Armenia walking tour, one foot in Armenia

Planet

As a company we advise our customers to travel to Armenia with reusable water bottles, preferably one with an inbuilt filter that purifies the local water, and lunch boxes (for picnics). Both items help minimise the purchase of single-use plastics throughout the trip.

On this walking trip, we spend as much of our time as possible exploring Armenia's unspoilt landscapes on foot, minimising our carbon footprint and impact on the environment. Many of our hikes also take in culturally important sites such as Sevanavank Monastery on the shores of Lake Sevan, medieval Smbataberd Fortress, guarded by steep cliffs on three sides and Garni Greco-Roman Temple. The entry fees from these culturally important landmarks goes directly back into conservation and maintenance.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

We have worked with our in-country partners in Armenia for over 20 years, a partnership that has seen tourism in both countries grow and mature along with our own businesses. During this time we worked together with them to switch from sending UK based tour leaders with our groups to using local Armenian leaders. We helped to recruit and train a team of local tour leaders. One of the reasons we prefer to use local tour leaders is that they can give a real insight into the culture and history of their home country by sharing their own stories and experiences. In addition we are helping to support them financially through employment, as well as the other members of staff of our in-country partners.

Enjoying real Armenian cuisine is an opportunity to try something different and dining out in small family-run restaurants helps to support the local economy. When we are staying in locations where there are there are plenty of options to dine out at we don't include evening meals and lunches at our accommodation. Instead our local tour leaders make recommendations of dishes to try at locally-run restaurants.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.