Non-profit organisation PoD Volunteer (www.podvolunteer.org) has announced a new education project in Peru and is now calling on willing volunteers to join and support their work.
The partnership, with a local community education initiative, is in the Peruvian town of Huaraz in the Ancash region and will provide educational and emotional support to children from low income families. If you want to join them in Peru, here’s a flavour of what you could be experiencing…
Activity
The project encourages a holistic approach to education combining homework tuition, emotional well-being classes, recreational activities and daily nutritious meals in a family orientated environment. The community school was established in 2006 to support a low income area where many children were struggling to achieve in the school system. The school runs two daily sessions to compliment the state school system;
9am – 12pm: Secondary school students attend the community education project, they then spend the afternoon at state school
3pm – 6pm: Primary school students attend the project following their morning classes at state school. This is a big help also to many single parents who would not be home to look after their children in the afternoon.
The objective is to provide the children within extra support in their studies. Volunteers act as mentors offering help with homework, education on health and wellbeing and emotional support for students from difficult backgrounds.
Volunteers are involved with a number of tasks which can include:
Helping with homework; Spanish, English, Maths and other subjects
One-on-one tuition with children who are struggling
Informal lessons
Creative activities; music, arts and crafts
Active games and sports
Help on the nutrition awareness program, healthy living and hygiene education
Building and maintenance at the school
If you have any specific skills or interests then the community education project are always eager to involve this in the volunteer work. Especially if you have experience in social work, psychology, art, environmental sustainability, literacy and numeracy intervention, health education, fundraising, or languages and translation.
Accommodation
Volunteers stay in a basic but comfortable volunteer apartment, located in the centre of Huaraz and about 10 minutes’ walk from the community school. The apartment has a fully equipped kitchen where volunteers can cook. Bedrooms are shared with shared bathrooms.
Recommended for… Anyone with an interest in education, community development and working with young people and volunteers who want to immerse themselves in Peruvian culture.
Be aware that…The language barrier can be tough, we recommend volunteers try to pick up a few phrases before you travel and consider lessons when in Peru. You will find you pick up many phrases naturally whilst volunteering! Also, accommodation is not private – bedrooms and bathrooms are shared with other volunteers on the project.
Good credentials
Help fight poverty and child labour in Peru by providing educational and emotional support to children and adolescents from low income families.
Build self-esteem through helping plan and execute personal and emotional development workshops, crafts, and sports.
Support an ongoing local community initiative which has been operating in the region for seven years.
Jenny Collins, of NGO Frontier, gives us the lowdown on volunteering in Costa Rica – once voted the ‘happiest place in the world’!
Costa Rica’s stunning landscapes of cloud forests and volcanoes, plus the friendly Costa Ricans themselves, offers a big clue as to why this country was once voted the happiest country in the world on the Happy Planet Index. But if you’d rather give something back to the country as you explore it then there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Costa Rica sits just above the equator in Central America and benefits from a tropical climate which plays a part in encouraging the high levels of biodiversity in the country, and this is where helpful travellers come in…
The Costa Rica Big Cats, Primates & Turtles Conservation project allows volunteers to monitor these important species in their own environment. Volunteers live in the middle of the rainforest in the Corcovado National Park (one of the most remote parts of the country) so really get the opportunity to be at one with the wildlife.
The work: Volunteers carry out extensive biodiversity surveys. Work includes walking primate transects to spot the white-faced capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, Jeffries spider monkey and mantled howler monkey which thrive in these biologically rich forests. Volunteers also survey populations of exotic birds, insects and amphibians, patrolling turtle nesting beaches (except between December and April when there are no turtles in this region), or track big cats.
Accommodation: This varies from tents to hammocks on a handmade deck, made from locally sourced materials. The camp is a 20-minute walk from Playa Piro, where the beach stretches for over 15 miles.
Part of camp life will involve cooking on a rotational basis. Costa Rican food is simple but delicious, with a focus on rice, beans and good quality fruit and vegetables. You could learn to make Gallo Pinto, the staple food of the nation, which is fried rice and black beans. Other favourites include light and crispy tortillas, most often stuffed with delicious cheeses and vegetables.
Much good work has already been carried out by volunteers on the project and new research projects are often set up on location. Recently the volunteers identified deforested locations that have been abandoned in recent decades and which were once used as land for plantations. These areas are missing many of the important species native to the area so Frontier are collaborating with the local Osa Conservation group to initiate a re-vegetation programme. Native species are being used and seeds taken from local areas to establish seedlings within the nursery. In the long-term, it is hoped that the re-establishment of native plant species will encourage more wildlife to return to the area.
