Any type of holiday activity which is ‘under your own steam’ means you are joining the growing movement of sustainable tourism and walking falls squarely in that court. 

While you emit no carbon emissions while walking, we have calculated any emissions from your accommodation/transfers etc and have purchased credits in renewable projects so that you can be assured that your Great New Zealand Walk is 100% carbon offset. Notably, the cost of leaving a carbon offset footprint in the places we visit will not be passed onto you and instead will be absorbed by Great Walks of New Zealand, a division of the World Expeditions Travel Group.

This means you are directly supporting renewable energy and reforestation projects; another reason why your walking tour has nothing but a positive impact.

Before mitigating carbon emission, it is important to take opportunities to reduce our footprint. When designing our trips, we choose the least carbon intensive transport and accommodation available in the region, whilst taking into account traveller safety. While all travel has unavoidable carbon emissions, we're continuing to take action to reduce our footprint and improve our operations.

Where feasible, think about taking public transport or shared services to your destination so that you expand your full tour arrangements to be carbon free. Combined with your walking tour, these are BIG steps towards a better future.

How does mitigating carbon work?

It's really simple. First we calculate the emissions produced by your trip. Secondly, we purchase carbon credits through the world’s largest and most awarded carbon project developer, South Pole, which support Positive Impact Projects. 1 carbon credit equates to 1 tonne of carbon. The projects that we support aim to transition communities from fossil fuel dependency to renewable energy, as well as help protect and regenerate forests that capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.

At no additional cost to you, our active holidays will offset the carbon emissions from your land travel to support a conservation project in Australia, a wind farm in Vietnam, a habitat protection project in Zimbabwe and a hydropower plant in China.

In addition, these projects support a range of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as alleviating poverty, providing clean water and sanitation and offering decent work and economic growth, all of which aim to achieve a better future for all.

The carbon credits invested into these projects therefore accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources for developing nations, as well as projects that benefit local communities and protect their biodiversity. These supported projects are based on internationally recognised standards and are third-party audited.