SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Truckee resident Tara Hetz came to Cascade Kitchens and spoke about her organization Mazingira Adventures, a sustainable tourism operation that brings bikers to Kenya or southern Bulgaria and helps to fund vital causes in those regions.

Hetz said that the mission of Mazingira Adventures and the nonprofit Mazingira Conservation Works was simple. “It’s how tourism and travel can give back to the wildlife and the people that take care of it,” she said. Hetz connects travelers with local partners to create one-of-a-kind adventures for tourists, with funds that go to supporting the local communities. The word “mazingira” means environment in Swahili, and Hetz says it’s one of the major cornerstones they consider when doing sustainable tourism in these regions.

The concept for Mazingira Adventures started in 2018 and Hetz did the first trip in 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, with eight clients. Now, as a one-woman operation, she continues to grow the program and added a new location to travel to.

Mazingira Adventures offers a Kenya trip and a Bulgaria trip—two areas that Hetz grew up in and has a deep love for. She says it’s not just about the beautiful natural environment, but also contributing to the four C’s: community, conservation, culture and commerce.

In Kenya, riders are accompanied by a local tourism group that provides a fleet of bikes and lodging as they ride through conservancies in Laikipia, one of the most biodiverse places in the country. There are several bike options, including electric bikes, and the group is accompanied by rangers as they bike past rhinos, giraffes and buffalo—though Hetz says you have to be cautious around those. She added that she’s brought people who have only had road biking experience on the 15-day trip, and that they’ve been able to complete the 25-30-mile-a-day rides.

In Bulgaria, more experienced riders are invited to come mountain bike through Bulgaria to Greece in the Rhodope Mountains, seeing the “awesome resilience” of people who have lived there and even biking past the Iron Curtain. Hetz says that the cultural exchange is fascinating and reveals a different side of Europe that is rich in both customs and wildlife. The 9-day trip is another 25-30-mile-a-day endeavor, with more intense elevation suitable for experienced riders.

The Kenya trip includes a $1,000 donation and the Bulgaria one has a $500 donation. “It essentially means you’re giving $55 a day to support these communities,” said Hetz.

The grants they have funded in Kenya have gone to empowering women by giving them steers to raise, providing resources to conserve the habitat for primates along the Ontulili River and provide equitable access to education and healthcare, among other projects. The Bulgaria trip is new, but Hetz says they’re already discussing what the money will go to.

Hetz is no stranger to funding—she works as the North Tahoe Community Alliance grant framework manager and has helped distribute the funds gathered from the Transient Occupancy Tax and Tourism Business Improvement District (TOT-TBID) revenues to community projects.

One major thing she feels is important about the funding they provide is that it’s community-based. “We don’t tell people what to do or how to spend it—they send us requests for proposals that are needed by them.” She says that working on this and TOT-TBID have taught her a lot about grant models, and says what she’s done in Kenya is what she’s tried to implement here.

Jim and Ben, a father and son who have gone on the Kenya trip with Hetz, say it was life changing. “The people who support the trip to Kenya are a bunch of incredible people… you can go there and meet the people your visit is helping to support and empower,” said Ben.

The impact on those communities is something Hetz thinks is vital. “It’s not just about ‘leave no trace’ and cleaning up beaches. Sustainability is about the importance of things like housing, community centers and businesses,” said Hetz. “Sometimes it’s a philosophy that’s hard to get across in Tahoe, but that ecosystem and the people that support it are a part of sustainability as well.”

Hetz will be travelling back to Kenya with Mazingira Adventures in January/February of 2026, as well as August 2026. She will be taking the trip to Bulgaria in June and September 2026.

Interested in riding for rhinos or the Rhodopes? You can visit Mazingira Adventures at https://www.mazingiraadventures.com/ or donate at https://www.mazingiraworks.org/

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.