Cultural tour in the Athonian state, Greece

Planet

Wildlife:
Since the peninsula is only accessible to limited people there is a lot of wildlife that can be spotted in their natural environment. In the peninsula there are no trips dedicated to the wildlife, there are no animals in captivity, and we are very mindful to not disturb them in their home. Our guides are familiar with the various species that can be spotted and will always provide information of what they are, and any specific facts known about the different wildlife creatures. We are not approaching the animals and always respect their space and peaceful environment they live in. We have the same expectation from our guests!

Waste:
We are passionate about maintaining a waste free planet and always encourage the hikers to use refillable hydration packs rather than carrying and buying plastic water bottles. We also encourage our guests to refill their water bottles in natural springs where is safe to do so. As ethical hikers you will often see our guides collecting any rubbish while on the hiking trails and storing them in their bags to dispose them when back into the villages and towns. This is a culture that we embrace and encourage through our trips. We believe that every little helps as well as doing anything possible to maintain the virgin beauty of this place.

People

Local crafts and culture:
We always support the local merchants in Mt. Athos trips. We make sure to highlight to the travellers of where to find the local produce of the peninsula specifically local wine and the traditional tsipouro drink as well as locally produced honey and hand picked herbs. These products are sold by the monks that live on the peninsula permanently and rely on this income. They also sell religious paintings and rosary beads which they use while praying.

A fair deal:
We often collaborate with local guides (which are also monks!) which have vast experience on the peninsula, terrain and also the wider community. Where we collaborate with them we pay fair wages and treat them with dignity and respect by also taking into consideration the religious culture that comes in this territory. We do empower them though with development opportunities in the hiking sector and offer them a choice of trips to get associated with.