Sustainability Policy

Nature is our passion and our business. Taking care of the environment is a must for us, and that is why we are always actively working to have a positive impact on nature and on the environment around us.

We strive to have a positive impact through responsible waste management, support for local communities, and by sharing our knowledge of and love for the environment. This Sustainability Policy is the framework through which we structure those activities across every part of our business.

Basecamp Afromaxx Ltd. (Afromaxx) is a Tanzanian tour operator based in Moshi, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. We design and operate day tours, safaris, Kilimanjaro and Meru treks, cultural and community-based experiences and tailor-made itineraries for international and domestic travellers, using our own vehicles and drivers together with a network of local guides, accommodations, excursion providers and suppliers.

This policy sets out the sustainability principles and commitments that govern how we run our office, how we employ and train our people, how we design and sell our products, how we select and monitor our partners, how we treat animals and natural environments, and how we communicate with our staff, our clients, our suppliers and the public.

The policy applies to all our employees, whether permanent, part-time or freelance; to our tour leaders, guides, drivers, porters and cooks; to our office and operational premises; to all our products and itineraries; and to all accommodations, excursion providers, transport providers and other suppliers we work with.

This policy is supported and approved by the top management of Afromaxx. It takes effect immediately upon approval by the Managing Director and circulation to staff. It is formally reviewed at least every two years, and earlier if our activities, our structure or our legal environment change significantly. Any deviation from this policy requires the approval of the Managing Director or of an officer delegated with such authority.

This is the umbrella document for our detailed sustainability policies and procedures. Those documents – covering human resources, health and safety, energy, water, waste, purchasing, transport, accommodations, excursions, guides, destinations and customer communication – form an integral part of this policy.

General goals

  • To comply with, and wherever possible to exceed, the laws and standards that advance sustainable development in Tanzania.
  • To use our influence so that the other parties we work with also operate in a sustainable manner.
  • To protect the natural environment in which we operate and to have a positive impact on it.
  • To benefit traditional and established communities, and to create a balance between nature, business and culture.
  • To provide information, training and support to colleagues and external partners in order to engage them in sustainability.
  • To provide sustainability information about our products so that our clients can choose more sustainable travel options.
  • To respect and safeguard human rights, and in particular the rights of children, in everything we do.
  • To protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and of our clients.
  • To deliver a quality product that matches exactly what we have promised.

Long-term objectives for 2026 to 2028

Management has set the following long-term objectives for the current certification cycle. They are broken down into measurable targets, actions, indicators, responsibilities and deadlines in our Sustainability Action Plan, which is reviewed at least once a year.

  • Reduce the environmental footprint of our office and our operations, in particular energy and water consumption, single-use plastic and unsorted waste, measured against our recorded baseline.
  • Reduce fuel consumption and emissions per client-day through efficient itinerary design, vehicle maintenance, eco-driving training and, where appropriate, carbon offsetting.
  • Increase the share of our supply chain – accommodations, excursion providers, transport operators and goods suppliers – that has formally accepted our sustainability code of conduct.
  • Increase the proportion of local, community-based and locally owned services in our itineraries, and reduce tourism leakage from the Kilimanjaro region.
  • Ensure that every employee, guide, driver, porter and cook working with us receives regular training on sustainability, child protection, animal welfare, and health and safety.
  • Strengthen our compliance and risk management by keeping licences, insurances, contracts and emergency procedures current at all times.
  • Report our progress internally, publicly and through Travelife at least once every two years.
  • We comply with all applicable Tanzanian legislation and with the international conventions that apply to our activities, including CITES.
  • We hold and keep current all licences, permits, registrations and insurances required to operate as a tour operator, including public liability insurance.
  • We are a member of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA), we are a KPAP partner for the responsible treatment and fair payment of porters, and we take part in the meetings of the Kilimanjaro Region Tour Operators (KRTO).
  • We conduct our business fairly and transparently. We do not tolerate corruption, bribery or facilitation payments, whether offered or received, by our staff or by our partners.
  • We compete on quality and value. Our prices, inclusions and exclusions are stated clearly and honestly.
  • We respect intellectual property, including the intellectual property and cultural property of local communities.
  • We protect the personal data of our clients and our staff in accordance with our Customer Privacy Policy and our registration with the Personal Data Protection Commission.

