The idea was to have a captive breeding project here in a huge enclosure surrounded by an electric fence within the national park. They would try to reintroduce rehabilitated cheetah back into the wild (something which has not been achieved before in the world, so we’re not sure why they thought they could do it) and also allow visitors to stay at an adjoined lodge.

One of the loudest voices against the project was that of Riccardo Orizio, of Saruni Camp.

There is an increasing number of people who feel that the Mara is being over-developed anyway, but a cheetah zoo was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Thankfully, the permission to build (which was legally approved by the Kenyan government) has now been revoked after the relevant department was made aware of certain aspects of the project which they had not previously known.

But what of the future?  If something so patently wrong as a zoo was so very nearly allowed in the Mara, does this mean that we are going to see the Mara contuinally built on in terms of yet more lodges and other ‘attractions’?  If this is the case, then surely they don’t need to build a zoo here, it will simply become a zoo.

I realise there is a balance between keeping the wild spaces of the Mara and making money from such a valuable resource. What I don’t know is where the line is. I wonder where the Kenyan government feel it is? I very much hope that the change of heart which stopped the cheetah zoo fiasco will direct future decisions too, so that the line is very much on the side of keeping the Mara WILD.

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In 1998 Ecuador’s largest tour operator and conservation-in-tourism pioneer, Metropolitan Touring, established Fundación Galápagos-Ecuador. This is the first ever initiative by tourism’s private sector for helping the Galápagos Islands to preserve its fragile island ecosystems. Its mission started as, and continues to be, waste management of the islands, particularly Santa Cruz Island where most inhabitants reside. If we think of a sensible way of acting upon current realities of the islands, it is the presence of humans that need the most actions and awareness. A clean and well-managed environment, can assure a better handling of the present situation, allowing future generations to enjoy the Galapagos Islands.

Currently, they concentrate ther efforts in four major aspects of the islands:

Environmental Education: volunteers conduct a local door-to-door campaign that teaches locals the benefits of classifying and recycling garbage. Local radio and TV campaigns are also a common practice. Additionally, local students are invited to join our expedition voyages for a better understanding of the islands’ complex ecosystems; in 2008 they took 48 students from local schools. These experiences gave them a broad perspective of the archipelago’s importance, while providing them with solid background for making the right future decisions.

Solid-waste Recycling: on Santa Cruz Island, and in cooperation with the Municipality of Santa Cruz Island and the Galapagos National Park, they developed the Fabricio Valverde Center for managing solid waste. Here, plastics and cardboard are compacted and shipped back to the mainland for reprocessing and remanufacturing. Also, glass is milled and then becomes material for making patio blocks that now cover parks and sidewalks on the island. As of November 2008, over 2.8 million pounds of solid waste have been already recycled at this facility, and these were never part of the local landfill.

Coastal Clean-Up: the shores of the islands become the ending trip for floating debris unfortunately discarded in the ocean hundreds of miles away from here. With local fishermen and volunteers, we recollect these materials and process them at the recycling facility. So far, over 130,000 pounds of solid debris have been collected from the islands’ shores. As part of the project, fishermen receive an economic incentive which allows them to leave fishing activities and connects them with natural resources protection.

Galápagos Community Social Projects: The social component is a priority under the umbrella of sustainability. Thus, it is important to get involved directly with the local community, and contribute to their well being and their income generation. If we believe in the local community’s improvement, we must incorporate them in a business scenario. Entrepreneurship with environmental attributes is what they promote in the local community.

Currently, two projects are key at providing a sustainable future for the local community. One, FUN Galapagos, which involves a local women’s cooperative: Manos Mágicas. Women, with great sewing skills and motivated to improve the quality of the islands, as well as improving their own quality of life, make Galapagos’-related rag souvenirs filled with milled plastics from the recycling centre. Sales of these support the project itself.

Another project that they are supporting is “Bread for the Future”, a local bakery where fishermen’s wives, that belong to the women’s cooperative Perla del Pacífico, produce and supply the bread needs from tour vessels. This direct contribution to the project is transferring bread needs to them, and now the ships serve Galapagos bread including brioche, ciabatta, rolls, baguette, and more. This initiative was launched by ASOGAL, the Association of Galápagos Tour Operators.

