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To minimize our environmental impact we limit our group sizes to 12 and use public transport for most journeys on this tour. We support the local economy by using trek support staff from local communities and local mountain and cultural guides who have an in-depth knowledge of their country. We use locally owned hotels and restaurants throughout. For the trek we buy fresh local produce. In preference we choose local over imported goods, encouraging the use of Andean products in our cooking.
On our treks we minimize waste by using products with minimum packaging, leaving no litter and keeping all water sources clean, leaving camp-sites cleaner than we find them. We are involved in ongoing training of our trek staff.
All our porters on the Inca Trail carry a maximum 20kg load, and are provided with tents and food. We pay and treat our staff fairly. On this trip clients have the opportunity to spend a night in the homes of islanders on Taquile, an informative cultural exchange for both parties, and of direct economic benefit to the community. Our guides hold informal talks to fully inform on all aspects of local culture.
We support Ninos childrens health care project in Cusco. We are happy to distribute your donations of warm clothes and shoes to Peruvian children through this organization.
We are also now supporting the UK registered chairty Amantani. As this charity is very much in keeping with our ethos of small scale, targetted help which is educational & sustainabale. HuchuyYachaq is the other main Peruvian charity we support by paying a for a full time teacher. A % of all our income goes to support those projects.
The founder of this tour operator set up 14 years ago after working as a trek leader and writing guidebooks in South America. She decided to offer alternative trekking routes that no one else was doing, where you’re more likely to cross paths with local people. She maintains close personal relationships with her suppliers and is godmother to several of their children. Her small specialised team have really walked the walks and so know exactly what they’re talking about; they familiarise themselves with the hiking trails every year and believe the Andean way of life is well worth sharing.
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