You can include during your travel several excursions and treks which will be guided by local spanish speaking guides and are organized by local organizations. Your investment returns therefore directly back in local society and you have the possibility to learn from the local culture and even to practice your spanish. On your travel you will stay overnight in several indigenous communities, and your stay directly contributes to the economic development of the indigenous small villages. The Argentinian people are aware that it is important to take care of their beautiful nature, as this is one of the main attractions for tourists coming to the Northwest, and tourism is becoming gradually more important in this area and provides income for the people on different levels.

Quite new is that local operators have started offering short treks with lamas, in the area of Tilcara as in pre-Colombian times the indigeneous people used to trek over large distances through the Andes. Participating in these treks support these initiatives in which local indigenous people regain their knowledge and cultural awareness, which was gradually wiped out during the Spanish conquest.

The individual & travels are designed and offered by ecological guides who live in Latin America, and have been guiding in the Andes for many years. They offer this possibility to travel by horse or on foot through this part of NW Argentina, as they know just how unique & authentic this area and the lifestyle of the gauchos still is.

By booking for this special trek on horseback or on foot, you support several local gaucho families to continue with making a living in the remote mountains and to keep their traditions alive. This one of the most purest forms of tourism in the mountains, and the treks are organized on a very small scale and bring you to very interesting places (e.g. archaealogical Inca or pre-Incaica sites) which are rarely visited. The gauchos treat their horses with a lot of respect as their horses are part of their life in the mountains. The group size is as small as you want, and so it is even possible to trek with one or two persons only and your private gaucho guide. It is still rare to see foreign travelers in these areas, so you are invariably welcomed with warmth, shyness and curiosity by the local people.

You can compensate the CO2 emmisions of your flights with ClimateCare, GreenSeat, or more cost and travel effective solutions. (Interested? Contact us for more information).