Our people are the foundation of our business. We manage employment in accordance with Tanzanian labour law and with internationally recognised labour standards, as set out in detail in our Human Resources Policy.

  • Every employee has a written contract of employment in a language they understand, and receives a copy of it.
  • We pay at least the statutory living wage for Tanzania and review remuneration as the real cost of living changes. Wages are stated in the contract and paid monthly.
  • We recruit solely on the basis of skill, competence, knowledge and attitude. We do not discriminate on any ground and we actively encourage a diverse workplace.
  • We give preference to local candidates, including for management positions, and we invest in training where local skills are lacking.
  • We do not employ children. Where the law permits the employment of young people between 14 and 18, special protective working conditions apply.
  • Employment is freely chosen. Employees may terminate their contract by giving the statutory notice period and are never penalised for exercising that right.
  • Our regular working hours are 07:00 to 17:00, with a maximum of 45 hours per week. Additional hours are occasional and are compensated with equivalent time off in lieu.
  • We respect freedom of association and do not hinder trade union membership or employee representation.
  • We provide paid annual leave, sick leave and parental leave, and we enrol our employees in the national pension and welfare insurance schemes.
  • We operate a confidential grievance procedure with an informal and a formal stage, protection for the person raising the complaint, and a defined investigation timetable.
  • We provide regular training – peer-to-peer learning, online courses, training manuals and external courses – and we support employees who wish to develop their qualifications.
  • Management holds at least one meeting a year with each employee to discuss performance and job satisfaction. We measure employee satisfaction regularly, take the suggestions received into account, and report back on the improvements made.
  • We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or exploitation in any form, and we investigate every claim through our disciplinary procedure.

Our employees

  • We keep the workplace safe, well ventilated, well lit and clean, with safe drinking water, washing facilities and rest areas.
  • We identify hazards, assess risks, and provide the information, instruction, training, supervision and protective equipment needed to work safely.
  • We provide first-aid facilities at all relevant locations and ensure that trained staff are available.
  • We display health and safety notices, and we brief and train our staff on health and safety, including risk and crisis management, on a regular basis.
  • We record and investigate every accident, injury, occupational disease and dangerous occurrence, and we take corrective measures.
  • We operate a zero-tolerance policy on the use of illicit drugs and on attending work under the influence of alcohol.

Our clients

  • We assess the risks attached to our products, including accommodation, transport and excursions, and we review those risks regularly.
  • We maintain written emergency procedures for fire, medical emergencies, hazardous materials and other incidents, including evacuation routes, assembly points and provision for persons with disabilities.
  • We maintain documented procedures for serious incidents such as the hospitalisation of a client, an accident on an excursion, sensitive incidents, airport closures, natural disasters and security incidents.
  • We provide a permanently reachable emergency contact number, answered by a real person, and we give the details to every client before or on arrival.
  • All our vehicles carry a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher, and all our vehicles and drivers are fully licensed, insured and regularly checked.
  • We inform our clients before departure about health and safety risks in the destination, recommended vaccinations, food and water safety, local medical facilities, emergency contacts and our own safety protocols, and we advise them to consult the current travel advice of their own government.
  • We deliver what we promise. Our marketing, itineraries, prices and photographs describe our products truthfully and completely.
  • We monitor customer satisfaction systematically through our feedback form, and sustainability is an explicit part of it. We ask our clients whether they learned about responsible travel, whether the tour was organised with care for the environment, whether our guides treated local people respectfully, and how we can improve.
  • We handle complaints through a defined procedure: clients are told how to complain, a designated person receives and records the complaint, it is investigated and answered, and complaints are resolved within four weeks at the most.
  • Feedback and complaints are reviewed in our sustainability and operations meetings and are used to improve our products, our supply chain and this policy.

