South America holiday, luxury small group tour

One of the major attractions of our South America holiday is the visit to the Iguazú Falls. The falls lie in both Brazil and Argentina. UNESCO, in association with the WWF works to coordinate both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides of the National Park, and make sure that all the money raised from entrance fees is properly distributed to the protection and development of the area.

Community
Our South America holiday covers some of the main tourist sites of South America, but additionally we try and visit places more off the beaten track to give an insight into other aspects of this fascinating continent, and provide much needed tourism to countries such as Paraguay that lie of the normal routes.

Our South America holiday visits indigenous towns in Bolivia such as Tarabuco, where local ‘Campesinos’ bring their goods to market. Here the local populations benefit greatly from the much needed economic boost that the tourism brings to their towns. Local arts and crafts can be purchased, putting money back into the communities. Likewise La Paz the capital, although the economic hub of the country, offers many opportunities to visit markets and stalls run by the poorer inhabitants who flock to the capital for work.

On this South America holiday we work with small privately owned ground agents who live in the area, have established RT policies in place, and employ local guides and staff. We eat in local restaurants serving locally grown produce – our style of travel ensures that as many local people as possible benefit by our being there. This tour runs with a maximum of 20 people which helps to minimise the impact on delicate environments.

Environment
Where available we have chosen hotels which are leaders in the promotion of conservation and environmental practices in ever increasing tourist regions: for example our beautifully located lodge near the site of Machu Picchu is part of the eponymous Inkaterra hotel group, a leader in sustainable tourism in Peru. It is their mission to provide luxury holidays to diverse exotic destinations in Peru, in a responsible manner that respects the culture and people who live here, in addition to preserving the environment. The wooden houses are planned in a highly sensitive manner decorated in Inca designs and beds laid with traditional Peruvian blankets. Experienced guides, including a resident biologist, are from the region itself and provide a range of carefully planned excursions to the surrounding area rich in various forms of wildlife.

The hotel is famed for its vast number of rare orchids, receiving a prestigious award from the American Orchid Society; in fact the hotel has the largest number of native orchid species in their natural habitat in private facility open to the public. Within the grounds is also the endangered species of Spectacled Bear and on request guests are taken to the unique rescue and conservation centre, sponsored by INKATERRA and the Bear Rescue Foundation (UK). Catching a glimpse of a bear in its natural habitat is a rare and thrilling experience.