Panama tailor made holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

This tour in particular aims to showcase as much of Panama as possible with the least amount of travelling. The distance travelled in the whole trip is less that 100 miles however takes in three areas of Panama which give a fantastic overview of the country with absolute minimal emissions.

On booking we discuss the various options to ensure where possible guests are aware of airlines with a commitment to using sustainable aviation fuel, for Panama this would usually constitute One World Alliance partners.

Our ground handler is “Travelife Sustainability in Tourism” accredited to an international standard and is part of LATA which has stringent requirement for qualification ensuring that their practices and policies reflect our own requirements. This extends beyond their promise to deliver low carbon impact trips but also includes their input and education of local businesses, properties and projects to help them also improve their own practices.


ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

We aim to have as little impact on the surrounding area as possible, in addition we support a number of NGO’s to not only preserve but reinstate local wildlife environments. The Reef2Reef Foundation Panama is a local NGO on the Caribbean Coast of Panama whose purpose is to restore coral off the coast. They have various projects, one of which is to begin planting Staghorn corals on structures to kickstart the development of a healthy coral reef. In the future they can begin to work with land based coral restoration organizations by producing 'plates' with pre-seeded coral larvae. These 'plates' can be attached onto the reefs for an efficient, effective and faster restoration process. Our guests have the option to get involved with such projects as part of their trip.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Everything we do on our tours is with the undertone of supporting the local economy as much as possible. The majority of our guides bar a couple are local from Panama which not long supports the local area but provides a more authentic experience for our guests who will learn so much more about Panama.

We avoid using any chain or international hotels wherever possible, going for locally owned boutique hotels, including in Panama City, for instance staying in locally owned smaller hotels in Panama Viejo rather than high rise multi national hotels in the city. On our tours we include small eateries and restaurants, and the vast majority of this trip includes visits to local markets and artisanal areas. The stay in the Caribbean includes a stay on a small island where indigenous communities live, allowing for interaction with then as well as direct investment back into their communities.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

All of our guides work a maximum of 40 hours per week and have a salary above minimum wage. Many have worked with us for up to 20 years with full training and opportunities to progress and develop within the company should they wish.