ZAIA Travel

ZAIA has a partnership and works with the nonprofit Agrosolidaria which aids the conservation and protection of 2.000 hectares of Andean and Sub-Andean Forests. These forests are part of the natural reserves in the Sanctuary of Flora and Fauna Guanentá - Alto Río Fonce, part of the Colombian National Park Network.

Since 2014, ZAIA has been a part of a reforestation project where our travellers plant one tree per person per day. We also invest 1% of our profit yearly to this cause. Besides reducing the carbon footprint of our trips, we're contributing to regenerate degraded soil, to create new habitats for fauna species and to support local communities by the generation of legal employment opportunities. On average, each person generates 0,86 tons of CO2 in a 8-day overland trip (flights not included)*. Therefore, most of the trips are carbon neutral. To June 30th – 2017, we have contributed to the plantation of 4202 trees which will absorb 1050 tons of carbon dioxide in 10 years. *Note: if the itinerary includes domestic flights we plant 2 additional trees per person.

ZAIA supports many community-based tourism experiences around Colombia that help local communities preserve cultural traditions. For example, during "the Oak Route" itinerary, travelers visit Corpolienzo, a fabric museum that preserves and promotes an ancestral tradition involving natural cotton and dyes. Another example of community-based tourism is the 'Guajira tour' where we visit Wayuu indigenous groups at rancherias (their homes). Travelers learn about the medicinal uses of wayuu plants, a little bit about their language, their gastronomy, their dance, landscapes and way of living as well and travelers get their faces painted with the tribe's markings.