Recommended for… Wildlife lovers and anyone who fancies getting back to nature and helping to conserve important areas of biodiversity.
Be aware that… Living in a forest can be tough as well as a great experience and it’s always good to be prepared for all eventualities so that there are no nasty surprises during your time on camp.
‘Good’ credentials:
The project supports the local economy by sourcing much of the supplies, including all of the food, from the local community
Helping to conserve the local areas will ensure the Costa Rican people can continue to create a sustainable income from tourism
About the author: Jenny Collins works for Frontier, an NGO dedicated to safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, and building sustainable livelihoods for marginalised communities in the world’s poorest countries.Find out more about Frontier’s volunteer projects, ethical adventure trails and gap year planning.
Carolina Canto, of social enterprise and responsible travel company Sumak Travel, reports on a new homestay initiative in Argentina…
As a part of a rural travel experience in Argentina, the co-operative ‘Red de Turismo Campesino’ (Rural Tourism Network) in the Calchaquíes valleys of Salta offers a great opportunity to enjoy local culture, share in their daily lives and to be a guest in their homes.
To improve their livelihoods and provide opportunities for authentic cultural exchange, these rural communities decided to offer their homes to tourists. Part of this income benefits the host family directly while the rest is invested in a common fund for the community.
Accommodation: There are various houses along the valleys that offer accommodation to visitors. Each of them has one to three double bedrooms that are especially allocated for visitors. Beds, mattress, blankets and bathrooms have been recently renewed or improved in order to guarantee a comfortable stay. The capacity of each house generally varies between two to four guests, with six being the maximum.
Food: Traditional Andean dishes are cooked by family members as a part of the experience. Guests have the opportunity to either join in preparing the meal or to sit down, relax and observe the cooking process. In addition, visitors are invited to join them during their farming tasks growing several types of seeds, fruits and vegetables. Do try their delicious Andean cuisine made from fresh ingredients from the region and discover their different techniques of organic wine making.
Activities: Visitors can take guided walks along the valleys through the croplands and vineyards enjoying the beautiful landscapes of Salta. From growing onions or cattle breeding to horse riding and ceramic adobe craftsmanship, the community of Salta offer the traveller a great opportunity to enjoy a ‘living’ experience of rural life in the valley.
Recommended for… Those who are looking for a respectful and authentic cultural exchange with the community in Salta, and real interaction with nature. The activities are not physically challenging and distances are short so that anyone is able to join in and enjoy them.
Be aware that… This is a traditional homestay with welcoming hosts – but if you need a hotel-style experience this may not be for you…
By winning the contest of the ‘Citizen fund of Argentina’, the community was awarded funds to support their expenses and continue with the strengthening of their touristic offer
The co-operative and network are self-managed by 50 rural families from Salta, in the north of Argentina
They work under the framework of fair-trade, responsible tourism and cooperative work with local identity
They have designed a rotating working system in which each family has the same opportunity to provide services and sell their handcrafts to tourists, so that the benefits from tourism are equally distributed within the network
The cooperative aims to make tourism a complementary activity that allows them to improve their livelihoods while preserving their traditional lifestyle
About the author: Carolina is a staff member of the recently launched ethical travel company and social enterprise Sumak Sustainable Travel. Sumak offers responsible travel experiences connecting people with local life in Latin America and opening the door for travellers to meet and exchange with inspiring people and projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. For more information, including other eco-travel tours, visit www.sumak-travel.org.
What could be more romantic than seclusion, tranquility and being close to nature? Luckily, those qualities are often in abundance when it comes to eco accommodation. From luxury eco resorts to cosy lodges for two, here are six of the best retreats for romantic getaways…
Frequently named as one of the best eco resorts in the world, this Fijian gem is luxurious to the hilt. Dedicated to sustainability, the resort owners respect the beautiful natural surroundings and take advantage of sensitve and traditional Fijian farming principles in its organic garden and surrounding land. Alongside the expected recycling, composting, solar power and water preservation, the resort runs a conservation programme looking after the reef on the edge of the resort, a designated marine reserve.
Romance factor: 25 individual bures (Fijian bungalows) are set in 17 acres of old coconut plantation – and each offer lots of South Pacific style. Go for the Honeymoon Point Reef Bure with its private hot tub overlooking the ocean. If you want to really ramp up the romance factor, you can book a day’s stay on the resort’s private island – packed off with a champagne picnic it’s the ultimate paradise for two!
