Sustainability

Eco-Friendly Tour Operator

All tours are done on none motorized equipment, all tours are fully guided and guides are trained twice a month on the content of the natural areas and its ecosystems, flora, and fauna as to deliver a better interpretation to our guests. We encourage our guests to not use heavy body products before the tours and offer them botanical products at the tour site. Our operation practices Reduce, Reuse, Recycle along with Pack It In, Pack It Out and always cleaning our sites of man-made trash, always bringing out what we bring in, and seeing it to proper disposal or recycling locations. Company owners and guide staff assist in cleanups around the island hoping to set an example that littering is not the right choice. Studying and practicing Green Globe and IES guidelines for our operational site and field operations, pushing for benchmark and then on to best practice.
Promoting responsible marketing and supporting laws to protect our natural resources such as “Say No to Swimming” in Laguna Grande, enjoy La Mina from the banks, and making El Yunque National Forest A Trash-Free Zone!

We at Puerto Rico Bio Bay Tours LLC. want each of our guests to know that it is our daily drive to offer our tours with endless forethought, education, and a heartfelt drive to protect and conserve our natural wonders. By taking the extra steps needed to bring our tours into Puerto Rico’s eight ecosystems interacting and learning about them while taking nothing out but memories and photos and leaving nothing but footprints! We hope that you will come and join us in our quest to interact within a natural environment with our goal on interpretation, education, leading to conservation of Puerto Rico’s natural wonders.

One of our greatest gifts is the ability to bring guests into wild locations and during a short window of time, spark interest in new and trending outdoor ethics! Much of this is done by example. As an outfitter and custodians of the environments we work in, we practice Leave No Trace. Setting up our tours with endless forethought as to leave the natural area as we found it or better, bringing only the needed things in with us and make sure we bring them all back out! We Strive and Practice Strong Out Door Ethics such as the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace.

Plan Ahead & Prepare

Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you’ll visit.
Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.
Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.
Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups.
Repackage food to minimize waste.
Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces

Concentrate use on existing trails and campsites.
Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when wet or muddy.
Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.

In pristine areas:

Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.
Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

Dispose of Waste Properly

Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food and litter.
Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep, at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished.
Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products. To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.

Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch cultural or historic structures and artifacts.
Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.
Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.
Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the backcountry. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light.
Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.
Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.
Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health alters natural behaviors and exposes them to predators and other dangers.
Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.