Galapagos Islands walking vacation

Planet

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
• By traveling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re-usable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income which is used for upkeep and development of these important sites. A percentage of the entry fee for the Galapagos funds the conservation of this unique and significant area of the world.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices regarding working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• We follow the Galapagos Island’s environmental protection policies.
• We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip
• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re-usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

People

Accommodation and Meals:
We spend 12 nights in hotels and guesthouses and 2 nights full-service, wild camping in 2-person tents. The hotels on the Galapagos Islands are generally small, family-run establishments, which is beneficial for the local community. Spending part of the trip in non-permanent, low energy accommodation also reduces our carbon footprint of this trip. Most meals are provided with ingredients sourced on the islands and where free meals are concerned, clients are encouraged to try some of the locally run restaurants in the area. This is a great support to the small network of businesses on the Galapagos and we endeavour to spread our commerce to several places so that many feel the benefits. Regional specialties include freshly caught seafood, like sea bass, crab, oysters and lobster.

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible. The majority of accommodation on this trip is family owned.
• In the Galapagos all hotels have to meet requirements including recycling and waste management procedures on a Ministry of Tourism checklist.
• We stop on Floreana island and the meals there are at a community run restaurant.