As a social enterprise, 55% of our yearly proceeds go to our partner charity Adumu Impact Fund that facilitates our mission of restoring land, rights, and economic self-determination to the Indigenous Maasai people of East Africa through equitable ecotourism, regional tourism reform, and wildlife conservation. Adumu Impact supports our unique empowerment projects and programs as well as those of partner organizations that work toward uplifting the Maasai from poverty while preserving their cultural traditions, and other partners that work toward aiding and empowering others in the East African region. During your safari, you will have an opportunity to visit villages and sites where the Adumu Impact fund is being put to good work, if you so wish.

Another tried and true form of giving back is volunteering your skills, talent, and labor to give to local service efforts. We are excited to offer the option of “voluntourism” extensions — single day, multi day, or longer-term visits to Maasai empowerment projects run by Adumu Safaris and our partner organizations. We also offer volunteer projects that assist other groups in East Africa and conservation projects operated by Mweka Wildlife College.

For centuries, the semi-nomadic Maasai people have coexisted peacefully with the magnificent wildlife that surround their villages for centuries, leaving hardly a trace on the land that they inhabit. The way of the Maasai, a culture indigenous to the Adumu Safaris founders, is a model for our company’s own ecotourism practices. Our tours are highly conscious of leaving a minimal footprint while increasing environmental awareness of the region. We make a point to utilize eco-friendly, sustainable accommodations that offer locally sourced, organic food and coffee. Some of our camps can boast a “zero-footprint,” and many of our lodges are striving toward that goal. On safari, our guides are careful not to contribute to visual and noise pollution that would disturb wildlife. As well, the park fees that are included in your safari package contribute directly to conservation efforts by the government and defend against the nefarious practice of wild game poaching. The balance of wildlife in the parks, reserves, and conservation areas with human impact is extremely delicate, but your tour helps tip the balance in favor of preserving the splendors of the bush for many generations to come.

A key component of our responsible tourism mission at Adumu Safaris is to foster opportunities for cross-cultural understanding and respect. Our cultural excursions are imagined, designed, and executed by the host cultures so that they have full control of how they present themselves to foreigners. We aim to transcend the economic disparities and colonial legacies inherent in encounters between tourists from the global north and African host communities through an emphasis on unity in diversity and indigenous control of self-representation during cultural visits. We offer opportunities for our travelers to learn Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, and even some Maa (the language of the Maasai) during their holiday, which is yet another great way to show respect to the host cultures.

At Adumu Safaris, we abide by a high ethical standard when it comes to compensating our local staff. Many of our guides are recruited from the Mara Guide Association, the first labor association organized by Maasai people in Kenya. Adumu Impact will soon be opening a training camp modeled after the MGA in Tanzania to train and employ hundreds of Maasai, at least 50% of whom will be women. Our extremely hardworking, dedicated, expert, and talented staff are the heart and soul of your East African adventure. Feel good knowing that your safari is providing your beloved guides, cooks, lodging and support staff fair and generous wages that economically enable and uplift not only the staff, their families, and their communities.