The first of its kind in the UK, the new Ecopod Boutique Retreat is luxury self-catering in a modern geodesic dome, and a fantastic piece of low-carbon living. The pod, built with sustainable timber and minimal concrete, blends into the surrounding birch trees in this beautiful part of west Scotland. Heating is provided by a highly-efficient wood pellet stove; fresh water comes from a hill stream filtering through the forest; waste water is treated with the Biorock system; and the pod is equipped with energy-efficient appliances and locally-sourced produce and toiletries. Guests are offered a 10% discount if they arrive by train or bicycle.
Romance factor: The light-filled dome offers spectacular views of Castle Stalker (which appeared in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail!) and Loch Linnhe. The interiors are uber-stylish (think 1970s Eames chairs and other durable design classics); and the wood burner adds extra cosiness.
Boroka Downs offers secluded luxury in the majestic Grampians. As a nature based retreat it has been designed, built and is operated with environmental sustainability at its heart. The modern individual residences are low carbon – double-glazed, fully insulated, run on solar power, and each with their own rain water tank. Recycling takes place throughout and free range chickens take care of food scraps. Around 15,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted on the site in the past five years.
Romance factor: They promise seclusion and discretion throughout your stay… The bungalows are kitted out with all the latest mod cons plus sleek and stylish handmade furniture. You can relax in your private spa while enjoying the view through your glass walls. For serious romantics, Boroka Downs also offer ‘Elopement Packages’!
Arriving by long boat you’re bound to be greeted by smiles from the friendly staff of Golden Buddha Beach Resort. Everyone will make you feel welcome on this island, but you’ll have plenty of opportunities for time alone. The luxury beach bungalows, all with a sea view, were built using sustainable materials with sensitive land management and minimal energy usage in place throughout the resort.
Romance factor: You can fall asleep to the sounds of the local wildlife and nearby waves if you keep your bedroom wall open (but still enjoy privacy as each bungalow is placed well away from neighbours). Excellent, freshly prepared local food can be enjoyed in the candle-lit restaurant every night.
The resort owners know how to marry laid-back Jamaican style with environmentally-friendly tourism. Eco-friendly, low impact, organic, and green: Kanopi House treads gently upon the earth. The resort operates a ‘grey water’ system, processed along a lined reed bed, and uses sustainable, regionally sourced hardwoods. Furnishings, decor and artworks are produced from renewable Jamaican materials, and designed and handcrafted by local artisans.
Romance factor: You can gaze at the Caribbean sea from your chic tree house, before taking a stroll through a jungle of Banyan trees and flowering ginger lily down to a secluded, white sand cove. The resort’s private shoreline and coral reef is a haven for purple manta rays.
The rooms, restaurants and facilities of this paradise getaway are surrounded by more than 60km of white sandy beaches, a lagoon, crystal clear waterways, gardens, palm trees and fruit trees. In this magical setting, declared by UNESCO aquifer paradise for birds, live pelicans, herons, frigates and hundreds of species of animals that the resort is helping to preserve.
Romance factor: Enjoy delicious organic food in the restaurant, relax with specialised treatments in the spa, sunbathe on the beach, or take a boat for two out onto the lagoon to spot local wildlife. They also specialise in those fantasy-style beach weddings…
Guest blogger Renee Dodds shares her experience of volunteering with orphans in Peru
Traveller Not Tourist is a small organization set up by a lovely young couple who were determined to give visitors to Peru the opportunity to travel responsibly and help the local community. As the name suggests, Traveller Not Tourist is all about helping people have a positive impact on the community and environment rather than mere ‘tourism’ without thought or care.
I discovered the organization while doing a web search for free or low-cost volunteering. My husband and I had decided we wanted to volunteer overseas, but were a bit disheartened by the exorbitant fees being charged by many organizations, with no guarantee that the money paid would be used for the local community. Traveller Not Tourist appealed to us for this reason, they only charge a small administration fee ($100 USD at the time of writing this).
I expected to hang out with some cute kids and feel like I was doing some good in the world when I signed up, but I wasn’t prepared for such an emotional and intense experience. There were days when the work was exhausting, or I would be overcome with sadness for the situation these kids were in, or I was just plain sick of nappies! But the smiles and hugs from the children every day when you open the door and they pile into your arms is the most precious thing on earth. And watching the babies learn to clap and crawl and knowing you helped them in their development is just incredible.
