Trips with a Purpose: Advice
How to tell a real contribution from a brochure line, and what to ask before you go.
Purpose-Led travel advice
For health questions, a travel clinic has the final word. For visas, check the embassy of each country on the route.
1.Where the money goes
Park and permit fees are the clearest contribution: they are named on the itinerary and paid to the park authority or the community conservancy. Camps that lease land from communities pay rent and employ locally. Ask the quote to name the fees; this office does not run a separate donation programme.
2.Community visits done well
A good visit is arranged through the camp, led by someone from the community, and paid for. Unannounced visits to villages or schools are not something we arrange. Where a day includes a visit, the day text says so; where it says one can be arranged, it is optional.
3.Gorilla permits
A gorilla permit is one of the most direct conservation payments a traveller can make. One trek uses one permit per person. Where an itinerary includes two permits, the page says so.
4.What to bring
Ask the camp what the local school or clinic actually needs rather than filling a bag with guesses. Cash gifts to individuals are discouraged by most communities; buying crafts and using local guides is welcome.
5.Insurance and health
The same rules as every trip: travel insurance, visas and prophylaxis sit outside the rate, and a travel clinic advises for the exact places on your quote.
Quick facts
Trips with a purpose on this site are the ones where a gorilla permit, a park fee, or a community visit is already part of the plan. We do not describe a donation programme beyond what the quote lists.
The permit is specific
A gorilla day uses one permit per person, unless that itinerary says two are included. The quote repeats the number.
Fees stay in the rate
Park and permit fees named on the page are included. Optional community visits that the day text says can be arranged are confirmed on the quote.
No extra accolade
These pages do not claim an eco award or a charity partnership that this office does not run.
The visit is described plainly
If a day includes a village or a conservation talk, the day says so. If it only says you can book one, it is optional.
What every trip on this site includes
- Published rates are per person sharing, in US dollars, shown in the currency you choose while browsing.
- Nights, meals and the activities named on each stay are inside the rate. International flights, visas, insurance, tips and unlisted drinks are not.
- No single-room supplement is charged, and children pay the same per-person rate as adults.
- Wildlife sightings are never promised. Guides, parks and seasons are chosen to give the best chance; the animals decide the rest.
- Gorilla itineraries include one permit per person per trek unless the page says two.
- A written quote comes first. Nothing is booked and nothing is paid until you accept it.