Panama and Costa Rica sabbatical holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Flying is kept to a minimum with just one local flight. The rest of the travel is overland. We engage very much with local, unobtrusive activities such as nature walks, rafting, and surfing.

Stay in top level ‘sense of place’ accommodation with strong eco-credentials and top ratings in Costa Rica’s Certification of Sustainable Tourism.

Local organic food can be enjoyed throughout, and even in the most remote places, such as Tranquilo Bay, the raw materials are brought in from within Panama in the largest quantity feasible so that they can make as much of their food on site as possible.

The properties are consciously aware of waste management and have suitable practices in place. For example, at Tranquilo Bay, Selva Bananito and Lagarta Lodge, the kitchen and garden waste are composted or fed to the local animals.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

At Selva Bananito, guests have the opportunity to volunteer and get hands on in one of a number of conservation activities, from reforestation to the monitoring of camera trap surveillance.

Selva Bananito was constructed using over 80% of precious woods obtained from waste woods or salvaged woods. Water is heated using solar energy, soaps are biodegradable, and water is purified. Rather than building the cabins closer to, or in the rain forest, they were purposefully erected in an area which had already been altered by human activity. The number of visitors that enter the Preserve are within strict limits at any given time.

Entrance fees to parks and nature reserves help fund the environmental protection of these wildlife-rich and biodiverse countries.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

The majority of the properties on this trip are small locally owned hotels, some family-owned such as Finca Lerida, where local farmers work the land. There is also an overnight camping experience included in the jungle.

We try to include visits to off the beaten track places to help reduce the pressure on heavily touristed areas, and which in turn helps to distribute tourism revenue more evenly.

At Lagarta Lodge, a percentage of the room rates goes toward projects that promote education and conservation as well as supporting the local community.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

On this trip we use local guides throughout. At Tranquilo Bay for example, those employees who are not from within a short boat ride's distance live onsite. Those that do not live onsite boat pool to work.

At Selva Bananito, all employees are from nearby communities and the bilingual guides are from rural areas in the Province of Limón. The property regularly supports local schools and communal activities.

A % of the profit from all trips to Panama and Costa Rica contributes to an annual donation to a local Charity.