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Finding your niche: Ethical and unique travel experiences with Chimu Adventures

As tour operators cut activities such as orphanage volunteering and elephant riding from their product inclusions, travellers can now seek out more caring experiences while still retaining an enviable news feed.

As tour operators cut activities such as orphanage volunteering and elephant riding from their product inclusions, travellers can now seek out more caring experiences while still retaining an enviable news feed.

In an era where emphasis is placed on our experiences rather than our material things, where our social media is peppered with photographs of last weekend’s epic electrical storm as opposed to our latest purchase, Latin America and Polar experts, Chimu Adventures, are passionate about offering socially, culturally and environmentally responsible holiday experiences in these incredible destinations. Thankfully, sustainable travel is an exciting way to see the world. Read on for Chimu’s top ethical and unique adventures.

Alternative trekking in Peru

Salkantay Lodge, Peru, Chimu Adventures

Salkantay Lodge, Peru, Chimu Adventures

Hailed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu is a bucket list favourite and the traditional route is, of course, the famous Inca Trail. Chimu’s Salkantay Adventure, however, takes you on the lesser-known Salkantay Trail through 15 different eco systems, staying at locally-run, luxurious mountain lodges. The lodges were founded by Peruvians who are passionate about their mountains and those who live there. Integration of guests and indigenous people is achieved through activities such as cooking classes and weaving and pottery demonstrations. The immersion into rural Peruvian life and the connections you will forge en route to the iconic Machu Picchu are what make this journey so memorable.

Connections in Chiloé

Stilted Houses, Chiloe Island, Chimu Adventures

Stilted Houses, Chiloe Island, Chimu Adventures

Chiloé is an archipelago surrounded by the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. Here, colourful Jesuit churches sprinkle the landscape, the waters swirl with myths of ghost ships carrying souls of perished sailors and those you meet will illustrate their robust connection to their land and culture. When the owners of Ocio Territorial Hotel acquired this property, they made a promise to the previous owners to safeguard these elements, passing on their importance to future generations. Staying here on a 4-day visit will show you how they have honoured this pledge through activities like visits with local producers and fisherman who will share the stories and skills, plus the on-site Matriarca Restaurant which showcases typical Chilote cuisine such as seafood and potato varieties.

Glamping in the Galapagos

Galapagos Safari Camp Chimu Adventures

Galapagos Safari Camp Chimu Adventures

Always wanted to make like Darwin and discover the wonderful and very weird wildlife of the Galapagos Islands but haven’t got your sea legs? A stay at Galapagos Safari Camp in Santa Cruz’s rugged highlands means that you can explore from dry land. Sleep in an African-style safari tent with direct ocean views, surrounded by forest. The eco-systems on the Galapagos Islands are completely unique so the great people at Galapagos Safari Camp have intertwined environmental sustainability into everything they do: rainwater is collected and treated to ensure self-sufficiency; cattle and crops are farmed organically; and reforestation work is carried out alongside the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Off grid exploration

Antarctica - the Akademik Shokalskiy Chimu Adventures

The Akademik Shokalskiy

Chimu are proud supporters of the Mawson’s Huts Foundation, a charity dedicated to the conservation of these historic structures in East Antarctica which are so integral to Australia’s Antarctic history. Sir Douglas Mawson, the expedition leader on the Australian Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911 – 1914, is a true Australian hero, surviving the brutal East Antarctic conditions with barely any food or supplies to claim an area of the continent for Australia. Chimu’s Exclusive Cruise, In the Wake of Mawson, invites adventurers aboard Russian expedition ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, to sail the Southern Ocean. Sail from Hobart to Bluff in New Zealand via Macquarie Island, the wild East Antarctic coast, Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands spotting penguins, seals, whales, sea birds and wild landscape en route. If the Antarctic conditions are kind, entry to the huts may be possible. Get ready to digitally disconnect (phone signal is elusive in these parts) and become an Antarctic explorer.

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Are you planning an experiential trip?

 

Written by Frances Armitage at Chimu Adventures.

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