On the Prowl with Robin Pope

Who They Are

The base for Robin Pope Safaris‘ operations is the small, riverside camp of Nkwali, which is close to the central Mfuwe area of South Luangwa National Park. Nkwali is one of  Luangwa ’s few camps that is accessible all year round. Further north, Robin Pope’s two substantial, luxurious seasonal bush camps are the much lauded Tena Tena (tented) and Nsefu. Like Nkwali, they offer 4×4 game drives and walking safaris.

Nkwali by Night

A River View, Nkwali

For small groups and families, RPS runs two stylish safari houses, both close to Nkwali: the two-bedroom Robin’s House and the four-bedroom Luangwa Safari House and both come equipped with their own staff (chef, guides, and 4WD vehicles)  so you may set your own schedules.

Perhaps the most famous holidays from Robin Pope Safaris are their walking safaris, which utilize small  camps, walk-in tents, mattresses on the ground (with fine linens), shared bucket shower, bush loos). These ‘mobiles’ are organized about 18-24 months in advance, and often sell out swiftly; they run on fixed dates through the year. The properties offer game drives, walking, and boating, all with excellent guides.

A Robin Pope Specialty, Walks in the Wild

What They Are Doing

The Kawaza School Fund focuses on education in the Nsefu Chiefdom (an area in the South Luangwa section of Zambia).  Efforts are aimed at building schools, paying for teachers in order to improve the children-to-teacher ratio.  The government does not provide adequate teachers for schools, and there is a shortage generally in the country. Also, it is hard to get teachers to come to the rural areas.

They prefer towns, where there is electricity and water. The fund also provides educational equipment and sponsors 50 children to do their secondary and tertiary education. Only basic education is free. There are no secondary schools in the area, and no colleges, so anyone going to either has to find boarding, which is very expensive.  Many poor rural families and the increasing number of AIDS orphans cannot afford to go beyond basic schooling. The fund also has a volunteer program, where qualified people from abroad come and stay at one of the schools and teach.

A Zambian Specialty, Lots of Wildlife

Robin Pope Safaris was the founding member of the Luangwa Safari Association Medical Fund. The lodges in the area pool money and organize for a volunteer doctor to live there and work at the local clinic. Over the last ten years the scheme has raised money to renovate the clinic, build new staff houses, and, whenever there is a need, buy or provide medication for epidemics. Do they also pay for other medicines? Not unless a situation gets desperate. The government provides monthly drug allowance to the clinic.

A Tent Maybe, But Simple It's Not - Tena Tena

Steel and Glass in the Jungle

Who They Are

The newly opened Mashpi Lodge is set within a 3,200-acre private reserve that is part of the Tumbez-Choco-Darien bio-region that stretches from Panama, through Colombia and Ecuador, to northern Peru – all along the Pacific slopes of the Andes. The reserve is located three hours by road to the northwest of the capital, Quito. After crossing the Equator you leave dry valleys to be enveloped in a world of tumbling mountains and roiling rivers, until the road winds down into a profusion of trees, plants, and animals.

A Forest Cocoon

Within all this, Mashpi is a contemporary cocoon. The glass-and-steel lodge, co-owned by former Quito mayor Roque Sevilla, is set on a hillside that takes in the dramatic views, providing guests with a constant reminder of their unique setting. The 22 rooms include three expansive suites, and in the high-ceilinged dining room the menu features touches of the Pacific and Andean cultures.

Guests can explore the bio-diverse world of the reserve by climbing the observation tower, pedaling through the forest on an aerial bicycle, bathing in rivers and waterfalls, discovering the Life Centre with its butterfly farm and terrariums, and hiking along trails through the forest in the company of expert naturalist and local guides. By September Mashpi’s 2-km.-long ‘canopy gondola,’ or aerial tram, will be ready to take guests on extended explorations of the forest.

The World is Green

What They Are Doing

From its inception Mashpi sought to work with local communities to ensure they were aware of, and became involved in, the lodge and the decisions affecting the establishment and management of the reserve. Through Ecuador’s Ministry of Production, Mashpi has implemented a program whereby the locals and lodge employees can become shareholders, playing a pivotal role in conserving the highly bio-diverse – but endangered – forests to the northwest of Quito.

