We are CSR-certified!
TourCert is a non-profit certification company that awards the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) seal for sustainability and corporate responsibility in tourism. The assessment considers ecological, economic and social standards and includes the entire value chain from tour operators to on-site providers. Compliance with the criteria is evaluated by independent, external assessors.
We were the first inbound agency in South America to receive the quality “TourCert Check” seal in 2014 and have since been recertified in 2016, 2019 and 2022 with a new seal for Latin America “TourCert Latina”, which we are proud to carry until 2025.
We are a member of the TourCert Community: Click here!
With the TourCert Label we have committed ourselves to continuously improve environmental protection, working conditions, customer information, human rights and fair business practices. Our sustainability management has been developed according to the TourCert certification standard, it was assessed by an independent auditor and approved by an expert commission. We are in constant dialogue with our suppliers and our travel offers are planned and developed based on ecological and social criteria. We are committed to ensure fair payment of our and our partner´s employees and to keep resource consumption and ecological impacts of our travel offers as low as possible.
More information on TourCert can be found here: www.tourcert.org
As a licensed Inca Trail operator in Peru, we have a special responsibility towards the local community and improve the local working conditions. This is why we are meticulously making sure that our carriers are provided with the proper equipment, receive fair remuneration, respect the maximum carry times, provide professional development as well as many other extras such as comfortable running shoes, support belts, and work uniforms. We are proud of the long-lasting relationships we have developed in Peru with our local partners.
Together with our HAKUNA MATATA Amazon Lodge, we are supporting a selection of local projects in Santa Barbara, a small indigenous community of 120 inhabitants in the Ecuadorian rain forest. We are cultivating a very close relationship with this community and integrate the project into many of our tours where visitors get to take part in the day to day life of the community. The highlight of the community visit is a typical rainforest buffet which is shared between the guests and the local people. The community takes part in these activities wholeheartedly and receives 100% of the profits.
Code of Ethics – 12 Virtues of Travelling
The “Code of Ethics,” which was first established in 1975 by the “Christian Conference of Asia” and later confirmed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) is applied widely and describes the expected behavior of travelers in 12 points:
1- Travel in a spirit of humility and with a genuine desire to learn more about the people of your host country.
2- Be aware of the feelings of other people, preventing what might be offensive behaviour on your part. This applies very much to photography.
3- Cultivate the habit of listening and observing, rather than merely hearing and seeing.
4- Realize that often the people in the country you visit have time concepts and thought patterns different from your own; this does not make them inferior, only different.
5- Instead of looking for that “beach paradise”, discover the enrichment of seeing a different way of life through others’ eyes.
6- Acquaint yourself with local customs – people will be happy to help you.
7- Instead of the Western practice of knowing all the answers, cultivate the habit of listening.
8- Remember that you are only one of the thousands of tourists visiting this country and so do not expect special privileges.
9- If you really want your experience to be “a home away from home”, it is foolish to waste money on traveling.
10- When you are shopping, remember that the “bargain” you obtained was only possible because of the low wages paid to the maker.
11- Do not make promises to people in your host country unless you are certain you can carry them through.
12- Spend time reflecting on your daily experiences in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that what enriches you may rob and violate others.