As a tourism stakeholder Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris believes 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 consciously and actively aims to protect the surrounding communities and wildlife areas in which we operate daily.

Our tours are centered around experiencing, viewing and photographing wildlife – but with as little impact on the wildlife and environment as possible. We also operate tours involving community activities and we aim to ensure they are authentic and noninvasive as possible for the people involved.

Our operations are 100% exclusively managed by a Ugandan staff complement 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.

We choose, to utilize 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 fuel use. By encouraging our safari guests to act in a responsible way with insight and understanding of local customs – to ensure your safari in Uganda is more enjoyable and fulfilling

As we run our tour operations, a portion of the money paid by clients (at least $24 per client) goes to The Ensi Nyaffe Trust. These contributions to the trust are used to fund our commitment to achieving these goals:

1. Creating a new generation of conservationists and solutions to counter Human/Wildlife Conflict and its effects on communities in the neighborhood of National Parks and other Protected Areas.
2. Promoting and supporting sustainable and self-funding mechanisms to provide economic growth to tourism site neighboring communities.
3. Encouraging our staff to volunteer in nature-focused community conservation programs across the country
4. Ensuring the impact of our operations on the natural environment are ethical, environmentally friendly, and sustainable.

As a guest, we have opportunities for you to participate in different community tourism products we offer, sample local food, and buy local crafts as this helps generate income for those people.

You could also consider donating to the different community ecotourism conservation initiatives. But also, you could make donations to the communities - like sports and schooling items, and clothes.

Some of our guests have not only made extra monetary contributions as they pay for their tour packages. This money is channeled to our trust income.  Some have gone ahead to sponsor community and conservation projects we have recommended. For example, we have former guests who took on sponsorships for children's education, village water supply projects, and health center construction among others.

As Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris, we also offer support to guests who want to support different community initiatives. If for example, you pack some items when you are on your way for your trip, we help with identifying rightful recipients, as well as making sure that if you send money it is delivered and used rightfully.

We can also advise you on which donation items would be most relevant – please do ask us. An example of one of the easiest and well-received gifts that can be shared by many are soccer balls and jerseys – brought to Africa flat and then pumped up and delivered to groups of children in schools across the country as you go about your safari.

Some of our preferred projects and community products that are also supported by tour Trust are listed below:

Bunyangabu Community Uplift Group is located in Ishasha (in Queen Elizabeth National Park) to provide help to the local agricultural communities around the camp who live on the fringes of Queen Elizabeth National Park and fight a continual battle between growing their crops and the game incursions which raid them as an easy source of food.

Assistance is provided with their locally made craft products being marketed to the nearby lodges and camps, simple training for rural healthy living, saving schemes and small loan administration as well as providing guidance for larger funding that is available for such communities.

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.

Ride 4 a Woman is a charitable organization 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

We support visitors participating in a cultural experience offering a glimpse into the former livelihood of the Batwa people who were removed from the forest to preserve its pristine state and to protect the Mountain Gorillas which are susceptible to human disease, when Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was awarded World Heritage Site status in 1994.

Learn how the Batwa survived in the forest as hunter/gatherers, how they collected honey – a favorite delicacy, the plants and herbs they used, and how they danced, sang and socialized. Discuss traditional Batwa burial rites, listen to ancient stories and legends from a people at one with their environment, and test your skill with a Batwa bow and arrow as they demonstrate how they hunted, make fire and carved cups and plates from forest materials. https://batwauganda.org/

We have actively supported and also encouraged support to this organization which is involved in many productive projects across Uganda. The Conservation Foundation works tirelessly to restore and reclaim dilapidated national park lands, support Uganda Wildlife Authority's anti-poaching initiatives, lion and elephant protection initiatives in Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in 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 every day 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. We have worked with Wildlife Clubs of Uganda to establish clubs at:

• Namulda Primary School for the youth surrounding Katonga Wildlife Reserve
• Ruhija Primary School for the adjacent to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The above seeks to give an overview of Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris' 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.