such as pension contributions and healthcare. 
• The company is equally owned by a Sao Tome national and British national  – With the exception of one half of the owner’s; all our operations team are locals.
• We ensure that our guides are experts in their field by supporting them with their training needs

Environmental Responsibility

We limit the physical impact of the tours we operate by educating the local communities and by working in partnership with other local companies. 

• We encourage guests to deal with waste appropriately and limit their use of single-use plastic.  On our tours, to reduce the usage of plastic bottles, we use large containers to fill smaller reusable bottles for clients.  Our aim for 2022 is to include personalised reusable metal drinking bottles for all clients, which will be provided on arrival and can be used long after their tour has finished

• Our office recycles as much waste as possible

• We limit our printing and all office work is from a single online database to minimise the need for printing

• We don’t use plastic bags in our office or on tours – when purchasing items, and food for trips, we use reusable fabric bags.  Any plastic bottles we do generate we give to remote communities who re-use them as storage containers

• At areas we visit we advise local communities on how to reduce their plastic waste and use more organic materials instead of plastic when possible.  E.g. Most street vendors sell food in plastic bags and we encourage them to use local leaves or baskets instead

• We aim to implement a community outreach programme to educate other communities into the benefits of conservation

• Future aims to offset the carbon footprint of our clients is for s to plant indigenous tree seedlings and saplings as part of wider reforestation projects.  We aim to purchase and plant 3 indigenous forest tree species for every guest that travels with us by 2024.  The main aim for this project is carbon offsetting – guests choosing to travel with us would offset their flights to/from Sao Tome by more than 15 times if the trees live to their expected lifespan.  This is based on projected carbon dioxide generated on a return flight for the average guest (approximately 900kg/1980 lbs).  The average tropical tree can absorb approximately 48lbs of carbon per year (when mature) and in Ghana it takes 30-50 years for a tropical tree species to grow to maturity, with an average life expectancy of 200-300 years.  If the trees we plant for each guest are continued to be protected, then we are confident that we will be making a big difference in carbon offsetting: 3 trees planted would each absorb approximately 10,080 lbs of carbon, totalling 30,240 lbs/13,745 kg for all 3 trees (per guest).