Mashpi will also provide an alternative job source, and the plan is for eighty percent of staff to come from surrounding communities. It will also build and finance a local school focused on biodiversity and ecology, for pupils up to the age of 11 (at least to start with). Close to the nearby village of Mashpi, and within the reserve, the lodge will cultivate a farm to supply it with fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, and legumes.

The creation of Mashpi, it is believed, played an important part in the recent decision by Quito municipality to declare 42,000 acres adjacent to the reserve a “natural protected area.” Called ‘Mashpi, Guaycuyacu y Sahuangal,’ it is the largest of its kind in Ecuador and constitutes a strong signal by Quito to protect its highly diverse surrounding ecosystems.

A senior biologist and his team have been on Mashpi’s staff since July 2010, and six volunteers from the biology department at the Quito San Francisco University are working on projects in the reserve, where there have already been studies of butterflies (with 80 species cataloged so far), birds, frogs and reptiles, and various animal species, including pumas.

The reserve is part of the biodiversity hotspot known as the Chocó-Darien, globally recognized as one of a dozen locations with the highest concentration of plant and animal species on the planet. It is thought that the reserve is home to some 500 species of birds, with 250 spotted to date. (By comparison, there are around 1,000 bird species across all of Europe.) There are also dozens of species of amphibians and reptiles and hundreds of kinds of insects.

The only difficulty is actually seeing all these creatures, especially in the dense forest. But the design of the trails, night walks in the forest with naturalists, and the lodge’s upcoming ‘canopy gondola’ are aimed to make things a lot easier.

Who They Are

Since opening several years ago Misool Eco Resort in Raja Ampat has fast become one of the world’s diving hot spots and has excelled in conserving an area widely known for its marine biodiversity – more than 1400 species of reef fish have been recorded.

A Water Cottage View

Created and owned by a group of passionate divers, conservationists, and adventurers, their aim was to demonstrate to their local hosts, their guests, and themselves that responsible tourism can be an integral part of environmental protection and the welfare of the local community.

The 8 spacious Water Cottages are built, Balinese-style, on stilts over the lagoon, and for extra seclusion there are three deluxe villas. A walkway connects them with the restaurant and dive center.

What They Are Doing

The cottages were built from salvaged driftwood bought from the local community and milled by the resort’s own portable sawmill. Aside from compostible food waste, nothing is thrown away on the island, either in landfills or into the sea. Black and gray water is cleaned and recycled using a chemical-free waste water garden system. Packaging is minimized, and what cannot be avoided is returned to the mainland for recycling.

A Wobbegong Shark

In 2006 Misool formed a 168-square-mile No-Take Zone. Now islands, reefs, and surrounding waters are protected. The resort raised funds to buy a patrol vessel and trained locals as rangers to prevent fishing, long-lining, shark finning, turtle harvesting, or removal of any marine creatures. By 2011, the No-Take-Zone had been extended to 465 square miles, and there are two patrol vessels.

Diving on the Doorstep

The zone includes four green turtle nesting sites, fish spawning and aggregation sites, manta cleaning stations as well as islands that are home to protected species of sea eagles, cockatoos, coconut crabs, saltwater crocodiles, and mambruk birds. In addition, Misool organizes beach cleanups.

Misool is developing a second No-Take Zone to include a nearby archipelago of significant ecological value, after it was approached by a neighboring community that saw the economic and social benefits of the zoning.  This agreement will expand Misool’s NTZ to 468 square miles, roughly twice the size of Singapore. The resort also has a reef restoration project in areas that were damaged by blast fishing.

Misool by Night

Approximately eighty percent of staff are local.  Misool provides them with English lessons and job training. In addition, it created a successful apprenticeship program in which local workers were paired with highly skilled artisans from Java and taught their craft.  It also offers its staff dive certifications and safety training, with the hope that one day its dive guides will all be drawn from the local community.

