Sustainable Travel In Peru with Sara & Daniel Bustamante on The Sustainable Jungle Podcast #sustainablejungle

Podcast #25 · Sara & Daniel Bustamante · Sustainable Travel In Peru

“When tourism is used in the right way with the right rules and the right setting, you can create a very positive impact and can create change in people.”
Daniel Bustamante

Sara and Daniel are nature-loving, eco-warriors and experts on sustainable travel. They are are the founders of Peru Eco Expeditions, a Sustainable, Ecotourism company based in Cusco, Peru that specialises in luxury, customised and sustainable expeditions. They have both enjoyed long careers in tourism in both Peru and the United States and are visionaries when it comes to the tourism industry in Peru. They want to see epic things happen to create a viable and sustainable industry well into the future.

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We got to know Sara and Daniel on two of Peru Eco Expedition’s epic bike and trek experiences and boy, was it good fun! We sat down in the Amazon Cloud forest next to a gorgeous waterfall at the end of almost a week together and captured the following thoughts from these passionate eco-warriors:

Sara and Daniel’s respective background and how they came to be where they are today (~01:20)
Daniel’s interest in sustainability and his early connection with nature (~03:00)
Sara’s career path in the tourism industry (~04:00)
Why nature is so important to Sara and Daniel and why it’s important to them to build it into their packages (~4:35)
Thoughts on kids and the value of building their connection to nature (~5:35)
Daniel, Sara and their daughter’s most memorable moments in nature (~07:35)
What being a Sustainable EcoTourism business in Peru looks like (~13:35)
Why sustainability is important to Sara and Daniel (~15:50)
How to be a sustainable tourist (~16:40)
An example of tourism gone wrong at Humantay, Peru (~18:15)
The unfortunate status of Machu Picchu’s and OVER-tourism (~23:45)
Thoughts on changes in the tourism industry in Peru from a local’s perspective (~29:05)
The beautiful Amazon Cloud Forest in the Manu Biosphere Reserve within the Peruvian Amazon and why this place is so special (~30:20)
Why we have the opposite problem of UNDER-tourism in the pristine Amazon cloud rainforest (~33:45)
Rural tourism in an Amazon village and why this is so important (~39:00)
Initiatives or programs that Daniel and Sara would love to see implemented in Peru (~44:20)
What’s next for Sara and Daniel, including their trash solving not-for-profit, “Evolve Peru” and their ultra sustainable and unique lodge in the Amazon (~49:35)
Advice for sustainable living / being a conscious consumer (~53:40)

“If there is no tourism, these illegal industries are going to continue to advance and become more prevalent… and it would be detrimental to one of the most biologically diverse places in the entire world!”
Sara Bustamante