Azerbaijan small group tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Transport will involve communal travel wherever possible, so the effects of single person transport will be minimised as much as it can be. No internal flights are used, which not only brings the necessary benefit of minimising environmental impact, but also maximises your own experience of the country itself by being able to observe and contribute from ground level. After all, you’re free to pop into local cafes on the way to the next destination, or stop off at nearby sights if you so desire. This gives you a greater sense of autonomy whilst also providing a genuine contribution to the local economy, all whilst minimising carbon emissions.

All diets can be catered for, including vegan and vegetarian. All we need is advance notice so that we can prepare our local team, and the hotels and restaurants you will be visiting. During the trip, we utilise local restaurants wherever possible and your guide will be able to assist with ordering meals that meet your requirements.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

This trip encompasses a broad array of habitats and environments, from the capital of Baku and other settlements to the national parks and historic monuments across the country. Travelling responsibly is central to what we do, and as the environments are flexible, the response has to reflect that. As always we have worked hard to guarantee that we will leave minimal trace of our presence within the varying environments. We always use local guides who have intimate knowledge of these places and how they are fairing in terms of restoration, degradation, and therefore how best to navigate these spaces.

We encourage all our clients to bring a reusable water bottle, ideally with a filtration system to replace the need for single-use plastics. We offer a free Water-To-Go bottle (just pay for postage) to all of our UK-based clients when they book, which provides a great chance to try out these amazing filtered bottles in the hopes of converting more travellers to using them on all of their travels.

We always ask you, our clients, to also respect our outlook on this. Infrastructure that we take for granted might not be present in many of our destinations. As such we ask you to be mindful of your own rubbish, and try to recycle whenever you can.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

As regular travellers, one thing that never ceases to amaze and inspire us is the kindness and generosity of local people, often people who have very little to their name. We firmly believe that they are who make these places special and that they should benefit from our visit so we do our best to ensure that the benefits of our tours reach as widely as possible into the communities where they operate.

Your tour will be led by a fantastic local guide, and your transport managed by a local driver.

We always aim to use regionally-owned properties for your accommodation, which minimises the economic leakage from international chains and ownership. We include visits which contribute to many aspects of the local economy as well, including visiting a Shebeke (stained glass) workshop, pakhlava (baklava) baking workshop, and pilaf cooking lesson in Sheki, and seeing copper craftsmen in Lahji village to name a few.

Each of these elements inherently contribute back into the local economy by highlighting local craftspeople, local guides, and locally owned businesses at as many levels as possible.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY, AND DIVERSITY

One thing which is true across all of the countries in which we operate is that we are passionate about ensuring the partners we have on the ground are those with the best knowledge of them. In Azerbaijan, we partner with a local team who are from Azerbaijan much like your driver/s and guide.

All of our guides, drivers, and other staff are paid at least minimum wage, if not a living wage or above for fair compensation of the incredible work they do.

Our partners employ women guides in all countries, and we are LGBTQ+ friendly on all of our trips and are always willing to have discussions with those who may have questions about safety on the ground, visibility, and any other concerns to ensure that our clients are comfortable and confident whilst on our trips.