Costa Rica family adventure tour

Environment

This tour is at the forefront of eco-tourism and this is due to the lodges that we use on this tour. All the lodges were built to have minimum impact on the rainforest around them. Both Pacuare Lodge and Selva Bananito minimise the use of electricity by illuminating the lodges using candles and lanterns. All the jungle lodges use locally made, biodegradable and organic soaps, lotions and shampoos and do not have air-conditioning which reduces the amount of electricity used in the lodges.

The jungle lodges used on this tour are highly committed to conservation. Each of lodges has acquires substantial areas of primary forest which have been used to form private reserves. The flora and fauna in these areas are now protected, and there various parts of the rainforest which have remained untouched and visitors are not allowed to enter. All the lodges work hand in hand with Costa Rican conservation organisations to ensure the continued focus on the conservation of the area. For example, Lapa Rios supports The Wildcat Conservation Program that works to determine the status of feline populations and their prey on the Osa Peninsula.

We aim to minimise our impact on the environment as much in the UK as we would do in any of our destination countries. We do this through recycling of any office waste including, paper, plastic, cans, glass, refuse, in partnership with the Brighton and Hove Borough. The purpose of our safaris is to contribute to local populations, communities and projects. We give our travellers advice on how to interact with the local population, flora and fauna in order to minimise any negative impact.

Community

All the employees and guides are from nearby communities and are fully trained on sustainable practices such as recycling. The lodges are committed to increasing the education of the workers. Many have gone on to management positions and some have progressed to set up there own businesses.

Where possible we will always use local suppliers in preference to others whether this is in the purchase of provisions, accommodation, transport or equipment.

The purpose of our safaris is to contribute to local populations, communities and projects. We give our travellers advice on how to interact with the local population, flora and fauna in order to minimise any negative impact. We encourage the use of local guides in every destination and with every local agent. Even on our specialist led safaris we try to ensure that a local guide is also used. We do not believe in taking jobs from local populations in order to provide for western needs.

Pacuare lodge are helping an isolated Cabécar Indian community near the lodge to install a potable water system. The lunch spot on the Pacuare River used on the tours is rented from a Cabécar family, who feed the organic waste to pigs.