Porter Policies

In Peru

G Adventures offered training courses to people from four local communities just outside of Cuzco, Peru, to provide them with work opportunities and prepare them for the chance to be porters and cooks on the Inca Trail. Our porter training courses were developed as a way to provide job-skills training and educate community members about relevant social and environmental issues. Participants were divided into small groups of 10-15 to take part in various workshops.

Everyone learns valuable skills such as learning to care for, maintain and carry camping equipment. Lessons are provided that demonstrate practical techniques to use to avoid back injuries, from carrying relatively heavy loads for multiple days. Other topics included First Aid and English language lessons, training on proper disposal of organic and inorganic waste, the importance of responsible tourism, and trust building exercises. Participants were also given a copy of the Porter Law, which was reviewed and discussed so that each person is aware of their rights as Porters.

A training course for cooks was also offered to teach participants how to prepare food for our travellers on the Inca Trail. This course covered food preparation and presentation of the G Adventures menu. Our cooks were then provided with an opportunity to cook and serve food for the porters, guides, teachers and G Adventures Cuzco office staff during the two-day training course.

In Nepal

We have partnered with a well-established local trekking operator in Nepal whose commitment to social and environmental responsibility in the Himalayas shines through in all aspects of their operations.

Working closely with the villages that are home to our porters, our partner has helped to install electricity supply lines, provided roofing materials, furniture and installed drinking water facilities at various schools in the remote mountain villages of Nepal. Future plans include building a school dedicated to the children of our porters.

All porters are provided with warm high altitude gear, blankets, boots, jackets, pants, gloves, socks and snow goggles as well as tents and mattresses on remote area treks. The well-being of each porter is just as important to us as our clients. All staff are provided with life and health insurance along with fair wages and bonuses and every other year, a tree planting is planned to honour past clients.

In the past all trekking companies burned firewood for cooking. Out of concern that such practices would accelerated the deforestation of the Himalaya region, an eco-trekking workshop and seminar was created with the goal of educating other trekking companies about the importance of environmental conservation. It was through this workshop that the use of environmentally-friendly fuel for cooking became a more accepted practice in the region.