Air and vehicle travel are integral parts of any visitors journey to Latin America yet these are also environmentally damaging activities producing large amounts of CO2, the prime agent in climate change. At Ultimate Voyages we have wrestled with the ethical dilemma this provides - whilst promoting sustainable ecotourism helps preserve wild areas of Latin America and helps local people receive economic benefits from the protection and sustainable using of their natural resources, the very act of bringing our clients to Latin America was producing large quantities of CO2. We have therefore initiated a CO2 emissions compensation scheme to counteract this impact and at the same time help reforest key areas in the Andes of Peru.

The average return flight from Europe (from London via Madrid) to the Peru produces 2.55 tonnes of carbon per passenger. To mitigate this amount it is necessary to plant 4 trees. The average return flight from the US (from New York) to Peru produces 1.29 tonnes of carbon per passenger. To mitigate this it is necessary to plant 2 trees.

In addition to the carbon production of the international flights there is also carbon production from internal flights, car or bus travel and boat travel. We estimate that for the average European visitor we need to plant 6 trees as mitigation and for a North American visitor 4 trees. However, rather than planting just enough to mitigate carbon production we have decided to plant 10 native trees at one of our project sites per client. Each of these sites are owned and managed by a rural community who are paid to grow the tree seedlings and plant them and care for them (we provide the materials and training). This therefore also generates local jobs and interest in the project. Whilst the plantations are maintained we provide support for community schools and also help develop ecotourism at these sites.

By booking your trip with Ultimate Voyages you will know that your journey is actually reducing atmospheric carbon and helping reforest key areas in the Andes of Peru. We also welcome individual donations to plant additional trees at the time of your booking.

Additional trees may be planted and maintained for UK£ 5 or US$ 8 or 8 each.

This is a not for profit scheme, any excess funds generated over the costs are automatically used to plant more trees and involve more communities and sites.

Our initial reforestation site lies within the Chaparri Ecological Reserve where we are focussing on reforestation with native trees that are food for the critically threatened White-winged Guan. We are also investigating two new sites for reforestation, near Incahuasi in the highlands of Lambayeque and in the eastern Andes near Pomacochas, a key site for the Endangered Marvellous Spatuletail.