Sustainable Tourism is all about Respect and Responsibility
“The Challenge” of Desafio Adventure Company:
The word “Desafio” means challenge, so it is our “Desafio” to continue to keep our business on the cutting edge of adventure and sustainable tourism. It is our responsibility to maintain the highest level of safety in all of our operations with a minimum impact on our natural environment and exceed our client expectations by making sure everyone has “Serious Fun!”
For us, being a sustainable tour operator is to encourage respect for local people, cultures, traditions, religions, our shared environment and teach responsibility to our future generations.
In addition, we work hard to make sure our clients have a positive impact on the places and people they visit as reflected in our sustainability policy:
Socioeconomic responsibility: Desafío Adventure Company is a locally-owned business and uses local agents, guides and other workers for tour activities and transport. In addition, the company's guides are from the La Fortuna area with proper national accreditation from the esteemed National Learning Institute (INA).
Desafío Adventure Company has always sought to develop tours and activities in 'off the beaten path' places to help bring associated economic benefits to those areas, such as its work with Proyecto Asís Environmental Education Center and Animal Rescue Refuge and offering volunteering opportunities.
We pride ourselves in small, personalized tours and also try to make use of small, family-run guest houses, locally-owned hotels, small restaurants, and public transport, where possible.
Environmental responsibility: Desafío Adventure Company is focused on the concept of “Reduce… Reuse… and Recycle!”
In its La Fortuna and Monteverde offices, the staff is trained to consume as little paper products as possible, recycle and reuse and all aspects of the reservations department are electronic, such as the receiving and sending of faxes, e-mailing, etc.
Lunches and snacks prepared for tours are based on a purely-natural menu, using local, organic ingredients from its own garden (where possible) and typical foods from the area. The company does not use canned goods or packaged condiments and encourages its staff to consume healthy, natural foods and to stay fit.
Recycled and recyclable materials are used wherever possible, and biodegradable waste is composted in the company garden. Desafío Adventure Company also uses reusable containers when serving meals, and refillable bottles are used to transport beverages while out on adventures.
Rain water is collected and available for general use at its riverside and canyon locations and guests are also made aware of the need to be frugal with the consumption of water. Waste water is treated with bio-friendly organisms that break-down the organic matter.
Its vehicles are new models with low emissions and low fuel consumption and are on a strict maintenance schedule to ensure good fuel efficiency.
Social responsibility: Desafío Adventure Company is a community leader in its work on children and environmental issues. Knowing youth is the future of Costa Rica, the company has organized many events geared toward children, such as its annual No Child Without Christmas project which has brought in over 300 gifts per year for low income children. The annual Niños y la Naturaleza on Children’s Day is an effort to raise awareness about local environmental concerns. As a result, hundreds of trees have been planted and numerous local high school students have gone rafting with us and helped clean rivers along the way.
How You Can Help
Tourism is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing industries and employs over 10% of the world’s population. In Costa Rica, tourism is the second largest money maker behind Intel.
Tourists visiting Costa Rica have a big responsibility to help make tourism as environmentally-friendly as possible. Have a look at our Green Travel Tips below so we can all help preserve our favorite destinations for future generations.
Pre-trip Ideas:
- Book trip a with responsible travel company (like Desafío Adventure Company)
- Offset my trip's carbon emissions, where possible
- Learn about cultural and conservation issues in my destination
During your trip:
- Stay at locally-owned, small hotels and book my day-trip activities with locally-owned tour operators
- Conserve Energy: Turn of lights and set A/C to a higher temperature when I leave my room
- Reuse and Recycle bottles and plastic containers
- Avoid souvenirs made from threatened or endangered species (e.g. turtle products, conch, and certain leathers)
- Avoid critically endangered seafood such as Rockfish, Atlantic Halibut, Orange Roughy, some shrimp species, and Spiny Lobster
- Obey posted signs when visiting cultural sites or parks (stay on marked paths, etc.)
- Participate in volunteer-style activities, where possible
Here at Desafio Adventure Company, we are inspired by the phrase:
"Think Globally – Act Locally!"
Sustainability for us means minimizing the negative impacts on our environment and our local culture and being a leader in encouraging others to do the same. It's important for us that our visitors are enjoying activities and experiences without creating damage to the natural environment and local community. Costa Rica is a world leader in low-impact, ecological travel and for that reason, we do not believe in large group/mass-tourism. We seek to maintain a market niche of sustainable travelers to promote environmental conscious activities that ensure future generations will be able to enjoy the same natural beauty of our exuberant country.
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ICT's Certification in Sustainable Tourism
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has designed the Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) to differentiate tourism businesses based on the degree to which they comply with a sustainable model of natural, cultural and social resource management. CST is regulated by the Costa Rican National Accreditation Commission and consists of a scale of 5 "levels" (represented by leaves) of sustainable tourism achievement. We are currently undergoing the accreditation process. |
Desafio Foundation
The Desafio Foundation focuses on our community, our unique local culture and the conservation of our natural resources.
Our work with the local community is what sets us apart: Every year we bring together over 600 children to participate in our annual Eco-educational Children's Day event "Niños y la Naturaleza", plus we organiz e tree-planting campaigns to offset global warming, do river clean-ups and water safety with local high school kids. We also try to rid the streets of stray dogs and cats by organizing and sponsoring spaying and neutering campaigns and teaching locals about proper animal care.
We also make alliances with companies and organizations that share our same values, promote fair competition and think about our common future. Those same companies work with us on organizing our annual Adrenaline Festival, specially-designed for local people.
We want to do our small share to make Costa Rica a better place to live and visit.
Be safe and have
serious fun!
Suresh and Christine Krishnan, owners
