Responsible Tourist Charter
Respect the locals
When visiting another country remember that you are a guest. Respect local traditions and customs. Be curious but not invasive. Respect local sacred places and traditions. What you wear matters. Wearing the wrong types of clothing can be misconstrued as a show of disrespect to one’s culture and beliefs.
Contribute to the Local Economy
Whenever you have the opportunity to support a local business, please do it. That might mean avoiding franchise supermarkets in favour of smaller stores or buying local products to bring on your trip . If you can afford it, make sure you eat at local restaurants. Buy at local stores and, whenever possible.
Use public transport
Whenever possible we would encourage visitors to leave their cars behind and walk, cycle, use public transport or any other environmentally friendly form of transport to get to our meeting points to reduce your carbon footprint.
Being responsible in anything you do may seem difficult unless you practice it so much that it becomes a part of you. By being a responsible hiker, you are not just creating happy and memorable moments for yourself, but also for the local communities and the environment. Regardless of whether you are going to hike, travel, or tour, make sure that you have a positive impact on everyone and everything with which you come in contact.
Green Tourism
This is the go-to standard for sustainability, look out for the symbol and please support those businesses that are working to reduce their carbon footprint. The award is also open to tour operators, visitor attractions, activity providers, accommodation providers, restaurants, and other businesses.
When hiking or walking in nature Stick to the Path
A good way to avoid having a negative impact as a responsible hiker, is to stay on the marked paths and not wander off to explore on your own, especially in protected areas or national parks. Paths are marked for two reasons—visitors’ safety and minimising any damage that can be caused by people over a long period of time.
By straying off the path, you can have a devastating impact on the environment, like trampling and killing nearby plants which are crucial to a healthy ecosystem in the area.
During spring and summer if you roam off path, you can easily scare ground nesting birds and hares, which can cause them to abandon their eggs or young.
Manage your waste
Nature is not a trash can, whatever you take with you should stay with you.
Nature is not a bathroom, All your human waste must be buried.
Carry a reusable water bottle or a water bladder in your hiking backpack or hang it on your person so that you can fill it at mentioned points or water sources that have been marked as safe.
Additionally, if you have carried snacks with you, keep the wrappers, leftovers and other trash with you till you exit the park instead of discarding it along the hiking trails.
Look don’t touch
When visiting museums don’t touch exhibits .
Leave the animals. Don’t follow them, don’t approach them, don’t feed them.
Nature is not a florist, the plants found there are not take .
Reduce your sound volume, nature listens to you and noise is not its friend. keeping a safe distance, also be sure to stay quiet and keep a low profile so that you don’t scare the animals. If you are too loud or noisy, some animals may flee, leaving their young defenceless against predators.
If you are staying outdoors overnight, be sure to pack your food and scraps in sealed containers so that the animals do not enter your campsite to scavenge. Always keep in mind that animals are not supposed to eat “human food” as it may prove detrimental to their health. Additionally, wild animals are not supposed to depend on humans for food.
And most importantly have a great time when you are here, we’d like you to come back!