Chile and Argentina tour

Planet

In order to ensure we protect the environment and minimise our ecological footprint we have a recycling system in our UK office and use recycled ink cartridges. We also minimise our waste by limiting the number of vacation brochures we print. Instead, we refer customers to our online resources and send most of our vacation information via email.

We always recommend overland travel using local transportation as opposed to short domestic flights where possible, however due to the vast distances covered during this trip flying is unavoidable. To put it into perspective the bus journey from Buenos Aires to El Calafate takes at least 2 days. We always recommend extending your time in one or two locations rather than flying to many destinations in Argentina and Chile, by offering suggestions for extra tours and other day trips which may be of interest.

For tours, especially longer tours such as the day trip to Torres del Paine, we use tourist buses rather than private transfers. This enables us to limit our environmental footprint, whilst still allowing visitors to travel around and explore the area.

We include national park entrance fees in all of our vacations. This money goes directly towards protecting and sustaining the parks. We follow the strict rules and regulations put into place by the national parks authorities, and our local guides passionately respect these and encourage visitors to do so as well. Our guides also encourage visitors to carry re-usable water bottles and to take their litter with them to dispose of in the nearby town, to ensure waste is not left in the national park.

We also work with the Cumbres Puerto Varas hotel, which has a mission to raise awareness of environmental issues and aims to be a greener alternative. This mission includes using more environmentally friendly cleaning products, educating employees about recycling, and using switching to energy efficient light fixtures and computers.

People

In order to ensure we have a positive impact on local economies and provide socially responsible vacations we only use local suppliers, which helps keep the money generated through tourism within local communities through employment of local guides, drivers and reps.

We only use tour operators with similar ethical beliefs, for example, all of our local guides in Patagonia are fully qualified and passionate about promoting environmentally responsible travel.

We offer a range of cultural activities aimed at supporting local economies and preserving local cultures, including: trips to family-owned gaucho ranches in Argentina. We also, where possible, use hotels with interesting historical significance, such as the Estancia 440 hotel in Puerto Varas, which is located within a traditional 1940's German wood house. We do this in order to help preserve the history and cultures of our destinations.

We always recommend locally-owned restaurants and hotels where possible, aiming to support local communities and give tourists the opportunity to ‘travel like a local’. We also provide customers with a list of recommended restaurants tailor-made to their destination and dietary requirements but with a focus on family-run restaurants.

We are a member of Sustainable Travel International, a leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting awareness, appreciation and respect for local people and the environment through education and outreach programmes.