about kinkaju
our story
Kinkaju Hikes & Adventures was founded in April 2017 by a gringo-paisa team. Jack had been living in Colombia for a couple years and was fascinated by all the mountains that surrounded the city, but couldn’t find much information about hiking and after failed attempts to get involved with other organizations decided to start exploring and organizing hikes on his own. Johanna is from Bello, just north of Medellin, and had a lot of experience hiking in Medellin and its surrounding towns. The project started as a hiking club, using extra donations from participants to help out local families they had met. It expanded and begun to partner with locals to offer cultural walks, fundraiser hikes and events, and later on offer private hikes and weekend hiking trips. Our mission has stayed the same – to connect foreigners and locals alike that love to be outside, while contributing to and working directly with local organizations that coordinate programs to improve the lives of displaced and underpriveleged families living in the city.
our current social project PARTNERS :
We currently use any extra earnings from Group Events to contribute to projects undertaken by one of three organizations:
- MamaChila Moravia Tours and The Ospina Family: The Ospina Family consists of three generations of women who have each contributed in great part to the well-being of the colorful neighborhood of Moravia, home of Cerro Moravia, a scenic garden converted out of the city’s former trash dump. The family has helped take care of the neighborhood’s neglected children, animals, and formed part of a group of volunteers that advocate for development, workshops, and economic support in their neighborhood. MamaChila Moravia Tours is an initiative which offers walking tours and information about the art, community projects, and history of the neighborhood.
- Fundación Huellas: This foundation is based in Santo Domingo and provides support to improvised zones of Manantiales and its neighoring barrios, home to over 20,000 displaced people. The foundation provides meals, classes, workshops, microloans, abuse victim support, among other forms of support.
- Fundación Caminos: Based in the Bello Oriente Sector of Santo Domingo, Fundación Caminos is a Dutch-founded non-profit that carries out its mission of promoting sociality and healthy lifestyles in children and adolescents that live in conditions in which their human rights are under threat. They offer of educational, sports, recreational, cultural and environmental projects.
Years of Hiking
Group Events Organized
Hiking Routes Offered
Happy Hikers
Testimonials
“Enjoying a great hike and having a nice time while practicing the language you want to learn (Spanish, English or sometimes others!!!) is just awesome thanks to the Kinkaju comunity.
Caminar disfrutando el paisaje y pasarla bien mientras practicas el idioma que quieres aprender (inglés, español y a veces otros diferentes!!!) es una actividad excelente gracias a Kinkaju”
“Great trip with Jack in the mountains
Really relaxed day out with lots to see and do. A must if you like walking. 10/10″
“Excellent group and hike. We did Tres Cascadas today and it was pretty beautiful. It was my first hike and they were really helpful. Thanks and see you next time“
“I went on a private hike with Jack to chorro de las campanas and it was one of my favorite memories of my trip to Medellin. Jack is really knowledgeable about the area and helpful every step of the hike. The hike itself was scenic, peaceful and moderate level. As a solo traveler I am so glad Kinkaju exists! Next time I’m in Medellin, I will definitely book another hike..”
A socially-conscious organization
In an effort to ensure that our project has a beneficial impact on the locals who most deserve to benefit from visitors, we have taken the following steps:
Donate all extra earnings from Group Hikes
Partner with Foundations and local families to organize Fundraiser Hikes and Cultural Walks
Partner with local guides in certain municipalities
Support the foundation of Community Tourism project