Mkaa Bora; sustainable briquettes

The temperature can drop quite a lot at night in Ngorongoro, so much so that even after a hot and dusty day on safari in ‘the crater’ there is nothing quite like returning to a hot shower.
However, being out in the bush, without electricity or piped natural gas, we have to rely on old fashioned stoves to provide heat for our clients. Choosing how to power these stoves was an easy one for us, it had to be eco-friendly.

After some investigation, we found a product that not only reduced forest degradation but also a charcoal that burned longer, hotter and cheaper than any alternative. The eco-friendly
briquettes are produced from natural bi-products like coconut husks, maize husks and cashew nut shells.

In Tanzania it is estimated that 4,200 sq km (1,620 sq miles) of forest is being lost annually and with 97% of the population using charcoal as its cooking and heating fuel, this equates to
approximately 1 million ton of wood charcoal a year. It is not surprising that finding an
alternative to wood charcoal is being welcomed by the environmentally conscious.

Mkaa Bora is the company producing this quality and efficient charcoal, they’re based in Tanzania and have attracted the attention of USAID as well as other NGO programs as a sustainable and community minded project. We are proud and excited to be a partner of theirs and hope that the support from other charcoal using companies’ spreads.

We use the briquettes in our camp to heat water for showers as well as for cooking in our bush kitchens, where we also use gas sometimes.