ParadoxTravel
Free travel itineraries, reviews and recommendations
Get Involved
A collection of the local guides, services and Responsible Tourism resources that are listed at the end of each post, as well as this weeks highlighted organization
Clean Up Nepal
"Clean up Nepal is a for-purpose, non-governmental organization registered in Nepal in 2014 that envisions communities having access to a solid waste management and water, sanitation and hygiene system with the associated knowledge and resources that will enable them to live a healthy, disease-free life. It provides an enabling environment by connecting, educating and empowering local communities and relevant stakeholders through a people-centered, solution-based approach.Clean up Nepal focuses on improving the health of public and environment through systematic improvements of existing waste management systems and assisting in the setup of new systems where none exists. Due to limited research on waste management operations and functions and the multifaceted challenges in the waste sector of Nepal, Clean up Nepal’s approach has been to obtain a complete and accurate understanding of existing systems prior to program design and community solutions. We particularly engage with schools, communities and local governments in order to implement solutions in a synergistic manner."
Guides, Groups & Organizations by destination
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Argentina
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Vistalba Wine Tours
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Vistalba Wine Tours, is a locally owned and operated company located in Mendoza, Argentina. They conduct daily tours for small groups, private tours and others activities. They know how important it is to have a guide you can trust and somebody who helps you find exactly what you are looking for. Being Mendoza locals for many years, they know many of the smaller more boutique wineries that are off the beaten path, as well as larger, more well-known wineries. They will gladly help you plan a custom tour specific to your needs and take you on an unforgettable ride in the majestic Mendoza Wine Country.
http://themendozawinetours.com/
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Bolivia
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The Help Bolivia Foundation
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Recognizing the immense needs of the Bolivian people living in extreme poverty, particularly the children, Help Bolivia is focusing its efforts on alleviating this poverty by providing programs that support the nutritional and educational needs of underprivileged children, as well as training programs for underprivileged women and youth.
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Canada
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The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
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“The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada’s only nationwide environmental charity dedicated solely to the protection of their public land and water, and ensuring the parks are managed to protect the nature within them. This organization works to protect well-known areas such as Kananaskis, the Whaleback and the Castle Wilderness. They also offer environmental education in the classroom and interpretive hikes in nature to foster a new generation of environmental stewardship”
http://cpaws-southernalberta.org/about
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Greece
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On Santorini - Tours by Locals could help you see the island in unique ways & keep your money on the islands.
On Mykonos - you can help local guides like Antonis make a living by enlisting their services to learn more about the island.
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Iceland
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INCA - the Icelandic Nature Conservation Assocation
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Italy/Dolomites
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Local mountain guides
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https://www.explore-share.com/via-ferrata-trips-in-italy
https://www.discoverydolomites.com/via-ferrata-holiday/
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Italy/Cinque Terre
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a non-profit association dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability with a focus on communicating the value of water. Their mission is to identify, encourage and implement innovative solutions for citizens, companies and cities to become more sustainable in their water and energy usage. Their project in Cinque Terre aims to maintain an alignment with the traditional ways of life while making provisions to alleviate and lessen the amount of destruction should another flood occur. Better prevention measures are key to properly addressing the threat of flash floods in Cinque Terre as in other areas around the Mediterranean and beyond. You can learn more and support them here:
http://www.revolve-water.com/liguria-preserving-land/
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Local guides - Florence:
https://www.toursbylocals.com/Florence-Tours
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Morocco
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Education for All -
Education For All (EFA) was established to help provide the opportunity of a secondary education for girls from the High Atlas mountain region. They build and run high-quality boarding houses for girls from 12–18. Everything is provided for free. They offer three nutritious meals a day, hot showers, cosy beds, access to computers, study support via an international volunteer program and dedicated, local housemothers. The overall environment makes it easy for the girls to settle in and thrive in their studies. We see an average of 90% pass rate across all years and now have 50 EFA girls enrolled at university.
