Responsible tourism in Peru
People & culture
Mountains to climb for porters' rights
If you are doing some serious trekking in Peru, it is most likely you will be using the services of a porter to carry supplies such as food, sleeping bags, tents, and so on. Luckily, porters' rights are protected by law in Peru; however, there are many companies that find a way of getting around the law, and are still exploiting the local porters, many of whom are farmers who do this work seasonally. The minimum wage for porters is 45 soles a day, working out around $72 US for a four day trek, but reports have suggested that many operators still refuse to pay this. And of course, the minimum wage is not the same as a living wage. A good responsible tourism company will pay two or three times this much. The same goes for the laws about the maximum weight they should carry - the law is 20kg max which includes 5kg for his/her personal possessions. There are weighing stations, but some companies spread the load to get through the stations and then drop the bags after the station for the porters to pick up.What you can do:
Making sure your porters are fed and clothed properly, are insured and given dry, warm sleeping areas. Be wary, read up on it, and ask your trekking company endless questions about their ethical trekking policies. Some companies have started their own foundations that work with porters, their families and communities to ensure better conditions for them, both on and off the trail. Ensure your main backpack weighs no more than 15kg, leaving the porter 5kg for his own belongings. Even better, keep to 10kg.
Peru's female porters
One hugely positive step that has been taken for the Inca Trail porters is the employment, for the first time, of women. Astonishingly, until 2016, there were no women working on the trail, largely thanks to the more conservative - and often sexist - values of the traditional mountain communities. A local trekking company, that was already working to improve porters' rights along the trail, trained and hired local women, despite many men saying that they would not be able to do such a strenuous job.Any traveller who has been to the Andes will not be surprised to learn that this was not the case. Quechua women can routinely be seen hauling huge loads on their back, while hiking up and down the mountains, and working the steep terraces; carrying hikers' backpacks to Machu Picchu is just another day's work for them. What's more, the female porters are hugely popular with travellers, so even though regulations state they may only carry 15kg (the men carry up to 20kg), hiring them has proved a wise business decision.
The benefits are many; as well as gaining stable employment, women who work as porters are better able to support their families, and command more respect in their households and communities. In time, it is hoped that the women can combine their work with studies, allowing them to become assistant guides or guides - with the higher pay and better conditions that this offers. Guides also speak with the trekkers, so for the first time, the foreigners hiking the Inca Trail may get to explore this region and its culture from a unique female perspective.
Source: National Geographic
Our Peru Holidays
Peru tailormade holiday
Lima, Colca, Titicaca & Machu Picchu in a customisable tour.
Peru highlights tour, Inca trail, Titicaca and Nazca
Taste Peru's diverse landscapes and fascinating culture
Peru walking and cultural holiday
Trek the cultural sites and mountain scenery of Peru
Southern Peru small group tour
Journey through south Peru, the heartland of the Inca Empire
High Inca Trail trek in Peru
Machu Picchu, Inca fortresses and cloud forest
Hiking the Inca trail holiday
An unrivalled combination of history and spectacular scenery
Peru and Bolivia holiday, highlights in 12 days
Experience the highlights of beautiful Peru and Bolivia
Inca Trail adventure holiday
Discover Cuzco and the Sacred Valley on this Incan adventure
Peru holiday, Cusco to Lake Titicaca
Customisable Overland Trip: Machu Picchu & Titicaca Islands
Peru in 11 day itinerary
Whisk through the highlights of Peru in just 11 days
Highlights of Brazil and Peru holiday
14 Days: Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Iguazu, Rio
Inca Trail walking tour, Peru
Customisable holiday including comfort service Inca Trail
Peru and Galapagos active holiday
Private Inca Trail away from crowds & small boat cruise.
Classic Inca Trail holiday, 10 days
10-days: Lima, Cusco, 4-day Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
Luxury Peru adventure holiday
Luxury Adventure travel in stunning Peru.