Our own premises are where our sustainability culture begins. Our office practices are set out in full in our Energy Reduction Policy, Water Reduction Policy, Waste Reduction and Waste Management Policies, Sustainable Purchasing Policy and Staff Travel Policy, and are summarised for the team in our Sustainability Essentials for the Office.

  • We ensure that our employees understand our sustainability goals and are accountable for implementing them in their daily work.
  • We monitor, reduce and manage our waste responsibly. We separate paper and cardboard, glass, plastics, batteries and organic waste for recycling or composting, and we never burn waste in the open air.
  • We measure our use of natural resources, especially energy and water, record it, set reduction targets and review progress in our weekly sustainability meetings.
  • We use energy-efficient lighting and equipment, make the most of daylight, use fans and open windows before air conditioning, set screens to sleep after about twenty minutes, and switch off and unplug equipment at the end of the day.
  • We invest in renewable energy and efficient equipment wherever it is feasible, including our battery back-up system.
  • We have designed single-use plastic out of the office: our staff and our guests use refillable bottles filled from our 20-litre dispensers.
  • We purchase locally wherever we can, favour eco-certified suppliers, ask for minimal and plastic-free packaging, and limit the use of small individual packaging.
  • We print only when necessary, print double-sided on responsibly sourced paper, refill or recycle printer cartridges, and use rechargeable batteries.
  • We repair and reuse before discarding, and we take working equipment and electronic waste to reuse or to a licensed collection point.
  • We keep our digital footprint down with short e-mails, links instead of heavy attachments, tidy mailing lists and, where available, green hosting.
  • We respect our employees, their diversity and their wellbeing, and we advance it wherever we can.
  • We share best practice and raise awareness of sustainability among our teams and our partners.

Local transport is the part of a trip over which we have the most direct control, and therefore the greatest opportunity to reduce emissions. Our commitments are set out in full in our Transport Efficiency Policy and our Sustainable Driving Policy and Code of Conduct.

  • We design efficient itineraries: we combine transfers, avoid unnecessary driving, and prefer fewer and longer stays to many short hops.
  • We match the vehicle to the size of the group and maintain our fleet so that it runs as cleanly and efficiently as possible.
  • All our vehicles comply with national law on maintenance, emissions, seat belts, licensing and insurance, and are inspected before each journey.
  • We train our drivers in eco-driving – smooth and defensive driving, early gear changes, no unnecessary idling, correct tyre pressure, no unnecessary load or roof racks, and restrained use of air conditioning – and we monitor fuel consumption.
  • Our drivers hold the appropriate licences, never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, never use a mobile phone while driving, respect all speed limits including the 50 km/h limit in national parks, and observe driving-hour and rest-break limits.
  • We recycle waste oil, filters, batteries and tyres, and we use biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning products.
  • We inform our clients about the environmental impact of the transport options available to them and about sustainable alternatives, including public and shared transport, walking and cycling where appropriate.
  • We give priority to reducing the emissions we can avoid. For the emissions that remain, we are assessing carbon offsetting with recognised local providers so that we can offer our clients a credible way to offset the emissions of their trip.

Our guides are our ambassadors on the ground and the bridge between our clients, local people and our suppliers. Our commitments to them and our expectations of them are set out in full in our Tour Leader, Guide and Local Representative Policy.

