Community Projects
Andean Trails believes tourism should make a positive impact in the communities we visit.
We are proud to support a number of NGOs and charities that contribute to the environment and the communities where we have lived and worked since we started up in 1998.
Each year we give a total of approximately USD 4,000 to NGOs and charities working in the Andean nations:
We are also members of:
Some of the projects actively encourage volunteers, so if you would like to donate or fancy contributing time as a volunteer then contact the office for how best to organise this.
Huchuy Yachaq
Huchuy Yachaq Project, highland Cusco
A community project in a Cusco neighbourhood. The project has been running for well over 20 years. It aims to improve education, skills and the quality of life of families in this poor community. Contact us about the possibility of volunteering.
Danielle Children’s Fund, highland Ecuador 
We began supporting Danielle Children’s Fund in 2024. Their mission in Ecuador is to contribute to the co-construction of healthy, protective families and communities that protect and prioritise children.
Rainforest Concern
We support Rainforest Concern, a UK-based charity established to protect threatened natural habitats and their biodiversity, as well as the indigenous people who live there. They have several projects in South America that we are delighted to support.
Reforestation of the Andes with ECOAN 
Together with ECOAN, a Peru based NGO, Andean Trails is helping communities reforest the Andean slopes.
Amantani
Andean Trails has sponsored the Graham Water Marathon, organised by Amantani, who help bridge the gap between home and school for children living in Ccorca, a handful of Quechua communities nestled high in the Andes of southern Peru.
Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT)
Book your Galapagos holiday with us and help safeguard the Archipelago’s future.
We pay an annual membership fee to the GCT.
Books for Guyana Initiative, Guyana
The Chenapou Village Library, born from a UK volunteer’s vision, was officially opened in February 2025. Following her 2018/19 teaching stint, Kirsty launched the ‘Books for Guyana’ initiative, and began fundraising. The first barrel of books arrived in February 2024, marking a crucial milestone, with four more barrels successfully funded and delivered by September 2024. We made our first donation to the library in 2025.
Testimonials
M. Cook and D. Heyburn, UK. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided.
My friend & I recently did the 8 day O Trek self guided which was organized by Andean Trails. We are so pleased we paid the extra to have all the camps set up & food included rather than carrying all our camping equipment & food. The camps were run by two different companies. One company looked after Seron, Frances & Central where we had tents on stilts. These came with a very comfortable mattress that filled the whole tent, sleeping bags & pillows. The other company looked after Dickson, Los Perros, Gray & Paine Grande where the tents were on the ground with individual mattresses & sleeping bags. I was very impressed with the tents on stilts & found them to be more comfortable & spacious.
The included food was very good & sometimes excellent! We appreciated having a welcome drink which we had before our three course dinner, either a glass of wine or a pisco sour! Very civilized especially as we were in the mountains.
We received plenty of information from Kathy at Andean Trails before the trek began & we received all our vouchers for the transfers into & out of the park & the camps. It was all very well organized.
We also received a welcome pack at the bus station in Puerto Natales which included a sleeping sheet liner, a large travel towel & a water bottle. I had brought my own but I need not have done although it was handy having two water bottles. I filled one with water & one with a fruit tea.
I have wanted to go trekking in Torres del Paine for many years & choose to do it as part of my 60th birthday celebration whilst I'm still fit & able! We are very pleased we choose the O Trek rather than the W Trek as we explored the whole circuit & the first four days from Central to Gray were much quieter & we made friends with some lovely people from all around the world. It was very special. The trek from Gray to Paine Grande was the busiest day on the trail as many people doing the W Trek were doing a day walk there & back. We were also there during peak time. We started the trek on 26th January.
We were very lucky with the weather. We only had one day of rain although it was on the longest day when we trekked over the John Gardner Pass from Los Perros to Gray. We were able to dry our wet clothes by pegging them up in the back porch of our tent & they dried overnight thanks to the wind!
My friend & I enjoyed taking our time every day except on the longest day as we had to be at El Paso ranger hut by 14.00 plus it was raining! We took our time to enjoy the scenery, take photos & we made our packed lunches last most of the day!
We also appreciated having a hot shower every evening except at Los Perros camp which is the most basic camp. Originally we were advised there would be no food provided there but we were offered a simple dinner which consisted of rehydrated food. It was better than nothing!!
It would have been good to have had an extra night at Frances then we could have had a more leisurely trek up to the Mirador Britanico although it would have been backtracking but it was less than 2kms to the Valle del Frances.
The last trek up to Mirador Base Torres was quite emotional. We saw many of the friends we had made on the O Trek plus it was goodbye to an Amazing Memorable Adventure. Thank you Andean Trails for your organization. We have been recommending you to all our friends!
M. Cook and D. Heyburn. Jan 2025, Paine Circuit Self-Guided. UK
» Paine O Circuit Full Trek: Self-Guided
Deb O. and Lisa B., USA, Self-guided Tailormade Patagonia, Feb 2025. There were so many highlights! The summits and glacier excursions were magnificent. We were blessed with great weather most of the time. Having our own guide in Chalten was great and our guide was fantastic! There were a lot of details to this trip and they all came together nicely. The accommodations were very good. Very clean -no complaints. Guides were wonderful. Food was amazing -everything homemade. I think we benefited the local people. We acknowledged their services with appropriate tips and we patronized many local establishments while there. I can’t think of anything right now that I would do differently! Patagonia has been a “bucket list” trip for me. I will turn 60 and retire this year so it was my treat to myself. It was everything I hoped it would be. I hope it doesn’t change with the ever increasing tourism. It’s such a special place. They are very proud of their heritage and it deserves to be preserved. We found Andean Trails online and the e reviews were good and prices reasonable. It was a leap of faith that paid off. Thank you so much for bringing this experience to me.
» Patagonia Highlights Trekking Trip
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