Built on a solid foundation of passion and pride, African Impact has taken the lead as the industry’s most renowned Africa-based volunteer travel projects. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, African Impact works in partnership with extensive office and field staff in Southern and East Africa, as well as volunteers from around the world.

Now in their eighth year, the Imvelo Awards have had a huge impact on tourism in South Africa, creating significant awareness of environmental management issues in the industry. The awards are in line with the Responsible Tourism guidelines for the South African hospitality industry and the UN World Tourism Organization’s code of ethics. Imvelo is supported by the Heritage Environmental Rating Program.

This year’s award ceremony takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 11th November 2009.

A worthy journey

Since its humble beginnings in late 2004 at their Antelope Park Lion Rehabilitation Project in Zimbabwe, African Impact’s first volunteers were welcomed with open arms. Since then, Andrew and Wendy Conolly, along with a dedicated team of managers, office and field staff, have built African Impact into a voluntourism organization of which they are immensely proud.

“Having traveled to our volunteer projects throughout Southern and East Africa, I’ve seen a lot of fascinating things and met a lot of intriguing people!” said Sarah Graham, a co-founder of African Impact.

“From camping with Masai warriors and camels in the bush of Northern Kenya while scouting a new project; to tracking leopards with experienced scouts in Southern Botswana; taking a ‘chicken bus’ up to the lip of the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, or having the time of my life reading to kids at our adopted orphanage in Mozambique, I have never failed to be continuously inspired, and re-inspired, by the people that I have met.

“Whether they were our very own African Impact project managers or participants or local partners such as headmasters in small rural schools or over-eager children with an amazing desire to learn, I am continuously awed by the beauty of the kind of humanity that can eclipse all boundaries and bring people together when working for a common cause.”

Creating real results

African Impact employs a “results-based assessment approach” to volunteer travel. The organization prefers to seek out the evidence and outputs that stand to support the work that they are doing as further proof that they are making a sustainable difference in Africa.

The African Impact team is made up of people with vast experience living, working and traveling in Africa. They raise up and invest in local staff wherever possible, and their colorful group is made up of people who have an unparalleled passion and enthusiasm for their work.

“The whole experience was absolutely incredible,” said Stuart Neath, a past volunteer to African Impact Volunteer Project in Mozambique. It was uplifting, rewarding, challenging, grounding, heart-breaking and soul-destroying in equal measure. To see the absolute joy on the faces of the children when we arrived to spend time with them, or their excitement at being given the opportunity to do something creative, was incredible. This is why I WILL do it again and why I would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing this to go and do it.”

“As a department, we truly appreciate your dedication and hope you recognise, as we do, the valuable role you play in building brighter futures for Zambia’s next generation,” reads a statement from the Zambian Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child Development. “Thank you for your continuing support. It is through the positive efforts of organisations like yours that we can change a lifetime for a child in need…”

African Impact is the largest on-the-ground facilitator of responsible volunteer projects in Southern and East Africa. In 2009 they were nominated as finalists in the World Travel Awards, as well as the prestigious Imvelo Awards, and are continuously striving to improve the nature of the work that they are doing in Africa.

“Without sounding trite, living in Africa and volunteering in this way has profoundly influenced my perspectives and outlook on life,” commented Victoria Blackwell-Hardie, another past volunteer to Kenya Medical and Community Project. “I re-evaluated my personal relationships, the way I interact with people, the things I value, my approach to material possessions, and my overall career goals. To say I loved living there would be an understatement.”

For more information on African Impact, visit www.africanimpact.com as well as www.africanimpact.com.

Any traveler who books the Kilimanjaro trek this month will be able to take advantage of the free offer – a personal training regimen designed by adventure travel fitness specialists Fit for Trips specifically for the itinerary itself.

As approved by Thomson Safaris‘ staff that have completed the training before making a successful trek up Africa’s tallest mountain, the program is designed to combine resistance and endurance training that will prepare travelers mentally and physically for the trek.

For adventurers who want to continue beyond the initial free four weeks, the training program will be made available at an additional cost so that they can get in shape and make the most of their adventure travel experience.

Some features of the program include:

• 4, 8, and 12-week programs that can be home-based or gym-based
• Available for all fitness levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes
• Audio and video online download-able instruction
• Unlimited email and online chat interaction with a personal Fit for Trips trainer

Placing ethics and the environment first

Thomson Safaris, a recognized leader in eco-friendly and ethical safari for almost 30 years, has a 98% summit success rate for trekkers on the nine-day Western Approach route. The company is a proud supporter of the International Mountain Explorers Connection (IMEC), which promotes ethical treatment of porters and offers free English classes, First Aid training, and a gear lending program.

The company also earned National Geographic Adventure’s top rating as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” in both 2008 and 2009, while also winning the Tanzania Tourist Board’s Conservation Award for their community-based conservation initiatives in the latter year.

For more information, visit www.thomsonsafaris.com.

Despite being home to one of the most famous landmarks in the world and the highest point in Africa; Mount Kilimanjaro, there are still many areas of Tanzania that remain underexplored. The Bongoyo and Pemba Islands offer a unique chance to absorb a more traditional and chilled out side to African life, from snorkelling in the bays to fishing alongside the locals! Travellers looking for a more frenetic pace should head to the capital of Dar es Salaam, buzzing with life and culture, the National Museum is a great destination for art buffs and historians alike!

Bordered by the three largest lakes on the African continent; Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa, rural Tanzania is perfect for both adrenalin junkies looking for thrills on the rapids and nature lovers in search of rare riverside wildlife! Adventurers in search of a completely different safari should steer clear of the crowds at the Serengeti and head to the N’gorongoro Crater where there is the largest population of Lions in Africa or even take a walking tour through Arusha National Park!

One way to keep off the well trodden tourist’s path is to opt for a trip with a difference. Companies such as i-to-i offer travellers the chance to see the world’s hidden treasures and make a truly positive impact. There’s no better way to see the sights the backpackers only glimpse and really get to know a country than to live like a local!

Tours like i-to-i’s brand new 4 week Ultimate Tanzania tour give travelers the opportunity to live amongst the locals, swim with Dolphins, work with children in Moshi, go on safari and trek the foothills of Kilimanjaro! Travellers will also have the chance to visit Coral Islands, the stunning Stone town of Zanzibar and the wilds of Selous National Park, one of the greatest Parks in Africa with a diverse range of wildlife.

Travellers who hunger for a truly Tanzanian experience but haven’t got a month to spare, can also find their perfect option in a 2 week Wildlife Safari and Community Work tour. Another brilliant tour from i-to-i, travellers will have a whole week of safari, the chance to explore the N’gorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park.

i-to-i’s new Tanzanian tours run from 2 to 6 weeks so no matter how long travellers want the African experience to last.

For more information visit our website at www.i-to-i.com.