  • We give clear preference to local tour leaders, guides, drivers, porters and cooks, including in management positions, and we comply with all work-permit regulations.
  • Every guide, tour leader and representative is engaged under a written contract or agreement, including those working on a freelance basis, and we review every clause with them before signing.
  • We pay at least a living wage, and we apply the KPAP standards for the fair treatment and payment of porters.
  • We recruit licensed guides, keep current copies of their certificates and credentials on file, and verify that they meet the legal minimum working age.
  • We assess destination, safety, sustainability and customer-service knowledge at the hiring stage, and we close any gaps through additional training.
  • We provide in-house and external training on our policies and products, on responsible tourism, local biodiversity and storytelling, on first aid, on child protection and on animal welfare, and we keep training records.
  • In culturally sensitive sites, heritage sites and ecologically sensitive destinations, our clients are always accompanied by skilled and, where required, certified guides.
  • We maintain a guide database recording languages, licences, specialisms and training, so that the most suitable guide is assigned to each tour.
  • Our guides brief our clients before, during and after the tour on responsible behaviour: dress code, photography, tipping, refillable water, waste, illegal souvenirs, endangered species, respect for local customs, and how to support local communities positively.
  • Our guides are informed about appropriate behaviour towards clients and local people. Any claim or suspicion of inappropriate behaviour is investigated and, where required, dealt with under our disciplinary procedure.
  • Any participation by guides or clients in commercial sexual activities or in the use of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited.
  • All our guides, tour leaders and representatives receive information and training on preventing the sexual exploitation of children, and are required to report any suspicion immediately.

Wildlife is the reason most of our clients travel to Tanzania, and protecting it is a condition of doing business with us. Our animal welfare requirements apply to our own operations and to every supplier we work with, and are set out in detail in the specific criteria of our Sustainable Excursions Policy.

  • We offer no product or service that harms humans, animals, plants or natural resources, or that is socially or culturally unacceptable.
  • We respect the internationally recognised principles of animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury and disease, and from fear and distress, together with the freedom to express normal behaviour.
  • Any captive animal owned by a supplier, or present on a supplier’s premises, must have been acquired legally and in accordance with CITES, and may only be kept by those authorised and suitably equipped to house and care for it humanely.
  • We do not offer excursions or attractions in which captive wildlife is held, except for properly regulated activities that comply with local, national and international law.
  • Wildlife species are not harvested, consumed, displayed, sold or traded, except as part of a regulated activity whose sustainability is demonstrable. We do not promote souvenirs or food containing threatened species listed under CITES or on the IUCN Red List.
  • Excursions that include interaction with wildlife follow recognised codes of conduct and must not adversely affect the viability or the behaviour of populations in the wild. Disturbance of natural ecosystems is minimised and, wherever possible, compensated by a contribution to conservation management.
  • Where a partner offers a captive wildlife experience, we ask where the animals came from, how close guests are allowed to be, whether shows or performances are offered, what the partner contributes to conservation, and how guests are educated about the animals.

Activities we do not offer or sell

  • Animal breeding or commercial trade in sanctuaries and orphanages.
  • Petting, holding or photo opportunities with wild animals where the animal cannot end the interaction or move away.
  • Performances or interactions where training involves punishment or food deprivation, causes the animal fear, injury or distress, or requires behaviour that is not natural to the animal, including elephant, primate and marine mammal shows.
  • Contact with, or the feeding of, wild cats, crocodiles, great apes, bears and other species that present a welfare or safety risk, and any facility feeding live vertebrate prey.
  • Canned hunting, trophy hunting, and unlicensed zoos and aquaria.
  • The acquisition of any species listed in CITES Appendix I, II or III, except for demonstrable conservation, rescue or rehabilitation purposes.
  • Animals used for begging, bear pits, bear-bile farms and tiger farms.
  • Any form of animal fighting, bull running, or rodeo events involving roping, wrestling, flank straps or tripping.
  • Ritual animal slaughter presented as part of a tourism experience.
  • Unregulated collection of animals or plants from the wild, human-initiated contact with or feeding of animals in the wild, and any trade in endangered wildlife products.

In the parks and in the wild

  • Our clients and guides follow the codes of conduct of the Tanzanian national parks and reserves: remain in the vehicle unless permitted otherwise, keep to the official routes and trails, give wildlife the right of way, keep a respectful distance, keep noise down, switch the engine off while watching wildlife, observe the 50 km/h speed limit, take nothing out of the park and leave nothing behind.
  • We do not permit off-road driving, the crowding of animals, flash photography where it is prohibited, smoking in parks or in communities, or the feeding of any wild animal.
  • We limit group sizes and rotate the sites we visit, so that no place, community or animal population carries an excessive share of visitor pressure.
  • We support conservation by including visits to national parks, reserves and conservation projects in our itineraries, and by working with conservation organisations active in our region.

