Let’s Travel Sustainably, Together.
What Does it Mean to be a
Sustainable Tourism Company?
At Costa Rica Trails, we believe that sustainability is a practice. It’s something we intentionally strive to do and act on, every day.
Below, this is how we choose to practice sustainable tourism.
We Support Our
Communities.
It’s simple. We take care of our providers and partners. We strive to keep the supply chain as local as possible. Because we know if our community thrives, we all thrive.
And for you? This means your guests will always be well taken care of.
Supporting Local Businesses
We guide you and your guests towards locally owned businesses, restaurants and hotels. As a result, people in our local community gain training and meaningful employment.
Whenever possible, our travel experiences feature food, supplies and service providers that are 100% Costa Rican made and grown.
We also put a lot of our attention on making sure everyone is paid promptly. We don’t like to squeeze prices. We believe that if we treat our partners and providers well, they’ll ensure your guests are well taken care of.
Authentic Experiences
We encourage you and your guests to explore more remote communities and less heavily visited destinations for an authentic experience with a positive impact.
And each year, through monetary donations and volunteer hours, Costa Rican Trails directly supports nonprofit organizations that work to increase the well-being of all Costa Ricans. Especially women & children. These include:
- Paniamor Foundation. This foundation uses technology to improve the educational opportunities and social development of disadvantaged children and teens.
- AMALE. An organization that provides shelter, basic needs and the opportunity to “change with dignity” for un-housed people or those living in extreme poverty or with addiction.
- Fundación Pro Unidad de Cuidados Paliativos. A foundation that provides palliative care for children and young people suffering from long-term or terminal illness.
- Casa Luz. Casa Luz offers a safe space for mothers and children to escape, heal and recover from situations of sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and exploitation.
- The Code. We are co-signers of The Code of Conduct, which seeks to end the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism.
We Protect
Our Environment.
We are proud to have the “5 Leaves” Certification for Sustainable Tourism.
This is the highest level awarded by the ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Board). Since our inception, we’ve developed policies and programs that protect our natural resources and minimize our impact in natural areas.
Our Environmental Policies.
- Minimizing waste by using products that are returnable, biodegradable or recyclable
- Ensuring efficient energy and water usage at our headquarters
- Prioritizing hotel partners who share our environmental values
- Serving food or supporting restaurants who source their fare from sustainable, local and organic sources
Support of Environmental Nonprofits
At Costa Rican Trails, we support a number of environmental nonprofits through financial donations and volunteer hours:
- Organization for Tropical Studies. OTS is a world leader in education, research and the responsible use of natural resources in the tropics. OTS has three biological stations in Costa Rica used for research, conservation and environmental education.
- Sea Turtle Conservancy. The Conservancy monitors nest sites, conducts research and conserves critical breeding habitat for leatherback and green sea turtles in Tortuguero National Park
- Fundación de Parques Naturales. The foundation supports the consolidation, development and management of Costa Rican land as National Parks and Preserves
We Engage You
& Your Guests.
We support different conservation organizations and support activities and experiences led by local families and hosts, and we love to include these in our itineraries for you.
This means your guests can feel fully immersed in our local community, and have life-changing experiences with organizations and people doing incredible work.
Transformative Experiences that Engage Your Guests.
Here are just a few examples of experiences we love to include in your client’s itineraries:
- Learn from researchers at The Sea Turtle Conservation Program in Tortuguero, and actively participate in their conservation efforts to protect Costa Rica’s sea turtles
- Visit artisanal carvers in a rural indigenous community and learn about the craft and their cultural significance
- Spend a day with a small organic coffee producer and learn the full process of organic coffee production
- Visit a local school with a donation of supplies given by your guests, so that your guests can feel totally immersed in our local community.
Pack for a Purpose
We also support Pack for a Purpose. A nonprofit that positively impacts communities around the world by helping travelers bring meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit.
Items like pencils and crayons. Paper. Books. Soccer balls. These all make a difference in our communities.
We can provide you with a list of desired items that you can bring with you to Costa Rica to donate.
Or even better, we can help you purchase the supplies you wish to donate from small,local markets in Costa Rica.
If you’d like to get involved, please contact your Sales Consultant or chat with us.