In the Kitchen at Misool

All of the rangers are local, which has empowered the community “to regain ownership and stewardship of their natural heritage. ” Misool also encourages locals to make traditional handicrafts to sell at the resort, and together with Conservation International has started a rattan-weaving project to make high-return furniture.

In Their Own Words

“We seek to provide exceptional and enriching experiences in a sustainable environment. We aim to protect and revitalize both our natural surroundings and the community in which we operate. We are committed to demonstrating that tourism can support a local economy with much more favorable terms than mining, logging, overfishing, or shark finning.”

Misool MD Andrew Miners with Local Children

(Shark photo by Will Postlethwaite)

In the remote village of Tracosco on the lush southeastern coast of Bahia, you’ll find the unique UXUA Casa Hotel. Conceived by Dutch-born Wilbert Das (fashion designer and longtime creative director for Diesel, the hip clothing line), the gorgeously bright and airy hotel took over two years to build using recycled materials in this tribute to the area Das loves so much.

Casa Seu Pedrinho do Quadrado

Six of the nine 1- to 3-bedroom casas or cottages (three are restored fishermen homes) are scattered around beautiful gardens, while the remaining three face the town square. Some are equipped with plunge pools, some with a Jacuzzi, and others nestle in the gardens and on terraces. Each casa has an open living room and a full kitchen where local chefs will help the culinary-adventurous create local Bahian feasts in their own casa. Meals are also served in the restaurant, at the pool, are delivered to your casa or can be taken at the beach just five minutes away. On the sand there’s a scenic lounge whose bar and kitchen were created out of an abandoned fishing boat that washed up on shore.

The Aventurine Quartz Pool

The swimming pool was made by a local, self-taught “mosaicist,” who used over 40,000 unique green aventurine quartz pebbles, well known in this part of the world to be especially healing. There’s also a spa where, in addition to acupuncture, massages, yoga, and Pilates, you can take private classes in capoeira and forro dancing, which is extremely popular at most of the social activities in the village.

There’s plenty to do if lying on endless beaches is not your thing: trek, horseback ride, snorkel, dive, canoe, play tennis, visit the nearby Indian reserve Barra Velha, a national park that 500 Pataxo tribe families call home … or join a local soccer team in the square!

What They Are Doing

To build the lodge, Das recruited local craftsmen to construct eight individual, traditional casas and one treehouse using recycled and organic materials wherever possible, while applying the local building customs to create a lodge that fits into its surroundings. Almost everything was carved by hand, which includes some unique touches in the bathrooms that are made out of fallen trees. Hardwood roof tiles were restored from old farmhouses, local ceramics cover the floors, and recycled woods and irons make up the bathrooms to create the rustic ambiance.

Casa Quintal da Gloria

UXUA has also roped in an area containing native vegetation and mangroves. The lodge owners have partnered up with the local administration and have taken responsibility for keeping the mangroves and the beach clean.

The Spa

Bahia has high levels of illiteracy, and training for luxury hospitality services is uncommon.  Das wanted to employ locals so, two years before the hotel opened, he began a ‘hotel school’ on the property, where locals were given hospitality training by professionals from international hotel schools. In addition, all personnel who had not finished high school were put into classes to complete their diplomas, and those staff who lacked basic literacy skills were given one-on-one instruction.  Every one of the present staff of 45 has either finished high school or is in the hotel’s program to get a diploma. Three of those who got diplomas are now taking university courses in a neighboring town, with tuition and transportation provided by UXUA.

Medical benefits are provided to all staff, something extremely unusual for Bahia. They are also guaranteed employment year-round, also rare in this part of the world, where staff are hired seasonally. The hotel pays the salary of the local professor of capoeira, which guarantees that the town’s children and teenagers can practice this sport even if they can’t afford to pay for the classes.

Produce for the magnificent Brazilian fare served in the hotel is sourced locally.

'Minga vonani kuxouga ka xigaza,' Philemon Hlungwani

The task we try to set ourselves at A World Different is to find hotels and lodges around the world that do good things. Sometimes it is easy to see who those good things or deeds benefit, such as the luxurious Casa Gangotena’s work with communities in its hometown of Quito, Ecuador. Or the silversmith project supported by Ibo Island Lodge in Mozambique. Or the efforts of Cortijada Los Gázquez to resuscitate a dying Spanish village’s way of life.