The excursions and activities we sell are the part of our product that touches communities, wildlife and ecosystems most directly. Our Sustainable Tourism Excursion Policy and its specific criteria govern how we select, monitor and improve them.

  • Where we are able to choose, we recommend the most sustainable excursion option available within the budget of our clients, and we give strong preference to providers that follow sustainable practices throughout their operation.
  • We assess excursion providers on fair business practice, labour conditions, child protection, plastic and waste management, energy efficiency, local sourcing, biodiversity care, respect for local art and heritage, and their contribution to the local community.
  • We give preference to providers that comply with GSTC-recognised standards. As internationally certified excursions are not yet common in Tanzania, we judge providers primarily on their actual practices.
  • We evaluate providers through site visits by our sustainability coordinator, through observations by our guides and through client feedback, and we record the results in our excursion database and sensitivity overview.
  • Sensitive activities – those that bring travellers into contact with animals, children or remote communities – are covered by a specific code of conduct, which is given both to our clients and to our providers.
  • School and community visits take place only at the invitation of the school or community organisation, must not interfere with lessons or daily life, require permission before any photography, prohibit money, sweets or gifts given directly to children, and never allow a visitor to be alone with a child. Donations are channelled through the school administration.
  • We include in our packages, and promote to our clients, excursions and activities that directly involve and support local communities.
  • We include in our packages, and promote to our clients, excursions and activities that support the local environment and biodiversity, such as visits to protected areas and to environmental protection projects.
  • We work with our providers over the long term to improve their practices, sharing best-practice standards, certification information, self-evaluation tools and training materials.

We cannot deliver a sustainable trip on our own. Extending our standards through our supply chain is one of the most effective contributions we can make.

  • We prefer to work with locally owned businesses that reflect local culture: hotels, lodges, camps, restaurants, handicraft outlets, and arts and culture centres.
  • We maintain an inventory of our partners, suppliers, accommodations and activities, covering operations, bookings, fleet and management, and we record why each supplier was chosen and how they perform on sustainability.
  • We ask our accommodation and excursion partners to sign our Sustainability Code of Conduct, which covers fair business practice, human rights and labour conditions, the rights of children and child protection, local and fair-trade sourcing, cultural heritage, plastic, energy, water, waste and animal welfare.
  • The code of conduct entitles us to audit and review the sustainability practices of our partners, and our partners agree to allow and support on-site inspections.
  • We review supplier performance in our operations meetings and look for more sustainable alternatives where a supplier cannot or will not improve.
  • We share best practice, certification information and free training resources with our partners, and we support collaborative initiatives with other tour operators and stakeholders in our destinations.
  • Where a supplier is found to follow unsustainable practices, we issue a warning. If the practice is not corrected, we end all collaboration, whether informal or contractual, and remove the supplier from our inventory.
  • We terminate an agreement without notice where there is clear evidence of corruption or bribery, of the sexual exploitation of children, of wildlife crime, or where a supplier jeopardises the provision or integrity of basic services such as water, food, energy, health care, soil or public space to neighbouring communities.
  • We give preference to local, fair-trade and environmentally responsible goods in our own purchasing.
  • We give back to neighbouring communities by supporting projects that address local development challenges, encourage fair employment opportunities and advance wellbeing.
  • We actively work to reduce tourism leakage by using locally owned suppliers who themselves hire locally and source their goods and services locally.
  • We include local activities in our packages – markets, local food, farms, traditional entertainment and community-based tourism – and we rotate the places we visit so that the benefit is shared.
  • We ask communities what they need rather than assuming, and we channel our support through recognised local structures.
  • We support local social and conservation initiatives, and we encourage our clients to donate to reputable organisations rather than to individuals.
  • We respect and safeguard local cultural heritage, intellectual property and sacred sites, and we do not operate tours at times or in places that communities regard as restricted.
  • We promote responsible tourism within our industry and to the stakeholders we engage with in our destinations, including through TATO and KRTO.

