Costa Rica & Nicaragua holiday, tailor made

Planet

General

In combining these two Central American countries we have ensured that all travel is overland and much of the travel is to lesser visited spots providing much needed support to some of the remoter communities in the region. We use local guides who are proud of their environment and who are able to answer questions and provide knowledge on sustainable practices and eco-tourism developments. We always suggest and recommend using local restaurants and vendors. Our partners in both countries are forerunners in sustainable and ethical practices and we have worked with them to find small eco- lodges and hotels that use local staff and suppliers.


Environment:

Costa Rica is the birthplace of ecotourism and as such is also the place where this activity has achieved the highest level of success with responsible environmental policies being held by most hotels and tourist businesses

Environment
Advising travellers to reduce impact: In every welcome packet that we give to our clients, we put out brochures with environmental information.

For our tours, our guides after every journey bring a bag with all the recycling to the nearest hotel that has a recycling plan and recycling disposals.

Office practice
Internally we encourage reusing, recycling and generally doing its best to reduce the overall impact our operation has on the environment.

Our local partners participates in the Certification in Sustainable Tourism (CST) program which rates businesses on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management. Starting this in 2009 our partners have achieved a 3 leaf score for CST
They are also Rainforest Alliance verified

In Nicaragua our partners were one of the first companies in the region to achieve Travelife Partner status, and they continue to work hard to remove single-use plastics from all of experiences. . They support a variety of innovative local projects which aim to give something back to communities and regenerate the incredible nature which surrounds us.

People

Community:

In Costa Rica and Nicaragua

We employ local drivers and local guides from National Parks - we do not use British tour leaders.
Our guides purchase clients groceries from local vendors and our clients are encouraged to visit local markets and shops and to use local products and buy souvenirs from ethical sources.
We use accommodations that are also certificated with the Certification for Sustainable Tourism so we guarantee they have same standards and policies.

Family run restaurants and businesses are included in client itineraries

Our local partners actively supports a variety of philanthropic projects including supporting local schools, running its own reforestation project, encouraging and financing small local business ventures as well as other well known programmes run by local foundations.

An example is the Timbirina Social Projection: Since 1999 TRC has had a local environmental education program with the purpose of encouraging the local community to appreciate the value of natural resources as a way to improve their quality of life.

The educational activities address various topics regarding ecology and forest conservation, like the importance of incorporating sustainable practices into everyday life. The program focuses on inquiry learning where the student discovers and enjoys at the same time, which has proven to be most effective for children. Because of the significance of this program, our guides explain to every visitor why their visit to Tirimbina is important.

Accommodation

Sueno Rio Celeste is a small , non-smoking, eco-lodge build on 3 acres of partially reforested property with trails for nature

Cano Negro Lodge has achieved a 3 green leaf status which is one of the highest for environmental practices and Costa Rica’s bench marking system for sustainability.

Caño Negro Natural Lodge is working together with the Caño Negro community and the surrounding areas to preserve the regions natural beauty and resources by teaming together and creating projects with small associations in the community. For example, we have come together with AMSA, which is a group of local women that create pieces of jewellery using the wood and seeds from trees in the region. These are on sale at the hotel and proceeds go towards helping them add additional income for their homes.

TOTOCO Eco-Lodge is a small-scale eco-tourism venture with a desire to contribute actively to the sustainable development of the local community and environment. While the Eco-Lodge focuses on providing high quality guest service and various activities, the TOTOCO Foundation and TOTOCO Farm develop projects that support our neighbours in the surrounding communities in working towards a more sustainable future.

As well as providing exclusive accommodation and creative cuisine, TOTOCO promotes the sustainable development of tourism on Ometepe by involving itself in community based projects that focus on the environment, culture, health, education, and the local economy. We believe that responsible and sustainable tourism is only possible when businesses take into consideration not only commercial ambitions, but also the local environment and the local people
.
As such, TOTOCO Eco-lodge hosts and supports two non-profit organizations:
THE FARM - dedicated to sustainable land-management through the promotion and application of the principles of permaculture.
THE FOUNDATION - dedicated to the empowerment of local people who are motivated to realize community based projects.