Inca Trail & Amazon holidays

Our tours source as much as possible from the local community, whether it be our knowledgeable local guides, porters from local villages or food prepared and cooked for you on our treks. We shop locally, use local transport and do not use imported goods when local produce is available. We aim to minimise our impact on the environment and give as much back as possible to the communities we work in. All operations for this tour are done by locally owned companies, a fact we pride ourselves on. Hotels used are all locally owned and we try to choose where possible hotels which hold the same values and understand their responsibilities to the local environment as we do.

Our guides are all highly qualified (most with university degrees) or many years of experience and are paid above the standard wage. We also abide by all rules concerning porter treatment set down by the APTAE (Peruvian Ecotourism association).

We source them due to their unique knowledge of their native country (we do not use foreign guides like other companies) and they will give you a valuable insight into the history, traditions and culture of both the Andes and the Amazon basin. On daily excursions in the lodge you will have contact with naturalist guides – who will explain to you the challenges the region faces in light of deforestation and an increasing population.

In our pre departure information pack and throughout the orientation on the ground we help you to minimise your carbon footprint on your tour, and help protect the fragile ecosystem of the Machu Picchu sanctuary and the Amazon basin. This information comes from simple advice on waste disposal while trekking, and the offsetting of carbon emissions through our carbon offsetting program for your journey with us.

The Amazon is a unique ecosystem, and we encourage you to learn and to come and appreciate the vital role it plays in the fight against global warming. Furthermore, all entrance fees paid by us for your tour go to help upkeep the Machu Picchu and Inca trail Sanctuary as well as the Manu national park and contribute to help maintain these magnificent sites for future generations.

By booking your tour with us, you will be making a real impact on the community you are visiting. We can also assist you to visit community projects in order to get a lot more out of your trip to Peru. From a city orphanage run by a UK charity to an environmental project which involves local children and their communities from a high profile Peruvian NGO, ask us to see how you can give back. Our Peruvian charity ANIA do have a some large projects in the Puerto Maldonado area, and here you can see ideas in action. Most importantly a percentage of funds from your tour (10%) will go back to our charities and assist us support the next generation and the environment they live in.

We really work hard to keep all our operations green! All our worldwide offices currently run on 90% green energy (we are working towards 100%) from hydro electric, wind to solar power. Being web based, we are close to becoming a paperless environment, brochure prints are at a minimum (and printed on a requirement basis) and all pre departure information is emailed. We use energy saving bulbs in our work centres, and recycle all our waste. We currently work with 3 different charities, giving us a broad spectrum and diversifying where our monies go. We work with Project Peru in the UK who run an orphanage in Zapallal in the shanty town outskirts of Lima, ANIA in Peru which is a high profile Peruvian NGO which works with children and helps to teach them about their local environment and how to manage it affectively, and GVI Foundation in Australia which work on several development projects in Latin America and around the world. We help these charities by fundraising treks, through donations as a company and through our clients and also through many of our customers who volunteer their time and expertise. These charities are close to our core of supporting the environment and children in need.