None of these efforts make sense if sustainability matters are not addressed to guests on board Galapagos yachts. These contributions are shared with passengers on Galapagos yachts used by Metropolitan, the islands’ realities, and a clear message on how sustainability works. It is critical that visitors to the islands realize tourism is responsible for generating some impact, but this impact is being carefully managed, and it unfolds into a positive one. This alone will make them aware their travel choice has made a difference.

Wikus Swanepoel of Wilderness Safaris in Malawi explains about recent guide training

Our guide training course for Malawi for 2009 started at Mvuu Camp and then travelled through the southern and central parts of Malawi visiting all the major tourist locations.

At Mvuu Camp we started with First Aid training, and 15 people finished the Red Cross Basic First Aid.
We did this over two days and then had an extra day so we used the time to go explore the southern side of the Liwonde National Park - Chinguni Hills. It was good to get in an area of the Park where we virtually never go. We were affected a little by the rain and didn’t have too many mammal sightings so instead we could focus on wild flowers and geology.

The next day we left the park heading downstream the Shire River to Liwonde and from there drove north to Gaia House at the Cape Maclear Peninsula on Lake Malawi. On one of the two days there we managed to  inspect Mumbo and Domwe Islands. We were lucky to have great weather and the views we had across the Lake were amazing. This time around we could also see the changes that had been made to Mumbo; a new deck, beach showers, main area upgrade … I didn’t think it was possible but it’s even more stunning on the island now!

After two lovely days we went on to Dzalanyama, central Malawi’s birding hotspot. We had only one night and Miombo birding isn’t always the easiest, but we did manage to see Miombo Rock-Thrush, Souza’s Shrike, Olive Sunbird, Mountain Wagtail, Pale Hornbill and Red-Throated Twinspot amongst others.

From there we headed to Dedza Mountain, one of the five highest places in the country. It generally receives plenty of rainfall, but yet again we were very lucky with the weather and not only could we go for a long walk, but we were also rewarded with great views across the area. Here we had enough electricity to finish the Malawi Induction as well as Environmental Awareness lecture components of the course.

Then it was on to Zomba, staying at Zomba Forest Lodge. ZFL is renowned for its great food and it didn’t disappoint. We were here for two nights and managed to finish our geology lessons - this being the perfect place to talk about rock and crystal formations. On top of it all we had some great birding as well with White-Winged Apalis, Pallid Honeyguide and White-Eared Barbet being the highlights.

After Zomba it was on to Mulanje Mountain, the highest mountain in south-central Africa at 3002m. En route there we made a few stops, the most interesting one being the house and graves of a colonial farmer called William Livingstone. This is the place where Malawi’s fight for independence began. John Chilembwe (who is considered the first Malawian martyr) decapitated William on this farm because of his brutality towards his workers. John was himself killed only a few days later but his actions definitely started adding momentum to the rebellion which eventually lead to independence in 1963/64. From that very informative visit we went to Blantyre and onwards to Likhubula - Mount Mulanje.

At Likhubula we completed more history lectures and also had some time to get to the waterfall. From here we headed to Lujeri Tea Estate and here we had more great walks, scenery, birds and lessons. Even though we could have stayed in the Mulanje area for a week we had to leave and our last day involved heading back to Mvuu for the final lectures and a dinner together before saying goodbye.

This trip had a great impact on all the guides’ lives. They saw plenty of new places and the majesty of these places made a life changing impact. Together we identified 68 different wildflower species, everyone saw lifers (new birds), and we covered an area bigger than what most Malawians see in a lifetime.

It was an honour to be part of something like this and we hope to keep building on this great experience.

This photo was taken by passengers on the Galapagos Explorer II yacht.

Other yachts which include Fernandina in their itineraries can be found here.

