Silk Road highlights tour

Planet

Buildings/ Energy/Water-Approximately 50% of the time on this trip is spent camping, often out in the bush, rather than on designated camp sites, as these are not a common feature in many of the countries we visit. The rest of the time is spent in simple hotels/guest houses. As with all our tours we try to choose small, locally run hotels rather than international chains in order to support local communities more directly.
Camping obviously involves minimal use of electricity and if we're out in the bush we can only use the water that we carry-no chance to leave taps running, the air conditioning or heating or lights on! Filling up and carrying jerry cans of water helps concentrate the mind on how much water you consume!

Waste: at the point of booking a tour with us, all our travellers receive detailed pre-departure information which contains a large section on travelling responsibly. This includes advice on minimising the amount of waste they create on the trip. This informs travellers on what they can do before they go, for example removing toiletries from unnecessary packaging and taking a reusable water bottle and gives advice on what they should do whilst on the tour, for example, disposing of litter appropriately.

All of this information on waste reduction is re-iterated at the pre-departure meeting at the start of the tour, with specific advice for the areas we visit on the tour. As a company we have a big commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling in our UK office. We are very aware of the environmental impact of our office in the UK, so we recycle and compost as much of our waste as possible. We try to reduce paper usage, but when necessary we use recycled paper and stationery. Our brochure is available to view or download online and the paper version is printed on stock produced from sustainable sources and vegetable based inks.

As responsible travelers, we recognize the need to reduce our plastic consumption and provide sustainable alternatives to our customers. That's why we've partnered with Water to Go to offer a fantastic solution.

Water to Go is a company on a mission to tackle the issue of plastic pollution by providing travelers with reusable filter bottles. These bottles are not your average water containers. They are designed with advanced filtration technology that allows you to safely refill your bottle from natural water sources, taps, and even in places where tap water is not typically considered safe to drink.

People

Friends and Neighbours: On all of our trips we try to ensure that as much of the trip costs as possible are spent locally and at a grass roots level-helping to sustain local communities. On this trip for example, in Kazakhstan we organise horse riding with the local community in Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve. There are very little other employment options for the community here so this helps them sustain their traditional way of life. We generally do most of our food shopping in local markets and encourage visits to local restaurants and craft centres.

Travelling with Respect: In our detailed pre-departure information travellers are advised on travelling with respect and what they can do before they travel, to help achieve this and what they can do while they are travelling. We recommend for example, that they learn some of the local languages before they travel, to help them interact with the local people and read up on the area’s history and culture; that they do not take photos of local people without asking for permission first and are respectful in terms of their behaviour and dress during their trip.