Responsible Travel

Responsible travel, built into every adventure

At Red Kite Adventures, responsible travel underpins how we design our trips, choose our partners, and engage with the places we visit. It is not a bolt‑on or a marketing label, but a practical framework that guides decisions before, during, and after every journey.

We believe travel can be a powerful force for good when it is thoughtfully planned, locally rooted, and approached with humility and respect.

What Responsible Travel Means to Us

For Red Kite Adventures, responsible travel means:

Planet

Minimising environmental impact and supporting conservation and wildlife protection

Place

Working with local guides, organisations, and social enterprises

People

Working respectfully with communities, ensuring safeguarding, and creating positive social impact

Respecting culture, heritage, and local ways of life

Creating meaningful experiences that deepen understanding and perspective

Purpose

Partners

Our Commitments

We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our trips and ensuring wildlife encounters are ethical and responsible.

Environment & Wildlife

We do this by:

• Designing itineraries that avoid unnecessary travel and internal flights where feasible

• Keeping group sizes small

• Using local transport providers and shared transport options

• Avoiding activities that exploit, harm, or distress animals

• Working with conservation‑led partners and local experts

All wildlife experiences are guided by our Animal Welfare Statement, which sets clear standards for ethical wildlife and marine encounters.

Our trips are designed to foster respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with local communities.

Communities & People

We commit to:

• Working with community‑based organisations, NGOs, and social enterprises

• Ensuring activities are community‑led, welcomed, and fairly compensated

• Avoiding tokenistic or voyeuristic experiences

• Upholding strict safeguarding and child protection standards

Where service or volunteering elements are included, projects are locally led, skills‑appropriate, and focused on long‑term benefit.

We aim to maximise the economic benefits of tourism for local people.

Local Economies & Partners

We do this by:

• Employing local guides, drivers, and support staff wherever possible

• Using locally owned accommodation, restaurants, and activity providers

• Paying fair and agreed rates to partners and suppliers

All partners are expected to meet our Supplier Code of Conduct, covering labour standards, environmental responsibility, safeguarding, and animal welfare.

Learning is a core part of every Red Kite Adventures journey, but it is not about classrooms or formal instruction. For adult travellers in particular, insight comes through conversation, experience, and reflection.

Learning, insight, and meaningful engagement

Across our trips, we aim to:

• Provide context around culture, history, environment, and sustainability challenges

• Create opportunities to engage with local experts, producers, conservationists, and community partners

• Encourage thoughtful reflection on global issues such as conservation, food systems, and responsible tourism

Our goal is for travellers to return home with a deeper understanding of the places they have visited — and a greater awareness of how they travel.

The safety and wellbeing of our travellers, staff, and partners is a priority.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

We commit to:

• Robust risk assessments for all activities

• Working only with licensed and insured local operators

• Being transparent about the physical and emotional demands of our trips

• Creating inclusive, supportive group environments

Responsible travel is an ongoing journey. We regularly review our itineraries, suppliers, and practices, seek feedback from travellers and local partners, and adapt our approach as best practice evolves.

We are open about our commitments, our challenges, and our desire to keep improving.

Transparency & Continuous Improvement

Our Policies & Codes

Responsible Travel Policy

Animal Welfare Statement

Supplier Code of Conduct

Traveller Code of Conduct

For those who would like to explore our approach in more detail, the following documents set out our standards and expectations: