Our passion for delivering unsurpassed travel experiences is as strong as it is for promoting and protecting the communities and destinations we bring travellers to. Peru and Bolivia are spectacularly diverse countries, culturally and geographically. Both countries have delicate and endangered ecosystems and indigenous populations which we are proud to show our visitors for generations to come. In order to accomplish this, we need to ensure our impacts are minimized to ensure sustainability.
We call this conscious travel. We call this sustainable travel. We call this responsible travel. Responsible Travel Peru is at the core of our ethos.
SOCIAL GOOD
There are numerous community-run projects which offer authentic and fulfilling travel experiences whilst promoting local entrepreneurship and the preservation of traditional lifestyles. Please find below some of the projects which we encourage our guests to visit and which we promote and include within our itineraries.
Tierra de los Yachaqs (Cusco – Sacred Valley Area)
We organise visits to local communities through the likes of community-based tourism initiative Tierra de los Yachaqs. Working with eight communities in the Sacred Valley, this organization’s mission is to preserve the history and traditions of local people whilst enabling them to support their economy with responsible, authentic and high-quality tourism. Read our account of the visits in the following blog articles: La Tierra de los Yachaqs: Community based tourism in Peru’s Sacred Valley and Tierra de los Yachaqs: An Afternoon with the Weavers of Amaru Community in Cusco.
Homestays: Luquina Chico (Lake Titicaca Area)
The community based tourism project at Luquina Chico, a small village on the Chucuito Peninsula, provides homestays on Lake Titicaca. It offers not only an authentic look into the lives of indigenous Aymara speaking Peruvians, but the proceeds from this well-managed initiative go directly towards alleviating poverty in the region and supporting the community financially. You can read about Marisol Mosquera’s visit to the community and low impact trips to Peru in the following blog post: Luquina Chico – Community Based Tourism on Lake Titicaca tours.
Centre for Traditional Textiles (Cusco – Sacred Valley)
Our guests often visit the Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco, an organisation that works devotedly to retaining the heritage of local weaving traditions while offering a quality product which makes for an excellent local souvenir. We provide all our guests with a recommended shopping list as part of all the tailored low impact trips to Peru, Bolivia and the Galapagos we offer, contributing to the welfare of local communities and improving their quality of life.
Kusi Kawsay (Cusco – Sacred Valley Area)
Located in the Urubamba Valley, Kusi Kawsay, which means “happy life” in the native language of Quechua, values the traditional culture of native communities and is dedicated to uniting every aspect of the education of local children with essential aspects of their daily lives. Inspired by the Waldorf school pedagogy, Kusi Kawsay incorporates art, dance, traditional textile weaving and music as well as Quechua into the curriculum, bonding education with students’ cultural identities in an effort to promote high self-esteem. Our guests have the chance to visit the school and learn about this educational initiative from one of the founding parents of the school during an afternoon or morning in Pisac. Read about our visits to the school: The Latest from Kusi Kawsay School in the Urubamba Valley.