Tour operator partners
The tour operators we work with offer nature based tours or activities which are consistent with the PAN Parks concept, provide trips to small size groups, committed to sustainable tourism and operate in a sustainable way.
International tour operators try to include as many services of our certified local business partners as possible in their products. The tours they develop in co-operation with us are based in the parks or in the so-called PAN Parks regions around the parks.
By visiting the PAN Parks destinations with our tour operator partners you are financially supporting Europe’s wilderness, as all trips include a contribution dedicated to our Foundation.
PAN Parks has started its new tourism model in 2009 , which aims to build up a network of carefully selected tour operators to help us promote high-quality wilderness based tourism products in certified PAN Parks. In 2010 we are expanding the network of tour operators to be able to offer a wider range of package tour to the PAN Parks, to help you to discover the Europe’s Wilderness.
Our partners
• Exodus, United Kingdom
• SNP, the Netherlands
• Voigt Travel, the Netherlands
• Rucksack Reisen, Germany
• Sawadee, the Netherlands
• Wildlife & Wilderness, United Kingdom
• Saddle Skeddale, United Kingdom
• Culterramar, Germany
The UK based tour operator offering winter trips to Oulanka National Park, Finland has been working with us for 4 years.
Walking, hiking, cycling, roundtrips, active family holidays “all over the world”
SNP Nature Travel is a Dutch tour operator specialised in activity based tourism all over the world. In 25 years they have travelled the world and developed over 300 group trips and 700 FIT packages – including everything from walking, hiking, cycling, wildlife, bird watching, Arctic adventures, desert tours, cultural tours, to landscape photography courses.
SNP is a strong and innovative company. Their green and nature oriented image is focused on value for money, offering special destinations and activities such as walking (self guided GPS trails and locally guided trails), cycling, bird watching, wine & dine, snow walking, Nordic skiing, trekking and roundtrips.
They take special care in selecting small scale, preferably privately owned accommodation. Depending on the type of holiday (group/FIT) and type of activity, the accommodation varies from refugios, gites, mountain huts, and campsites, to chambres d’hôte, boutique hotels, tented lodges/safari camps, Himalayan trekker’s lodges, small beach hotels and other authentic accommodation which have well established reputation.
Voigt Travel is an independent Dutch tour operator since 1991. Originally they only focused on Finland (and Lapland) as a summer and winter destination. In 2000 they have also launched car trips to Sardinia, Sicily and Tunisia in summertime. However, the main product is still Finland and Lapland, especially in the wintertime when they have their own charter planes flying to the north. Their 11 employees have a lot of knowledge of the products they sell. A few times per year they organise study trips to improve this knowledge.
Voigt Travel is focusing on niche instead of mass markets. Their clients have to feel special, not only through their service but also their choice of destination.
Finland and Lapland’s biggest attraction is nature. Therefore Voigt Travel will always try to make their clients enjoy the natural surroundings without destroying this main unique selling point.
Rucksack Reisen is known for organising active and adventurous travels in Sweden. The tour-operator is specialised in canoe-, hiking- and cycling tours since 1989, especially around Fulufjället National Park, which was one of the first PAN Parks.
A wide range of activities are offered, in both summer and winter. The nature loving clients of Rucksack Reisen are fond of the so-called “Active Camps,” where they can combine a lot of special outdoor activities to an unforgettable stay.
In summer the favourites are wilderness-, hiking-, canoeing-, wild water kayaking-, riding- and survival weeks. In wintertime travellers enjoy downhill- and cross-country-skiing as well as snowshoe hiking, dog sledding and ski tours. All travellers are welcome as Rucksack Reisen offers different programmes for adults, singles, groups, youth and families.
Rucksack Reisen is one of the first tour operators certified with the CSR-Label (CSR-Corporate Social Responsibility). The CO²-Emission per client is quite low as travellers move on foot, in canoe and by bike. Rucksack Reisen is also a member of an organisation of tour operators working on sustainable tourism and organises special tours for WWF Germany.
For 27 years Sawadee has been specialising in active and adventurous group journeys. It all started in 1983 with a few tours to Thailand. Sawadee means ‘welcome’ in Thai. Sawadee is part of the Activity Sector of TUI Travel PLC.
Our travel programme contains more than 100 unique tours to destinations around Europe, the Middle-East and North-Africa, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central- and South-America, North-America, and the Arctic’s. The tours last from 8 days up to 33 days, and are always offered in the best possible seasons.
We travel in small groups (no more than 18 travellers), we have competent (Dutch speaking and local English speaking) tour leaders and offer unique and balanced routes in which we go further than just the familiar highlights.
We travel with inspiration and respect for nature, environment and local communities with their habits. Not only do we want to contribute to a better environment, we also want to make sure that local people, guides and hotel owners benefit from our visits, so we can always return with a peaceful mind. This is what makes travelling great!
www.sawadee.nl, www.familieavontuur.nl
Wildlife & Wilderness is a specialist tour operator based in the UK offering wildlife safaris and wilderness experiences to a world-wide range of destinations including Africa, South America, Canada, Australia and India as well as Europe. The company was founded around 15 years ago by biologist, Dr. Steve Banner. The vast majority of our holidays are tailor-made specifically to your ideas and requirements. All itineraries are intelligently designed based on our professional expertise and a real enthusiasm for those countries in which we operate. This is best demonstrated by the excellent repeat custom we receive from our clients. The holiday experiences we offer are very special and you are guaranteed a unique holiday. Wildlife & Wilderness also organise some small group tours, often of special interest such as wildlife photography, to destinations as diverse as Svalbard and the Galapagos.
Currently, Wildlife & Wilderness is developing a programme of European walking and activity holidays each of which has a characteristic emphasis on wildlife or nature. This initiative fits perfectly with the sustainable tourism model we helped develop with PAN Parks and more details can be found on our website.
Saddle Skedaddle is a cycling holiday company with an ethical approach to the way it works and operates. Started 15 years ago by founders Andrew and Paul who were looking to share their passion for travel by bicycle, it now has a committed team operating holidays around the world in a way that endeavours to provide great cycling holidays for its clients, enabling them to sample the local natural and cultural wonders in a sustainable way that also looks to maximise the benefits to the local people and economy.
Skedaddle offers a wide range of cycling holidays for all types of cyclist to destinations across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Whether people are looking for a leisurely ride or an adventurous challenge, an off-road journey or classic road ride, Skedaddle have a cycling holiday suitable for all. Working in partnership with small local businesses the holidays are designed to offer clients a taste of the unique culture each destination has to offer, as well as ensure that the holidays operate sensitively to the local environment and culture.
Culterramar is a specialised German tour operator for walking, hiking, biking and study tours in South-Eastern Europe. As a member of the German organization for sustainable tourism “forum anders reisen” the company’s philosophy is to work in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable way. Especially in Albania, Bulgaria or Montenegro there is still a huge resource of unspoiled wilderness which is necessary to be saved as a part of our heritage. Most of the tours of Culterramar are a combination of discovering nature and culture. On the hiking and trekking tours Culterramar chooses small, family-owned accommodation and local products. As a partner of PAN Parks Culterramar is proud to be part of a network which promotes Europe’s most unspoiled wilderness areas in a sustainable way. With the tours Culterramar tries to provide growing understanding and respect for these fragile ecosystems.
