At Rainbow Tours, we believe that when tourism is managed well it can be greatly beneficial to host countries, but when it isn't, the consequences can be devastating. We, the travel company, and you, the traveller, have the opportunity to decide how and where we travel - choosing journeys that leave the natural beauty of the destinations we visit unchanged; journeys where you really get to experience and understand other people and their cultures.
We offer a wide range of lodges, tours and activities that directly benefit local communities and help to support threatened habitats and endangered species. We prefer to work with properties like Saruni Samburu, which has been instrumental in the formation of the Mara North Conservancy in Kenya - critical not only for the protection of species diversity, but also in providing employment and support for the resident communities on whose land the conservancies have been created. We recommend boutique properties like Hog Hollow in South Africa's Garden Route, whose aim is to redress past inequalities by realising the potential of local people from nearby townships. We get excited about safaris in Malawi's Majete Wildlife Reserve - one of Africa's best conservation success stories - where the once-decimated elephant population is now thriving thanks to animal restocking and poaching education.
And we do all of this in the knowledge that there is no compromise on luxury or wildlife on a responsible safari - in fact the experience is all the richer for stepping off the beaten track and choosing a unique holiday that has a deeper connection to Africa's previous eco-systems.
Uthando
Rainbow Tours make a donation from every South African holiday to Uthando, a non-profit and Fair Trade in Tourism organisation that raises funds for life-changing community development projects in South Africa. Projects like Isiseko Educare Centre, started by the wonderful Mama Zoliswa Siko, which can now provide education for 100 of the most vulnerable and underprivileged children in Mfuleni Township. Or safe centres such as eKhaya eKasi 'Home in the Hood' Art and Education Centre that offer after-school activities for children facing extreme poverty, including literacy as well as performing and visual arts.
Click here to find out more about our South Africa holiday collection
African Parks
New to our portfolio of NGO partners is African Parks, with a donation from every mainland Africa booking supporting their goal of rehabilitation and long-term management of protected areas. This non-profit conservation organisation is the largest counter poaching force in Africa, managing 10 protected areas that cover six million hectares. Success stories include the reintroduction of lions to Rwanda - a species that was expatriated after the genocide - stopping the decimation of Zakouma's elephant population in Chad, and restoring Majete Nature Reserve in Malawi, making it the country's premier wildlife sanctuary.
Click here to find out more about our collection of Rwanda holidays
Money for Madagascar
Rainbow Tours is a long-time supporter of Money for Madagascar, organising fund-raising events and making a donation for every Madagascar holiday booking. The charity funds a variety of projects aimed at tackling the key issues facing Madagascar today including extreme poverty, loss of bio-diversity, poor health, lack of food security and limited access to education. Every year, more than 1,000 street kids receive food, education and medical care at Money for Madagascar-funded drop-in centres, and 95 classrooms built by the NGO are used to educate more than 4,000 children across the island.
Click here to find out more about our Madagascar holiday collection
Travel for Impact
A donation from every Rainbow Botswana holiday goes directly to Travel for Impact, an in-country NGO that works hand-in-hand with local charitable schemes to give practical guidance for effective and sustainable operations - helping each community project to reach its full potential. Beneficiaries are small-scale groups such as Polokong, an organisation that provides vital support to the elderly in Maun in a country where there is no provision for the ageing members of society. Travel for Impact enables Polokong to offer daily meals, personal care and the opportunity to socialise for those over 60 with no family or support network.
Click here to find out more about our collection of Botswana holidays
Find more inspiration on our social media #ResponsibleRainbow
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