'Alter Ego 1,' Andrew Verster

In the case of Ellerman House, in Cape Town, the good works are less obvious. They are actually the art works hanging on the hotel walls. The luxury boutique hotel now has 500 pieces by South African masters and 80 by contemporary artists. The specially built Ellerman Contemporary gallery opened in December 2009. The gallery, hidden away below the front of the hotel, is fronted by the striking Hier sculpture, a 3-meter head made of slate by Angus Taylor. AWD met with Ellerman House GM Nick Dreyer and talked about how the luxury boutique hotel came to become a prominent supporter of local artists and built its Ellerman Contemporary gallery as a showcase.

A World Different: Ellerman House is famous for its paintings by South African masters, such as Pierneef and Irma Stern. That collection was put together by the hotel’s owner, financier Paul Harris. But these new art works are taking Ellerman House in a new direction.

Dreyer: With the masters we gained traction as art collectors. But we had no contemporary works, and we wanted to collect them. We had this hollow space at the bottom of the property, and it suddenly became obvious that’s where the gallery should go.

Inside Elllerman Contemporary

AWD: What did you want to achieve with the gallery?

Dreyer: We wanted to give artists access to the market and we wanted to give our customers a chance to see some great South African art.

AWD: Do you sell the paintings?

Dreyer: No. We make the introduction between the guest and the art, and we might suggest galleries where they can buy the artists, such as the Goodman Gallery or Michael Stevenson. But that’s all. We collect art we love, and there is an integrity to collecting the art but not selling it.

Mary Sibande's 'They Don't Make Them Like They Used To'

AWD: Who buys the art for Ellerman Contemporary?

Dreyer: It is a collaborative affair. Myself, my colleague Mitch Terry, Paul Harris. We get advice from Mark Read, the owner of Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg. We go to the Johannesburg Art Fair. We find out about an artist and investigate.

AWD: Are there any success stories?

Dreyer: I don’t think Ellerman can claim the success of any of these artists. As I said, we merely introduce clients to them.

AWD: Are there set tours of the gallery or do clients simply wander down?

Dreyer: It’s a small intimate hotel, so one of the managers goes with guests. Often they go down by themselves.

AWD: The Independent of London carried a story on the ‘big six’ hotels in the world that have art collections. Besides one in Melbourne, which is named after the artist whose works it carries, Ellerman was the only one of the six with the idea of promoting living artists.

Inside the Gallery

Dreyer: We have had very important art collectors stay at the hotel and they have purchased hundreds of thousands of rands worth of local art as a result.

AWD: How do you arrange the art in the gallery?

Dreyer: As soon as work comes in I put it up and take other things down. It’s not a huge gallery, and because some of the works are very large, we can only put up maybe two dozen artworks at a time. It is a bit like a store, and sometimes there are even things on the floor propped up against a wall.

AWD: The artist Angus Taylor, who did the striking head outside the gallery entrance, is now a consultant to the hotel on a building project. So your relationships with the artists go even further?

Dreyer: Angus spent three months on the property putting up the head. He made a grid of steel and then layered the rocks inside. We liked the way he worked, always with organic materials, so we asked him to be a consultant on the new villa we are adding to the property.

Butterfly and Hot Pinks

Neato! Animal Block Height Charts for Kids

At A World Different we sometimes come across companies that are inextricably linked to tourism. They start because of tourism, and tourism and tourists become part of their lifeblood. A great example of this is Tribal Textiles in Mfuwe, Zambia.

Established in 1991 by Gillie Lightfoot and a few local women, Tribal Textiles started making gorgeous hand-painted fabrics and selling them to lodges in the area, including Norman Carr Safaris, Flat Dogs Camp, and Robin Pope Safaris. Then sales went further afield, to Tongabezi at the Victoria Falls.

In turn, the lodges started selling Tribal Textiles’ products in their gift shops, and even then visitors couldn’t get enough. The Tribal Textiles workshop in Mfuwe has, as a result, became a regular stop for visitors to see where these stunning textiles come from and how they are hand-painted and by whom.

