At Journey Latin America, we love the continent that we send our travellers to and we always endeavour to protect its incredible places and people. For us, sustainable tourism is all about providing authentic experiences, developing worldwide relationships and bolstering the survival of culture and heritage.

A deep commitment to benefitting local communities across Latin America runs through everything we do. We are proud of the sustainability projects we are involved with across the length and breadth of the continent, some of which we’ve shared below...

Our Travel Wallets

This year we are delighted to launch our brand new travel wallets, handwoven by local artisans near the Cotopaxi volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The local artisans we worked with on this project live two hours outside the capital, Quito. Spinning and weaving are an integral part of the fabric of their community, providing a stable income without the need to commute long distances into the city. We coordinated with SUSPIRO, who empower and promote the handmade work of textile artisans living in Ecuador's Andes. They told us that "The wallet project was really important to keep the spirits up among the artisans and seamstresses."

LATA Foundation

We also support a wide range of grassroots social and environmental projects across the continent through The LATA Foundation. This UK-based charity carefully chooses projects with the aim to relieve poverty through sustainable development and environmental conservation. Over the past 10 years the Foundation has upheld this aim through a number of different initiatives. Projects supported include the provision of clean drinking water fountains to schools around Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, free dental care for hundreds of children in the ‘villas’ of Buenos Aires and the planting of more than 30,000 native trees in the Sacred Valley of Peru by local communities. The Foundation is also able to support emergency relief to affected areas through working with trusted local organisations.

The Pintando Project

When operating our holidays, Journey Latin America contributes to the community of Santa Catalina and the Pintando Project on the shores of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. We do this by incorporating visits to the project into excursions taken by our clients. This helps to not only transform the lives of the families living there but also revive the local textile designs which the region is famous for. The Pintando Project is centred around painting houses and public buildings in a contemporary manner with influences from traditional Mayan textile designs.

Water To Go

We've partnered up with Water To Go UK to offer clients a 30% discount on filtered water bottles. On a two week holiday, you could be buying 28 single use, plastic bottles of water. Not only does this cost around £30, but it also has a huge impact on the management of plastic waste. Water To Go has found an eco-friendly and cost effective solution. Their unique filter system technology eliminates 99.9% of all bacteria, viruses, chlorine, fluoride and heavy metals such as lead, as well as contaminants like pesticides; so you can fill up your bottle from any tap or stream and enjoy safe, fresh water.

Galápagos Conservation Trust

As part of our commitment to the conservation of the unique Galapágos Islands ecosystem, we offer one year’s free membership to the Galapagos Conservation Trust to anyone booking a Galapágos Islands holiday with us. Membership includes a collectable Galapágos pin badge, a handy guide to responsible travel called Inside Galápagos, a beautiful and informative magazine twice a year, invitations to exclusive events, as well as updates on their conservation work and appeals.

Onçafari Jaguar Project

The Onçafari Jaguar Project is one of the first of its kind in Latin America. It's a non-profit organisation which promotes conservation through tourism in Brazil’s wildlife-rich wetlands, the Pantanal. Journey Latin America is delighted to be supporting Onçafari Jaguar Project and we encourage our clients to book the Jaguar Experience at Refugio Caiman which not only offers a unique insight into the world of the elusive jaguar, but also helps fund the project.