Education — A World Different

Cruceros Australis

April 15, 2013 By admin 1 Comment

Cruise ships have been getting a particularly bad rap lately, for obvious reasons (think Carnival Cruise Lines). That sad fact – coupled with the one that massive cruise ships, with their mountains of wastage and consumption of energy, share little in common with sustainable tourism – might make it seem unusual that we are writing here about Cruceros Australis, an expedition cruise company specializing in trips to Patagonia and Cape Horn.

Stellar! The 'Stella Maris.'

But Cruceros Australis is minuscule in comparison. It is comprised of the Via Australis (built in 2005, carrying 136 passengers in 64 comfortable cabins) and the Stella Australis (built in 2010, carrying up to 210 passengers in 100 cabins). Both ships explore Chile while sailing through the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel uncovering the magic of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

Picture Window

The cruises – or explorations, rather – allow travelers to uncover the mysteries of magic lands, oceans, glaciers and fjords in luxury, with fine dining, gorgeous cabins, unparalleled views, excellent guides, and guest lecturers. Zodiac inflatable boats on board enable travelers to explore secret, breathtakingly beautiful places larger boats cannot get to, all the while accompanied by expert guides who will show them things no one on a large cruise boat will ever discover.

View not Optional.

Most Cruceros cruises begin or end in the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia in Argentina, or in Punta Arenas, Chile. Itineraries range from 3 nights to 7 nights. On the 4-night Ushuaia-Punta Arenas route, passengers go all the way south to Cape Horn and then back north past the Beagle Channel, the Garibaldi Glacier, and the Darwin Range.

From Ushuaia to Punta Arenas

One of the first things passengers are told on boarding is this: “Our Patagonia cruises are meant to be enjoyable, but we must not forget about the environment doing so. In order to transmit this ideology, (we) explain what must be done to prevent these virgin territories from being contaminated.”

Time on Land

Cruceros Australis says it respects the lands and ocean its boats explore and is sensitive to the balance between human activities and nature. In order to produce minimum impact in the places they visit, the ships adhere strictly to national and international covenants on environmental care, conservation and protection of the local culture and its nature. A pact was signed with the Center for Quaternary Studies Fuego-Patagonia and Antarctica, which works with Chile’s Universidad de Magallanes, for the development of top-level sustainable scientific tourism. The agreement also calls for Cruceros Australis’s contribution to the center of photos of glaciers, marine and land mammals, as well as measurements of water temperature in zones of glaciers for scientific analysis.

Cruceros Australis is very aware of this pristine environment and utmost care is taken to preserve it, from not throwing anything (including used batteries and cigarette butts) overboard to not laundering barely used towels to keeping waste in the kitchen separated so not to form toxic gases. Mass tourism is avoided, excursions are guided by trained expedition leaders, and only marked paths are used to allow recovery of trails and sites.

Lately some wooden walkways have been built in the most delicate areas, which would take dozens of years to recover. Monitoring systems are in place to contribute to research. Travelers are educated through a series of lectures prior to each anchor, and there are manuals and brochures in each cabin. Even 4-stroke engines are used on the Zodiacs because they are quieter less polluting than 1- or 2-strokes.

Whale Life, Very Far South

Filed Under: Argentina, Carbon Footprint, Chile, Conservation, Cruceros Australis, Education, Features, Good Stuff, People, South America Tagged With: beagle channel, cruise, expert, scientific travel, strait of magellan

Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua

April 14, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Afloat at Jicaro

Started by London businesswoman Karen Emanuel after she saw a sign ‘Island for Sale’ when she was visiting Nicaragua in 2007 – and then she bought it! – Jicaro is barely a year old and is already attracting praise and awards. Located not far from the ocean on a private island in Lake Nicaragua, its 9 casitas that look across the water to Mombacho volcano are all extremely private but only a short walk from the pool, the wellness center, and the main facilities.

Casita on the Water

Each casita has two levels, with the large bedroom above, and both floors have spacious decks to take in the views. The restaurant’s menu has plenty of options and prides itself on the selection of fresh fish from the lake and the sea, local vegetables and fruit, and locally raised chicken and beef. Besides yoga sessions and a variety of massage and wellness treatments, Jicaro offers tours to the historic Zapatera island and the volcano, hikes, and boating.

