Colombia vacation, small group

Environment

Waste - As a member of AITO, we adhere to the AITO Sustainable Tourism Guidelines and as such, we aim to protect the environment and minimise pollution both by on-tour practices and procedures in our offices around the world. On this tour through Colombia, we visit several sites of natural beauty such as Tayrona National Park and Taironaka Archeological Ruins, as well as the historic centers of important colonial cities such as Santa Marta and Villa de Leyva. When visiting these areas, our tour leaders make sure that our travelers respect signage, follow the instructions of the local guides and do not leave any litter. They also ensure that they do not take any rocks or plants away with them, or buy souvenirs made of endangered materials.

In our administrative offices, we only use paper, water or electricity when it is necessary, and we reuse and recycle the resources that we do use to make sure that a minimal amount of waste is produced by our office procedures.Group Size - The maximum group size on this tour is 19 people, meaning we can use smaller accommodation and have minimum impact when visiting busy sights.

Our hotel in Bogota is located in the Historical Centre, a short walk from the main attractions including the Iglesia de San Francisco. Navigating a city by foot is the best way to not only keep your carbon footprint low but also to experience hidden gems that you would not see from a coach window. All customers are encouraged to act responsibly when staying in hotels and guesthouses, including ensuring all electricity and lights are switched off when not needed, air conditioning is not left on when not required, towels and bedding are not replaced unless necessary and water consumption is kept to a minimum.

Community

Friends and Neighbours - One of the principle aims of our responsible travel policy is to support local economies. We ensure that our tours provide maximum opportunities to engage with local people, so that local economies benefit directly from our business and our travelers gain a genuine insight into a region and its people. The optional excursions that we can help to arrange while on this tour, such as a trip to the Totumo Volcano or a city tour of Cartagena, help to support jobs and the local economy because they are run by local operators. We also recommend that our travelers eat and drink at locally-owned restaurants or bars to ensure that local businesses benefit as much as possible from our tours traveling through the region.

Traveling with Respect – On our website’s responsible travel pages we provide a list of tips on creating good relationships between our travelers and the local communities that we visit on our tours. For example, for this tour we would recommend that clients learn some Spanish to try and connect with the local people, and we would advise researching the history, religion and local traditions of Colombia to help them appreciate the architecture and culture of those countries and thereby get the most from their trip while respecting local customs.

All tours in Colombia are lead by Spanish speaking tour leaders, who not only act as a translator but have a deep understanding of Colombian culture and etiquette which they pass onto clients. We believe this leads to our customers gaining further respect and understanding of the communities they visit in Colombia. Clients are always encouraged to learn a few words of Spanish so that they can interact with local people, not only does it provide a personable experience but also great for locals who also wish to practise their English skills!