The normality broke up a week ago in the evening: a hollow sounding, mournful wailing voice, starting low and rising in pitch at the end and repeated every few seconds, became our obsession. Searches made clear that it wasn’t an owl. But face to face contact with the call originator eluded us. The call, audible by night and on overcast days, was coming from a thick canopy of bushwillows: a fortress of branches and leaves so intricate that no light could pass through it.The curiosity and interest spread rapidly. Most of the camp staff had a clear idea of what was going on. They told us that at home, in rural conditions, rains start and the same noise arrives… because chameleons give birth! The popular belief says that chameleon females give birth in such a dramatic way that it can only be described as an explosion. So painful it is that the poor female has to scream before she dies.

Science says that chameleons are almost mute: they do give notice of their mood by changing colours, so they don’t need a voice. In many chameleon species the female lays eggs while others give birth - but they don’t die. However all legends originate from a basic truth.

Experience proved that to be true in this case. Any time we went in search of the originator of the mysterious call we found a chameleon! Chameleons and the call originator appear with the rain; just a matter of coincidence of timing generated a myth.

But our mystery wasn’t solved! We worked on with patience and constancy: torches pointed in the direction of the howling, which was making a mockery of us.
But finally a glimpse - and it was a bird: quail size but with peculiar red breast and head, spots everywhere else. No way it could escape being identified - the Buff Spotted Flufftail (Sarothura elegans). Not recorded yet in Ruaha National Park!

This was sent into us by the staff at Mdonya Old River Camp, in Ruaha Game Reserve, Tanzania.  It is a fabulous small safari camp in one of the scenically most diverse parks in Africa.

Two clients from the Netherlands had an incredible sighting in Samburu National Reserve. These first-time safari clients were on a game drive along the Ewaso Nyiro River at the border between Samburu National Reserve and Buffalo Springs National Reserve. They saw lionesses attack a young giraffe and managed to pull it down and kill it.

Whilst lions do sometimes get giraffes, it’s not THAT common, and to get a shot like this one is definitely not common!

Getting the right information from the start
A professional tour operator knows that you don’t stand a chance of getting things right if you don’t start with the right information from the beginning. It might seem like you’re interrogating them, but encourage them to give you this information and you’ll be flying from the start. Here is what you really need to know. Yes, it looks like an awful lot, and it is, but this really is what a good tour operator needs to know if planning a holiday for someone (especially a tailor made holiday).
PEOPLE
1. How many people are travelling?
2. Are they all going together and coming from the same place?
3. Are there children (a child is classed as being under 12 yrs), if so, you’ll probably need dates of birth.
4. What room configuration is needed? (eg single rooms only, twin beds or double, 1 double room and 2 twins, 1 triple etc).
5. Does anyone travelling have a disability that might be relevant for either the room type required (eg wheelchair friendly) or the type of experience being requested (eg walking safaris would be tricky with a physical disability, but not impossible - the travel company would need to know about this)?
6. Is this a secret from anyone? (So often people plan holidays which they don’t want their wives or partners to know about. Find out so you don’t let the cat out of the bag by accident!).
7. Any food preferences or intolerances? (This is really more relevant later on, but it doesn’t hurt to find out now - eg for flight reservations).
WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN?
1. What is their total budget? This is a critical question. You MUST ask this. There are so many options on offer that no-one can hope to get a holiday right if they don’t have a clue what budget they are roughly working to. If they are unable/unwilling to answer, say “Well if I go for about £4000 per person would that be OK with you?” That way you might get some reaction (positive or negative!) that will help you with this question.
2. Where do they want to go out of preference? (which country, any specific region, any specific hotel?).
3. What date do they want to go? (Try to get a ‘window’ of opportunity as often availability can cause problems, and this way you’re prepared for this - eg x date to y date, +/- 2 days).
4. Figure out if there are any specific days which they can NOT be away on.
5. How long do they want to go for?
6. What type of holiday are they looking for? (eg relaxing chill on a beach, a safari,
EXPERIENCES
1. Is there anything they specifically want to include? (eg I MUST see an elephant, or it must have good diving etc).
2. Is there anything they definitely don’t want? (eg. They will not go if it’s rainy season, or must not be too hot, or must have facilities for kids,
3. Special things. Is it an anniversary or birthday during the trip, and will they want anything special organised?
FLIGHTS
1. In order to hold flights (which may be necessary) you need to have all names AS SHOWN IN PASSPORTS. This is important, as names cannot be changed on tickets (even reserved tickets) if they are wrong. If you end up having to re-hold tickets with another name you may not get the same price again. You need title, first name and surname.
2. What standard do they want? Economy, premier /club, or first class?
3. Any preference of airline? (Some people hate specific airlines due to past experiences!).
4. Which airport do they prefer? (If it’s a local one, also ask which of the major airports would be best if you can’t get the local one for some reason).
5. Do they prefer day or overnight flights, or doesn’t it matter? (You’re best to suggest to be as flexible as possible in order to get best deals).