Our time at the orphanage was life-changing and memories of the children will stay with me forever. On our last night with them they performed a concert to say goodbye, and each gave us handmade letters they had written to say how much they would miss us.
Traveller Not Tourist know how much the volunteers bond with the children, so they send a newsletter out with updates and photos of the kids, it makes my day every time I get one!
Work: They have two projects available to volunteer for, an orphanage and a school – the one we were placed with was the Casa Hogar Luz Alba Orphanage. The orphanage is a home for children who, for a whole range of reasons, are unable to live with their parents. There were 23 children aged two months to 10 years there at the time we volunteered, including four babies under eight months old.
Volunteers do ‘half days’, either morning or afternoon, so you have the rest of the day off to yourself (we used the time to do an intensive Spanish language course). Volunteers are there to give the few orphanage staff a much needed break (they are all local full time volunteers who live at the orphanage). So you will be asked to play with the children, provide some general care (bathing/eating etc), clean the living spaces and wash clothes. I was generally asked to spend most of my time in the tiny nursery caring for the four babies so it helps to have some experience changing nappies and caring for very young babies.
They ask for a minimum volunteer commitment of one month, but they also offer a ‘volunteer for a day’ program, where travellers just passing through can offer their services for a day or two.
Accommodation: Traveller Not Tourist has a self-contained volunteer house with rooms available at very low cost to accommodate volunteers. It is around the same price as local backpackers but luxurious in comparison, with a big loungeroom, hot water, great kitchen! It’s really lovely to live with all the other volunteers in a communal space and you will make some great friends.
Recommended for… Anyone who loves working with children
Be aware that… The orphanage staff don’t necessarily speak English and you need to communicate with them regarding the children so make sure you have some basic phrases in place before you start.
It’s not all cuddling babies and playing peek-a-boo, it can actually be extremely physically demanding work, there was no washing machine when we were there and the babies were mostly in cloth nappies, so large chunks of the day were spent on hands and knees scrubbing clothes. My knuckles were red raw by the time I left.
The orphanage staff ask for all tattoos to be covered and piercings taken out or hidden and for dress to be conservative.
‘Good’ credentials:
Traveller Not Tourist are a tiny, grassroots organization and have a very simple formula of only asking for volunteer time, not large payments of cash, so there is no need to worry about where your money is going. It’s all very transparent, you donate time and see the immediate benefit.
This is no token volunteerism – volunteers make a huge difference in these children’s lives and the orphanage relies on their help. The orphanage gets no funding from government, so has no way of obtaining much needed support.
These children so badly need the attention that the few, overworked women at the orphanage just don’t have time to give them.
Date of visit: April 2008
About the author: Renee Dodds is a freelance writer and public relations professional living in Perth, Australia. (Photos courtesy of Renee Dodds)
Unfulfilled with her time at a Danish university Jade Johnston, of travel blog Our Oyster, decided to join a volunteering project abroad. Here she shares her experience of volunteering on a conservation project with Youth Challenge International in Costa Rica.
Not keen on facing a winter semester in Denmark with no friends to speak of, I turned on my computer, and started researching volunteering opportunities abroad. I didn’t really know where to start. Most volunteer programs I found charged exorbitant prices for volunteering terms that were much shorter than I was looking for. After living in Denmark for seven months, one of the world’s most expensive countries, I only had a limited budget. Eventually, after following what seemed like a never ending trail of links (there was no Goodtrippers back then to help me in my search! – “Thanks Jade!” – Ed.), I came across a program called Youth Challenge International (YCI).
The program which is based in Canada accepts volunteers from Canada, America, and the European Union. There is also a partner organization in Australia called Youth Challenge Australia (YCA) which partners with some of the same organizations.
Where Does YCI and YCA Operate?
YCI works in a variety of countries, mainly in Latin America and Africa. YCA also has indigenous Australia programs as well. The programs vary in length from four to 12 weeks depending on what location and type of program you choose. There are usually at least two departure dates per location, although this does vary depending on the partner organization. What originally drew me to YCI is that is offered a long term volunteer program, but at a reasonable price. I had to pay my own airfare but my program fee covered all my in country expenses – the only extra money I needed was for pocket spending money.
I chose to go to Costa Rica. The program start date nicely coincided with the start of the next university year (it was my “I need time off from school excuse”) and it also would give me an opportunity to learn Spanish, which is something I had recently become interested in.
Group Living
Another factor which drew me to YCI is the fact that it is a group project. Our group had 14 members from Canada and Australia, including two team leaders. This helped lesson the culture shock as we had a large support network. It also helped ease day to day living as two members would stay back from work each day to do all the group cooking and cleaning. The only disadvantage of living in a large group of English speakers is that we didn’t get a total Spanish immersion experience. Those of us who chose to study Spanish did learn quite a bit, but others who didn’t probably went home with only a few basic words.
The volunteering work
It’s important to note that everyone’s group will be different. Projects change constantly, and the work that I did in Costa Rica may be completely different than the work you will do. Even groups going back to the same project at later stages have different experiences.
Our group lived together in a house that a member of the community donated to us to use. But the group who went the next year lived separately in community homestays as the original house had been sold to a new owner who was now living in it. Their experience will have been completely different from mine, even though they were working on the same project.
It’s also important to research what type of volunteer work you want to do. In Costa Rica at the time that I participated, most of the work was infrastructure based in national parks, or developing ecotourism opportunities in small communities. Our project was in a small community in Juanilama de Poco Sol where we helped save a community-owned patch of rainforest from deforestation for agricultural land, by developing it into an ecotourism destination. Now tourists from around the world can venture to this small village, join farm stays in extensions that villagers have built onto their homes and experience the rainforest and local culture. This is of direct economic benefit to the community members.
It was hard manual labour. We used machetes to clear walking trails, pickaxes and shovels to level out ground, and carried cement bricks deep into the rainforest to stabilize steps built into the hills. We also taught the locals basic English and wilderness first aid, but the majority of our work was hard graft.
Community Ownership
One thing that I really enjoyed about this project was the emphasis put on community ownership. Not just any village can get a group of YCI volunteers in. They need to go through an application process and prove that the group will really benefit them in reaching their goal. This means that the community really, really wants to have the volunteers there. Also it means that the project is something that the community itself has decided it wants, and not just something that a group of outsiders has decided would be good for them.
Since the community really wanted this project to succeed, we always had lots of engagement with the local people. We worked alongside the local young men, got taught how to salsa dance by the school children, and always had people there ready to help us when we needed it. We attended weddings and dinners, and really felt welcomed by the whole village.
Recommended for… Those who are looking for a long-term project and prefer working alongside lots of other volunteers for support.
Be aware that… This programme is probably not suitable for those looking for short-term projects, or for individual travellers passing through the area. The application process was quite long and there was no guarantee I would be placed where I wanted to be. Also, I had to attend an orientation day in Canada and then fly out with all the other participants (which was particularly annoying since I lived in Scotland at the time, and had to fly back to Canada just for the day). This is the sort of program you need to decide on and plan out in advance.
‘Good’ credentials:
Delivering projects the community itself has chosen and needs
Creation of ecotourism facilities to help the community develop a sustainable source of income
About the Author: Jade is a Canadian expat now living in Australia. She writes a blog at OurOyster.com and blogs about budget travel, slow travel, destination and tour reviews, and family travel. Her next project will be a three month road trip across her home country of Canada, and she has just finished a similar epic road trip across Australia. Visit www.ouroyster.com, connect via Facebook or follow on Twitter @Our_Oyster
(This article was originally published in Ethics Girls magazine)
A decade ago, the concept of eco-friendly travel was, in many people’s minds, limited only to camping – roughing it under canvas whilst chopping your own firewood, communing with nature and truly ‘getting away from it all’. That will never lose its appeal for many, but 21st century ‘eco accommodation’ comes in many more guises.
From glampsites to luxury resorts, we are now spoilt for choice when it comes to eco (or green/sustainable/responsible – call it what you will!) places to stay on holiday. Here’s the Goodtrippers guide to selecting the right eco stay for you…
The Luxury Eco Resort: For those who love some indulgence on holiday… Usually found somewhere exotic like Thailand or Australia, luxury eco resorts offer beautiful rooms plus high-end facilities and services (massages, spas, room service) but are run on renewable energy, built from sustainable materials, and employ local people on good wages. Try Longitude 131 an award-winning eco-sensitive resort in the Australian outback near Ayres Rock run entirely on solar energy; or Golden Buddha Beach Resort on the Andaman Coast of Thailand which is built from sustainable materials, minimises power usage and provides good jobs for local people.
The Eco ‘Lodge’: Without the ‘bling’ of a luxury eco resort, the eco lodge is no less special. Often more rustic, an eco lodge could consist of a collection of separate ‘bungalows’ or huts in a style unique to its location – whether that be jungle, snowy mountain range, beach or lakeside. For outdoors enthusiasts, eco-conscious Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort in British Columbia, Canada, offers six cosy cabins situated lakeside; or Our Jungle House in Thailand is an eco-friendly cluster of romantic treehouses.
