COLCA TREK admits that its operation runs through
an environment, a culture and communities that
are fragile and sensitive of being impacted. Organizing
tours through Peru and some of its most spectacular
remote areas gives us the opportunity to show
this country with pride but basically implies
the high responsibility of being culturally sensitive
and reducing the negative impacts on the environment.
Responsible Tourism is a key point in our corporate
philosophy. We have developed a Responsible Tourism
Policy, which we try to respect as much as possible.
Our teams have been trained and are aware of its
relevance to our culture and environment. Thus,
it has also become a key feature in our team's
attitude, which you will realize whenever you
travel with us.
Responsible Tourism is about providing a strong
commitment to communities and environment, to
ensure we have a durable positive effect. It is
about "giving something back". Our Responsible
Tourism practices run at three levels:
We are a Peruvian company, that employs
exclusively professional Peruvian people,
promoting therefore local industry development
and local people's growth.
COLCA TREK Adventure Tour Operator is an
Authorized Travel Agency and Tour Operator
(Peruvian Ministry of Industry and Tourism).
COLCA TREK is also an Officially Licensed
Salinas Operator by the Administration of
the Nathional Reserve, which regulates all
access to this protected area.
COLCA TREK pays taxes to the Peruvian government
in a regular basis, this means we help to
develop the Peruvian economy, to improve local
infrastructure and to reduce the country's
heavy external debt. This is unfortunately
not a usual practice among most agencies and
businesses in the country, which take advantage
of the still weak tax control system and find
out ways to avoid declaring their revenues
therefore they do not pay taxes. This allows
these irregular businesses to sell at a lower
price, also damaging the market and the proper,
serious and legally operating businesses.
All our employees are regularly paid professional
wages: guides, cooks, porters and horsemen
are paid on a weekly basis while our office
staff is paid on a monthly basis. COLCA TREK
does not exploit its employees and does not
abuse through delayed wage or low salary payments,
which is a very usual practice among most
agencies, besides employing humble people
with few means. If you visit us or travel
with us, please do not hesitate to ask to
any of our staff to verify that this is true.
Moreover, all direct employees are registered
with the company and receive health insurance
as part of their employment benefits.
COLCA TREK offers one of the best-recognized
treatments to its team of porters: Our excellent
porter treatment has been widely recognized
by the porter community itself and by our
clients, and has become one of the main reasons
why socially conscious Inca Trail visitors
wish to travel with us. The same treatment
applies to our horsemen in all treks operated
with pack of animals at the Colca Canyon.
COLCA TREK staff training. Our guides have
been trained in first aid and rescue and are
regularly updated through seminars and courses
in their respective fields. In addition, COLCA
TREK regularly provides seminars and courses
to its team, covering various topics such
as flora and ornithology in the Colca canyon,
among others. On the other hand, all our staff
participates in the development of our Responsible
Tourism Policy through their constant inputs,
they have shared the outcome and regularly
operate following it as much as possible.
Our training also extends to our chefs, porters
and wranglers. Our chefs and assistant chefs
follow specific tailor-made courses every
year to ensure we maintain our superior quality
menu.
Concerning our porters and wranglers, they
receive trainings every year, with a focus
on each person's specialized role: tent setting,
vaiselle cleaning and hygiene, waiter, environment
responsible / residues, among others. All
COLCA TREK expeditions are operated by COLCA
TREK: we do not share operations with other
agencies, neither totally or partially. We
are a licensed operator, who ensures you a
high standard of quality in all our treks
and programs. Unfortunately, we would not
be able to guarantee the same level of service
if we shared services with another tour operator.
This means all our treks are operated only
by us, so any client having booked with us
is sure to be operated by COLCA TREK and not
any other third party.
SOCIAL COMMITMENT:
Our goal is to be an actual help to the local
communities we work with, providing income and
helping to develop them in a natural way, to
provide positive cultural exchanges and to operate
in such a way that we not only try to maintain,
but also to improve the environment.
COLCA TREK helps Andean communities through
some of its programs and actions, our Social
Commitment Programs are mainly focused towards
helping the people and communities we work with.
COLCA TREK's most important Social Commitment
actions are the following :
Our Library Project
COLCA TREK invites all of its clients to support
our neighboring communities through the donation
of BOOKS and other study materials that might
be of no further use for them. We gather all
this material and organize donations to communities
every three or four months.
Alternatively, the donations can be organized
to be a part of the activities in a program,
so that our clients can live this experience
of social help by themselves.
Our Clothes Bank
Project
COLCA TREK invites all of its clients to support
our neighboring communities through the donation
of clothes and other materials that might be
of no further use for them. We gather all this
material and organize donations to communities
every three or four months. Alternatively, the
donations can be organized to be a part of the
activities in a program, so that our clients
can live this social help experience by themselves.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT
COLCA TREK is fully aware that the areas in
which it operates, are natural protected areas,
therefore we comply with the corresponding Law
of Natural Protected Areas #26834 (published
July 04, 1997), as well with the Law of Conservation
and Sustainable Profit of the Biological Diversity
#26839 (published July 16, 1997).
All our operations, campsites and activities
try their best to avoid aggressions and harm
to these natural protected areas and its bio-diversity.
Our Environmental Management Policy and Commitment
considers running our operations in a responsible
way, according to the following:
Selective disposal of garbage (organic &
inorganic)
Garbage withdrawal of Natural Protected Areas
Use of flush toilets built along the Colca
canyon or different communities and villages.
Otherwise, we provide toilet tents. All garbage
is disposed outside of the Natural Protected
Areas
Avoid fires – no smoking allowed inside
the tents
Use of bowls for washing purposes to avoid
throwing the soap over the floor or natural
water spring
Avoid disturbing animals
No animal hunting allowed
Preservation of the flora, orchid taking
is not allowed
Walking over the ruins, walls or archaeological
sites is absolutely forbidden
Avoid tipping, giving candies or others to
local community children or adults in order
not to impact their lifestyle.
COLCA TREK CLEAN-UP
Colca trek operates and finances a yearly Colca
Canyon Clean-Up which usually takes place in
the month of October. During 2 days, COLCA TREK
staff and volunteers get together to clean a
specific are in the Colca canyon.