Tropic Journeys In Nature
Twenty years ago Tropic Journeys in Nature set out to demonstrate that environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive tourism is a viable way to do business. Perceiving ecotourism as an on-going project for sustainable development in Ecuador, the company went straight to work to provide ample possibilities for cultural interaction that was beneficial to both locals and travelers.
It worked, superbly. In just three years the pioneer of indigenous community tourism had won its first of many international awards for eco-tourism, proving the value of helping travelers interact with local and indigenous people. Of course, no company wins awards simply on the grace of good social and environmental deeds. Clients return to Tropic Journeys in Nature time and again because they have come to expect great service while enjoying an authentic, specialized, and active ecotourism adventure with memorable cultural interactions. Tropic Journeys in Nature has opened wide its country’s cultural and natural wealth, offering trip options across Ecuador’s Andean region, the Pacific coast region and the Galapagos Islands.
Tropic Journeys in Nature has been instrumental in guiding innovative tourism approaches for sustainability, helping to create community-based tourism eco-lodges located in Ecuador’s most spectacular natural areas.
In the Amazon rainforest, the Huaorani Ecolodge is the center of an authentic rainforest adventure to visit one of the most isolated ethnic groups on earth. The lodge, owned and operated by the Huaorani people, benefits the Huaorani community in meaningful and lasting ways. In addition to employing the Huaorani people, the lodge and the tourism it attracts keeps the nearby rainforest from getting cut down for its valuable timber. This win-win for the Huaorani is due in large part to Tropic Journeys in Nature, who as consultants advocated for the special brand of tourism the Huaorani and the lodge was sure to attract. In a relationship that holds strong today, Tropic Journeys in Nature currently markets the lodge and the Huaorani brand for the active, conservation-minded international traveler.
In the Galapagos Islands, Tropic Journeys in Nature began recently an exciting new relationship with the Floreana Lava Lodge located on Floreana Island. The lodge, owned by a member of one of island’s oldest families and now managed by Tropic Journeys in Nature, is built on a secluded bay rimmed with a shoreline of black lava sands. Just three minutes from where sea lions cavort, this is a special place for visitors who value “slow” tourism, including getting to know local community members. By interacting with locals, from the owners of the lodge to members of the local community, travelers get an intimate experience in Galapageño life.
In the company’s Journeys in Nature program travelers have an entire division focused on guided, responsible and culturally focused trips. Developed in collaboration with conservationist groups and local communities, this exciting range of ecotourism programs support the well-being of natural areas and the people who live in and around them.
Across the board, the entire staff and its highly qualified guides are focused on safety and committed to providing top-quality personal service and a mind-expanding array of meaningful trips. As a leader of responsible tourism in Ecuador, Tropic Journeys in Nature has membership with the Rainforest Alliance, Adventure Travel Trade Association, Long Run Initiative, Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association, Latin American Travel Association in the United Kingdom and WAPONI, a specialized brand that offers support and training to a number of Ecuadorian community-based tourism destinations under one umbrella.