The Ethical Hotel: Many hotels around the world boast environmental standards (reducing, recycling and reusing where possible) but some are going the extra mile to do something above and beyond what the average person would do at home. Bardessono is a LEED platinum-certified hotel in California’s Napa Valley, with a tonne of energy-saving technology, sustainable materials and recycling plans for a high-tech green stay; or try the 4-star Lancaster Hotel in London with its strong environmental and community policies, and its own Rooftop Honey Farm!
The Sustainable B&B: Cosier and more down-to-earth than your grand hotel, a sustainable ‘bed and breakfast’ will often keep it local with its own kitchen garden produce, handmade organic toiletries and low energy usage. One of only four officially certified organic B&Bs in the UK, the Orchard Farmhouse Organic B&B in the Dorset countryside offers an exclusively organic breakfast amongst the peace, quiet and picturesque views; for a chic city B&B The Zetter Townhouse in London sources water from its own borehole and uses eco-friendly paint throughout.
The Glampsite: If you can’t bear to be without home comforts, a ‘glampsite’ (glamorous camping site) is a million miles away from a leaky tent. Whether it be sleeping under the stars in a glass pod near the Arctic or snoozing under canvas on the African plains, these more unusual choices are hard to beat. Eco-conscious Campi Ya Kanzi in Kenya is a safari dream that is solar-powered and works in partnership with the local Maasai community; the cluster of geodesic domes of EcoCamp in Patagonia is packed with green technology allowing you to fall asleep under the stars; or try the Barefoot Yurts in East Sussex, UK, which are 90% built from reclaimed materials with solar lighting and a composting loo.
Social enterprise Sumak Travel, the specialist in Latin American community-based ecotourism, has now added three new countries to its itinerary.
Responsible travellers can now join tours of Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia – alongside its existing tours in Argentina and Chile. The tours, ranging from 7 to 15 days, are a combination of homestays within rural communities (with farmers, fishermen and other indigenous groups) and visits to Latin American cities and sites of special interest or outstanding natural beauty.
Transparent pricing
Sumak Travel works directly with community-based tour operators in their destination countries to ensure fair agreements (a breakdown of prices and commission fees are fully transparent so tourists can see exactly where their money is going). We like their easy-to-use website – a simple key shows you the ‘Comfort Level’ at a glance (something a surprising number of tour operators neglect to outline!), and what percentage of the overall holiday price goes to the local community (e.g. “at least 50%” of the £1,535 fee for 15 days on ‘Fascinating Brazil’ goes local).
Private groups
All trips are private and they can cater for groups of any size, promising “there won’t be anyone you don’t know travelling within your group” – they can even tailor trips for individuals who are looking for specific experiences. And all homestay hosts are verified by the team or local partners. You could find yourself trying your hand at ceramic crafts with your hosts in rural Argentina; staying with Aymara communities on Sun Island, Lake Titicaca, for a taste of traditional Andean culture; or sleeping in an eco-lodge run by an indigenous community in the Bolivian rainforest.
A sample of trips available:
Fascinating Brazil (15 days, £1,535) – Explore northeastern Brazil including the remote lands of the Tremembe people, the sand dune beaches of Prainha do Canto Verde, and the historical city of Fortezela. (Click for more)
Intrepid Colombia (14 days, £2,125) – Trek through flooded forest and jungle, reach the Colombian borders with Peru and Brazil along the Amazon River, and whale-watch and snorkel around Bahia Solano. (Click for more)
Essential Bolivia (12 day, £1,585) – Visit the Aymara communities of Lake Titicaca, journey to the salt flats of Uyuni, and stay with the Alcaya community, before trekking through Bolivian rainforest. (Click for more)
Other tours available include: ‘Mystic Chile’, two versions of ‘Rural Argentina’, San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), ‘Austral Chile’. View all tours here.
‘Good’ credentials:
As a social enterprise, Sumak Travel’s mission is: ‘To contribute to the empowerment of local communities in Latin America by running an ethical business that is also rewarding for responsible tourists.’
Partnered with Sustainable Pangea, a multilingual web platform that features community-based ecotourism destinations
Half of Sumak Travel’s profits are reinvested back into the social enterprise; the remaining half is invested in community-led projects within the Sustainable Pangea Network
The local communities they work with use tourism as a complementary source of income, allowing them to maintain their traditional way of life, while preserving their environment and community
Contact Sumak Travel via T: 0044 (0) 2036 424246, E: info@sumak-travel.org, visit the website www.sumak-travel.org, or follow on Twitter via @SumakTravel.
