Costa Rica adventure tour

Planet

As with all of the countries we work in, we only choose promote hotels that have active sustainability policies. By travelling with us you will be staying in lodges that not only help you have an amazing holiday but that also have specific measures in place to protect the environment yo are staying in.

Tortuguero:
Situated within Tortuguero NP the lodge we work with has to abide by strict environmental regulation to protect the surrounding area. Above the legal regulations this lodge has also implemented their own Bio Digester. This digester takes in the sewage from the lodge, treats it and returns the methane gas to heat up the lodges stoves. Th sis a growing project however the digestor already provides 30% of the gas they use. This Tortuguero lodge also provides clients with a education packet on arrival that explanes the environmental sensitivity of their surroundings and what they can do to minimize their impact further. All of the lodges guides tare trained on sustainability and employ methods all all tours to ensure impact is kept to a

Arenal:
We are very proud to work with this lodge in Arenal. 1st of all it is set amongst its own private wildlife refuge, with your stay enabling its protection and growth for further generations. The private reserve is well known in the area as a home for many wild Sloth (it is in fact the site of most of the local sloth tours you can book in La Fortuna) meaning the protecting of their refuge is as much about the Fauna as it is about the Flora of the region. The lodge itself also has its won variety of sustainable practises included refuse treatments, Recycling programs, Enviromental Education for the Local Community, Energy Saving, Use of Biodegradable Products and support for local organic priduce suppliers.

The Beach Hotel:
In Costa Rica it is often the beach destinations that have the least sustainably run accommodation in each area. The beach hotel we work with is not only stunning but also has strong sustainability practises. The hotel has processes in place to manage: their waste, water use optimisations, solid waste management and also in environmental education in the locals school and support for the local turtle conservation efforts. This hotel has also gone out of their way to develop tours and links with small local nature reserves for their clients to enable a steady stream of income to reserves that would otherwise be starved of funds. On top of this the provide regular training and support in sustainability matters to their staff and suppliers alike.

By travelling on this trip you will also be supporting our local supplier in Costa Rica. Based in the Los Santos region our local supplier works closely with local farmers and communities to help develop a more sustainable future for their area. They not only provide experts to help the communities with such initiatives and permaculture and Sustainable farming practices and innovative recyling methods that can be utilized in a rural setting. On top of this they also are in partnership with local farmers to produce the regions 1sr organic coffee production.

People

In all of our trips in Costa Rica we work with locally owned and run hotels and lodges and utilize local guides in the different areas of this trip. This means that you are supporting a number of guides and locally owned service providers throughout Costa Rica.

Tours:
Both the white water rafting and zip lining and Canopy tours on this trip are locally owned and run, employing members of the local community and providing training for on-going job development.

Accommodation: All of the accommodation we use on this itinerary actively employs form the local communities for both staff anf guide providing education and training for further job progressions.

Specific to the different lodges:
In Tortuguero They also support a number of local projects in the nearby Tortuguero Town. These projects are built into the itinerary making sure we pay them through the services provided and also proving a further opportunity for financial gain from the visitors in the way of selling gifts and locally made souvenirs.

The Arenal lodge is owned by the local Rojas Bonilla family who have strong ties to local conservation efforts. It is the owners and local staff that drive the conservation effort of the lodge and reserve as well and keeping a strong connection though environmental education with the local community.

The Beach hotel has worked with local service providers in order to offer their clients a selection of tours that are run by locally owned businesses. Instead of running the tours themselves, they have identified this area of a way they can bring financial benefit to the local community. This hotel is also vert active in the implementation and promotion of the national code of conduct for protecting children for exploitation through tourism.

Our local partner who will be looking after you whilst you are in Costa Rica has very strong ties to the communities in the Los Santos Region. They believe that working with local communities is the most effective way to raise awareness about the environmental and conservation challenges facing the region and they have had a direct affect on the Los Santos Region being promoted as one of the best destinations for rural community tourism.

Aside from helping to develop tourism initiatives, they have also worked with the local communities, providing financial assistance and a volunteer workforce to improve their livelihoods, through road and classroom construction. They have also been instrumental in bridging the coffee from the local co-operatives to a wider national and international market.