More shopping continued at the factory, and, as one would expect with such desirable products, people wanted to sell them in other countries too. Now Tribal Textiles’ goods – whose product line includes bags, cushion covers, and more, in a growing array of styles – are sold in more than 20 countries. (If you’re interested, here’s a list of suppliers).

Like It? Ask for 'Tribal Art, Fire'

Business has grown so much that what started as a sustainable project now supports other charities, including a nearby school, Malimba, which has over 160 pupils, many of them orphaned by AIDS.

'African Circles, Chocolate Blue'

Nor does it end there. About 11 years ago Suzie Saunders found herself employed by Tribal Textiles as design and production manager. While there she met Gillie’s brother, James Lightfoot, they fell in love, got married, and moved to Likoma Island in Malawi, where they now own and run the fabulous Kaya Mawa Lodge. Taking up the textile idea, Suzie started Katundu, hiring  single mothers selected from the local orphan program, where they made beaded textiles, linens, tablecloths, and much more.

Katundu now employs 26 women and has branched out into making beautiful interior pieces, such as wall art, lighting accessories, mosquito net ties, and baskets.  Craftsmen from all over Malawi have been invited to come to the island and teach the Katundu employees other traditional Malawian crafts using local resources, such as mats made with baobab string and beads made of local mud clay.

Lodges that now show off Katundu accessories include Tongabezi, Chongwe River House, Kaya Mawa, and  Tangala, the exclusive villa at Tongabezi.

'Wassu, Tutti Fruity.' Of Course It Is!

And check out the video of Tribal Textiles at

Tribal Textiles, Zambia from Will Benson on Vimeo.

Safari, North American-Style

Who They Are

Inspired by late 19th century Great Camps, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is located at the mouth of the Bedwell River, where it spills into a 9-mile-long fjord, an area teeming with birds and wildlife. Just a 45-minute boat ride from the town of Tofino on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, the area is reachable only by boat or seaplane.

Luxury Amidst the Canvas

The enclave, well concealed by the bush under the rainforest canopy, consists of 20 great white canvas safari-like guest tents – which are done, Great Camps-style, in Adirondack-type beds, down duvets, woodstoves, antique dressers, opulent rugs, and oil lamps – as well as massage and treatment tents, dining tents, lounge and library tents, and a massive timber cookhouse area. They are linked by cedar boardwalks. The Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve contains a very rare temperate rainforest with towering cedars and Douglas fir trees, some over a thousand years old.

A Summer Night

Spa...aaahhh

The resort is open only from May through September, All activities and adventures are planned to make the most of the region’s history, people, natural environment, and wildlife. Upon arrival guests receive an orientation about the activities, which range from taking a spa to hiking (along trails such as the Wild Side First Nations Interpretive Trail, which include Flores Island), from horseback riding to whale and bear watching, from river and sea kayaking to numerous other sports. There is even yoga. Do as much or as little as you want – but always in the serene isolation.

A Black Bear and Cubs

What They Are Doing

When developing the resort the owners set out to be as mindful as possible of the surroundings. It built the resort with an emphasis on making a limited environmental impact while repairing past damage from logging and mining. It purchases and emphasizes local foods and wines, and it employs local First Nations people.

At a First Nations Ceremony

The Ahoushat First Nations Community, numbering about 1500, is based on Flores Island. Clayoquot has signed a tourism protocol agreement with them on matters regarding operating in their traditional territories, and is working with them to create a holistic healing center and on building a first-ever First Nations adventure park, which would include canopy walkways, zip-trekking, storytelling, dance, carvings, canoe building, and traditional cooking.

Your Playground

The resort donates its staff housing and some public spaces during the off season to the Ahoushat to use in drug- and alcohol-substance-abuse and family-issues programs. It also provides the participants with food.