European bee-eater in Sicily (picture by Naturetrek)
Wildlife specialist Naturetrek’s new 2013 brochure contains 14 new tours, including four new UK options.
Those 14 new offerings (see factsheet below for details) include a spring birdwatching trip to Sicily, a ‘Killer Whales & Northern Lights’ tour of Iceland, puma-watching in Chile, a visit to India’s little-known Satpura National Park and an exploration of Baffin Island in Canada.
Wildlife watching around the world
Elsewhere, the vast array of existing trips includes butterfly-viewing trips to Hungary and Greece; birding tours from Sri Lanka to Florida; jaguar-watching tours in Brazil; flora-themed visits to Kazakhstan, Norway and Ecuador; whale-watching in West Greenland and Monterey Bay; tours observing bears in Spain and Finland; and other itineraries themed around snakes, snow leopards, wolves, dragonflies, red pandas and much more.
In total, Naturetrek now offers around 350 tours to nearly every corner of the world. That includes the ever-expanding range of UK trips, which takes in the Shetland Isles, the Scillies and the famous Somerset Levels starling murmurations.
Most tours are open to enthusiasts of all levels, although some will suit a more experienced and knowledgeable traveller. New for 2013, Naturetrek is launching a range of Beginners’ Birdwatching Tours, aimed at those who are keen to go birding, but fear looking foolish amid seasoned veterans sporting well-used binoculars!
Small groups and solo travellers
The majority of Naturetrek trips operate in small groups (average 10-12 people; maximum 16); because these groups include many solo travellers, there’s usually a room-sharing option for those who don’t wish to pay a single supplement. Each group is guided by a leading, experienced ornithologist or botanist (often both), and each tour departs at a carefully-chosen time when the widlife-viewing experience will be at its most rewarding. Nearly all trips are also available (at a different cost) on a tailormade basis too, for clients who cannot make the set departure dates, or who prefer to travel privately.
For more information on any of Naturetrek’s wildlife itineraries or to request a copy of the new 2013 brochure, call them on 01962 733051 or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk. (If you’re in the UK, they’re based in rural Hampshire in a beautiful converted mill with a Site of Special Scientific Interest nearby!).
‘Good’ credentials:
Run by wildlife enthusiasts with 25 years’ of experience – the founders are naturalists and conservationists turned tour operators
A commitment to sustainable tourism has been at the company’s heart since its inception
Tours involve small groups using local accommodation and facilities to help support the local communities
Naturetrek develops partnerships with local communities and naturalists, such as financing the regeneration of land in Nepal to create two ecotourism camps – Koshi and Suklaphanta
Some tours include charity donations to organisations such as Butterfly Conservation, International Animal Rescue and the Environmental Investigation Agency
They are currently developing other conservation and sustainable tourism projects around the world
They are expanding their range of UK-based (flightless) tours
Satpura National Park, India (picture by Naturetrek)
NEW tours for 2013
UK
Islay & Mull… In Style!: Your first stop is a four-night stay on Islay, popular with birdwatchers due to its numerous species of visiting Arctic wildfowl. Then there are two days spent on the smaller island of Mull, with its mountains, moorlands and vast sea-lochs, home to otters, birds of prey, rutting red deer and much more. Accommodation is on each island’s best hotel; that includes Mull’s wonderful Tiroran House Hotel.
Departing 31 October & 1 November; prices from £1,195 pp**
Wild Flowers of Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula: Enjoy coastal and inland walks during this three-night break in search of Cornwall’s botanical wonders. The Lizard Peninsula is one of the UK’s top sites for plant-life thanks to its diverse landscapes and geology. The trip includes Gew Graze Valley, known for unique outcrops of mineral-rich serpentine rock.
Departing 31 May; prices from £395 pp** The Yorkshire Coast & Moors
This long-weekend birdwatching holiday starts at the chalk cliffs of Flamborough and Bempton, home to over 200,000 seabirds. Then follows a stop at Filey Dams Nature Reserve, a botanical hub for well known British birds such as the tree sparrow, before time on those classic North Yorkshire Moors.
