Central America guided trekking vacation

Planet

Planet
Although our trip is three weeks long all sections, from San Jose, Costa Rica to San Salvador, El Salvador are overland or water. By avoiding domestic flights and choosing active excursions that can only be undertaken on foot or by paddling in order to keep CO2 emissions to an absolute minimum.
Since 2011 The Costa Rican Tourism Board have repeatedly awarded our partner with the highest certification on sustainable practices. Across all three countries staff and guides are local and will always go that extra mile to make sure clients receive local experiences that will help them understand how a small rural community functions in Central America whilst enjoying the warmth and hospitality of those they meet on this epic journey.
Both El Salvador and Nicaragua have overcome the perceptions of war- torn countries to flourish and grow into spectacular, natural tourist destinations. There are few places in the world where such natural beauty has remained so undeveloped and undiscovered by mass tourism, giving Nicaragua a wildness and authenticity which appeals to adventurous travelers from across the world.
We're very proud of our little part of the planet, and in everything we do is the desire to protect and preserve the beautiful environment we live in. Tourism doesn’t have to be harmful, and we're always searching for ways to minimize our impact on the world, whether through our own actions or in the lodges and services we offer to our travelers. We also believe that tourism should benefit local communities and celebrate their culture and traditions, and you’ll see this throughout our range of accommodation and authentic experiences.
Our Partner in Nicaragua is one of the first companies in the region to achieve Travelife Partner status, and they’re working hard to remove single-use plastics from all of our experiences.

People

Places and People
In El Salvador we spend time at Jiquilisco Bay, the primary marine ecosystem of El Salvador and the main region for the spawning of hawksbill turtles in all of the country. In addition, this natural reserve possesses a system of natural canals formed by islands and exotic mangrove forests, which serve as a refuge for a vast diversity of birds and reptiles. We offer the opportunity to visit the local Sea Turtles project. Not only will this experience highlight the importance of turtle conservation but you’ll also get a chance to chat to locals , some of whom were once poachers.
Because tourism is still in its infancy anything that involves supporting local businesses, from eating local ‘pupusas’ to paying national park fees all helps this small, beautiful country, which at times feels like one big community – such is the warmth of the locals.
In Nicaragua we use one of Central America’s finest small eco- lodges and a bastion of sustainability and best practices. At Totoco Eco Lodge they try to embody the ‘People, Profit, Planet’ approach through 3 dedicated organizations. The Eco-lodge is a for-profit responsible business offering 8 exclusive private lodges as well as a swimming pool and a bar & restaurant where daily fresh food is prepared in a microwave-free kitchen.
The views are spectacular and the virgin forests and shade-grown coffee plantations of the Maderas Volcano Biosphere Reserve are at your doorstep. The Foundation runs health, education and micro-finance programs in the local community while our Organic Farm has reforested our property with over 2000 trees and has a diversified home garden where we practice animal husbandry, maintain vegetable gardens and experiment with alternative techniques such as aquaponics. We employ 21 people across these three organizations and we have been operating for about 8 years now.