The fish population in the Bedwell Watershed has declined significantly over the past 20 years and Chinook salmon are at critically low levels. In 2003, the resort began restoring more than six kilometers of crucial spawning habitats in the Bedwell River basin. This restoration work represents the only privately funded initiative of its kind in North America. To date, and with the assistance of corporate sponsors and resort guests, about 20,000 cubic meters of overburden  (gravel and debris jams) have been excavated to restore the pond channel, and additional excavation work is  being done upriver. Already, chum salmon have been seen digging egg nests in the new habitats, and this spring, young adults found their way back to the ocean.

Great Camps Style Bedroom

The resort has committed $3 million over five years to research, conservation, and rehabilitation. A 3-percent sustainability fee is included in every guest’s fees, one-third of which goes towards the nonprofit British Columbia Wilderness Tourism Association to assist in environmental stewardship activities. The remaining money goes to the Environmental Legacy Program that includes habitat restoration, First Nations programs, and wildlife studies. The resort is testing compostable plastics made from corn and potato to replace standard plastic items used in packed lunches. It is also its carbon footprint and intends to reduce the amount of carbon the resort expends by five percent a year. It is about to install hydropower by building a generator on the river.

Guests can be involved as much or as little as possible in Clayoquot’s raptor rehabilitation, salmon habitat restoration, black bear mapping, whale acoustics, and program working with the Roosevelt elk.

In Their Own Words

“We try to teach our guests as much as possible about sustainability and the environment to take a proactive step towards a better future for us all.”

Nimmo on the Water

Who They Are

Nimmo Bay Resort is a high-end, helicopter fly-fishing and helicopter-adventure destination at the foot of Mt. Stephens along the Great Bear Rainforest coastline in British Columbia – the largest intact, coastal temperate rainforest in the world. It offers luxury wilderness adventure tours that include heli-fishing, whale watching, wildlife viewing, rafting, beachcombing, heli-hiking, kayaking, glacier trekking, and First Nations adventure tours.

The Top of the World

Cedar and Pine

All this takes place across 50,000 square miles of wilderness, going from sea level to 13,000 feet – and the helicopters stay with you all day. The wild salmon and Steelhead that guests fly- and spin-fish for have been here a long time, and the catch-and-release system hopes to guarantee they will be here for a long time to come.

Coastal Kaleidoscope

Six intertidal chalets and three streamside ones (each with two bedrooms, bathroom, and a lounge area) are set in a wilderness panorama.  The floating main lodge – where meals and drinks are served – is done in pine and cedar, custom walnut dining tables, leather couches, and artwork featuring al artists that is for sale. Attached to the lodge is a fully operational floating bakery.

What They Are Doing

The Murray family has been operating Nimmo for 30 years, all but one of which have been while using a small hydropowered electric system. The drinking water comes from the snow fields and natural springs of Mt. Stephens, and the use of plastic bottles has been eliminated by providing guests with stainless steel bottles to refill each day on their tours. The resort uses fresh, local foods and hires from the local communities.

Adventure on the Glacier

Nimmo is especially proud of its relationship with the local First Nations, and has a program where guests can visit the local communities to learn about their lifestyle, art, culture, and beliefs. The 2004 tourism accord with the First Nations, called the Wi’la’mola Accord , focuses on tourism as an economic generator, with the environment as its cornerstone. The resort tries to marry the adventure of wildlife with the adventure of the indigenous culture.

A Local

In addition, Nimmo has been working on ways to preserve and save the wild salmon from the fate of nearby salmon farms, where sea lice and chemical spillages cause havoc. Although this is a common problem wherever there are fish farms, the First Nations’ Alexandra Morton and Nimmo’s Craig Murray have been collaborating on this project for many years, battling governments and foreign corporations averse to doing anything to help protect this unique environment.

In Their Own Words

“We adhere to the truism that we don’t own the land – the land owns us.  Our economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of our environment.  We are meant to be here to act as stewards of this miraculous setting that we live and work in – the Great Bear Rainforest. We take our stewardship responsibilities seriously.”

Who They Are

Step back in time at Elephant Pepper Camp, a glorious tented camp hidden in a grove of giant ebony and elephant pepper trees overlooking the Masai Mara Plains. Modern comforts are set amidst hurricane lamps, and sumptuous meals served under a ceiling of stars.

