Costa Rica adventure vacation, tailor made

Planet

As a country Costa Rica is a pioneer in Ecotourism and our partners, as a family business have decided to become a responsible travel company where we combine natural areas that conserve the environment and the well-being of local people with a complete tourism package.

On our packages we unite conservation, communities and sustainable travel. On our web page you can see all of our different efforts on the different levels environmental impact / social impact / economic impact.

Costa Rica
Costa Rica is the birthplace of ecotourism and as such is also the place where this activity has achieved a high level of success with responsible environmental policies being held by most hotels and tourist businesses.

Environment
Advising travelers to reduce impact: In every welcome packet that we give to our clients, we put out brochures with environmental information.

For our tours, our guides after every journey bring a bag with all the recycling to the nearest hotel that has a recycling plan and recycling disposals.

Office practice
Internally we encourage reusing, recycling and generally doing its best to reduce the overall impact our operation has on the environment.

Our local partners participates in the Certification in Sustainable Tourism (CST) program which rates businesses on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management. Starting this in 2009 our partners have achieved a 3 leaf score for CST
They are also Rainforest Alliance verified -

Hotels on the itinerary -
Mawamba Lodge - Tortuguero - this lodge is adjacent to one of the most important Green Turtle nesting beaches - to ensure the turtle successfully lays her eggs, we follow strict guidelines regarding noise, torches and cameras and a qualified guide.

Pozo Azul - in 1995 started a reforestation project designed and supervised by FUNDECOR (www.fundecor.org) which has been qualified for the Green Seal under the umbrella certification by the Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC) under SGS Qualifor Certification.

People

Social/Cultural Impact:

• Our programs incorporate natural and cultural features by developing activities that include the communities and encourage their sustainable development.
• Choosing service providers that are certified by CST, who work with the Rainforest Alliance's tourism and/or agriculture programs, and businesses that have the Ecological Blue Flag, ISO14000, or other recognition.
• Sustainability is promoted among clients, wholesalers, and suppliers.
• Our clients are given opportunity to participate in conservation initiatives and communal development.
• Training direct and indirect collaborators on topics related to sustainability and efficient resource use.
• We encourage supporting local initiatives
• We actively work with rural schools in order to allow cultural exchanges.
• Every year we help local schools and by solving some of their most pressing needs.
• We coordinate various donations to resource-less schools on different regions of the country.
• Our staff is often on the road checking product and learning from the social & local environment first hand.
• We promote the traditions of the country as well as the consumption of national products, meals, and crafts. For example we support local artisans through the purchase of handmade works of art to give our clients as gifts.

Economic Impact:
• We promote the traditions of the country as well as the consumption of national products, meals, and crafts. For example we support local artisans through the purchase of handmade works of art to give our clients as gifts.
• We look to include meals in local restaurants in the different communities we visit.
• We provide opportunities to meet local artisans and buy souvenirs, while strongly discouraging the clients from buying live creatures, and products derived from endangered species.
In regards to the Hotels. Our partners are certified CST level 4 so select their suppliers accordingly. We recommend hotels that have a level of sustainability. They will need to have CST or Rainforest Alliance or ISO or at least written green policies.
Its important to mention that all of our clients visit at least 3 national parks. Why because we want them to support conservation, learn about it and be part of this wonderful country full of natural experiences. We also include at least one cultural experience which can be a mascarada and cimarrona tour OR a cooking lesson OR artisan workshop OR dance lesson.