Our mission/Sustainability

The main mission of the Too.kg team is to create the most inclusive guide for local and foreign tourists traveling around Kyrgyzstan. Despite the huge tourist potential of the country, to this day there are few Internet resources that can provide travelers with the breadth of information they need to travel Kyrgyzstan. Of course, there are some blogs by tourists who have visited Kyrgyzstan recently, as well as commercial travel guides published abroad. However, they may lack objectivity in submitting information about the country due to the fact that they are not local.
Therefore, we did our best to create a unique catalog of standardized and reliable information about natural sights, cultural attractions, and peculiarities that must be taken into account when traveling in our country. We believe that this information should be accessible, truthful and free of charge. Tourists should be able to plan their trip without paid consolations and travel agency services.
Thus, we want to help improve foreign tourists’ attraction to the country and contribute to the development of local tourism.
In Kyrgyzstan, we value the natural beauty our country has to offer. As an organization, we advocate the values of minimal environmental impact.
We believe that the proper development of tourism will help Kyrgyzstan preserve its amazing nature and cultural authenticity. We also believe that this travel guide is the first step to increasing visitation to many beautiful but hard-to-reach places in our country. Too.kg hopes it will contribute to the emergence of a tourist infrastructure and the development of tourist routes. The development of tourist routes will help local communities: villages, yurt camps, etc.

Travelife Award 

The Travelife Partner Award recognizes our commitment to social and environmental sustainability. We meet more than 100 criteria related to sustainability management, office operations, vendor relations and customer communications. We are working on further improvements to eventually reach the Travelife Certified stage.
Travelife is the leading training, management and certification initiative for sustainability-minded travel companies. Travelife is a three-step certification program for tour operators and travel agents: (1) Travelife Engaged; (2) Travelife Partner and (3) Travelife Certified. We are in the second stage – Travelife Partner. We are working to move to the third stage – Travelife Certified.

 

Too.kg Sustainable Development Policy

Our main mission is to show the beauty and culture of Kyrgyzstan. In doing so, we encourage tourists to buy locally produced goods and services and help travel without harming the environment.

Our main goals are:

Supporting local people and the economy.

We work to maximize the positive impact of tourism on the local economy and local communities by:

• Engaging predominantly local staff
• Planning and executing trips with local vendors
• Encouraging our customers/passengers to buy from local suppliers of goods and services

Environment Preservation

We strive to preserve the environment and reduce our negative impact by:

• Using local transportation where it is safe, reliable and feasible
• Ensuring proper maintenance and choosing the most efficient mode of transportation
• Minimizing waste and consumption on the trip
• Prohibiting garbage dumping everywhere except in garbage cans
• Compliance with all national park visitor regulations
• We oppose any exploitative or illegal practices or those that have a negative impact on animal welfare.

Cultural Preservation

We strive to preserve culture and reduce negative impacts by:

• Observing and respecting local customs and etiquette
• Encouraging local interaction and understanding of the local way of life
• Asking permission before taking pictures
• Human Rights

Respecting the basic principles of human rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and ensuring that our employees, customers, local communities and suppliers/business partners promote their right to be treated

• dignity,
• equality,
• freedom and
• respect

Tours:

• We do not offer tours that are harmful to people, animals, plants, natural resources, or that are socially and culturally unacceptable
• During trips to natural areas, refuse single-use plastic, and do not leave trash behind (collect it and dispose of it safely at designated points)
• We do not promote souvenirs containing endangered species of flora and fauna as stated in the CITES treaty and the IUCN Red List; or historical and archaeological artifacts (except as permitted by law)
• Advise guests on standards of behavior during tours and activities with an emphasis on respect for local residents and communities, local culture, nature, and the environment
• When planning tours, we take into account climate, tour terrain, loads and maximum time of use

Excursions involving animals:

• We do not offer any tours involving wild animals in captivity, except for properly regulated activities in accordance with local, national and international laws;
• Not related to companies that harvest, consume, exhibit, sell or trade wildlife species, except as part of a regulated activity that ensures that their use is sustainable and complies with local, national and international laws;
• Think twice when arranging tours involving animals
• We choose experienced suppliers who comply with Kyrgyz regulations and laws, and who treat their animals responsibly and with care
• We instruct tourists on how to behave with the animals in order to avoid any risks, under no circumstances do we accept tourists under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• All of the animals that take part in our tours or shows are well fed and well cared for.

Special rules regarding horseback tours:

• Selecting an experienced vendor and groom
• Equipment – check the helmet for the tourists
• Check the carrying capacity (man – up to 100-110 kg, parter up to 80 kg)
• Distance – about 16 km a day, the operation – 6 hours in the mountains, on a straight track – 8 hours

Special rules relating to the show with the birds of prey:

• Do not use red-listed birds (falcons)
• We check if we have the appropriate equipment (a cap etc.).
• We don’t take birds away from their habitat.
• We follow the appropriate clothing for tourists (no hanging items in the clothes)
• No drones should be used for filming.

Also one of the main rules of the company is to respect all our obligations to the tourists, employees and suppliers.

Informing about sustainability issues:

Since we are one of the most popular travel sites in the country, we work to inform visitors about the importance of sustainable tourism and how the average tourist can help with this issue.