Sumak Travel - Goodtrippers

A coffee lover’s dream – fair trade coffee tours to South America

Love your morning cup of fairtrade coffee? Now you can visit the actual producers on these brand new tours to Latin America with responsible travel specialists Sumak Travel. Founder Felipe Zalamea explains what to expect on their new Fair Trade Adventures…

It is pretty simple to find fair trade coffee or bananas in a supermarket, or fair trade handicrafts online. But it’s still quite difficult for a conscious traveller to find genuine fair trade holidays. From the very beginning, fair trade principles have been at the core of our social business model. When we met with Cafedirect Producers’ Foundation last year, we thought it was the time to go for it: a series of fair trade small group tours to Latin America. So we joined forces to create new and exciting travel experiences, Fair Trade Adventures.

These innovative tours give travellers the rare opportunity to meet many of the outstanding people behind popular fair trade products, such as the artisans behind beautiful handicrafts and the farmers behind the organic coffee you drink every morning.

Harvested coffee beans near Cuzco, Peru (Pic by Harry Dowdney)

12 days in Peru, Costa Rica and Columbia

Travellers will also visit iconic destinations such as Machu Picchu, and off-the-beaten path locations that are truly stunning. We are starting with 12-day trips to Peru (departing 22 April), Costa Rica (departing 14 May), Colombia (departing 20 August) and Northern Peru (departing 16 Sept) this year. Download the brochure for the full itineraries.

What to expect on a Fair Trade Adventure

We believe these tours are the perfect mix of adventure, culture, wildlife, iconic destinations and a little rest and relaxation! And if you’re looking forward to staring the day with something other a commute by train, tube or car, we’ve included boat trips, hiking, horse-riding, 4x4s, bicycles, canoeing and a 40m high suspension bridge!

You could…kick-start the day with a cup of freshly-ground Machu Picchu coffee before visiting the Inca citadel itself; take part in artisanal fishing on Lake Titicaca; visit organic farms along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coastline; venture down the Yorkin River deep into the jungle to meet members of the indigenous Bribri tribe and hear their ancient stories; hop on an immaculate old Willy´s jeep through super-scenic Valle del Cocora, in Colombia’s coffee region; venture completely off the beaten path in Northern Peru to taste the pulp of some of the world’s best cocoas and try your hand at making ceviche and mixing pisco sours; and last but not least, simply chill on pristine white sand beaches.

These tours are not about passively visiting people and places, but actively engaging with them, and returning home feeling enriched and alive again!

View of the Lake Titicaca, Peru - Pic by Harry Dowdney — View of the Lake Titicaca, Peru – Pic by Harry Dowdney

Where you’ll be staying, what you’ll be eating

Homestays are an important feature on many of Sumak Travel’s existing tours, and our Fair Trade Adventures are no exception. To find out more about the concept, you can read about homely homestays in Lake Titicaca, on our blog.

You could be staying with Ticos in San Jose, Costa Rica, or the Ashaninka Native Community San Miguel, in the Perené Valley, Peru. You’ll also be able to stay on farms and coffee plantations – and try your hand at milking cows, cutting sugar cane, making artisanal cheese and catching your own fish for dinner! But don’t worry, you can also sit back and enjoy the delights of a traditional Caribbean food, Andean recipes with a modern twist, Puma coffee, banana creams, tropical fruits, and some of the world’s best cocoa.

Uros Island, Lake Titicaca (pic by Marvin de Kievit)

Supporting and promoting fair tourism

A fair trade approach to tourism is very much needed in the developing world, and in particular in destinations where tourism is the main industry. If you are tired of mass tourism and tourist traps, if you are looking for an unusual holiday where you can meet fantastic people, and if you would like to learn from some of the amazing people behind our fair trade staples, these tours are for you.

We are strong advocates of fair trade and sustainability, and would love to be able to show you that responsible tourism is not only the most rewarding option, but can be the most exciting one too.

The type of activity and variety of experiences included have been chosen to be as inclusive as possible, making the tours great for solo travellers, couples, groups of friends, and families alike. They are 12 to 14 days long, but for those who can stay longer and have more specific interests (bird-watching, hiking, wildlife, adventure sports, beaches etc), we have created special add-ons, that can be easily included too.

For more information – including prices, dates and booking visit the Fair Trade Adventures page on our website, download the brochure, or contact us at fairtrade@sumak-travel.org or T: 020 3642 4246.

Colourful La Candelaria, in Bogota centre, Colombia

Positive favela tours launch in Brazil

To celebrate World Responsible Tourism Day on 6 November, guest blogger Andrew Thompson of responsible tourism operator and South America specialist Sumak Travel, describes a fascinating new initiative in Brazil…

Responsible tourism can help reduce poverty and support the creation of sustainable livelihoods pursued in harmony with the environment and local culture. In Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for example, Sumak Travel has developed a different approach to the ethically suspect practice of ‘slum tourism’ where some tour operators take visitors around shanty towns in vehicles with security guards. Instead, by working with local partner Soul Brasileiro, we have started running a relaxed walking tour of Santa Marta, a favela (shanty town) inhabited by around 5,500 people.

