Andean Trails is helping to tackle the problem head on.
We’ve paid for the provision of 3,500 native polylepis trees to replant in the high Valleys of the Peruvian Andes. Local organisers and volunteers head, each year, to the local mountain range to plant locally grown polylepis saplings.
This brings great benefits to the community. The project is run locally by ECOAN (Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos), all money stays in the local economy and valleys are reforested.
There are 19 species of Polylepis native to the Peruvian Andes. They are found at altitude between 1800 and 5100 m. The mountains have suffered deforestation for firewood and industry, leaving seriously depleted ecosystems. This woodland is vital for biodiversity, carbon sink and to highland ecosystems for water regulation and soil conservation.
In 2018, ECOAN (Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos) and GFC (Global Forest Generation) came together to found Acción Andina. Together they have facilitated over 20 separate projects in the high Andes. This has involved over 25,000 local people in reforesting over 5,000 hectares with Andean woodlands and protecting over 11,250 hectares of existing forest.
Over 200 local communities in the high Andes of the Cusco area have benefited. Economic prospects have improved as a result of activities such as: reforestation, forest preservation, establishment of micro-businesses, access to healthcare, installation of water collection systems, adoption of clean-burning clay stoves, use of solar panels, and formalisation of land titles.
In 2023, Acción Andina was awarded the prestigious Earthshot Prize. This award, initiated by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, recognises their efforts in addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.
In Peru, deforestation of the Andes and the Amazon and the loss of most of the major glaciers pose a risk of a serious shortage of water.
By working to reforest areas, Andean Trails and ECOAN hope to be able to be part of a sustainable tourism movement.
Hopefully, this will show that tourism in Peru can be run in as sustainable a way possible to ensure the amazing places we travel through can be enjoyed for many generations to come.
As important is that the local communities genuinely get to benefit from our travelling through their backyards.
Please contact us if you would like more information about how to get involved.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Get in Touch
+44 (0)131 378 5593
+44 (0)131 554 6025
info@andeantrails.co.uk
Deb O. and Lisa B., USA, Self-guided Tailormade Patagonia, Feb 2025 There were so many highlights! The summits and glacier excursions were magnificent. We were blessed with great weather most of the time. Having our own guide in Chalten was great and our guide was fantastic! There were a lot of details to this trip and they all came together nicely. The accommodations were very good. Very clean -no complaints. Guides were wonderful. Food was amazing -everything homemade. I think we benefited the local people. We acknowledged their services with appropriate tips and we patronized many local establishments while there. I can’t think of anything right now that I would do differently! Patagonia has been a “bucket list” trip for me. I will turn 60 and retire this year so it was my treat to myself. It was everything I hoped it would be. I hope it doesn’t change with the ever increasing tourism. It’s such a special place. They are very proud of their heritage and it deserves to be preserved. We found Andean Trails online and the e reviews were good and prices reasonable. It was a leap of faith that paid off. Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me.
C. Valentine, USA, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Mindo, Feb 2025 A highlight was staying at the Reserva Ecologica Santa Rita and hiking the valley between all the volcanoes. It was a smart custom trip plan that felt off-the-beaten trails and was very intimate in the valley of Cotopaxi. This trip pattern framed the Cotopaxi summit nicely as the ultimate trip goal. I was surprised by how lovely the trout was in Ecuador too! I really liked our guide Pablo and I think our group did too. We learned so much from him. After we left Pablo behind, my learning of the Ecuadorian culture and people tapered. Overall 10/10 on the food! Oh my gosh, Mindo was so cool. Loved El Monte lodge. I will return!
