Environment
For this holiday, we make a contribution to The Wildlife Conservation Society, who work through their programme office in Peru to support a range of conservation initiatives in wild and beautiful regions of Peru, including protection of the rare Andean bear and projects which support indigenous peoples to conserve their traditional ways of life and natural resources. Through our local partners in Peru, we support the Peruvian NGO Ecoan, responsible for some of the most inspiring reforestation and environmental regeneration work in the Andes. Ecoan was started by Constantino Aucco, a naturalist guide who was concerned that deforestation of the higher slopes of the Andes would result in various indigenous bird species being all but wiped out. Ecoan work with the local communities to engage them in reforestation projects. The seedlings are purchased direct from Quishuarani, a small village in the Lares watershed. By using Quishuarani, the plants are acclimated to the area they will be planted in and as a bonus the community earns an income for their ongoing projects.
Our philosophy of environmental awareness is shared as is our commitment to running small group trips in off the beaten track locations, adhering to the principles of leave no trace. In this respect our partners are making concerted efforts regarding waste management, reduction of fossil fuels, recycling and equipment manufacture - many of which are new concepts in Peru. Ecoan also provides medical kits and training for several communities, installs chimneys and ecological stoves and even provides firewood from sustainable eucalyptus forests in places where deforestation is seriously advanced.
When is it good for the environment to fly? We firmly believe that the negatives of international air travel are far outweighed by the positives of travelling to destinations where your visit is helping to conserve the precious wilderness regions you experience. Like any business we cannot eliminate our consumption of energy altogether, what we do instead is financially offset our carbon emissions by 110% through Climate Care. As a company we adhere to the Leave No Trace policies.
Community
We work with our in-country partners to ensure that every effort is being made to deliver small group and tailor-made trips consistent with the policy of local economic benefit. This includes a commitment to fair wages and correct working conditions including insurance, health, clothing and equipment and the establishment of a robust Porter Protection Policy.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
