Green Tour Operators

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	'Make a Difference' Aid Adventure
tel: (01235) 527 401

Aims to provide adventure trips throughout the developing world and make positive changes to the lives of the people who live in those countries. Trips operate with fair trading partnerships with local communities and clients have the option to visit and on certain trips volunteer services to the project. Each trip has at its core an Aid Project. 10-20% of the price paid goes to the project that the trip supports. Options include trekking, mountaineering. rafting, wildlife safaris, and culture and heritage. Destinations go from Thailand to Tajikistan plus remote islands and beaches. ‘Our style of adventure travel provides you with a fun and privileged, behind the scenes insight to indigenous cultures and people, wildlife and the environment of the places to which you travel. Join Make A Difference Adventures to enjoy exciting adventure travel around the world and experience the positive effects of your holiday. The company has compiled some simple guidelines on cultural and environmental behaviour for our clients and us.
Maximum group size is 12 to minimise the impact of the visitors. Local staff are recruited and work with us wherever possible. You'll find that all of our drivers, guides, boatmen and rickshaw drivers are locals and many are personal friends. Accommodation is chosen to suit clients and benefit of the local community.

Recommendations

Intend to develop family travel in future. For the moment prefer to take only 16+ because trips can be physically demanding and active and because the rather basic accommodation might not appeal to some more protective parents. However, will take younger, depending on the maturity of the children and attitudes of the parents as as long as parents are prepared to take responsibility for them out and about.
Options include Northern Extreme India with easy white water rafting, two elephant safaris and mountain bike riding, staying in a tribal village where children can meet local children. The trip has also sponsored a young orphaned elephant.
A Chome Villlage safari trip stays in a tribal village on the slopes of Kilimanjaro for five days as well as visiting Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater and Tarangere to see game.
Some trips include projects which might be particularly suitable. One to India for example visits a school in Varanasi for street kids and orphans so can be enlightening for children in both groups.
The operation is also very open to organising individual trips with a minimum number of four with personalised guide.

Sample Price

Northern Extreme India would be £670 per person including everything except flights and spending money and the odd meal where there is lot of choice of places to eat. Thailand is £729. Africa trips £1400. There are no single supplements and plan to look at discounts for children.