Highlights of Patagonia vacation
Late availability on these dates: 15 Dec, 29 Dec, 12 Jan, 26 Jan, 09 Feb, 23 Feb, 08 Mar
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Small group adventure vacation
Whether you are traveling alone or with friends/family its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is plenty of free time to explore at your own pace. This trip will appeal to travelers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.Responsible tourism


Highlights of Patagonia vacation
Carbon reduction
Your vacation will help support local people and conservation. We must also reduce CO2. Learn about the CO2 emissions of this vacation and how to reduce them.
Environment
Patagonia is a remote, expansive region with many stunning National Parks to visit and trek through. Our tour leaders encourage passengers to behave in an eco-friendly manner at all times by briefing them on responsible travel practices and ensuring that waste is kept on the overland vehicle. There are many educational excursions and activities offered on this tour that promote environmental awareness and also give passengers the opportunity to learn more about the surrounding environment.
We carry everything with us and dispose of any minimal waste responsibly. On tour we aim to shop as much as possible at markets, and cook or make our own lunches on travel days.
Minimal disposable plastic is used on our overland vehicle and certainly none of the one-portion food packaging that others might get from the en route shops or food stalls. With oceans of storage space we provide filtered water and discourage plastic bottles. Instead, we encourage the use of refillable water bottles throughout the tour.
Community
The tour employs educated local guides for many excursions in order to support the local community. The guides are chosen for their detailed knowledge about the region, as well as their dedication to promoting environmental and cultural and awareness in this area through their passion for their homeland. They encourage passengers to behave in an eco-friendly manner at all times and Patagonia remains a pristine environment as a result of their combined efforts.
We offer pre-departure documentation which includes responsible travel tips, maps, regional advice and detailed itineraries which we share with our passengers before their departure to ensure that when they travel they are socially conscious and respectful of the environments they will be visiting.
We stay in locally owned accommodation, apart from in Torres del Paine where we camp, using bio-degradable products where possible. In other areas we stay at locally-operated hotels rather than international chains to ensure that local businesses profit.
2 Reviews of Highlights of Patagonia vacation
Reviewed on 22 Jan 2014 by Richard Hallam
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Pucon- range of activities, accommodation, general situation by lake, mountains and volcano.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for long days traveling in truck (bus). Unless you need a sleeping bag another time on your trip it is best to hire one as it is only required for 3 nights and takes up space in your luggage.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Supported local economy but did not feel there were any other benefits.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very enjoyable. Stunning scenery, variety of activities, truck was fun, driver was great. It is pity that the tour leader was not a Chilean or Argentinian national as the one we had did the bare minimum and had no local knowledge.
Read the operator's response here:
Our tour leaders in South America are a mixture of local and non-locals depending on who we find is best for the job and are generally very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Your comments have been noted and passed on to our South America regional manager, but as this tour leader is no longer employed by Tucan Travel there will be no further action.
Reviewed on 22 Apr 2010 by Frank Sperling
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Seeing the Moreno glacier and hiking in Torres del Paine.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Make sure you have appropriate footwear (hiking boots). There is no need to bring a sleeping bag as these can be hired at the time (and they are good sleeping bags).
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The only benefit to local people would be the custom of staying in hotels/eating in restaurants. We did make a conscious effort not to leave rubbish and I suppose 30+ people using 1 bus instead of various means of transport is environmentally friendly.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Amazing vacation. Very varied and interesting with a good mix of people of all ages and nationalities. We saw all of the top sights in the area and good trips were organised e.g. horse riding.
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Late availability on these dates: 15 Dec, 29 Dec, 12 Jan, 26 Jan, 09 Feb, 23 Feb, 08 Mar
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