Cartagena to Ushuaia overland expedition, South America

Planet

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
Arajuno Lodge is working to increase the biodiversity of the Arajuno River by decreasing illegal fishing with dynamite. This practise is indiscriminate and has reduced numbers of fish according to local inhabitants. The project is investigating and monitoring levels of dynamite fishing and its effects which may be detrimental to other wildlife that live in or depend on the river such as the Southern River Otter, a CITES listed endangered species. They are also researching alternative economic incentives and fishing practices.

Torres del Paine National Park in Chile protects 227,298 hectares of scrubland, steppe, mountains, glaciers and lakes and is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We include entrance to the park (£22 per person) on this trip and our travellers have a chance of spotting some of its wildlife including puma, guanaco, red fox, condor and the endangered huemul.

As responsible travelers, we recognize the need to reduce our plastic consumption and provide sustainable alternatives to our customers. That's why we've partnered with Water to Go to offer a fantastic solution.

Water to Go is a company on a mission to tackle the issue of plastic pollution by providing travelers with reusable filter bottles. These bottles are not your average water containers. They are designed with advanced filtration technology that allows you to safely refill your bottle from natural water sources, taps, and even in places where tap water is not typically considered safe to drink.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
There are plenty of opportunities on this trip to support local businesses and guides. To name a few, local guides are used in Tena, in the Amazon Jungle to explore the rainforest environment, on horse riding treks in Patagonia and on city tours in La Paz. We encourage our travellers to try local restaurants and local food sellers and when buying food for group meals, we make use of local shops and food markets.

Throughout the trip there are opportunities to visit local craft markets and artisans such as Otavalo’s market, well known for locally made ponchos and textiles, the Witches Market in La Paz and the Feria de Santa Lucia in Santiago.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
One of the highlights of this trip is obviously trekking the Inca Trails to Machu Picchu. This trek offers opportunities of employment to large numbers of the local community. Porters, cooks and guides are required. However, much of this employment is poorly paid and working conditions are not good. The local company we use to organise our trails has a commitment to the welfare of their porters providing them with a professional wage and health insurance. They are also in the process of completing a house for the porters so that they have somewhere comfortable to stay the night before they start the trail, as many of them travel in from rural areas.