Community Tourism is a Business Model, not a Charity

Maria Schiffer, 11th December 2022 – I’m back in Uganda because of Theo, whom I met while working on my book Eating With Africa In 2018. I’ve been traveling along the Warrior Nomad Trail the last week, researching and experiencing Community Tourism.

Kara-Tunga Tours gives visitors an authentic experience into communities that have been overlooked until Kara-Tunga Tours was founded, now winning one prize after the next.

Go the extra mile

As tourists, we have the power to go the extra mile, step out of our comfort zone, and learn how to interact without disturbing cultures.

Yes, the trail is long, dusty, and sometimes tiring, but it is also breathtaking and unique and gave me the chills in so many moments; I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Local ownership

Almost everyone working in the camps and lodges I stayed at are from the region. A special thank you to my driver Henry, my guide Peter, and Jacky, the housekeeper who invited me into her home. While we drove on bumpy roads, they told me their stories and guided me in a personal way that I had rarely experienced. More than anything, they were my partners for this story.

Thank you also to WildPlaces Africa; I’ve never experienced a wild elephant passing my cabin at night or a buffalo chilling in the shade of my balcony – insanely magical!

Sustainability

These inclusive tourism models are sustainable and form a synergy as the villagers do not live just from tourism; instead, both enrich each other’s lives. Community Tourism is a business model, not a charity.

Now I have to sit down and put this story into words. You can read the article and see the photos next year in the German Magazine GEO Saison. Don’t worry; I won’t let you miss it;)

Thank you, Uganda, Kara-Tunga Tours, and WildPlaces Africa , for this amazing experience!

Travel differently, and please #exploreuganda!