Orangutans
It has a nice ring to it, charitable adventure travel, and it goes hand-in-hand with eco-tour, travel with purpose, conservation travel, service travel…you know, my favorite descriptors of ways to see the world. Terra Incognita Ecotours specializes in creating opportunities for seeing the world and having a positive impact on the people and places you visit. The ethos of the organization comes from the top down, with founder Ged Caddick. He describes his company, started in 2004, like this: “Terra Incognita isn’t based on profits, like most businesses are. We measure success by how much we’re able to give away – the more the better.”
Those are great words for advertising copy, but how do they work in practice? For Ged’s personal impact, he is active, even serving on boards of directors, with several wildlife charities, like The Gorilla Doctors and EcoHealth Alliance. How, though, do you have an impact when you travel with Terra Incognita? In addition to hiring local staff, sourcing local goods and services, and staying at locally operated lodges…
Belize: Their trips help fund Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center to support Harpy Eagles.
Borneo: fund Eco Health Alliance Borneo on their “Red Ape Encounter” tour.
Brazil South American Savannah: donates to Conservation of Pantanal Ecosystem.
Chilé/Patagonia: funding toward Patagonia conservation projects.
China: help finance Giant Panda protection (trip is focused on Giant Pandas in the wild, not the controversial “sanctuaries” run by the Chinese government)
Costa Rica: donations are made toward Costa Rican Conservation Foundation.
Galapagos: this trip helps fund the Darwin Research Institute.
India: This tiger-focused safari supports the World Wildlife Fund – India.
Kenya and Rwanda: give via travel to The Gorilla Doctors.
Madagascar: donations go to the Simpona organization.
New Zealand: wildlife exploration trips help fund the Tiritiri Matangi conservation project.
Tanzania: travel gives back to the Jane Goodall Institute.
Uganda: Mountain gorillas, chimps, and more, with funding donated to The Gorilla Doctors.
It’s all about making a difference to you, and the places you visit, in a beautiful, symbiotic relationship–as travel should be.
Change by Doing 