Inca trail & Amazon Rainforest holiday
Inca Trail, Machu Picchu & rainforest
Peru holiday, encompassed
Coastal desert, snowy Andean peaks and lush forest
Peru trekking tour, tailor made
Exhilarating Walking Experience in Peru's legendary sights
Peru holiday, Machu Picchu, Cusco & Lake Titicaca
Tailor made amazing Andean adventure and cultural heritage
Alternative Inca trail trek in Peru, Salkantay Trek
Salkantay trek - an alternative Inca Trail adventure
Southern Peru holiday, tailor made
Customisable tour of Peru's cultures, wildlife & landscapes.
Peru small group tour, a food adventure
Peru is an exciting region to go on a foodie adventure.
Peru trekking holiday, Lares
Alternative Inca Trail - Lares trek to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu small group holiday
Hike, bike, raft and zip-line your way to Machu Picchu.
Lares Cultural Trek to Machu Picchu, Peru
10-day flexible cultural lodge trek to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu and Galapagos holiday
Two of South America's highlights on one trip.
Southern Peru tailor made holiday, Alternative Inca Trail trek
Alternative Inca Trail to Machu Picchu without camping
Hiking the Inca Trail in Peru
Fully supported Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu
Peru on a shoestring holiday
A great way to see Peru on a shoestring
Volunteering - who does it help?
What you can do:
Choose your volunteering holiday carefully. It is important to ensure that your volunteering holiday company adheres to some of the strict guidelines now being recognised as good practice within the industry, and remember to ask yourself the 10 key questions when looking for volunteering. This way, you can check that the work you are doing is actually sustainable and that the needs and expectations of the host community are being well met on every level. If you are looking for wildlife volunteering, be sure that animals aren’t being kept in captivity purely as a way to lure volunteers into paying money to working with them. Yes, really.
At Responsible Travel, we do not promote orphanage volunteering for anything other than fully qualified (and background checked) volunteers. This is for issues of child safety, wellbeing and also to reduce corruption; as the "market" for orphanage placements grows, so too does the number of orphanages.
We also do not promote teaching placements for unqualified teachers; if you would like to teach in Peru we would suggest you will have a much more positive impact by volunteering as a teaching assistant first. This means children's education is less disrupted, you are not doing something you are unqualified to do, and you are also working alongside local teachers, rather than replacing them.
"I think these trips work best when we, the volunteers, stop trying to help. At the public school where we volunteered in Lima, we treated three-year-olds as play things at recess, often disrupted more than assisted in the classrooms, and cobbled together a library renovation that we were ill-prepared to manage and execute. But the cultural exchange and philosophical components were invaluable; I know that the impetus for this kind of travel is to make a difference but, in my view, the biggest difference we made was not from holding children or shovels in our hands. It came when we let go of any agenda - any intention to try to change something for other people - and just observed, listened and exchanged ideas with Peruvians. We learned more by sharing meals, music and dancing together. I really see value in education-based trips over help-based trips. If it were up to me, we would do little to no "volunteer work" in Peru. We would just go meet some Peruvians, spend some quality time with them, and then go home."
H.O.P.E. Was Here: A Volunteer Travel Documentary Trailer from H.O.P.E. Was Here on Vimeo.
Homestays - the way to stay
What you can do:
Do try and book a tour which includes a night or two in a homestay, to get a real insight into Peruvian - and Quechua - life. If you are planning on visiting remote villages, gifts from home are always welcome, but ensure they are useful. Don't go too over the top, as reciprocating is part of rural Peruvian culture, or ayni, meaning "today for me, tomorrow for you". Excess gift giving waters down this ethos with time if people feel they can't reciprocate. You can also purchase gifts locally - supporting local traders at the same time.
Wildlife & environment
"With conservation volunteering, interaction with wildlife is such a myth. If you are going to the Amazon rainforest and being told that you will be able to have a physical interaction with wildlife, then you have to really ask questions. Who is handling these animals? Are they doing it as part of a big study? What is the calibre of research going on or is this just a case of animals being grabbed purely for show? Basically, you should not volunteer with anyone who offers any sort of animal manipulation unless they have a serious academic or medical reason for doing so.
Responsible tourism tips
"Steering away from unsustainable woods, you will find people making souvenirs made of balsa - which is a very quickly regenerating wood. The same goes for anything made from Brazil nuts, which encourages people to keep the trees alive."