The Sustainable Birding Company

What The Sustainable Birding Company does

The Sustainable Birding Company is a niche bird-watching tour operator founded in 2016 by Sam Ferguson, headquartered in Cumbria, United Kingdom (operating base Nairobi, Kenya), and since 2024 a subsidiary of Far & Wild Travel under the co-brand "Sustainable Birding by Far & Wild." The company designs and sells two core products: tailor-made private birding tours (3 to 30+ days, custom itineraries for individuals, families, and groups) and scheduled group birding tours with fixed annual departure dates capped at six participants. Per-person pricing spans roughly £761 to £10,940, with revenue driven by package fees covering accommodation, ground transport, park fees, guide services, and meals. A carbon scoring and offsetting framework, described as a world-first for tailor-made holidays, is offered as an add-on under the company's Tourism Declares Climate Emergency commitments.

The business sells direct-to-consumer via its website, email, and UK phone line, supported by destination content marketing and a published birding calendar. The operating footprint spans approximately 20 countries across three continents: a primary East African market (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe) plus Southern Africa (Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi), island and North African destinations (Madagascar, São Tomé and Príncipe, Morocco), Latin America (Brazil, Peru, Ecuador/Galápagos, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile) added in 2024, and Asia (Thailand) added in the second half of 2024. Customer testimonials consist entirely of individual leisure travelers (long-tail B2C), with named guides (e.g., Sammy, Paul) repeatedly praised. The firm is ATOL bonded (licence 11353), recognized as a Top Ethical Provider 2021, and reports 11–50 employees with no disclosed funding, venture backing, or revenue.

Name

The Sustainable Birding Company

Legal name

The Sustainable Birding Company

Website

https://sustainablebirding.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Birding Tourism

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Viewing & Birdwatching Tours (THAAAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Watching & Encounters (Birding, Whale Watching, Primates) (THAJAIAC), Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)

Keywords

• Birding tour packages
• Wildlife tourism
• Ecotourism services
• Guided nature tours
• Custom birding holidays

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Birding Tour Packages: The company generates revenue through selling birding tour packages across multiple destinations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Tours range from 1-day to 30+ days, with pricing from approximately £761 to £10,940 per person. Revenue includes tour fees covering accommodation, transportation, park fees, guide services, and meals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sustainable Birding Company designs and sells expert-guided bird-watching tours across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It offers two principal formats: tailor-made private tours ranging from 3 to 30+ days, built around client preferences, schedules, and budgets, and small scheduled group tours (maximum six individuals) with fixed annual departure dates. Tour packages include accommodation, ground transport, park fees, expert local guiding, and meals, supplemented by a pioneering carbon scoring and offsetting framework for sustainable travel.

Product overview

The Sustainable Birding Company is a birding tour operator offering two primary product lines: custom Tailor-Made Birding Tours crafted to individual preferences and budgets, and Scheduled Group Birding Tours with fixed departure dates for small groups of up to 6 people. The company provides destination-specific tours across Africa (including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Madagascar, Zambia, Namibia, São Tomé & Príncipe, Malawi, and Morocco), Latin America (Brazil, Peru, Ecuador/Galápagos, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Chile), and Asia (Thailand). Their service portfolio includes a pioneering carbon scoring and offsetting framework for sustainable travel. As a subsidiary of Far & Wild Travel, the company operates as an ATOL-bonded tour operator offering financial protection for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tailor-Made Birding Tours Personalized, custom-built birding holidays for individuals, families, and groups. Each itinerary is designed around the customer's target species, preferred accommodation level, pace, and budget.
• Scheduled Group Birding Tours Pre-planned small group birding tours with fixed annual departure dates, limited to a maximum of six participants for an intimate experience, led by expert local tour leaders.
• Carbon Scoring and Offsetting An add-on service that allows customers to request a carbon score for their individual trip, with offsetting options, embedded in the company's commitment to sustainable travel.
• Kenya Birding Tours Destination tours in Kenya covering over 1,100 recorded bird species including 11 endemics, across savannas, acacia scrublands, montane forests, and Rift Valley lakes.
• Tanzania Birding Tours Destination tours across Tanzania covering 1,155 recorded bird species including 33 exclusive endemics and 43 near-endemics, from the Serengeti to the Eastern Arc Mountains.
• Ethiopia Birding Tours Destination tours in Ethiopia covering more than 860 bird species including 18 endemics, from the Bale Mountains to Awash National Park.
• Uganda Birding Tours Destination tours in Uganda covering 1,093 species including 23 Albertine Rift endemics, with combined opportunities to see gorillas, chimpanzees, and Shoebill.
• Zimbabwe Birding Tours Destination tours across Zimbabwe covering 650 recorded species, with key sites including the Eastern Highlands, Hwange, Mana Pools, and Victoria Falls.
• Botswana Birding Tours Destination tours in Botswana covering nearly 600 bird species, with key habitats including the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park.
• South Africa Birding Tours Destination tours across South Africa covering 18 endemic species (the highest of any African country) and five distinct biomes from Fynbos to Savannah.
• Madagascar Birding Tours Destination tours in Madagascar covering 117 breeding endemics and 248 resident species, including five unique bird families such as ground rollers and vangas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bird counts of 600+ species on 14-day Kenya tours, 800+ on 30-day extended tours
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Far & Wild TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2024, Sustainable Birding announced a significant partnership with Far & Wild Travel, a pioneering travel company based in Cumbria, UK. Far & Wild Travel shares the same values as Sustainable Birding—committed to customer experience and sustainable travel. The partnership brings a whole team of professional and experienced travel experts, representing 'the start of something special and rather beautiful.'

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Responsible Travel: UK-based sustainable tourism marketplace listing responsible tour operators. Commercially adjacent to Sustainable Birding on sustainability positioning and could serve as a distribution channel for thematic birding holidays.

Broad incumbents

• &Beyond: Luxury safari and wildlife travel operator with deep Africa footprint. Overlaps with Sustainable Birding on premium African wildlife travel, including birding embedded in safari itineraries, though not birding-specialist.
• Wilderness Safaris: Established southern and east Africa safari operator with conservation focus. Comparable on Africa wildlife travel and sustainability positioning, but operates broader safari products rather than birding-only.

Direct peers

• Rockjumper Birding Tours: South Africa-based birding tour operator running scheduled group and tailor-made trips across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Closest twin to Sustainable Birding on multi-country model and Africa-rooted expertise.
• Birdquest: UK-founded (1981) birding-only tour operator running multi-continent itineraries led by expert local guides. Directly comparable to Sustainable Birding on niche focus, premium guiding, and global destination breadth.
• Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT): Pioneering US-based birding tour company with global itineraries and a strong scheduled group tour schedule. Direct peer on birding-specialist positioning and long-established brand reputation.
• Field Guides Incorporated: US-based birding tour operator founded 1985 with scheduled group departures worldwide led by expert leaders. Closely mirrors Sustainable Birding's small-group guided model.
• Heatherlea Birding: Scottish-based UK birding specialist offering scheduled group tours globally and tailor-made itineraries. Comparable on birding-only focus, UK customer base, and multi-continent reach.
• Naturetrek: UK-based tour operator specializing in wildlife, botanical, and birding holidays worldwide. Compares on target audience (UK naturalists), guided tour model, and multi-continent catalog.
• Sunbird Tours: UK-based birding tour operator running scheduled global birding trips with maximum small-group sizes. Comparable peer on birding expertise, UK audience, and group-departure business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/africa_birding
• Facebookfacebook.com/sustainablebirding
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sustainable-birding-company-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sustainable Birding Company