Under a state government programme launched in preparation for the World Cup and the Olympics, shanty town inhabitants have been trained as bilingual tour guides and can speak English, Spanish, French and several other languages. The cost of the tours is modest and fixed by the municipality, and between 15% and 20% of the revenues must be reinvested in local social and community programmes. The guides themselves are asked to spend their earnings inside the community.

Visitors can walk around, meet the locals, see the incredible views of the city and shop for locally made handcrafts at the market, including art made from recycled materials such as old tin cans. The tours are advertised across Rio, and favela residents are incredibly proud of the publicity generated for their community. After years of being ‘invisible,’ they are now protagonists, eager to tell Santa Marta’s story and show off its facilities.

Soul Brasileiro is a local tour group that describes itself as ‘nuts for Brazil!’. They believe responsible tourists should be given a chance to understand not only the beauty of the country but also its social problems: “this understanding is the only way to seek joint solutions and build a better Brazil every day” it says.

To that end it offers a whole range of community tours, nature treks, and hands-on encounters with local cooking, arts, and culture. They have a particularly exciting project called Nature, Kitchen and Culture which is developing an organic community garden.

We take a similar approach with less known shanty town projects in Sao Paulo and with Quilombos (hinterland settlements of people of African origin) in Paraty, in partnership with Brazilian responsible tour operator Aoka.

Click here for more information on Sumak Travel’s tours of Sao Paulo, Paraty and Rio de Janeiro. (All pictures courtesy of Sumak Travel).

About the author: Andrew Thompson is a freelance writer, blogger and management coach; he works for Sumak Travel. Brought up in Latin America, he has worked for BBC World Service and been a foreign correspondent in Mexico City (The Guardian), Buenos Aires (The Times), Rio de Janeiro (BBC) and Rome (Inter Press Service). As editor of a team that produced a radio documentary on social reform in Latin America, Andrew won the 1994 King of Spain Journalism Prize. Visit his blog at http://www.yorugastories.com/

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Community homestays in Salta, Argentina

Carolina Canto, of social enterprise and responsible travel company Sumak Travel, reports on a new homestay initiative in Argentina…

As a part of a rural travel experience in Argentina, the co-operative ‘Red de Turismo Campesino’ (Rural Tourism Network) in the Calchaquíes valleys of Salta offers a great opportunity to enjoy local culture, share in their daily lives and to be a guest in their homes.

To improve their livelihoods and provide opportunities for authentic cultural exchange, these rural communities decided to offer their homes to tourists. Part of this income benefits the host family directly while the rest is invested in a common fund for the community.

Accommodation: There are various houses along the valleys that offer accommodation to visitors. Each of them has one to three double bedrooms that are especially allocated for visitors. Beds, mattress, blankets and bathrooms have been recently renewed or improved in order to guarantee a comfortable stay. The capacity of each house generally varies between two to four guests, with six being the maximum.

Food: Traditional Andean dishes are cooked by family members as a part of the experience. Guests have the opportunity to either join in preparing the meal or to sit down, relax and observe the cooking process. In addition, visitors are invited to join them during their farming tasks growing several types of seeds, fruits and vegetables. Do try their delicious Andean cuisine made from fresh ingredients from the region and discover their different techniques of organic wine making.

Activities: Visitors can take guided walks along the valleys through the croplands and vineyards enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Salta. From growing onions or cattle breeding to horse riding and ceramic adobe craftsmanship, the community of Salta offer the traveller a great opportunity to enjoy a ‘living’ experience of rural life in the valley.

Recommended for… Those who are looking for a respectful and authentic cultural exchange with the community in Salta, and real interaction with nature. The activities are not physically challenging and distances are short so that anyone is able to join in and enjoy them.

Be aware that… This is a traditional homestay with welcoming hosts – but if you need a hotel-style experience this may not be for you…

Good credentials:

The ‘Red de Turismo Campesino’ of Salta, Argentina is an active member of the Argentinian Network of Rural Community Tourism
By winning the contest of the ‘Citizen fund of Argentina’, the community was awarded funds to support their expenses and continue with the strengthening of their touristic offer
The co-operative and network are self-managed by 50 rural families from Salta, in the north of Argentina
They work under the framework of fair-trade, responsible tourism and cooperative work with local identity
They have designed a rotating working system in which each family has the same opportunity to provide services and sell their handcrafts to tourists, so that the benefits from tourism are equally distributed within the network
The cooperative aims to make tourism a complementary activity that allows them to improve their livelihoods while preserving their traditional lifestyle

About the author: Carolina is a staff member of the recently launched ethical travel company and social enterprise Sumak Sustainable Travel. Sumak offers responsible travel experiences connecting people with local life in Latin America and opening the door for travellers to meet and exchange with inspiring people and projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. For more information, including other eco-travel tours, visit www.sumak-travel.org.

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