Finding a good holiday company
Go for a tour operator
You could go to a travel agent of course (someone who doesn’t organise their own holidays, but sells someone else’s. Ie they are middle men), but people who work in most travel agencies (not all) know relatively little about specific places or holidays.
In my view you’d be best going to a tour operator. Tour operators know their own product very well, and can usually give you really good advice about their holidays. If they have a good range, you should find the service from a tour operator is much better.
Even then, there are so many tour operators, where do you start?
My recommendation would be to start somewhere like the AITO website. AITO is the Association of Independent Tour Operators. It is an association of about 150 tour operators, which as the name suggests, are independently-owned. Going for a smaller independent company usually means that you are going to get a higher standard of service, and if they are members of AITO this is even more the case. AITO members have to adhere to a Quality Charter and have responsible ethics too. You’ll find this site on www.aito.co.uk.
Consider the ethics of a company
Responsible and ethical tourism is becoming more and more important these days. Wouldn’t it be nice to think that if/when we travel, we do as little damage to the environment as possible and benefit as many social development and conservation projects as we can?
My company, Tribes Travel, is at the forefront of responsible tourism, but there are also others who can help you make your travels count.
Financial Protection
Do not even think about booking a holiday with a company that does not have the legal financial protection in place for if they become insolvent.
You need to look for an ATOL (Air Travel Organisers Licence) logo or for an AITO logo. Both of these licences or memberships ensure that you won’t be left stranded if the company goes bust. Alternatively, some companies (usually the smaller ones) use the Bond protection scheme.
Tailor made or set holidays?
If you choose a company who offers tailor made holidays, they will of course be able to book nearly anything you want (if it is within the destinations they work) and at any time. This of course means that your employer will have total flexibility and choice of all aspects of the holiday, which in my experience, is what most are looking for.
The alternative is to go for set holidays, which usually have a range of available dates, or escorted groups which have a few specific set dates and usually are accompanied by a guide or leader.

Already Botswana’s Boteti River saw water for the first time in years (back in November 08), and the Delta flood should be awesome to see.

The effects of this flood should mostly be positive for the landscape and the wildlife, though it will temporarily displace some communities on lower ground.

As regards tourism, well most of the lodges are on slightly higher ground so most should be OK and will adapt to the water in terms of using boats to ferry people if necessary rather than jeeps. No lodges have yet told us of expected problems but will of course advise as necessary for any clients travelling here.

Mountain Lodges of Peru wins international TO-DO contest

Two years after the opening of the first trans-Andean lodge-to-lodge trek to Machu Picchu, Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP) has won the grand prize of the renowned competition TO DO! Contest for Socially Responsible Tourism.

Following a comprehensive jury inspection on site, the prize was awarded during this year’s travel trade show ITB in Berlin on Friday, March 13th. “This is the result of our business strategy which from the beginning included the involvement of local communities and the use of environmentally sound practices”, Enrique Umbert Jr, General Manager of MLP is glad to point out.

The rationale for the award says: “MLP offers unusual trekking tours that satisfy the highest expectations regarding comfort and quality.”….”The company combines an economically promising strategy with comprehensive social and ecological responsibility in a plausible manner and helps to strengthen cultural identity.”

In Peru the MLP tourism concept is innovative and unique, as it is not focused exclusively on operating trips. To address environmental issues, they have set up a professional eco-team that surveys the trek, provides trail maintenance and clean-up, and assists with reforestation and wildlife conservation. Clean energy for the lodges will be obtained by micro-hydro projects that will also benefit the communities.