An interesting aside: Guests can learn about local foods’ history, uses, and the different ways it can be prepared. Papayas, for instance, can be turned into juice, jam, pickled sauce, or a salad with feta cheese. Eat up!

HURRICANE REPAIR

Jicaro couldn’t do better than to take its sustainability lead from Costa Rica, which is exactly what it did. The team in charge of managing Jicaro has a decade-long track record in the field.

Built entirely from timber reclaimed from trees blown down by 2007’s Hurricane Felix, the buildings and furniture are made of tropical hardwoods which have a controlled wood certification. This the lodge did in conjunction with Simplemente Madera, designers and builders of both furniture and buildings in Jicaro that were already supporting sustainable forestry with the indigenous communities in the hurricane-affected areas before the devastation.

Healthy Body in a Healthy Lodge

Though still in its early stages, Jicaro is developing a program to work with local schools, focusing on environmental education, providing supplies and materials, and building infrastructure. To start with, they will work with three schools and just over 200 children, all under the age of 12.

From August through December, the Learning is Change program will, for two hours a week, use art, music, drama, and multimedia in order to expand the children’s approach to learning. Subjects to be taught with a combination of textbooks, hands-on activities, games, and field trips will include conservation, climate change, flora and fauna of the Nicaragua Lake, and sustainability. In order to achieve this, Jicaro is working with, as well as training, one of the female community leaders and four young adults from the local islands.

Three times a year Jicaro, in coordination with World Vision, will give financial aid – infrastructure, supplies, and materials – where they are most needed in the three schools.

Starting in July, all employees will be take 6-hour courses that cover biodiversity, water, climate change, and sustainability. Each month after that there will be a field trip, homework activity, and a relevant guest speaker.

Recycling in Nicaragua is not as widespread as in Costa Rica, but last month saw the introduction of the employee recycling program. Though it is voluntary, each employee is strongly encouraged to separate their garbage at home and then bring it to the hotel, which will dispose of it with the hotel’s recyclables.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“It is part of our goal to have sustainability streamlined into the lives of the people that work for us. We feel that exposing them thoroughly to the issues, making it fun and creative, will awaken a passion of some sort in them and motivate them to start making changes in their lives.”

Filed Under: Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Jicaro Island Ecolodge, Nicaragua, People, Restoration & Repurposing, Women Tagged With: cayuga, Costa Rica, forest, yoga

Sundance Resort, Utah

March 1, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

6,000 Acres of Sundance ...

In 1969, after making “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Robert Redford bought what was then called Timphaven from the Stewarts, a family of Scottish immigrants who had settled the canyon in the early 20^th century. When he bought the the 6,000-acre property at the base of 12000-foot Mt. Timpanogos, it had a local ski resort with a chair lift, a rope tow and a burger joint. That’s it.

... and in Winter

Rejecting advice from New York investors to fill the canyon with hotels and condominiums, Redford saw his newly acquired land as an ideal locale for environmental conservation and artistic experimentation. The result is the Sundance Resort.

The Foundry Grill

The resort might be too big for some – with the range of accommodations running the gamut from studios to suites to various sets of cottages – but it is, after all, a resort. The nearly 100 rooms are done, as one upmarket travel site noted, to make the resort “part eco-lodge, part artists’ community, which is not just ethically correct but also quite aesthetically satisfying.” The rooms are “understated,” with a “handcrafted quality” and cottages are “immersed in the landscape.”

On the property, which lies northwest of Provo and southwest of Salt Lake City, is great skiing in winter but lots of summer activity too, hiking and biking in an actively preserved landscape.

The Sundance Preserve is dedicated to maintaining the balance of art, nature, and community, as well as to the cultivation of independent, innovative thought among artists, scholars, scientists, public policy, and business leaders. Located within the protected splendor of its own lands, it is the mission of the Sundance Preserve to inspire action for the benefit of civil society.

The Film Festival is in January

MOVIES, MOVIES

The Sundance Institute, started in 1981 to promote independent film, has grown too big for the resort, but the Sundance Film Festival takes place each January in nearby Park City, and certain institute programs still take place at the resort.

