From 15-18 September, 2012, I accompanied a group of tour operators from Ecuador, the UK and the US who visited Colombia’s Pacific coast in the Chocó region. We had been invited to assess the work of a Colombian NGO, Mano Cambiada (http://nuquipacifico.com). The project is based in the town of Nuquí, which can reached only by air from Medellín (1¼ hours) or Quibdó (about 20 minutes; Quibdó is 8-9 hours by bus from Medellín), or by boat from Buenaventura (18-20 hours). The population of the Chocó region is largely Afro-Colombian.   The following is a summary of a presentation to our group by Mano Cambiada and BioRedd+ (www.bioredd.org, the Colombian agency working with Mano Cambiada to implement a grant from USAID) on 17 September 2012.   Mano Cambiada has been operating for six years. Its primary aim is to make the people of Chocó proud of what they have and...

In September 2012, I visited Colombia on a research trip for the South American Handbook (Footprint Travel Guides, www.footprinttravelguides.com). In Bogotá I met two members of More Local, an operator which is a member of ECOCLUB.com: Juan Camilo Peña, Director for The Americas of Large Minority (www.largeminority.com), and Nicolás Gómez of More Local (www.morelocal.co), which is part of the Large Minority group.   Large Minority started in Sri Lanka with Lanka Challenge (www.lankachallenge.com). It also has a similar challenge in Cambodia (www.cambochallenge.com). In 2011 More Local was launched in Colombia to highlight authentic, real culture and responsible travel, with year round experiences, in the Amazon, the Coffee Region and around Bogotá.   See www.morelocal.co/why-us/meaningful-travel for the basic principles behind More Local’s experiences. In addition to the projects mentioned on that page, they also contribute to reforestation projects in Antioquia.   Their guides speak German, English and Spanish. French is also...