Costa Rica Wildlife tour, tailor made

Planet

Costa Rica is the birthplace of ecotourism and as such is also the place where this activity has achieved the highest level or success with responsible environmental policies being held by most hotels and tourist businesses.

Renewable Energy: Costa Rica has generated 98.53% of its electricity from renewable sources over the past four years. They have done this by using rivers, volcanoes, wind and solar power to generate electricity. All the accommodation on the trip uses renewable sources to generate electricity.

Reduction of single use plastic: We strive towards single use plastic and do this in Costa Rica through a campaign called Dona Tapa that recycles plastic to make beaches more accessible for wheelchair users. 1% of our sales supports the non-profit association Costa Rica Accessibility Network, which created the project Dona Tapa. But overall, Costa Rica’s government and industry is implementing the reduction of single use plastic and correcting the recycling procedures to benefit the environment and wildlife.
All guests upon arrival in Costa Rica are given a glass reusable bottle for their trip. Transport during the trip with have big water containers in which guests can refill their bottles. Guests can also refill bottles in hotels. If a guest does purchase a plastic bottle then we ask them to donate it to the Dona Tapa campaign.

Locally grown food: In Costa Rica, being sustainable is not an option; it is a way of life. Therefore, all of the accommodations that we use have sustainable green policies, meaning they have to buy food from local people or some places even have their own farms.

Wildlife Conservation: We know our wildlife very well and we are committed to conserving it and encourage guests to follow our lead. Every trip starts with a welcoming brief where your guide will sit down with you to explain the itinerary and map, gives you some general information on each location and gives tips regarding the importance of the wildlife. As well as this guests will be given a leaflet that includes the tip of Green Travel around Costa Rica including the wildlife issues, how to avoid causing any harm or disturbance to animals and overall how to be a responsible traveler.

The turtle conservation project is focused on protecting the turtles more than being a tourist attraction. They protect the nests in the sand where the turtle laid the eggs from predators and when they hatch they just leave the hatchlings to go free (no tanks are used). The turtle conservation project simply protects the eggs from predators, including humans.

Water Conservation: We show an understanding as to why water is too precious to waste, and when it rains, we savour every drop. During the welcome brief the guide will talk to guests about the importance of saving water. Additionally, the accommodations we visit apply conservation and sustainable policies so that in each bathroom guests will find signs of save water.

Reducing energy: We reduce our energy as much as possible and find local renewable energy sources for alternatives. All of our accommodations have sustainable green policies which do include the reduction on consumption of energy. For example they use, low consumption light bulbs and also use movement detectors to turn lights on and off when necessary. Additionally, we have practices to maximise natural energy. For example, in the office we leave doors and windows open, and paint the walls in bright colours to make the most of the natural light energy.

Waste: We believe in preserving our environment and leaving a national park or beach as we found it, therefore, we keep the land, sea and waterways free from rubbish and pollution.

Transport emissions: We recommend low carbon transport and make the journey as stimulating and sustainable as possible. Additionally, we doing walking tours, boat tours and even white water rafting, which decreases the use of a vehicle during some days.
Certificate in Sustainable Tourism (CST): We participate in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program which rates businesses on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management. Additionally, we only use accommodations that are also certificated by the Certification for Sustainable Tourism, so we guarantee they have the same standards and principals.

People

Supporting the local area: We are very familiar with the area and can therefore advise clients to buy souvenirs or food in local areas and neighbourhoods, spreading the tourism income further. Additionally, we build, restore and equip using locally sourced materials and in the style that tells the cultural and geological story of the landscape, providing the clients with education of the local area.

Local projects and charity work: We support local projects like Niagara College, who come and visit Costa Rica with their student groups every year. Additionally, we help schools in Sarapiqui by creating greenhouses. This helps the local children in having farm to table meals and to learn about crops and the farming industry. Additionally, we support Comedor Infantil Redes de Alianza, which is a non-profit organisation that provides everyday meals to children.

Positive attitude between community and tourists: We aim to create good relationships between tours and the local community by spreading a positive message that helps benefit all. As well as being able to recognise and address local issues and actively campaigning to resolve them.

Locally employed guides: We use guides specialised on each specific niche. If a guest wants to do some birdwatching then we will arrange a local guide that specializes on bird watching to give them the best experience. Not only does this help spread revenue to the local community of guides, but they know their parks and secret spots, so will be able to provide the best experience for the guests.

School Visit: The visit to the school will take place during the term time and will last approximately 1 hour to prevent too much disruption. There is a range of activities that you can do when visiting the school; including working with the children in the greenhouse, arts and crafts painting afternoons, football games, or you can participate in an English lessons. All of which encourages the international exchange of education and knowledge. The teachers pre-arrange what class will interact with the tourists each time and we only visit the school 3 or 4 times a year, therefore not disrupting class time too much. You will be accompanied by a guide at all times whilst at the school. If you want to give gifts or donations to the school, we would like to approve them prior to your travel because ideally we want the school get receive thing that will be useful to the school.