What we take into the wild, we take back out.
At Tanzania Horse Safaris, the wilderness is not our backdrop — it is our responsibility.
Every journey we take is built around leaving no trace. Everything we bring into the wild, we take back out. This philosophy extends across our stables, lodges, mobile camps and our everyday operations.
Nothing is abandoned. Nothing is overlooked.
Through our partnership with Okota Waste Management, the waste we remove does not simply become waste. It is collected, sorted and transformed into something with value — keeping materials in use and reducing what ends up in landfill.
For us, responsible travel is not something added to a safari. It is part of how the safari operates.
Source: This section is based primarily on the existing THS page, with the Okota process expanded using Okota's own current description of its recycling, upcycling and waste-conversion systems.
The landscapes we ride through are not ours to use and forget.
Turning Waste into Value
Okota Waste Management is working to create a more sustainable approach to waste in Tanzania — diverting waste from landfill through recycling, upcycling and innovative waste processing.
Based in Arusha, Okota operates a Material Recovery Facility that sorts waste and separates materials according to what can be recovered and reused.
Around 20% of the waste they process is inorganic recyclable material, which can be recovered and repurposed as raw material for new products.
Food waste makes up around 30%. Rather than sending this to landfill, it is passed to Okota's sister company, Chanzi, where it is upcycled using black soldier fly larvae into nutritious animal feed.
A further proportion of organic, non-food waste is converted into biochar through pyrolysis — creating another useful material while reducing the amount of waste destined for landfill.
It is a circular approach: less waste discarded, more value recovered.
Okota's current site says its Arusha facility processes around 21 tonnes of waste per day, with plans to significantly increase capacity.
A Bottle with a Purpose
We operate without single-use plastic on our safaris, using reusable BUSH Bottles instead.
BUSH is on a mission to remove plastic waste from some of Africa's most vulnerable environments. Every product sold funds the collection of 5kg of plastic waste from the African bush — helping prevent plastic from entering rivers, wild places and habitats where it can harm wildlife.
BUSH works with waste collection partners across Africa, including Okota, combining plastic removal with local waste management, recycling and livelihoods.
The bottles themselves are made from recycled stainless steel and are designed to last. Our guests use them throughout their safari, and they can continue using them long after they return home.
So the bottle becomes more than something you carry on safari.
It becomes part of the journey — and part of what that journey leaves behind.
The 5kg figure is from BUSH's current website and FAQ. Their current site describes BUSH as funding 5kg of plastic collection for every product purchased, and specifically identifies Okota as one of its collection partners.
Waste doesn't have to be the end of the story.
Okota's approach is built around recovering value from what would otherwise be discarded — while BUSH Bottles helps remove plastic from the environments where it causes the greatest harm.
Together, these approaches turn waste into resources, support livelihoods and help protect the places we depend on.
RECYCLING
Recyclable materials are separated from the waste stream and processed so they can be used again as raw materials rather than ending up in landfill.
UPCYCLING
Food waste is sent to Chanzi, where black soldier fly larvae transform it into nutritious animal feed — turning a difficult waste stream into something useful.
BIOCHAR
Organic, non-food waste can be converted into biochar through pyrolysis. Biochar stores carbon and provides another way to put waste to productive use.
PLASTIC
BUSH Bottles fund the collection of 5kg of plastic waste for every product purchased, supporting collection partners including Okota and helping keep plastic away from wildlife and vulnerable ecosystems.
Go a Little Further
