Besparmak trail walking vacation in Cyprus

Planet

Preserving natural and cultural heritage is part of our mission statement. We take seriously the impact that tourism has on the environment. As most of our customers are nature lovers and responsible travelers, we believe that the more people come to enjoy our tours, the more the local community becomes aware of the potential for responsible tourism and learns how to value and protect the environment, culture and traditions for the future.

As part of this package, our agent gives a briefing to our customers which includes environmental advice. In order to protect flora and fauna, we advise customers to keep to the trail so they don’t damage vegetation; to leave only footprints in the nature; never take any rocks, plants, flowers or cuttings; never to get close to animals but make use of binoculars; take picnics (no fire lighting). Our advise regarding waste is not to leave any rubbish behind and dispose of everything in a proper manner. Also as water on the island is so scarce, we advise them to take short showers and when on the hikes to take refillable bottles and not disposable / plastic ones.

We constantly give environmental tips to the hotels. The waste advice is to use refillable shampoo, soap and lotion containers; choose durable goods such as drinking glasses and coffee cups; durable sheets that do not need constant replacing. On the water saving we advise them to put up signs for sheet and towel replacements so that only when the items are on the floor, they need to be replaced. We encourage suppliers to put an emphasis on fresh, local food, to reduce plastic packaging and save energy. We explain the negative impact of cleaning chemicals. On routine visits (e.g. checking up on the condition of the accommodation), we hold short meetings on the standard of cleanliness we expect and on how to make use of alternative cleaning materials that do not damage the environment.

On a day to day basis, in our office, we do not use plastic; scrap paper is used for printing and note taking; envelopes are recycled.

Our team members are heavily involved with Çatalköy‘s Gelistirme ve Kultur Dernegi (CADER) organization, which was the initiator of the north Cyprus children’s conference. This organization won a grant from SAVE (Supporting Activities that Value the Environment) USAID, to implement a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in the northern part of Cyprus. Children participating in the initiative performed a dance under the sounds of sombre music. They covered themselves in a massive plastic sheet and got tangled up in it. This signified the suffocation of the planet. They played this in several supermarkets to inform the public against the use of plastic bags. Bags for life were distributed.

USAID sponsored a water saving campaign in North Cyprus - Damlaya damlaya yok olur – Drop by drop it disappears. Members of our team distributed leaflets, stuck magnets and sticky durable notes into restaurants, toilets, bars and supermarkets. It was a massive campaign that lasted several months.

We are a member of Kuskor, the north Cyprus society for the protection of birds. We have been supporting this organization since it was founded;

People

Massive efforts go on supporting the local community. On this tour we have considered first of all, the remoteness of it: we take walkers to the eastern and westernmost parts of the northern coast. This promotes and encourages rural tourism and financially assists the communities in these distant areas. Of course, once in these areas, this assistance has a knock on effect as our clients make use of local restaurants, bars and mini-markets and also the local transport that we provide for transfers.

The accommodations are family owned and run. Some of them also have arable land where they grow crops which they use in their restaurants. All family members get involved in the business by providing transportation for walkers and/or providing cooking lessons for interested customers and showing local handicrafts.

Our efforts go to endorsing local events and festivals which promote local culture and help preserve long standing Cypriot traditions. At the same time there is the chance of interaction and communication between the cultures. As part of our customer care, we notify our guests of any events occurring during the period of their stay.