Advantage Travel has developed a responsible tourism model that involves local communities in all its operations, especially in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest.

We work with more than fifteen communities along the Napo River, providing them an alternative source of income and operating in a way that preserves the rainforest.

We also run a project run by kichwa women (as an example of women empowerment) that forms part of the local communities that we support

Onboard our cruises, we engage in responsible practices that help conserve water and the rainforest environment. We’ve implemented the following policies to promote these practices.

To conserve water, we place a card in each guest cabin with the messages below:  

• SINK AND SHOWER:  When you lather your hands to wash them, only keep the tap running for the necessary amount of time. When you brush your teeth, use bottled water in the sink. While in the shower, you may choose to lather up without the shower running
• BATH TOWELS: If you would like to reuse your bath towels, please hang them on the hooks or on the towel bar. If you leave a towel on the floor, it will be laundered.
• BED LINENS: Our policy is to change linens every three days and once again after check-out. If guests would like to have their linens changed before this, they can notify the crew by placing a card on their pillow in the morning.

For environmental conservation, we also apply the following practices in our operation:

• Avoid the use of plastic bottles, providing water bottles to all our guests.
• We use local products for the preparation of our food as part of our sustainable tourism model that involves local communities.
• We ensure that the shampoo and soap we use are biodegradable and that the detergents are eco-friendly.
• We maintain good practices of fuel transmission approved by the authorities of the captaincy of Coca, which regulates the environmental impact of this world biosphere reserve.

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, we run two conservation programs with critically endangered species: pink river dolphins and charapas turtles.

You can also have a better reference in the following video: Capi's Amazon River programs.

Raul Garcia, founder and CEO of Anakonda Amazon Cruises has a deep commitment to the Ecuadorian Amazon and the communities that reside there.

A point that he often brings up is the fact that most people try to extract things from the Amazon (oil, plants, lumber, etc.), but his goal is to add something to the rainforest.

Much of what Anakonda Amazon Cruises adds is through its sustainable tourism model and conservation projects.

But, there is a hidden contribution that exists as well.

Through his personal relationships with the communities, Raul is aware of many of their needs.

This knowledge allows Anakonda Amazon Cruises to make contributions to certain projects, some of them regular and some on a case-by-case basis.

There are 18 schools within the region that Anakonda Amazon Cruises donates school supplies (pens and tablets) to every year. Raul also coordinates the donation of paint and brushes when the school buildings needs to be painted. Raul also works to educate and consult the communities about how they can improve the education their children receive with the resources they have. 

Also, every year, Anakonda Amazon Cruises provides full scholarships for six students from the communities to attend the elementary school.

As a policy, Raul does not advertise or document the charitable work of Anakonda Amazon Cruises. An important philosophy of the cruise line is never to exploit or take advantage of the communities.

Many members of the communities are Raul’s personal friends, families that he has built relationships with over the past 40 years.