Chile highlights holiday, 14 days

Planet

As a locally owned business, we strive to operate all of our tours responsibly. We follow all local environmental laws and legislation. We work with local tour operators, tour guides, and properties to ensure that they understand the importance of protecting the environment as it is a finite resource that, if managed properly, can provide economic benefit to the local community.

How does this trip help to protect the environment?

* We program some activities that cause less impact on the environment: kayaking and horseback riding in Puerto Varas, which are beneficial in terms of low carbon and low impact in the area.

* During our hiking tours with overnight camping in national parks (like Torres del Paine on days 4 to 7) or wilderness sites, we aim to minimize waste by using products with minimum packaging, leaving no litter behind, keeping all water sources clean, and leave the camp sites cleaner than we found them. At the core of this effort is the desire to leave no trace behind and to minimize our impact on the beautiful lands that we visit.

* We are working to keep our operations green and are utilizing web communication to reduce paper consumption. We have decided to no longer produce 75-page printed brochures and focus on web/e-communications

* We also reduce our plastic bottle waste by providing refillable large water coolers.

People

We share our ethos of cultural and environmental respect with our local partners. Be it a small hotel, mountain lodge, kayak, or hiking guide/outfitter, we ensure that they work their best to incorporate environmental and culturally sensitive best practices in their operations, to benefit the diverse communities in which we operate

How does this trip help to develop local economies?

* We hire local guides and pay them a solid wage (which is generally higher than the local average). We also train our guides and cover the associated costs with the training program. When you explore the Atacama Desert you will be constantly guided by a native atacameño certified guide.

* We work with local partners that minimally impact the natural surroundings to ensure that we protect the national parks and destinations that we visit for future generations. That's why National Park entrance fees are paid directly to the national parks by the clients to ensure that they directly support the parks´ maintenance and preservation.

* In the little village of San Pedro de Atacama, you will be staying in the locally-run hotels we choose. Locally designed furniture, art pieces, and traditional atacameña food made with local ingredients are some examples included in the Noi Casa Atacama, a hotel we usually work with.