Colombia small group tour

Environment

Colombia's reputation is changing. Over the last few years the country has been cultivating a reputation as an exciting, emerging adventure travel destination. We always want to show you as much of the real country as we can so we employ a local tour leader and variety of local guides who can really bring the culture to life for you in an authentic way.

Staying in small accommodation wherever possible really brings us closer to the culture and gives us many opportunities for unique experiences. In Medellin, we take the cable car up to Comuna 13, a low-income neighbourhood that sprawls up the mountains surrounding the city. Since Pablo Escobar's regime the area has totally reinvented itself through the creative innovation of its inhabitants. An important signpost in the change of the country is the fact that tourists are now coming back to Medellin, and we are happy to do this in a responsible way.

Using local guides and crew is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. We also do this by using locally owned hotels, spreading our business to a variety of local restaurants. It is important that the people who work for us are treated fairly and confident in their work. This is why we take care to train all our local tour leaders and give them all the support they need to do their job well.

Community

An important part of our business is our commitment to environmentally responsible practices in all of the locations that we visit. In Colombia this is no different, and our local Tour Leaders will encourage customers to use their own water bottles (which we advise customers to take), advising them where to fill them up in each destination. This guide will also have training in upholding our policy of Leaving no Trace – this is particularly important in areas like the Cocora Valley, which are rich in wildlife and potentially fragile. We brief all customers on sticking to designated trails and following local conservation regulations.

Due to the size of Colombia, we use several internal flights to get around. We try and mitigate this by using lower carbon forms of transport as much as possible when we’re on the ground. For example, in Salento we explore the hills of the Cocora Valley on foot, and in Cartagena we have the opportunity to take a canoe trip through the Boquilla mangroves.

In addition to the above, 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. As well as this, 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 UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators. We acknowledge that air travel has a negative impact on our environment, so we work together with Cool Earth to offset carbon and protect our important rainforests.