Environment

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a trekking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although we do intend to have a positive effect by encouraging engagement with locals, visiting local cafes and restaurants and supporting small businesses at craft and food markets. By operating with a strict ‘leave no trace’ policy, we are able to raise awareness for a kind of tourism which puts environment and community before financial gain.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

Community

Accommodation and Meals:
We will spend all seven nights in a comfortable, 3 star hotel. All accommodation is locally staffed, which has a very positive effect on employment levels and also ensures that any income generated remains within the local economy. Most meals are included and wherever possible will be made from locally sourced, fresh ingredients. Sampling local cuisine is a great way to get in touch with Turkish culture and there are plenty of Cappadocian specialties to try including Biberdomasi (Bell peppers stuffed with rice and ground lamb), Pide (Oblong pizza-like flatbread) and Moussaka. We will also stop at a number of villages and Turkish teahouses where our custom is really appreciated by local people.

Local Craft and Culture:
Although the majority of the trip is spent in remote, mountainous areas, there are still opportunities to connect with local communities and their cultures. As well as the villages we pass through, we also encounter semi-nomadic tribes, who often pitch their goat hair tents along our route and sometimes we are fortunate to share a homemade, traditional ‘ayran’- which is a refreshing yoghurt based drink. The peaks and valleys of Cappadocia are dotted with churches, monasteries and remains of ancient cave dwellings- which are of great cultural interest. If there is time on the trip, we also recommend seeing a whirling dervish display and investigating some of the crafts shops and bazaars in the region. In the Cappadocia area, carpet making and hand painting pottery are popular and traditional forms of craft. By purchasing souvenirs from local people, we can benefit the community.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.