Responsible Tourism

Costa Rica Special Tours is a member of the Rainforest Alliance. We recognize that the environments we visit are fragile, requiring a sustained commitment from us to ensure that we have a lasting positive effect. Our tourism can be a real help to local communities providing income, positive cultural exchanges and the financial incentive to protect the natural environment.  

Our guides undergo special training and performance reviews covering our high standards of customer service. We are constantly looking for ways to introduce creative and insightful touches that will enhance the cultural content of all our tour programs.

Costa Rica still retains much of its tropical forest. Unfortunately much of this forest is under threat from illegal hunting and logging. We believe that tourism can help change this by offering people in the forest areas alternative employment in tourism. Where possible we try to choose hotels which are actively involved in conservation schemes.

All CRS Tours travelers travel in small groups. Travelling in small groups has less impact on the local communities and enables the group to visit places which for logistical reasons would not possible with a larger group.

In keeping with the code for responsible tourism, CRS Tours tries to embrace a program of environmental and cultural preservation.

We try to foster an understanding and respect for environmental and cultural conservation values among our management, employees, contractors and customers.

Some examples: groups of tourists planting Almond trees in Sarapiqui as nesting opportunities for the green macaw, visits to an orphan school in San Jose that receives donations from CRS Tours.

Our Creed

To view and enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica and the richness of its natural treasures; leaving only footprints in our wake so that future generations may also enjoy Costa Rica´s gifts.

Responsible Tourism: Your role

As a traveler, we believe that you have as important a role as we do. We believe that we provide a framework for Responsible Tourism but your choices and actions before, during and after your holiday have considerable part to play.

The following covers some of the issues that we hope you will consider during your travels.

Economic issues Our aim is to put as much back into the local communities that we visit as possible.

We ask that you: 1. Buy locally made crafts and support local skills. Do not simply buy on price but on value to you: bargaining for a lower price for both souvenirs and services is often the accepted and expected custom, but don't drive a hard bargain just for the sake of it.

2. Try the local food and specialities. Many rural areas around the world are under threat from a reduction in their agricultural base and by eating locally produced goods you will help the local farmers as well as the local economy.

Local standards of living are usually very different to our own, so we need to realize that our economic power is great and we should not be abuse it.

Environmental issues

1. Please never buy products that exploit wildlife or aid the destruction of species or habitats. Do not buy souvenirs made from endangered species, like Cayman leather; doing so will only encourage the trade.

2. Consider what you really need to take with you. Waste disposal systems in many countries are ill equipped to deal with the increased pressures that tourism brings, and a few simple measures can make an enormous difference to the effect you have on your destination. Where possible remove the wrapping of packaged goods before you leave: unwrap soaps and take bottles out of boxes.

3. Pick up your litter as you would at home: bottles, cans, plastic, cigarette butts, apart from being unsightly, can be deadly to wild animals.

4. Environmentally friendly detergents and shampoos for hand and hair washing are widely available please take these, and use as little as possible. This will help to keep valuable fresh water supplies, rivers, streams and the sea free from pollution. Make sure you prevent soap polluting someone else's drinking water.

5. Remember that in many places fresh water is a very precious commodity and should not be wasted, so use a minimum for showering and washing.

6. Although we insist that our guides maintain suitable distances from wildlife, allowing the animal a suitable escape distance, there is always a temptation to get closer. For this reason we recommend that you don't encourage your guide or driver to get closer to the animals than is acceptable and to take the most powerful lens for your camera you can get. Never feed wild animals or attempt to touch them.

Social issues

We hope that those who choose to travel with us do so with a genuine desire to enhance their holiday by learning more about the people of the host community.

1. It's quite easy in a small community to appear an arrogant rich foreigner, so be aware of the feelings of other people, and try to avoid giving offence. Learning a little of the local language and customs plus taking note of the dress codes can help reduce these barriers.

2. Please always ask permission before taking pictures of people, ritual events or special places like shrines. If people seem reluctant or look away then please do not take a picture. Be careful not to cause offence through your thoughtlessness.

3. If you are not sure please ask your guide or leader for advice on how to respond to begging and about appropriate gifts. It is usually better, for example, to give school materials or local food treats as a group, through the leader, to the school head or village head. Just handing out sweets encourages children to be a nuisance by begging, and may well ruin their teeth in a place where there is no dental service.

4. Extravagant displays of wealth such as ostentatious jewelry and technological gadgetry can be an incitement to robbery, as well as accentuating the gap between rich and poor, so please think about this when deciding what to take with you.

Responsible tourism is an issue that is important for the tourist, host communities and the environment. It is important to us that the local communities play a fair role in our operations and that we provide a long-term investment in these destinations. It is also important that we contribute to the conservation of the natural environment that is so often the reason for our presence in the destinations.

Above all, responsible tourism is about appreciating that it is the economic, environmental, cultural, social issues of an area that are paramount. It must be remembered that it is important for us all to work towards providing a responsible future that benefits all.

Please remember...

Your holiday destination is someone else's home

Leave places as you would like to find them

Treat others as you would like to be treated