Kyrgyzstan Salbuurun Festival vacation

Planet

We ensure our guides are mindful about protecting the environment in which you travel, and across the many rural locations visited on this trip – including valleys, rural villages and plantations – we rely on their local expertise to advise our travelers well. They do a fantastic job of promoting having a minimum impact whilst traveling, whether in natural or urban environments.

CARBON REDUCTION

Transport will involve communal travel wherever possible, so the effects of single person transport will be minimised as much as it can be, and keeping our groups small means there is no need for huge coaches. No internal flights are used, which not only brings the necessary benefit of minimising environmental impact, but also maximises your own experience of the country itself by being able to observe and contribute from ground level. After all, you’re free to pop into local cafes on the way to the next destination, or stop off at nearby sights if you so desire. This gives you a greater sense of autonomy whilst also providing a genuine contribution to the local economy, all whilst minimising carbon emissions.

All diets can be catered for across the board, including vegan and vegetarian. We utilise local restaurants and partnerships with local people to ensure we are minimising impacts of economic leakage and also the carbon impacts of imported food.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

This trip encompasses a broad array of habitats and environments across the North of Kyrgyzstan. Traveling responsibly is central to what we do, and as the environments are flexible, the response has to reflect that. We always use local guides who have intimate knowledge of these places and how they are fairing in terms of restoration, degradation, and therefore how best to navigate these spaces. We always our clients, to also respect our outlook on this in being mindful of rubbish, and trying to recycle whenever you can.

A fascinating part of this specific trip is a visit to a local agricultural farm in Tepke, just outside of Karakol, that provides insight into the local environment through traditional agriculture and farming practices. The hosts here are very passionate about creating a more sustainable environment in Kyrgyzstan and are doing their part in demonstrating organic farming practices onsite as well as educating local farmers.

We encourage all our clients to bring a reusable water bottle, ideally with a filtration system to replace the need for single-use plastics. We offer a free Water-To-Go bottle (just pay for postage) to all of our UK-based clients when they book, which provides a great chance to try out these amazing filtered bottles in the hopes of converting more travelers to using them on all of their travels.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

One thing we have come to understand is that generosity is often much more commonplace in many of our destinations than it is in our own native countries. As such, it is of vital importance that we consciously strive to give back to local communities and economies wherever we can. For the first step in combating this we ensure to hire local people as guides for all our tours, ensuring they receive both fair working conditions and a fair salary for the great work they do.

The choices of accommodation throughout this tour are also all regionally owned properties which minimise the economic leakage from international chains and ownership.

We include many different visits that support the local economies here, from the yurt-makers in Kyzyl-Tuu and Salbuurun Festival itself, to the agricultural farm in Tepke and women's cooperative of Altyn Kol. There are also multiple stays with local families for cooking demonstrations and overnights in some wonderful guesthouses.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY, AND DIVERSITY

A key highlight of this tour which supports employment inclusivity is the visit to the Altyn Kol Women's Cooperative. They are an NGO formed in 1997 that support the social and economic success of Kyrgyz women through the art of shyrdak (rug) making. Through this work, women gain opportunities to earn their own wage which is a relative rarity in this part of the world.

One thing which is true across all of the countries in which we operate is that we are passionate about ensuring the partners we have on the ground are those with the best knowledge of them. Our ground operators are staffed by people who are from the representative country, and often have a staff of people from various regions thus diversifying the representation and ensuring we are providing an inherently more authentic experience. All of our guides, drivers, and other staff are paid at least minimum wage, if not a living wage or above for fair compensation of the incredible work they do.

Our partners employ women guides in all countries, and we are LGBTQ+ friendly on all of our trips. We are always willing to have discussions with those who may have questions about safety on the ground, visibility, and any other concerns to ensure that our clients are comfortable and confident whilst on our trips.