Colombia small group tour, Colombian odyssey

Planet

We ensure our guides are mindful about protecting the environment in which you travel, and emphasise its importance through our choice of hotels:

On the 6th and 7th days of the itinerary, you will stay at Hotel Akawanda, San Augustin, which has excellent eco-credentials – running an eco-trail round its grounds, a small organic orchard and vegetable garden, which it uses to feed its guests; thus, reducing carbon emissions produced by importing food in.

On the 19th and 20th days, you will stay in Ecohabs in Tayrona National Park. Nestled in the heart of the national park, they are built of their surroundings natural materials – native wood and palm leaves. They also encourage low emission activities like bird watching, trekking and walking along the park’s beaches; which we partake in on the trip’s 20th day; walking to Arrecifies to admire the park’s impressive scenery and bird species.

We strongly advise all travelers to bring a reusable water bottle and is detailed in our ‘What to bring’ trip notes for all trips to all destinations. Your guide will remind you where and when you can fill up your re-usable water bottle. We also ask that you be vigilant about disposing of your waste and to do your best to recycle where possible. During your trip you will be asked if you have any waste to dispose of when it is a suitable time in the itinerary. This ensures we make it as easy as possible for our travelers to be eco-friendly whilst traveling.

People

We do our best to ensure that the benefits of our tours reach as widely as possible into the communities where they operate. Our first preference is to always use local drivers, assistants, guides as well as locally-owned lodges, shops and eateries; all of which use local produce and supplies. Our belief is that all operational costs should go directly into the local economy wherever possible. Improving employment opportunities in remote regions is a powerful tool in tourism and something that goes right to the heart of our responsible travel ethos.

As regular travelers, one thing that never ceases to amaze and inspire us is the kindness and generosity of local people, often people who have very little to their name. We firmly believe that they are what make these places special and that should benefit from our visit. Therefore, we deemed it paramount that particular support be given to the social transformation project in Medellín. On the 14th day of the tour you visit the areas of Medellín that best represent the social transformation that has taken place in the city over the last 20 years. In the 1980s and '90s, Medellín was one of the most dangerous cities in the world, with the notorious drug lord, Pablo Escobar, and his Medellín Cartel operating at their peak. Since his death, the government has invested heavily in infrastructure and public education; particularly in the stairway community of Comuna 13, where they renovated a public garden space to create a colourful allotment.
This 18-day trip is designed to give a certain priority to Colombia's diverse rural, indigenous communities. In Popayán, we take clients to the Guambiano market to engage in local fair trade, and to support the market financially by investing in purchases.
We also try to support fair trade principles. We share the experience of small coffee growers at La Hacienda Pereira on day 12.