Galapagos activity holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Hotels:
For this trip we use Opuntia Lodges which were founded on three overarching principals: comfort, service, and sustainability. The Opuntia hotels we use have many local investors, and use locals to supply a wide array of services including small grocery stores, supply companies, marine and land transportation, small boat crews, local tour operators, drivers, guides and coordinators.
The environmental policy for Casa Opuntia is:
Commitment to Sustainability:
Casa Opuntia is committed to environmental sustainability. People come to the Galapagos to enjoy nature, and we must help ensure that this incredible environment remains pristine for many generations to come. Therefore, Casa Opuntia has been a leader in hotel sustainability on Galapagos is constantly looking to innovate. We invite you to review our following eco-practices, and if you have any comments or suggestions to please share them with us, as we understand that sustainability is an ongoing process.
Launch of Carbon Neutrality Project:
Casa Opuntia has partnered with Hacienda Tranquila to work towards carbon neutrality by reforesting native trees. Casa Opuntia is funding the planting and nurturing of 10 endemic Matazerno hardwood trees each month, or 120 trees per year. After approximately 3 years since initial planting, each Matazarno tree Casa Opuntia plants should absorb roughly 148 kilograms of CO2 per year. With help from the fact 50% of San Cristobal’s power comes from renewable wind energy, this reforestation project should make Casa Opuntia carbon neutral by 2015. By 2016, Casa Opuntia should be sequestering more CO2 than it is emitting. These numbers are not perfect and do not factor in food or the shipping of products and supplies; however, this is merely the first phase in a larger sustainability initiative.
Besides fighting climate change, Casa Opuntia and Hacienda Tranquilas’ reforestation project is helping to restore Galapagos’ highlands to the natural state it was in before the invasion of invasive species. Galapagos tortoises, finches, mockingbirds, and other species depend on endemic forests for survival and are threatened by the new invasive plant species that Hacienda Tranquila is working to remove. By 2020, Hacienda Tranquila aims to reintroduce Galapagos tortoises to the land they have restored. We hope Casa Opuntia’s and Hacienda Tranquila’s partnership can serve as a model for how private businesses and conservation organizations can work together to brighten the future of our planet.
Waste Management:
We do not sell any disposable plastic bottles at Casa Opuntia. We instead invite our guests to fill their water bottles from our jug of purified drinking water. If our guests do not have their own water bottles, they may purchase one from our reception desk or ask to borrow a drinking glass. We do sell bottles of beer and soda, but only in reusable glass bottles. The field lunches we prepare are packed in reusable hard plastic containers with metal silverware. We strive to produce zero plastic, paper, cardboard, or Styrofoam waste from these lunches. We separate recyclable glass and plastic from all our trash. We separate the organic waste from our kitchen to be used for future composing or livestock feed.
Water and Electricity:
Our table linens, towels, and bed sheets are preferably sun dried to save electricity. We use low-flow shower heads in order to save water. We use energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. We offer a towel reuse program, which gives guests the power to help us conserve water and electricity. We use motion sensors on our hallway lights, so electricity isn’t wasted when no one is present. We have a professional regularly check and maintain our air conditioning system to ensure that it remains energy efficient.
Cleaning and Hygiene Products:
Our cleaning liquids are all biodegradable and are stored in reusable containers. We provide our guests with only biodegradable soaps and shampoos.
Food:
We purchase hand-picked local organic fruits such as oranges, guabas, guayabas, and passion fruits from the local charitable volunteer organization, Hacienda Tranquila. This helps to support their incredible environmental, social, and community projects and reduces our carbon footprint because the produce does not need to be shipped from afar. You can expect these delicious fruits as part of your breakfast. We also purchase hand-picked, hand-peeled, sun dried, manually ground organic coffee from Hacienda Tranquila. We doubt you will ever again be able to find coffee this fresh and close to the earth. Our chicken, fish, eggs, and other foods when available are also local.
Our local tour operator is socially and environmentally committed to sustainable ecotourism practices. They proudly preside over ASEC (Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association), where they have the opportunity to contribute to Ecuador´s tourism industry both at an operational and political level. ASEC looks after the welfare of local communities through development initiatives and environmental conservation practices. They helped establish the first certification standards for nature-based hotels, and are currently in the process of becoming the first Ecuadorian operator to be Ecotourism certified by the new Smart Voyager for operators standard.
They also work closely with the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and abide by Leave No Trace camping and environmental standards.
If you are our guest, you can expect:
- To receive information to help you minimize your impact on local cultures, plants, and animals.
- That your trip costs and fees will contribute to the welfare of community members and the conservation of their natural environment, since we hire local guides and use local services.
- To travel in small groups to ensure minimal environmental impact.
- To avoid areas which are under-managed or over-visited.
Community
Our Galapagos trip is a land based program, rather than a liveaboard boat trip. The reason for this is that land programs directly benefit the sustainable development of the small Galapagos communities. These traditional fishing and small merchant towns have unsuccessfully struggled to forge a living amongst strict commercial and national park limitations. Although tourism is the logical development alternative, the great majority of Islanders have not been able to participate or benefit from off shore boat operators. Land tours are now revitalizing the local economy and allow Islanders to integrate themselves in the tourism economy.
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