Common questions

Our favorite definition of sustainability is representing three pillars: environmental, social and financial. From an environmental point of view, all of our expeditions are conducted in and with the support of conservation units with deep interactions with nature in Brazil. We understand that only by knowing these places will people be able to understand the magnitude and be able to spread the message of conservation. In the social area, we do community-based tourism, interacting very closely with local residents, learning their culture and encouraging local development through the purchase of services and products, in addition to always volunteering on all expeditions that contribute to local development. Finally, from a financial point of view, we reinvest at least 50% of profits to improve the operation, generate even more impact in the country and create truly sustainable tourism.

Volunteering is the combination of tourism and volunteering in the same travel experience.
In this way, the traveler has extremely deep contact with the destination and the local population through volunteering and immersion in the nature, culture and gastronomy of the region.

At Vivalá we do Voluntourism with the combination of community-based tourism and volunteering in education, specifically in the professional training of small community businesses in the region using our methodology at the Vivalá Business University. Through community-based tourism, we inject capital directly into local economies through the purchase of tourist services and professional training. We help develop planning, execution and management in community businesses so that their initiatives can evolve and have a better quality of life for their families, and consequently, for the whole community.

Our Voluntourism Expeditions take place in the states of Amazonas, Pará and Maranhão in the following locations: Amazon River Negro Expedition (AM), Amazon River Tapajós Expedition (PA), Lençóis Maranheses Expedition (MA).
See the entire calendar at the link:
https://vivala.com.br/volunturismo

Anyone over the age of 18 who has empathy and the desire to connect deeply with Brazilian communities through community-based tourism and volunteering.

An informal university of entrepreneurial education for small Brazilian community businesses that aims to empower community businesses in the construction and development of sustainable tourism in the region. The process is continuous and so we train and accompany hundreds of people.

Not exclusively, but our methodology was developed in an extremely careful way and aimed at deep empowerment. We also do a series of actions for needs raised by needs through joint efforts.

Up to August 2023 there were 2071 travellers from 10 countries.

Vivalá and our Volunturists have completed 8778 hours of volunteering, helping small and continuous family businesses to progress, become professional, generating empowerment, self-esteem and quality of life.

Through the purchase of community-based tourism services, we have already managed to inject more than BRL 2.1 million into the communities.

Today there are 201 community family businesses in our professional training program. They are families that work with lodging, transportation, food, guidance, gastronomy, handicrafts, carpentry, graphic services, natural cosmetics, dance, drinks, among others.

We have completed 215 sustainable tourism expeditions carried out in 16 Brazilian preserved areas.

Yes, we create specific Voluntourism programs together with companies, schools and universities. In this way, we create together a program that can develop skills and competencies desired by organizations and at the same time that help in the sustainable development of the communities in which we operate in Brazil.

To register, just check the calendar - https://vivala.com.br/expedicoes - to discover which destination is the most exciting and guarantee your spot! You can pay in cash with 10% discount, in installments in the ticket until the month of the trip or by credit card up to 8x.

Although we also volunteer during the trip, the experience of volunteering is united with leisure activities and has a number of costs such as accommodation, transportation, food, guide, tours, travel insurance, materials for volunteering, among others. With this in mind, each traveler must pay the value of the expedition that will be used to inject capital into the communities through the purchase of community-based services, costs of means of payment, communication and the Vivalá team that works every day to make things happen.

Vivalá is a social business that aims to develop Sustainable Tourism in Brazil in conservation units and together with traditional communities.

In addition to the visitor's IP address and browser data, we collect data provided by users in their contacts with Vivalá through forms, conversations with our attendants, telephone contacts, among others. Always provided by the user himself and with the sole purpose of creating intelligence about the visitor so that we can serve him in the most directed way to his needs.

We do not share our users' data with any third-party institution, keeping the data solely and exclusively on Vivalá's systems.

We retain data and metadata indefinitely.

You can request that we remove any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any of the data that we are required to keep for administrative, legal or security purposes.

For questions, we open the service by email: [email protected]

Trips in natural environments involve risks. In order to reduce the possibility of incidents, please follow all instructions from our local guides and facilitators that aim to ensure your safety, such as wearing life jackets, helmets, and following other guidelines for behavior in such environments. We recommend that all travelers bring gaiters for hiking. Each traveler should bring their own medication. Don't forget to bring your prescribed medications.

Transfer of trip ownership up to 30 days prior to the trip start date - no cost

Transfer of trip ownership within 30 days of the trip start date - no possibility of changes.

Change within 7 calendar days of purchase - no cost

Change up to 60 days prior to the trip start date - Fare difference (if applicable) + 5% penalty on the original amount paid upfront

Change up to 30 days prior to the trip start date - Fare difference (if applicable) + 15% penalty on the original amount paid upfront

Change within 15 days or less before the trip start date - no possibility of changes

Cancellation within 7 calendar days of purchase - full refund within 7 business days

Cancellation up to 60 days prior to the trip start date - 80% refund within 30 business days

Cancellation up to 30 days prior to the trip start date - 40% refund within 30 business days

Cancellation up to 15 days prior to the trip start date - 20% refund within 30 business days

Cancellation within 15 days of the trip start date - no refund, full settlement of the total amount

In case the minimum number of participants is not reached up to 30 days prior to the trip start date, the Expedition will be canceled, and a full refund will be issued within 7 days after the cancellation. The traveler may also choose to use the amount as credit towards another Vivalá Expedition.