Internal communication

  • This policy is approved by top management, circulated to every employee and made permanently available to all staff. New employees receive it as part of their induction.
  • We hold weekly sustainability meetings and regular team and operations meetings, in which consumption figures, supplier performance, client feedback and improvement ideas are discussed and minuted.
  • We keep sustainability visible in the office through notices and our office board, and we use our team messaging group and e-mail for rapid updates.
  • We update our staff at least once a year on our sustainability policy, our activities and our results, and we keep a record of attendance or acknowledgement.
  • Every employee is encouraged and expected to raise sustainability ideas and concerns. Suggestions are taken into account and followed up.

Communication with our clients

  • Our promotional materials and marketing communication are transparent and accurate. We do not over-advertise and under-deliver, and we make no sustainability claim that we cannot substantiate.
  • Our offers state the exact itinerary with distances and times, the exact price and its validity, the services included, the exclusions and any surcharges, insurance details, detailed destination information, the sustainable options available, dress code and ethical instructions where needed, accurate photographs, data protection information, complaints instructions and our contact details including emergency contacts.
  • We give our clients balanced and factual destination information: culture and history, geography and weather, currency, health and safety advice, dos and don’ts, local languages, local food and locally owned restaurants and shops, local festivals, and how to travel responsibly.
  • We identify the more sustainable accommodations, excursions and transport options in our offers and present them as the better choice, and our sales team is trained and equipped to advise on them.
  • We inform our clients about illegal souvenirs and about the legislation governing the purchase, sale, import and export of historic or religious artefacts and of articles containing threatened flora and fauna, including ivory, horn, teeth, skins and other trophies.
  • We include a clear statement against the commercial and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in our travel advisory, and we tell our clients how to report a suspicion.
  • We encourage our clients to use local restaurants and shops, to support local social and conservation projects, and to minimise their use of water, energy and single-use plastic.
  • We handle the personal data of our clients confidentially and in accordance with our Customer Privacy Policy: data is collected only where it is relevant and necessary, stored securely, accessible only to accredited staff, and deleted on request.

Communication with our partners and suppliers

  • We communicate our sustainability requirements to accommodations, excursion providers, transport suppliers and other suppliers in writing, through our codes of conduct and our sustainability letters.
  • We ask our suppliers to report on their sustainability practices, and we record their responses in our inventory of partners and suppliers.
  • We share training resources and best practice, and we discuss improvements directly with owners and managers during site visits and through our guides.

Public reporting

  • We publish our key sustainability results on our website, www.afromaxx.com, at least once every two years.
  • We report our progress through Travelife at least once every two years, and we report to our own management on the same cycle.
  • We communicate our achievements against our sustainability goals, internally and externally, through thorough reporting at least once a year.
  • Top management approves this policy, provides the resources needed to implement it, and is accountable for its results.
  • The Sustainability Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of this policy, for maintaining the documentation and evidence, for monitoring our indicators, and for reporting to management and to Travelife.
  • Department managers are responsible for applying this policy in their own area – office administration, sales and product, operations, fleet and human resources – and for reporting on it.
  • Every employee, guide, driver, porter and cook is responsible for working in accordance with this policy.
  • We monitor our performance through recorded consumption data, supplier records, training records, incident records, client feedback and the indicators set out in our Sustainability Action Plan.
  • We review this policy and our action plan at least every two years, and we update them whenever our activities, our structure or our legal obligations change.

A breach of this policy by an employee may lead to disciplinary action under our Human Resources Policy, up to and including termination of employment. A breach by a supplier or partner leads to a warning and, where the practice is not corrected, to the end of our collaboration. Serious breaches – in particular those involving the sexual exploitation of children, wildlife crime, corruption or bribery – result in immediate termination and, where the law requires it, in a report to the competent authorities.

Basecamp Afromaxx Ltd., Nkomo Avenue, P.O. Box 1962, Moshi, Tanzania · mail@afromaxx.com · www.afromaxx.com