The social responsibility component of MLP is handled by a non-profit organization called “Yanapana” (”Help” in Quechua language) which serves the people who live in the region. Members of the local communities have been trained to work in the lodges; they are given micro-loans and technical assistance to improve the quality and sale of regional products such as preserves, weavings and vegetables. Medical care and education support for more than 1,700 children in the region is provided as well.

“During the building of the four first-class lodges in the Andes we strictly followed a concept that served the people and preserves the environment”, explains Enrique Umbert Sr, CEO of MLP. The lodges were designed by a local architect who incorporated the traditional Inca style of stone and adobe houses with straw roofs with more modern concepts of comfort and energy efficiency in such a way that the buildings completely blend into the Andean landscape; moreover, all the lodges fit well and deep into Inca mythology, architecturally and conceptually. The lodges feature rustic-elegant double bedrooms with private facilities, hot showers, heaters and Jacuzzis. Unique “Andean energetic cuisine” provides excellent and innovative meals in both lodges and along the trail, using local produce and organic food.

The travellers experience all this during the fully guided round trip from Cusco on the Salkantay lodge-to-lodge trek to Machu Picchu and back to the famous Inca capital. Over two thousand international hikers so far enjoyed this unique combination of first class accommodation and contact with people and nature.

Tribes consultant, Paul Cook, took this excellent lodge-to-lodge trek last year, and says: “I don’t want to go back to camping again after this! It was very well-organised with extemely comfortable accommodation, and even jaccuzis.”

“The best restaurant in the world… a tree in the middle of the Serengeti Plains with a picnic!”

This got us to thinking about what our own favourite restaurants might be. And here are the results:

Amanda:  It’s called The Painted Fish, it’s probably in Suffolk, and the head chef is called Luke. Fabulous intuiitive cooking, from the heart.  The chef cooks for me at home sometimes and it’s excellent. We do however have a few years to wait until The Painted Fish opens. Luke is still only 8 yrs old. Watch for the name though!

Dan:  My most memorable meal was being presented with freshly cooked iguana by some locals on a remote part of the Pacific coast in Costa Rica. We had been off-roading to try and find deserted beaches to surf, and had seen this bunch of guys walking down the track with the iguanas they had just shot, slung over their shoulders. We stopped and offered them a lift (I was hanging out with an Aussie and an American who had hired a 4×4), and in return, they let us camp in their shanty village on the beach, and cooked for us….and yes, it did taste like chicken (at least in a semi-fishy kind of way!?!).

Guy:  A little restaurant in Aqaba - garlic prawns followed by filet mignon, and beer served out of a teapot. The food was good, but made even better after a long period of beans, Arabic flat bread, and truck food. And, of course, someone very special to share it with! 

Hannah:  In Egypt on a Red Sea beach we had a gorgeous Bedouin-style dinner for two under the stars. Big cushions and bubble pipes and fantastic seafood. Totally alone to just relax and star gaze.

Julie:  At Funzi Keys in Kenya. It’s got to be one of the nicest situations I’ve ever eaten in! Sitting on huge cushions on the sand by a camp fire on the beach with a waiter hovering behind the palm trees. I can’t remember what I ate, but the location, service and atmosphere was superb.

Paul:  Food Stalls on IGB Plaza, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia has the best food in the world. Malaysian, Chinese and Indian food is served everywhere, with fresh tropical fruits and seafood available at ridiculously low prices. The best meals are from the numerous nameless food stalls which line the streets and plazas, where food is cooked from fresh ingredients on demand. For the year I lived in Kuala Lumpur, I never cooked for myself but instead enjoyed a diverse range of wonderful meals from the food stalls in the IGB Plaza near where I worked.

Polly: I particularly remember a lazy lunch of the most delicious cold roast duck and salad (a rather upmarket packed lunch!), enjoying views across the Tarn Valley in the south of France sitting by a seemingly-deserted farm, after a morning’s walk en-route from one hotel to the next. It helped that the sun was shining and we were most of the way to our destination and a cold beer!

So what do you think is the best restaurant in the world? Let us know!