Our history begins on March 2004, when Matteo and Camilla ‘s PiccolaLocanda Hostel was born in Cusco, Peru.
Very quickly, it became involved in community solidarity, becoming the official Peruvian headquarters for the MagiedelleAnde (“Magic of the Andes”) Association, based in Vicenza, Italy. It became actively involved in the HuaroCEIMDA Project, a school for differently-abled children, and soon established another invaluable relationship with the MosoqRuna abandoned children’s home, in Urubamba, Sacred Valley.
The hostel quickly became a meeting place for people who wanted to actively contribute to these projects, volunteers and travelers alike.
We began to organize tours that included, apart from the main tourist sites, lunches in the children’s homes, an opportunity to spend a few hours with the children and the people in charge of the projects.
This initiative proved to be a real success; thanks to donations and tour proceeds, the projects grew. One thing led to another; some people stayed on as volunteers, others sent money and materials, and thus we were able to cover the children’s basic needs.
In November 2004, from the meeting of Emanuele and Matteo, thePeruEtico Responsible Tours born, registered in the Ministry of Tourism as an official organizer of tours in Peru.
In the following years, between 2005 and 2006, we started another invaluable relationship, with Maruja and Daniela of CEPROF (Family Support Center) in Lima, then we also implemented stricter ethical parameters in choosing the agencies to work with in Peru. We also increased our support of the Hogar de lasEstrellas, a Children’s Home in Cusco that houses differently-abled, abandoned children.
In the same year, PeruEtico became a partner of AITR, Italian Association for Responsible Tourism.
In 2009, we helped start Peru’s first eco-school, “Tikapata,” which focuses on recycling, reforestation and the general relationship between the community and the environment. Then we also set up MessicoEtico, with the same travel philosophy and the same enthusiasm for Peru. Thanks to the support of Laikin Responsible Tourism Corporation, in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, the dream became realty.
In 2010 and 2011 we take part of the “Fa la CosaGiusta” a Fair Trade and Responsible Tourism exhibition in Milan in march.
In 2011 we started our new third adventure… a ten thousand kilometers’ trip on the road, from Cusco we reach the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaya, in Tierra del Fuego, crossing from one edge to the other Bolivia, Argentina and the endless Patagonia. In this way, a kilometer after another, a meeting after another meeting, the third destination of our tours was born: Argentina, always with our philosophy.
That’s PeruEtico! Not only travelers, but also a dynamic organization with many ideas, lots of enthusiasm, and the firm conviction that travelling in Peru – or in Mexico or in Argentina - isn’t only seeing Machu Picchu, but also experiencing a land of many faces, colors and sounds… through solidarity and tourism we can really help to improve the situation!