Eco Ethos

Our proprietary Eco-Active ® Holidays (ECOACTIVE.TRAVEL) have been designed with a variety of tours aimed at the eco-aware, activity tourist venturing in Africa. We subscribe to the philosophy of "burning carbs, not carbon".

Whether we are delivering bikes to your hotel in our eco-diesel powered truck or leading tours on bikes through the city, Bike and Saddle is fully committed to preserving our environment and keeping it healthy for future generations.

If you are looking to experience an activity based holiday in Africa without compromising on service, comfort, security and quality, and demand a socially and environmentally responsible [sustainable] travel experience, look no further. Our tours are active yet leisurely paced, perfect for all ages, sizes and shapes.

Riding a Bike & Saddle Bicycle comfortably through the city or countryside is the perfect healthy alternative to sitting passively in a tour bus or pounding the pavement for hours.

We subscribe to an ethos of responsible business, with a particular focus on nature, economic re-investments, society & cultural input and a rare & luxurious lifestyle that is the natural outflow of these elements working in unison.

How do the mentioned elements manifest in our business? All our products and partnerships have adopted measures working towards progress in the following categories:

Natural Resources, Energy and Waste Management
It is vital that the sales of tourism related products and the use of natural resources [also within the operation of an accommodation establishment] have minimal impact on natural resources within the immediate environment.

Cultural / Heritage
We go out of our way to ensure that visitors to an area are exposed to local places of interest, culture and people so that their experience is unique to the area and that when they leave, guests have a clear understanding of the area they have visited.

Travel enlarges the soul and embraces the mind. People want to give back - but we are careful on how we help the local people without ruining the community and society at large. We learn on how to give without harming the community. Therefore we teach ourselves and our guests on how to be responsible. How do you help without changing the experience for others in the future is a constant pursuit.

Procurement
A responsible business should try to minimize the revenue 'leaks' out of the local area wherever possible. Employing and purchasing locally and setting up business relationships with local people will assist in creating employment, stimulate entrepreneurial activity, increase investment in infrastructure and improve overall standard of living in the area. Local communities who have a vested interest in an operation will actively seek to sustain it and therefore contribute to a positive experience. Supporting local economic growth is therefore key to long-term success. This is made possible by locally aimed procurement policies and principles.

Social Responsibility / Economy
Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce, their families as well as the local community and business sector at large. In addition, social responsibility is also defined as a framework of measurable corporate policies resulting in behavior designed to benefit the workplace and, by extension, the individual, the organization, and the community.

THERE IS NO SINGLE SOLUTION THAT IS THE RIGHT WAY!
But there is a direction we choose to follow, and we continually invest to ensure we stay on track.

Bike and Saddle is part of the scene. Our founder and CEO also founded Afribike in the late 1990's which the government of South Africa eventually co-opted into it's national 'Push Easy or Pedal Easy' campaign. We've been the vanguard in Southern Africa's bike community, working with like-minded individuals and organizations to make bicycling a viable mode of transportation in Southern Africa. We want everyone to enjoy this continent the way we do - on two wheels! Read more about our commitment to the Youth Empowerment Project by following the Afribike link.

Contact us for more information on eco-active@bikeandsaddle.com