Departing 25 & 28 June and 2 July; prices from £450 pp**
The Wild Flowers of Upper Teesdale Upper Teesdale sits in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This four-day expedition covers a variety of environments, from low-lying hay meadows to rough grazing pastures and summit heaths on high fells. Discover which species make up the ‘Teesdale Assemblage’ while admiring the breeding birds of these remote moors.
Departing 21 June; prices from £450 pp**
EUROPE
Iceland – Killer Whales & Northern Lights: This five-day break centres on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula where, in winter, killer whale pods and seabirds congregate as large shoals of herring pass by. Watch the spectacle on land and out at sea, and then, after dark, look skywards to (hopefully) see the Northern Lights.
Departing 3 & 18 February; prices from £1,295 pp*
Lesbos in Autumn: Lesbos lies just a few kilometres from the coast of Turkey, and has a magnificent coastline that supports a diverse bird population. From a secluded-village base, this eight-day trip offers an opportunity to explore the island’s many migratory hotspots whilst enjoying some Aegean sunshine.
Departing 28& 29 September; prices from £1,295 pp*
Fjords, Arctic Birds & Northern Lights!… A Norwegian Coastal Voyage: Including a three-night cruise during which the Northern Lights will hopefully be seen, this six-day trip to the Arctic Circle observes the seabirds which occupy this most extreme – and scenic – region.
Departing 26 February; prices from £1,795 pp*
Spring Birding in Sicily: Within the beautiful setting of eastern Sicily, this seven-day adventure focuses on the spring migration of native birds such as the nightjar and hoopoe. From the 800-year-old converted farmhouse base, daily excursions are made to watch the birds amid the spectacular Sicilian landscape.
Departing 1 May; prices from £1,295 pp*
AMERICAS
Inuit Adventure: Narwhals & Other Wildlife of Baffin Island: On a ten-day trip around Canada’s largest island, expert guides will lead daily expeditions on Inuit sleds to discover the Arctic’s most elusive wildlife. Baffin Island is the only place in the world consistently inhabited by the Narwhal, with its distinctive long, narrow tusk, while other sightings regularly include polar bears.
Departing 2 June; prices from £8,995 pp*
Eastern Canada – Whales, Bears & Fall Migration: Ranking among Canada’s most stunning landscapes, Quebec is home to large populations of wildlife such as beluga whales and black bears. This 12-day holiday features walks and cruises through the beautiful creeks and forests where these creatures are regularly seen.
Departing 9 September; prices from £4,395 pp*
Chile – Just Pumas!: This 11-day trip starts off in the Chilean capital, Santiago, before heading into the heart of the Andes. The route passes flamingo-lined lakes to reach Torres del Paine National Park and its glaciers and mountains – which provide a perfect habitat for the puma. Days will be spent devoted to exploring, and seeking out this iconic cat.
Departing 14 March & 4 April; prices from £3,995 pp*
Peru – Mountain Lodges Trek to Machu Picchu: The classic landmark of Machu Picchu is appreciated fully on this 12-day trip, with six days allocated to trekking slowly towards it across the Peruvian Andes. The route offers unique insight into the landscape and wildlife of the area while plotting a slightly different course to the classic Inca Trail.
Departing 10 November; prices from £3,695 pp*
ASIA
Not Just Tigers! Satpura – Best of Central India: This is a ten-day exploration of one of India’s most scenic – and least-known – tiger reserves. While tigers are shy in Satpura National Park and thus rarely-seen, there’s a good chance of encountering other iconic animals, such as leopard, sloth bear, gaur and Asian wild dog, in the 1,500km² grounds. The park’s equally empty of tourists, despite its beauty and sheer remoteness being so stunning.
Departing 9 November, 21 December, 8 February, 15 March & 5 April; prices from £2,395 pp*
Wild Sri Lanka… In Style!: This 14-day holiday provides the chance to encounter Sri Lanka’s diverse wildlife – blue whales, leopards, crocodiles, wild boar, warblers and parrots included. You’ll also get to stay in luxury accommodation and admire some of the tropical country’s most impressive archaeological sites, including ancient Polonnaruwa.
Departing 19 November & 14 January; prices from £3,595*
* Prices include flights (London), transport, comfortable accommodation with all or most meals and guiding from an expert naturalist.
** Price includes transport whilst on tour, comfortable accommodation with meals (breakfast and evening meals as a minimum) and guiding from an expert naturalist.
The partnership, with a local community education initiative, is in the Peruvian town of Huaraz in the Ancash region and will provide educational and emotional support to children from low income families. If you want to join them in Peru, here’s a flavour of what you could be experiencing…
Accommodation
