Galapagos Islands holiday

Planet

Activity:
Few holidays have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a trekking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. On a trip which revolves so much around appreciating wildlife and exploring this unique environmnet, it is even more vital that we operate with a strict ‘leave no trace policy’. This extends to all of our activities- including snorkelling, sailing and visiting sites like the ‘Wall of Tears’ and the Charles Darwin Reserach Centre.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

People

Accommodation and Meals:
We spend 12 nights in hotels and guesthouses and 2 nights full-service, wild camping in 2-person tents. The hotels on the Galapagos Islands are generally small, family-run establishments, which is beneficial for the local community. Spending part of the trip in non-permanent, low energy accommodation also reduces our carbon footprint of this trip. Most meals are provided with ingredients sourced on the islands and where free meals are concerned, clients are encouraged to try some of the locally run restaurants in the area. This is a great support to the small network of businesses on the Galapagos and we endeavour to spread our commerce to several places so that many feel the benefits. Regional specialties include freshly caught seafood, like sea bass, crab, oysters and lobster.

A Fair Deal:
We work closely with our local operator and ensure that local guides are being employed and that in exchange for their expertise that they are paid and treated fairly. This is hugely important in an area as relatively unpopulated as the Galapagos. All income stays in the area and goes directly back into community businesses. These tours have been verified by the Rainforest Alliance, which means they have been vetted for ecological, social and economic benefits to the community. The leaders will give a briefing on responsible tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce your impact and maximise the benefits to the local people from your visit. Our chefs, sous chefs, camp staff, mule drivers and other transporters are also all locally hired.

Charity:
Our local operators support conservation and social projects such as the Verde Milenio Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation in Ecuador. Verde Milenio run environmental education and research projects which contribute towards reforestation, classification of flora and fauna, veterinary control and rescue of native animals. They also donate regularly to a school in Tumbabiro village and help local Afro-Ecuadorian communities like La Victoria by supporting the pottery works which are the basis for their economy.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.