Our underlying ethos is to promote the less visited areas of Tanzania using small, environmentally responsible camps and lodges whilst offering the highest quality of guiding and service available in each area. We encourage visitors to look beyond the traditional wildlife safari and also embrace the communities of southern Tanzania as part of the whole safari.
Our basic philosophy is that any visit to Tanzania should be a truly personal and unforgettable one encouraging you to keep returning to explore the many aspects of this beautiful country.

Economic Responsibility
As a Dar es Salaam based company we have Tanzanian directors of the company and provide on going training programmes for our office staff, mechanics, guides and camp staff whether this be on computer courses, field guide training, bush cooking courses or in hospitality management.
In certain areas such as Rungwe, Usambaras, Ulugurus and Lake Niassa we use local guides to escort guests on hikes, canoe trips and village visits and all income from this goes directly into the local community tourism initiatives in each area.
We buy locally grown produce for our camps in Ruaha and Mikumi and encourage visits to local craft initiatives such as those in Iringa and Usambaras or the pottery market at Lake Niassa..

Environmental Responsibility
Our wilderness camps are seasonal camps – i.e. we remove the entire camp when the peak seasons are over to allow minimum impact on the area. With just 6 tents in each camp we minimise the number of visitors we take on safari – most of our safaris are tailor made for 2-4 pax with some small groups to a maximum of 12 pax.
Water is an obvious scarce resource in the bush so we encourage bucket shower use and explain ways to minimise water use in the bush at our camps.
Our cooks are trained to minimise waste and wherever possible we use natural products and minimise use of packaged goods.
Our guides are trained by one of the directors of the company, Sven Liebchen who is a professional safari guide, in all aspects of respect for the environment, flora and fauna and safari ‘etiquette’ including respecting the space of the animals, off road driving and ‘leave nothing but footsteps’ principles.
All guides are trained to adhere to the Tanzania National Parks and Wildlife Division codes of conduct.
A key aspect for the future of the environment is education of the local communities as to potential benefits from the wildlife areas, in Ruaha we support the Ruaha Conservation Fund which has built an Environment Centre at Idodi secondary school and organises visits for school children and teachers to Ruaha. Every bednight at our Ruaha camp includes a direct contribution to RCF.
In Rungwe, Lake Niassa, Uluguru Mountains and Usambara Mountains we work with local community tourism initiatives to help develop an understanding of environmental issues. We also work with Tanzania Forest Conservation Group with marketing of the less well known forest reserves of the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania as potential tourist destinations.In 2009 we will be moving away from paper company brochures and introduce an e-brochure, accessable online. Our office in Dar es Salaam uses energy saving light bulbs, fans not air conditioning, printed material is kept to essential use only and paper is recycled .
Our website has a travel facts section explaining to visitors how to be culturally sensitive to local customs.

Social Responsibility
Most of our trips will include some aspect of social awareness as we support initiatives in several areas. We have selected a few from many possibilities based on first hand recognition of the direct benefits each project is making to the local communities.

In Dar es Salaam we support the Bibi Jann Childrens Care Trust - http://www.bibijann.org – by organizing visits from tourists and encouraging donations in form of clothes, shoes, school materials, etc.
In Amani Nature Reserve, Usambara Mountains we support the womens cooperative at Emau Hill by selling the batik products made by the women’s co-op at our camps - http://www.emauhill.com
In Rungwe we support the local community tourism programme Rungwe Tea and Tours – http://www.rungweteatours.com/ - by using their local guides for tours of the area
In Uluguru Mountains we support the Chilunga Cutural Tourism Programme - http://www.chilunga.or.tz – by using their local guides for tours of the area
In Ruaha we support the Ruaha Conservation Fund - $5p.p./bednight from our Authentic Ruaha Camp is donated directly to the Fund - http://www.suestolberger.com/rcf.htm

We can tailor make safaris throughout southern Tanzania to incorporate visits to all these initiatives

The Bibi Jann Centre

Karibuni to the Bibi Jann Center, in the village of Mbagala about 10 miles south of Dar. Here you’ll be captivated by the smiles, songs and dances of preschool through fourth grade. You’ll see them at work and play – and they’re happy to practice their English with you!
Saturday mornings, grandmas (“bibis”) who are raising their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren meet to create their crafts to help support their families. Join is as they create bold batiks – and feel free to take lots of photos. Or try your hand at weaving. And do stay for lunch – they’ll proudly cook for you. Just like Grandma used to make – Tanzanian style! A small featuring the bibis’ crafts can provide you practical souvenirs.
Bibi Jann is American Jann Mitchell, trust co-founder. The trust built the school, small orphanage and the Bibi House for homeless grandmas and grandkids. The bibis participating in GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA have lost their adult children to HIV/AIDS and now care for their grandchildren. The program finds sponsors and helps the bibis feed, clothe and educate their little ones.
Learn more by visiting our website at www.bibijann.org, our blog at bibijannhelps. logspot.com or Bibi Jann on Facebook.

Here’s what visitors say about their BJ visit:

Jean: Awesome. I will carry images of the village, the school, the homes, the people in my heart forever. I want to return.

Andree: This is what makes your trip so special; getting an in-depth view of life in the village, meeting the bibis and the kids; seeing how everything you’ve done has helped change their lives. I think it would be great to spend a couple of days helping teach the kids or doing crafts with the bibis – it would make the experience even more meaningful.

Judy: "Educaton, Education is the Gateway!" Clearly the children enrolled at Bibi Jann's school are fervent believers in their school's motto. Watching the bright faces of the children as they entertained the "dignitaries" with songs sung proudly about their school brought smiles to our faces and pride to our hearts. Yes, the buildings are simple by our standards and there is more need than you can fathom whichever way you look, but the overriding impression that I and my family took away was not of despair, but of joy. The smiling faces. The small hand slipped into yours as you're walking down the street. The beaming faces of the Bibi's as they sang their welcome. Such warmth.
Our visit to Dar was absolutely about education. The education of my family and I. And no doubt, it is the gateway!

Liz: What can I say. I would love to have spent more time there, but understand how disruptive our visit must have been to the everyday running of the school. You have achieved so much, but there is clearly a need for more financing. The enthusiasm of the children shows how lazy and complacent we are in the west. We take our education for granted and don’t value the opportunities we have assuming that even if we don’t make an effort we will be taken care of. I have taught for 30 years in England and Sweden and never seen such joy in learning or so many white shirts!! How do they do it without water or electricity? Coming home I really see my home in a different light having seen how proud they are of so little.