Caucasus guided discovery tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This tour encompasses the three countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. To travel between the countries, we do not fly and avoid internal flights, although this is the quickest option. We cross the land borders as part of the tour, reducing our carbon footprint.

Wherever possible we use environmentally friendly local accommodation. If this is not possible we make every effort to alert the management of the accommodation in question to ways of improving their service with the environment in mind. Many of the hotels and lodges we use are in extremely remote areas and are therefore almost entirely self-sufficient, using local sources of food, labour and construction materials.

If meals are included on the tour, we use local restaurants within the towns and villages that we stop to eat at. All food is locally sourced at these smaller restaurants, and often include meals at family-run guesthouses. Vegetarian and vegan options are always available and we advise our local suppliers in advance to ensure that locally-sourced product is available for our guests.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

On this tour we spend time in the Caucasus Mountains, a stunning area of incredible scenery and unusual wildlife. We ensure that we stick to the trails at all times; the flora here can easily be damaged by going off track. By employing local guides here we contribute to the local economies of the villages in the region, thus helping to reinforce the idea that Georgia's natural heritage has value and is worth preserving.

Our guides will brief travellers on appropriate behaviour, both cultural and environmental, and when in the mountains we make a point of ensuring that we leave no permanent traces of our stay behind, taking all rubbish with us. We work with our local suppliers to highlight best practice in terms of environmental issues. This is an area that is perhaps not as fully appreciated in Georgia and Armenia as it is in other European countries, with environmental thinking a relatively new concept, however we endeavour to work without local partners to ensure that hotels and other service providers adopt more environmentally friendly ways of operating.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

We visit a number of important historical sites on this tour. The entrance fees that we pay at these sites helps fund their preservation and ensure that this aspect of the region’s cultural heritage remains for others to enjoy in years to come – particularly important in a country where finding resources for this can be difficult. In addition to this some of these sites contain ancient and fragile religious frescoes that are very susceptible to damage. We make a point of advising our travellers not to touch these valuable paintings to ensure that they remain as they are.

Our philosophy is to only use small and locally owned suppliers, meaning that the income remains within the country and creates a real economic contribution. We also feel that the passion inherent within such suppliers means that your experience will be enhanced. We also try to engage with our suppliers on an equal basis – getting the lowest possible price usually isn’t the best outcome for local communities and is ultimately unsustainable. We aim to always treat our suppliers fairly and with respect; they are after all part of the key to our success and to us working together is much more than just a business arrangement, but an ongoing relationship that we aim to ensure truly benefits everyone involved.

We only employ local staff and unlike many operators we believe that to send a foreign Tour Leader along to accompany your trip is an unnecessary burden on your wallet and our carbon footprint. We believe that locals know best. Our local operators only use locally owned accommodation. This means your money stays in the area to benefit the local community. When possible we use local transport, (i.e. rail or bus) and we always use local restaurants, markets and shops and encourage our clients to interact both financially and socially with the communities that they are passing through. In doing this your travels are supporting and encouraging the development of local services. As well as our local guides and tour leaders, we employ guides from the communities and regions that we visit, ensuring that the benefits from tourism are more fairly shared and do not end up always being funnelled towards the capital cities.

We only work with operators who are as committed as we are to putting something back into the communities we visit. This may include giving a percentage of the profits from each tour to a foundation to help street children or local conservation projects.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

We do not send a guide or tour leader from the UK or our company, but instead use local guides who are from the area and country we operate in. We believe the best way to be shown a country is by those who live there, and work with many local guides in different cities and towns so our clients get the best experience and knowledge possible.