About Kipepeo

 
Kipepeo is the lyrical name for ‘Butterfly’ in Swahili language. Our name is inspired by a community-based enterprise in coastal Kenya that demonstrated the tangible link between conservation and livelihood. The locals conserve their forests so that butterfly pupae can be exported to butterfly parks around the world, generating a very sustainable and profitable income for the local communities.
 
That’s the essence of our philosophy too: to ensure the livelihood of local communities through the conservation of their local environment, culture and traditional practices.

Our Work

Kipepeo is a socially inclined enterprise which believes in bringing about a more equitable society and a sustainable world through the medium of tourism. We work with grassroot level NGOs on conservation, development and livelihood related activities. Environment education, computer literacy, capacity building for tourism related activities are some of the areas in which we assist the communities.
 
We offer fixed departure trips and customized tours, mainly to the destinations where we work. An insight into the local communities and the local eco-systems of the region, through close encounters with the indigenous people & their environment, is what our company offers. Part of the profit generated from these tours is invested back into our social activities like conservation, education, sanitation and educational development.

Why Kipepeo

Our holistic approach to eco-tourism and community development ensures that when you join a Kipepeo tour you are enjoying yourself, learning about the original culture and eco-system of the area and also understanding how we are contributing, slowly but surely, towards the higher cause of maintaining this beauty and charm of the region.
 
So join in or join us…either way it will be an enriching journey.

Why North East India

Historically, this region consists of many independent principalities which were annexed as a part of India during its independence. Hence culturally, the people and their practices are not found anywhere else on the Indian sub-continent.
 
Also, due to the difficult terrain, external influences have found it difficult to penetrate this region, which has ensured that many original practices are still followed and much of the original bio-diversity is still preserved. For these reasons we wish to showcase the hidden beauty of this region to the outside world.

Guiding Principles

• Spreading knowledge about the existence of local communities & eco-systems.
• Commitment to local development (social/economic) in indigenous communities.
• Ensuring sustainable conservation of local eco-systems with the participation of local communities.