Kyrgyzstan 9 day tour, Nomadic life

Planet

This small group tour has a maximum of just eight participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt local people or use more resources than the local community can afford. The small number on this group also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from the larger coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.

We recognises that climate change is one of the most urgent problems facing our world today and the tourism sector is a growing contributor to the problem. Travel and tourism are responsible for around 5% of global CO2 emissions. Our challenge is to prepare for a low-carbon society by further reducing our environmental impacts, while ensuring we preserve tourism’s social and economic benefits – both for the host community and for our customers

Working with all relevant local bodies and authorities, we aim to help preserve or improve the environment and deliver a long-term benefit for the host community. All our suppliers should have or be developing green practices. Reduction of the use of single use plastic water bottles is actively encouraged. We encourage all our customers not to use single use plastic bags and bring along their own shopping bags or ‘bags for life’.

We advise customers not to purchase any type of restricted products, including ivory and products made of ivory, cactuses or orchids, Chinese medicines, any products made of the skins of tortoises, crocodiles, snakes, big cats, butterflies and parrots. Our guides will advise travellers of the requirements regarding this.

People

Your visit makes a real difference, bringing work to local drivers, guides and other staff. We and our partners believe in the social and economic empowerment of the local communities we visit on this small group tour. Our local partner takes great care of the people and the environment in which it operates and has a clear company Sustainability Policy which aims to minimize any negative impact and maximize positive impact on nature and communities.

Wherever possible, we generate income for people living in the areas that we visit by using local materials, transport, food and guides and paying directly to the individuals concerned rather than intermediaries. This tour focusses on many of the local producers and local artisans that we come across. In Kyzyl-Tuu we meet local masters that make the wooden parts for the yurts. We have dinner along with an Uighur family, and the host will cook a local dish called Lagman, a local delicacy. The tour also visits a women's cooperation called “Altyn Kol” (Golden Hand) and here our clients can take part in a felt production master class and buy the beautiful felt art handicrafts made by the women.