Ecuador and Amazon vacation

Planet

Through our commitment to responsible tourism, we ensure minimal social and environmental impact in the places we visit by traveling in small groups, using local transportation and staying in locally owned hotels. We also work with experienced local guides who are knowledgeable of local culture, history, flora and fauna.

Our tours mainly use public transportation wherever possible and are small in size to keep our impact on fragile sites and communities as minimal as possible. We monitor the sustainability of our tours through traveler evaluations and through feedback from our tour leaders in order to allow for continuous improvement. We support the local economy and business initiatives by visiting local shops, restaurants, and markets on our tours.

Tour leaders provide travelers with information about local environmental issues in their respective regions, and provide suggestions of how we can best protect the local environment and culture. To reduce the amount of waste created on tours, tour leaders also encourage travelers to use refillable water bottles instead of disposable plastic, cotton tote bags, reusable batteries, etc. We also include destination-specific information in our guidebooks, which are provided to each traveler including information particular to the local culture and environment and tips on how to be a responsible traveler.

This company has operated on responsible tourism values since its inception. From an environmental perspective, our initiatives extend from our company offices to our tours. A local green energy provider powers our head office and stores; we encourage cleaner transportation methods for staff; and purchase all supplies from a local green business supplier. Our office is as paperless as possible and our brochures use 100% PEFC certified sustainable paper.

People

Supporting communities is and always has been at the heart of our tours. We provide business opportunities to local people by employing local guides and tour operators. The majority of accommodation used on our tours are small-scale, locally-owned hotels.

Many tours incorporate community projects as a way of supplementing community income and supporting community development projects. In 2003 we founded a non-profit organisation as a way for our travelers and our company to give back to the people and places we visit. We develop community projects around the world in the areas of health, education, small business development and environmental conservation. Funds are raised through traveler donations and fundraising. The company pays all administration fees which means that 100% of each individual donation goes directly to the community projects. Each year, we continue to support and develop new partnerships with more community projects and community-based tourism initiatives worldwide, in Latin America, Asia and Africa. On many tours, you have the option to visit a project as part of your trip.

While on this tour, travelers will spend two days with a Quichua family in the Amazon. This visit allows you to experience the natural beauty of the area and learn about traditional Quichua lifestyle, beliefs and customs. You will have the opportunity to visit a sacred waterfall, learn about traditional hunting practices and the uses of tropical plants. In addition to supporting this family ecotourism initiative, proceeds from Cabañas Pimpilala have gone towards constructing the first community school house and to the Indigenous Association of Cando which supports community development projects. This community is supported through our non-profit organization, the Planeterra Foundation with an annual donation that goes to support sustainable community development initiatives.