Sustainable Travel Peru: Being a Responsible Tourist
Sustainable travel is the idea of traveling in a way that leaves the place you visit in a similar or better condition than it was. This means not taking the stone you found at Machu Picchu as a souvenir and making sure that you take all of your litter with you from Lake Titicaca.
There are many different levels to sustainable travel, from personal changes every tourist can make to company-led community involvement, such as Queuña Raymi, a tree-planting festival in the highlands.
Sustainable travel, responsible tourism, and regenerative travel are important as it means that special and historic areas remain intact for local people and for tourists to enjoy for years to come.
The best and easiest way to ensure that you are traveling responsibly is to plan your holiday with a company that has already committed to sustainability in one or several of its many forms.
How Can I Travel More Sustainably?
If you are looking to make a personal difference, bringing a refillable water bottle and staying in a hotel that offers free drinking water quickly and easily cuts down on disposable plastic waste. Ensure that you take all your litter with you and shop locally, trying the locally-owned restaurants and markets. Not only is this a great way to be a responsible traveler, but it also helps you to discover an authentic Peru.
An authentic Peru is found not so far behind the tour groups. At Amazonas Explorer, we don’t believe that sightseeing is truly enough to experience the best of what Peru has to offer. We have gone to considerable effort to ensure that our Adventure Travel packages are sustainable, as well as ensuring that your travel to Peru is as safe as possible, we also offer advice for you to find the safest Peruvian Tour Company for you.
Check out: Our Treks into Machu Picchu! The best way to avoid the crowds, with fixed departure reduced price available!
Is It Easy to Travel Sustainably in Peru?
In short, not always. Many companies oversell tours in order to maximize profits with little regard to the comfort of their passengers or concern for the environment and communities. Because of this, it is very important that you carefully select which company you choose to experience Peru with.
In order to avoid the crowded buses and tours that don’t care, try a private or bespoke tour with a company that is already committed to sustainable travel in Peru. This style of traveling has become even more necessary while facing tourism post-covid. (Check out the current Covid situation in Peru here).
What Does it Mean to be a Responsible Tourist?
When you think of sustainability most people’s minds leap to environmental concerns, but being a responsible tourist is much more than protecting the land. Peru is more than the incredible history that comes with it.
Responsible tourism means providing consistent and genuine help to some of the most vulnerable indigenous communities in Peru, known as community involvement. Particularly in the time of COVID, we all have to make a commitment to help the porters that have been most affected, and those who help you to experience both the Inca Trail and alternatives.
Check out: Our Treks into Machu Picchu! The best way to avoid the crowds, with fixed departure reduced price available!
Community involvement is one of the best ways to ensure that Peru remains accessible for all, including its citizens. It can include collaboration with NGO charities, employment of local people in fairly paid jobs, or providing education for children.
Sustainable travel can sometimes be complicated, but it’s not a reason to become stressed while planning your trip. The most effective, and the easiest way to ensure real benefits to Peruvian communities is by traveling with a company committed to responsible tourism and local involvement.
Once you start taking these steps to sustainability, you can enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru differently, knowing the positive impact you’ll leave behind on your holiday. Whether it’s a trip through Southern Peru or a biking adventure in Cusco, you’ll have a beautiful adventure and know you’re leaving the country just a little better than how you found it.
Between the tourism industry, travelers, and the local community, we can all share in amazing adventures that support and keep our community safe for generations to come, even in the post-COVID era.
At Amazonas Explorer, we are proud to be a member of the B-Corps, and we are extremely proud of the steps that we have taken to ensure a better future for Peru and its citizens. If you are ready to start planning your trip to Peru, contact us or check out our recommended adventures for ideas, adventures, and updates.
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