So checking out the wildlife at your local ski resort doesn't do it for you? That's where Great Bear Tours comes in.
The swanky outfit has its own floating wind-and-solar-powered lodge, which you can only reach via seaplane. On arrival, you'll be whisked away to your room--surprisingly complete with private bath. Depending on how much you want to see and how much you have to spend, you can stay for up to seven nights.
Each day you'll head out in a small group with a wildlife expert. You'll check out estuaries by kayak and inlets by boat, all in search of Yogi and friends. Best of all, when you return each night you'll be pampered with fine food and wine--no "pick-a-nick" basket meals here.
You have to get in touch for pricing info so you can bet your trip won't be cheap. But isn't it worth paying those professionals a little extra when wild animals are within striking distance? Better start listing your teddy bears on eBay now to fund your adventure.
Although a rush on accommodation might mean going to Oman isn't instantly possible, we've just discovered yet another reason to try it. Sea turtles.
Turns out there are seven different species of sea turtles in the world, and Oman's got five of 'em. If you visit Oman's beaches in the evening between June and September, you've got a great chance of seeing a leatherback or a loggerhead or a bunch of other turtles laying eggs.
There are a few special rules for sea turtle viewing in Oman: You shouldn't get too close, never touch their eggs (we thought that went without saying?), you can't camp nearby and, most importantly, don't litter. Sea turtles aren't that bright and sometimes confuse plastic with jellyfish, which they eat. And we could certainly use fewer jellies on the beach.
The term "ecotourism" is thrown around a lot these days, but along the banks of the Kinabatangan river in Malaysian Borneo, the quiet village of Sukau is creating a unique sustainable success story. It's luring travelers from all over Asia and Europe with authentic homestay experiences, and the people of Sukau are putting tourism dollars back into their community.
Red Ape Encounters offers several packages for travelers looking to see a bit of wildlife; RAE will set you up with a place to stay, take you cruising along the river, Orang Utans spotting in the rainforest, and even teach you a few words of Malay.
Most of the money that runs through RAE--about 87 percent--makes it way back to the community through services like homestay, transport and field guiding, according to a recent article in Malaysia's New Straits Times. Five percent goes towards a conservation fund to protect the area's wildlife and natural resources. An RAE-associated NGO has also instensively trained villagers as nature guides and research assistants, giving them employment opportunities.
Average January temperatures in Borneo are at a balmy 78 degrees. It is the rainy season, but the tropical showers come in cool bursts and don't last long. And something about a riverboat ride at dawn strikes us as a big improvement over a morning commute.
Last week some brainy scientists announced they had discovered 11 new species in the wilds of Vietnam, including a snake (above), two types of butterflies and five types of orchids. Given that no one had ever seen these things before, we're not suggesting you could jog over and find them in a snap. But Vietnam does offer some great, if "rustic," ecotourism opportunities.
The World Wildlife Fund, which helped dig up the new critters, is working with locals in A Luoi to promote the "Green Corridor" as a travel destination. You can't book trips with the WWF per se, but suggested itineraries for independent travelers include stops in local villages, trekking with local guides and seeing war sites like Hamburger Hill.
It all sounds pretty good to us, though we're a little unsure about some of the cuisine on offer. As the WWF describes it, you should expect:
Overnight stays at Ta Oi communal houses, Vietnamese and vegetarian food service, crap food and mosquitoes.
Well, at least you'll have the chance to see some rare wildlife.
In August, Delta Air Lines announced it is increasing the number of flights from New York to Costa Rica from 28 weekly to 35. Delta's decision reflects the growing popularity of the destination.
With ecotourism all the rage, The Costa Rica Tourism Board website is getting more hits than Dave Chappelle's bong. The country is long considered the place for couples in matching khaki cargo shorts to stand beneath the jungle canopy, binoculars in hand, pinpointing the correct toucan species from their guidebook.
Drop-down menus on the tourism board site tell potential visitors how they can find a guide to take them deep into said jungle, with a guide, a car, and a place to sleep that night. It also helps decipher where's the best place to glimpse particular wildlife. It'll even fill you in on lounging at Tabacon Hot Springs--that's it above--if tracking rare birds isn't your thing.
We know you savvy travelers. You would never dump your six-pack rings or your dirty napkins out on the beach. But how about picking up your toys? After a larger-than-life LEGO man was fished out of the sea in a Dutch resort town, it occurred to us that maybe some people need to be reminded not to leave 8-foot pieces of debris in their wake.
If you're planning to spend vacation time along a beach, a lake or a river, practice minimal impact camping by sticking to established trails, scattering or packing your ashes if you make a fire and choosing biodegradable soap over the ol' soap on a rope. Check your camping skills against this list of minimum-impact tricks. And please, while you're out at the beach this weekend, pick up your LEGOs when you're done playing with them.
You've gotta feel good about doing a spot of volunteering while you're jaunting around the world: if you can afford an airfare, then you can afford to give a bit, too. What we didn't know is that this now has a name: voluntourism. And there are some pretty neat projects around for voluntourists.
The latest one we've heard about is in northern Thailand, being held together by the Thai branch of an organization called voluntourists without borders. The idea works something like this: volunteer travelers will help (and financially contribute) to setting up an ecotourism project called the Pang Soong Nature Trail in northern Thailand. They'll work side-by-side with villagers to build the infrastructure, train locals and get the message out to other tourists, with the goals of both creating an environmentally friendly tourist attraction and creating local employment and sustainable wealth. What a way to make the world smile.
Dominica has all the makings of an "it" destination. You might think the island's lack of classic Caribbean beaches works against it, but we know there's nothing a hipster loves more than bucking the supposed establishment. Somewhere right now, a travel trend-watcher is salivating over the possibility of telling his/her buddies about his/her upcoming Caribbean vacation and not getting this exact response: "OMG, I just saw a picture of [insert starlet here] adjusting her bikini wedgie on the beach there! BTW, did you hear she and [insert Hollywood womanizer here] broke up?"
Looking to capitalize on the island's unique strengths, the Dominican Ministry of Tourism has launched a new website that touts the excellent opportunities for adventure travel and eco-tourism that abound there. New features on the spruced-up site include a live webcam with a view of Dominica's northern coast. We visited the site earlier today, but as of press time, it's hiccupping a bit.
The Jungle Bay hotel is probably Dominica's most chic hotel option, and at $249 a night in high season, it's still a deal in the region. More affordable still is the Papillote Wilderness Retreat, where you're surrounded by some of the island's most beautiful foliage. You can reach Dominica by air and ferry from several Caribbean islands, including, OMG, Barbados.
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by kjb
