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Panama is a proud nation and one that respects its indigenous peoples. Our tours include a stay on the San Blas Islands. These islands are an autonomous region, controlled and governed by Kuna Indians.
The Indians determination to protect their heritage and environment lead to the Panamanian Government giving them the authority to form a "comarca" (Autonomous Territory) of San Blas, where an indigenous, independent congress still rules. No non Kuna people are allowed to settle here and the only hotels are Kuna run. The Kuna are fishermen; however, they also cultivate coconut, corn, rice, cocoa and yucca. Kuna women spend hours stitching the colorful reverse-appliqué cotton "molas" which you are able buy. By taking this tour you know that the money you spend is going directly to the Kuna people to help preserve their way of life.
Our tours also work closely with guides from the National Association for the Conservation of Nature, one of the regions most efficient and respected conservation organisations. Your participation on the tour supports the excellent work that this organisation is doing in the protection of Panama’s amazing abundance of flora and fauna.
We only employ local staff and unlike many operators we believe that to send a foreign Tour Leader along to accompany your trip is an unnecessary burden on your wallet and our carbon footprint. We believe that locals know best. Our local operators only use locally owned accommodation. This means your money stays in the area to benefit the local community. When possible we use local transport, (i.e. rail or bus) and we always use local restaurants, markets and shops. In doing this your travels are supporting and encouraging the development of local services.
We only work with operators who are as committed as we are to putting something back into the communities we visit. This may include giving a percentage of the profits from each tour to a foundation to help street children or local conservation projects. Furthermore, in order to allow our clients to make an informed decision on where a greater proportion of their money should be spent, we avoid including pre-paid full board meals where possible. Local restaurants and cafes then benefit.
Our groups average only six clients, and many tours operate on a private basis with just two travelers. This has much less impact when traveling through rural areas, reducing our environmental and social affects. Finally, to emphasis our commitment to Responsible Tourism all clients will receive a copy of our Travelers Code of Conduct with their travel documents.
We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