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Nepal
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Clean Up Nepal -
"Clean up Nepal is a for-purpose, non-governmental organization registered in Nepal in 2014 that focuses on improving the health of public and environment through systematic improvements of existing waste management systems and assisting in the setup of new systems where none exists. They engage with schools, communities and local governments in order to implement solutions in a synergistic manner."
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Helambu Education and Livelihood Partnership (HELP) -
"HELP -Nepal is a local NGO set up in 2009 with a goal to improve quality of education in some of the remote village schools in Sindupalchowk, some 70 kms northeast of Kathmandu. Our education programes have supported around 90 schools, benefitting over 10,000 children in many of the outlying and impoverished villages in Helambu valley and the adjacent valleys; and majority of our programes are funded by a UK based charity, Mondo Challenge Foundation. We work closely with communities and education authorities for sustainable results and villager empowerment
https://help.org.np/web/welcome
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New Zealand
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ECO
ECO is a network of fifty-plus large and small environmental organizations based all around New Zealand, as well as several hundred individual Friends. The core of ECO’s work is promoting and strengthening community environmental action, and working collaboratively towards better government policies and management decisions. ECO also works on global issues such as climate change, Antarctica, and oceans.”
http://www.eco.org.nz/what-we-do.html
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Local guides - Queenstown
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cycling: http://www.wanakabikeguides.com/
hiking: https://www.ultimatehikes.co.nz/en
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Patagonia
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Patagonia Conservation
"Our organization is part of the Tompkins Conservation family of organizations, established by entrepreneurs-turned-conservationists Kristine and Douglas Tompkins to establish new protected areas, recover imperiled species, implement organic agriculture, support leading-edge activism, and promote healthy communities. Conservacion Patagonica itself is a small team, but many thousands more throughout the world have joined in this project in one form or another, be it volunteering with ecosystem restoration, donating, spreading the word, serving as supportive neighbors, or lending expertise." - Conservacion Patagonica
http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/home.htm
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Peru
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Peruvian Hearts - a girls’ education and empowerment program that provides financial support and mentorship for ambitious young women to pursue their educational and professional goals.
"Peruvian Hearts works to end poverty and gender inequality by educating young women and creating community leaders in Peru, one girl at a time. Peruvian-born Ana Dodson developed this nonprofit organization to enable young women to embrace education, believe in their own power, and dream of a life beyond the conditions into which they were born."
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http://www.peruvianhearts.org/
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South Africa
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Cape Nature Conservation -
a resource for accommodations & activities that support conservation & educate the public on environmental campaigns – is one example. This group aims to establish a 'Conservation Economy' in the Western Cape and to turn biodiversity conservation into a key component of the local economic development processes in the province.
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Local guides - Cape Town:
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Table Mountain hiking guides: http://www.hiketablemountain.co.za/
Paradise Touring: http://www.paratour.co.za/index.htm
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South Georgia
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Preserving the island's past and creating a better future for South Georgia -
The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) was established in 2005 to raise funds to support its two primary purposes:
-to help efforts to conserve and protect those species of indigenous fauna and flora that breed and grow on Sotuh Georgoa or in the surrounding seas and to raise awareness of South Georgia's threatened species.
-to assist efforts to preserve the historical heritage of South Georgia, including selected historical sites of importance, and increase international awareness of the human history of the island through the South Georgia Museum.
http://www.sght.org/about-sght/
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NOTE: Unless specifically stated that we personally used a certain service or organization, some listed sites were found simply through online search & further research of their stated mission & role within the tourism industry. In much of our travels up to these last few years, not all local businesses had online links that I could refer to. I hope someday that all of the recommended organizations on this site will be ones that we have personally used and that we can connect you to via internet. Until then, I will do my best to either give your a way to find the locals we have worked with in some way, or provide a substitute that has good online presence & that appears aligned with this site's values & goals. Please let us know if you have any adverse experience or information to the contrary.