The View Out

The camp is situated in the heart of the protected Mara North Conservancy, a spectacular wilderness area on the northeastern border of the Mara National Reserve. Here now for 20 years, it is one of the original, very small and exclusive tented camps, and is located away from other lodges. With only 9 en-suite tents, this magical camp maintains the atmosphere that is usually felt only on a traditional, mobile luxury safari.

The View In

What They Are Doing

Elephant Pepper Camp was built with sustainability in mind. There are no generators, cement, or any permanent structures, making the camp completely movable. Nestling almost out of sight under its canopy of trees, it closes for two months a year to allow the ecosystem to regenerate.

The Masai Mara

Elephant Pepper was instrumental in the formation of the Mara North Conservancy, a spectacular 28,000 hectares on the northeast border of the Mara National Reserve, a core parcel within the Masai Mara ecosystem. For the exclusive use of its 12 member camps, it provides some of the Mara’s prime game viewing in complete privacy. At the same time it guarantees the more than 700 Masai landowners stable revenue, with the camps paying $112,000 a month in fixed lease payments, or $1.3 million annually. Almost twenty percent goes to conservation management with employment of rangers, vehicle surveillance, and maintenance of infrastructure.

Zebra on the Mara North Conservancy

The camp has worked with the local Masai community for nearly 20 years, with the creation of the conservancy being the latest development in preserving this vital wilderness.

Among the initiatives the camp has spearheaded and participated in: Water from Wildlife, bringing water to schools without damaging the ecosystem; it has also introduced water-catchment and -collection systems, as well as the concept of shallow wells to support the local communities.

Place of Rest

When the area surrounding the camp was designated a wildlife conservation area by the Masai, Elephant Pepper was instrumental in helping the local Masai relocate to their new homesteads. The camp also transported their building materials for them, in order to reduce the need for tree felling. It supports the Aitong Primary School, which has, since 2007, added a new classroom, kitchen, and new desks and chairs.

Guests are encouraged, whenever possible, to go on game walks instead of drives. This experience is unrivaled, especially as all of the guides have the prestigious SilverLevel qualification, making them some of the best in the country. Over eighty percent of the staff are employed from the surrounding communities.

The camp relies on solar power, ecofriendly toilets, and traditional bucket showers. Food is sourced locally as much as possible; glass is separated and sold to a recycling plant in Nairobi, all of whose funds are donated to the East African Women’s League to support a family planning program managed by the North Lake Branch in Naivasha.

A Luxury Suite at Casa Gangotena

A Detail of the Staircase

Who They Are

Opened in late 2011 in Old Town Quito, the newly restored historic mansion Casa Gangotena overlooks the Plaza San Francisco, a cobbled square rich in history dating back to the days of the Inca.  Casa Gangotena is one of the grand old homes built on the southern edge of the plaza in the late 19^th century, and was home to several presidents before it was rebuilt after a fire in 1926 by its last owners, the Gangotenas. It’s just feet away from the imposing, almost 500-year-old Church and Convent of San Francisco.

Casona de San Miguel, Quito

Now owned by Roque Sevilla, the three-story boutique hotel offers 31 large luxurious rooms with state-of-the-art technology and large marble bathrooms. Great efforts have been made to restore the original detail, such as the hand-painted tin ceilings. Its third-floor terrace is the perfect place to put your feet up and enjoy everyday life passing by. with the bell towers and spires of the Old Town as well as the Panecillo hillside serving as the backdrop.  A better seat in town for the Easter procession is unthinkable.

A Hotel Lounge Bathed in Quito Sun

What They Are Doing

Sevilla is renowned in these parts for his long record of involvement in local and environmental affairs. He has served as Quito’s mayor as well as being a past president of WWF Ecuador. He is also known to be humble about his efforts to help the community and the environment (which you can read about – albeit briefly – on the hotel’s website).

Casa Gangotena

Since 2008, while it was still just an idea, the hotel has been involved in several neighborhood projects, such as the award-winning Heritage Guardians, which focuses on community initiatives like neighborhood integration, the value of heritage and tradition, and offers ‘routes’ for visitors to take in order to meet locals and experience their lives and ways. (The hotel can arrange this for you).