Explorandes Named World's Leading Green Tour Operator 2012

Dear friends of Explorandes,

We are proud to announce that we have been nominated as winner of the World Tourism Awards as World´s Leading Green Tour operator. A surprise to us and our team but a welcome recognition to the efforts of almost 38 years pioneering adventure travel in the Andes with the help of you, our partners around the globe. Aside from working for many years with communities in different parts of the Andes we have always, from the beginning, been preoccupied with our environmental impacts, especially in remote landscapes and protected areas. Motivated, at the turn of the century to demonstrate our philosophy we invested in an Environmental Management System certified by the ISO 14000 standard.

Recently we were induced to Verify in Sustainable Tourism, by Rainforest Alliance, which is a platform that follows the criteria for sustainability promoted by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)). Our efforts to demonstrate our commitment, and show that best practices can be achieved are being recognized. Through a demonstration effect we can impact the market.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you, our partners world –wide, for having made possible this achievement and award, that motivates us to continue our path to sustainability. We also thank our teams in the office and the field, as well as the hundreds of collaborators in Cusco, Huaraz, Puno and other areas of Peru, that are members of communities in the field, living in remote and pristine areas surrounded by mountains and spectacular landscapes that are part of our extended family.