The nature of our commitment to the planet
Here is a summary of our specifications, a set of criteria that we strive to apply to meet the need for balance, conservation and reward.
The mind
To offer a quality service and ensure visitor satisfaction.
Local staff, experienced people chosen for their human values:
We take great care in selecting our guides to ensure that we offer a quality service. Our tours are supervised by specialists depending on the theme of the tour: photographer, watercolorist, naturalist guide, anthropologist, archaeologist, etc.
A limited number of participants:
We also ensure the quality of our products by limiting the number of participants, particularly for tours with a strong naturalistic component, to ensure the quality of observations, but also to limit our impact and our ecological footprint by respecting the visitor capacity of the sites.
Listening to our customers and designing our trips accordingly:
We try to personalize each trip as much as possible to meet the different priorities of each customer, according to their tastes and desires for discovery, the time available, their budget… all of which bring an important element of authenticity to the exploration of neotropical heritage.
Contributing to the economic and social development of the region, preserving its quality of life and promoting local employment:
We make every effort to promote local employment by hiring local guides and drivers. We also work in partnership with community tourism programs that we include on some of our tours (Projet Playa de Oro, Inti Sisa, etc.). We also take care to ensure that they are always fairly remunerated.
For our picnics, we prefer to buy from small grocery stores and local markets rather than from supermarkets.
Of course, we respect labor rights as defined by the International Labor Organization, and only employ people of legal age.
Continuous quality monitoring:
In order to perfect our quality approach, satisfaction surveys are automatically completed by visitors at the end of their stay. Being able to benefit from the participants’ point of view and their comments enables us to constantly improve our tours while responding to our customers’ wishes.
The infrastructure
An adapted recycling program:
To minimize our impact on the environment (control of various sources of pollution, renewable energies, organic food, etc.), and even to create direct benefits for the protection of nature (funding of reforestation projects, protection of flora and fauna, environmental education, etc.), and to raise travelers’ awareness of the small gestures that make a difference.
We pay particular attention to these small gestures that make a difference, for example by participating in a recycling program for our office and excursion equipment, by using only rechargeable batteries and by encouraging our travellers to do the same, for example by informing our service providers and customers of the alternatives and movements available to minimize our ecological footprint.
Within our structure, we make maximum use of renewable raw materials; for example, we recycle all paper and build our office furniture from recycled compressed wood panels. For promotional purposes, we don’t publish any paper brochures; the Internet is our main communication tool.
Stays
Accommodation, authentic, local places:
Priority is given to the use of charming accommodation, mostly lodges or small hotels. Being comfortably accommodated in family-style places encourages a quality welcome, conducive to warm exchanges and encounters.
Total respect:
We also take great care not to disturb wildlife during our observations, thanks to the strict rules of approach, observation and vigilance, especially during the critical phases of reproduction and nesting.
We reject the excessive use of motorized transport. For this reason, we only use air transport when absolutely necessary, and we try to minimize long journeys, giving preference to walking on all our excursions. We also exclude from our tours services such as off-road tours in 4×4 or motorcycles, motorized board sports, etc., to ensure full respect for the ecosystems we visit.
Highlighting specific heritage features:
Our trips are mainly based on the discovery of the country’s specific features: flora, fauna, landscape, culture, etc.
Cultivate a certain art of living:
Ecology is not rigid, but plays a major role in our well-being.
Conviviality is an important part of our travels… and we believe that the wonder of the observations we try to make (wildlife, ecosystems, etc.) is more about awareness than austerity.
Our contribution to conservation
The Sumac Muyu Foundation
The Sumac Muyu Foundation is the management body for the “rio Bigal” reserve located in the SUMACO National Park buffer zone. This ecological foundation, of which Nature Experience is an active member, coordinates two conservation projects. Nature Experience’s role within this foundation is to act as a link between visitors and these reserves, and therefore participate in their growth. In addition, these two sites are also developing volunteer actions open to anyone wishing to participate in this conservation project.
Working in partnership
Throughout the year, we collaborate with community tourism and ecotourism programs, which we include in some of our excursions. Agreements with various projects enable us to keep abreast of practical and scientific information that can help us plan new trips.
We also work to promote private conservation projects, giving priority to the exploration of reserves designed by private individuals. By paying your entrance fees, you contribute to the development of each reserve you visit.
“Travel for the planet”, a guarantee of quality
Nature Experience is a member of “Voyages pour la planète“, the label created by the French Ecotourism Association. All our services therefore comply with the principles of responsible and sustainable tourism, pre-established by this label.
Nature Experience is a member of various conservation organizations:
As a naturalist tour operator, it’s essential for us to play an active role in conservation programs. To this end, we are members of various organizations such as :
- the Gustavo Orcés Herpetological Foundation (Quito vivarium)
- “Aves y Conservaciones (Ecuadorian ornithological committee)
- Neotropical Birding Club
We are also participate in events linked to species protection, such as the latest Latin American congress on raptor conservation, as well as taking part in the annual waterfowl census.
Our vision, as defined above, is by no means a set of criteria that we apply with a view to certification. Nevertheless, we are happy to be audited for any checks or assessments.
Thank you for taking the time to read our commitments. We also thank you for your support, past, present or future, in this long process of conservation.
The Nature Experience team
