Our Responsible Tourism Policy


We believe that our specialism - quality ecotourism - has a truly important part to play in the conservation of many threatened habitats worldwide - indeed tourism can be the major factor in saving an area from damage by destructive forestry or agricultural practices. We think that ecotourism also has a role in promoting the whole idea of conservation, especially in those countries and regions where it is currently given a low priority. All our leaders, and we would guess most of our clients, are committed conservationists, and in many ways we see ourselves as ambassadors for conservation wherever we travel, even where there are opposing views locally.


© Jamie McMillan/Nature Portfolio
Walking in the Panamanian rain forest

  • We always seek to minimise environmental damage on our tours, for example by travelling in small groups, spending more time within a smaller area, and sometimes spending whole days without using vehicles.

  • Wherever possible we use local guides, and locally-owned and locally-operated suppliers of accommodation, produce, transport and tour management. We also actively seek out and prefer those who are committed to conservation and responsible tourism, even though they might be a little more expensive than others.

  • We will continue to run tours to several countries with a dubious environmental record, believing that by working with conservation-minded local agents and organisations within those countries, we can help to strengthen their hand. This includes countries like the Faroe islands, Iceland and Japan whose support for whaling we are vehemently opposed to, as are our agents there, and some Mediterranean countries where migrant birds still continue to be shot in contravention of EU law. We continue to make our feelings known to the authorities in these countries, and encourage our clients to do so.

  • We encourage our clients to observe a Code of Conduct in order to minimise their impact on the environment while on our tours. We strongly discourage the collecting of specimens and picking of flowers on a tour.

  • We work with and support conservation organisations both in Britain and overseas. We give direct financial support through corporate sponsorship of, for example, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation and the RSPB, and send by far the bulk of our publicity budget to these and other conservation organisations. We also contribute directly to local conservation and other charity projects, and encourage our clients to do so.

  • We also aim to run our office in as environmentally responsible a way as possible.