Guatemala & Belize family holiday

The tour itinerary travels through many regions of Guatemala and Belize, and environmental awareness is a key aspect of the stay in the rainforest area of Belize. We also emphasise the benefits of interaction with traditional communities in the highland area of Guatemala. 2 of the hotels are locally owned – 1 is certified with the Green Deal Certification (Rainforest Alliance) and another is run on very responsible and eco friendly principles All lunches are in local restaurants or responsible hotels.

We give $0.50 per person per day into the Viaventure Foundation, which is currently supporting a micro credit project in villages of the highlands, sponsoring 2 children through school and supporting a huge reforestation project near to Antigua. The park fee for snorkelling in Belize goes to the protection of the marine parks

Although the operator is European-owned, they employ over 20 local staff and provide higher than average salaries, professional development & training in responsible travel. They have a responsible travel policy and are applying for Green Deal certification. They are members of STI (Sustainable Tourism international), offset their office carbon footprint and offer guests the option to be carbon neutral ($1 a day extra). Their local partner organisation in the Peten area is a Green Deal member and highly motivated and active in the arena of responsible travel.

They have created a foundation in Guatemala in order to support 5 grass roots NGOs and projects across the country and are currently developing programmes which either offer community-based touring or visit and actively support conservation research areas.

2 hotels are locally-owned and all employ local staff. They contribute directly to the local communities through use of local staff and locally produced and sourced goods are bought for the accommodation benefiting the wider community. Our hotel in San Ignacio, Belize, runs a private nature reserve designed to protect the local environment and wildlife. The maximum group size is 16, which makes it easily manageable in busy areas allowing safe and informative briefings, whilst not reaching a number that could be threatening to the rural communities we visit.

UK Office: We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism.

Carbon balancing: Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit!