Everything You Need to Know About Sustainable Tourism in Peru

Peru is an interesting destination for all kinds of travelers. It’s particularly attractive to nature lovers and culture buffs. This South American country boasts an enormous diversity of environments. From lush rain forests to arid deserts, towering mountains to soft sand beaches, Peru has it all.

The country boasts an enormous array of diverse cultures, and ancient treasures dating back thousands of years.  

Thanks to these amazing qualities, Peru’s seen a huge upswing in tourism since 2010. The country consistently attracts over 4 million tourists for the last three years. 

While tourism contributes a lot to the economic prosperity of Peru, it comes at a price. Like all countries rich in natural diversity, tourist activity takes its toll on the environment. 

Find out how you can help contribute to sustainable tourism in Peru and help reduce the impact of your visit to Peru. 

Peru’s Current Travel Situation

The Amazon jungle is by far Peru’s richest natural resource, taking up over 60% of the countries land area. It’s also home to around 10% of the world’s plant and animal species and makes a huge contribution to controlling the planet’s atmospheric carbon levels.

Deforestation is the biggest threat facing the Amazon today. Farming, logging, mining, oil extraction, and illegal coca farming all contribute to this.

There’s more though. Not only does this commercial activity have a negative effect on the rainforest’s fragile ecosystem, but it also harms the people living there. 

These activities eat into the traditional territories of indigenous tribes. They also contribute to environmental mishaps like water shortages, flash floods, and mudslides.

Thankfully, the Government of Peru is making headway towards protecting Peru’s most important natural asset. They’re started out by setting up National Park Reserves.

These include the Pacaya-Saimiri National Reserve, Tambopata National Reserve, and Manu Biosphere Reserve. These reserves are the world’s largest areas of rainforest set aside for preservation.

In these bastions of conservation, the government enforces logging and tourist restrictions. There are also reseeding projects underway in these parks to help undo the damage.

The Ministry of Environment, set up in 2008, ensures extra education for locals and visitors. In this way, they promote the conservation of this fragile environment.

Tour operators and hotel groups across the country are also getting behind sustainable travel. They’re working hard to preserve Peru’s natural resources while ensuring their guests enjoy attractive vacation packages. Cachi Life is proud to be among these environmental champions.

Some tourist sites are following the government’s lead in getting on board with sustainability.

Tourist Sites Practicing Sustainable Tourism

Some of Peru’s most iconic sites are among the most fragile on Earth, that’s why it’s comforting to see that some of them are on board with Peru ecotourism. These are:

Other Popular Destinations

 Some of the other tourist destinations in Peru that are onboard with limited numbers and ongoing education about ecotourism in the Amazon are:

• Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve
• Manu Biosphere Reserve
• Tambopata National Reserve

Unfortunately, not every place in Peru has implemented sustainable safeguards, so it’s up to you to do what you can to when you visit these destinations.  

Places That Still Haven’t Changed Their Ways

Despite the modern trend towards sustainable travel, there are still some places stuck in their old ways. Some of these are among the country’s top attractions. 

The only way you can rest assured that you’re creating as little impact as possible when you visit these sites is to book with an ecotourism operator. 

Salkantay Trek

The Salkantay Trek‘s unregulated and less popular than the Inca Trail, but this area still bears the brunt of irresponsible hiking.

It’s so bad that there are voluntourism efforts in place that focus solely on picking up litter as they traverse this lovely environment.

What is Voluntourism?

Voluntourism means using your time, skills, and energy to help others during your travels. This could be an organization, a community, or a cause.

This type of travel’s been growing in popularity since 2014 and contributes billions of dollars toward the welfare of others every year. 

When you head out on a voluntourism mission, you get to explore new environments and also get the satisfaction of helping others along the way.  Some of the best areas for voluntourism in Peru include:

• Assisting with improving school infrastructures by helping with painting and building
• English education programs
• Medical tourism
• Conservation projects
• Clean up operations in environmentally-fragile areas

Over the years, unscrupulous operators all over the world have given voluntourism a bad name in some respects, taking money from well-meaning tourists and using it for their own benefit.

For years, people were unknowingly working in so-called African lion sanctuaries that are a front for canned hunting. 

Always act with extreme caution when booking your voluntourism travels. You want to ensure that your time and money are really benefitting worthy people. 

It’s also important to choose an opportunity that aligns with your interests and skills. You’ll have more impact when you’re fully invested in a project. You’re also less likely to take a job away from an unskilled local laborer when you’re performing specialized work.