Sundance has a longstanding history of green policies, dating back to the property’s original purchase. The staff carry out ongoing projects each year aimed at restoring the mountain to its natural state by working to eliminate noxious weeds on the mountain, laying erosion blankets and restoring vegetation where seasonal land use has altered the terrain.

Wood and Fire, Cabin

The resort buys 226,264 kilowatt hours of wind-generated electricity each month, or 2,715,170 kilowatt hours annually, representing 100 percent of the resort’s total electricity use.

All departments at the resort buy environmentally responsible products. The General Store purchases recycled cotton grocery bags, organic cotton T-shirts and housewares made from natural and recycled materials. The restaurant and catering teams use organic produce and products, as well as chlorine-free products such as paper cups and coffee filters. Sundance’s in-room amenities feature Sprout Out, a collection showcasing the Gilchrist & Soames Naturally Kind Formulations combined with certified organic extracts of rooibos, cardamom seed, yarrow, and ginseng to gently care for skin and hair, as well as Sundance’s own organic soaps made in the Art Studio. Guests can participate in a linen re-use program, as well as other energy-saving programs.

Cabin Cozy

Sundance also has a glass kiln, since disposal of glass in Utah has its own challenges. Artists in residence from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, break down bottles, which are then transformed into decorative art and housewares used around the property.

The resort offers a carpooling incentive for ski guests. Carpools arriving with four or more skiers/snowboarders receive $5 off each lift pass when four or more are purchased.

Filed Under: Art, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, People, Sundance Resort, United States Tagged With: film, glass, movie, park city, robert redford, skiing, Utah, windpower

UXUA Casa Hotel, Brazil

September 27, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

The Ze e Zilda Suite

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!

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

IN BAHIA

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.

Filed Under: Brazil, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, People, Restoration & Repurposing, UXUA Casa Hotel Tagged With: bahia, capoeira, mangrove, pataxo, quartz, recycled

Vamizi Island Lodge, Mozambique

August 16, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Coming Ashore

Vamizi Island is part of the idyllic Quirimbas Archipelago, in the far northern extreme of Mozambique. Opened in 2005, Vamizi Island Lodge is a collection of 13 one- or two-bedroom timber villas strung loosely along one of the world’s most beautiful beaches on a slender coral island just off a remote coastline.

Villa by Night

With this being the only lodge on the island – it’s just 12 kms long and 1 km wide – think exclusive. Each villa overlooks the beaches and the full ocean views. In addition, there are three 5-bedroom villas, each with a plunge pool. (Plans are afoot to build two more for private investors.) Actor Daniel Craig recently left a note on the island saying that a piece of his heart remained here.

And no wonder. For water lovers, this is the place to head, with some of the best diving, snorkeling, swimming and fishing in the world.

Say Aaaahhh

The waters teem with a bewildering array of sea life, with over 400 species of fish alone – from whales, dolphins, turtles and reef sharks to some 46 types of coral and giant clams. There are also giant coconut crabs (whose claws can crush anything from cell phones to coconuts), samango monkeys and 112 species of birds.

CONSERVATOR’S ISLAND

The entire Vamizi Island is a conservation project. It is supported by a group of idealists whose dream was to have tourism work for nature. Over a decade ago, they believed this undeveloped and unprotected area to be of huge natural significance as a marine nursery and sanctuary for the whole Mozambican coast. There is a strict no-fishing area within 3 kms of the beach at Vamizi.

Breakfast, anyone?

The Vamizi Island Project (previously the Maluane Project) and the WWF Partnership combine tourism with wildlife conservation and community development to protect this unspoilt area. The Vamizi Island project has recently finished building a clinic and a school on the island for local families. Three villages on the eastern tip of the island make up the island’s 1,500 population, many of whom fled here from the 1990s civil war on the mainland.

The lodge owners believe education is key, and a range of educational programs have been put in place that include environmental programs for staff and schoolchildren.

A women’s association formed in 2005 is involved in a number of projects – handicrafts, dancing, theatre, agriculture and the supply of regional produce for the lodge. Local supply groups have also been formed to help source regional products and to ensure that any future investment stays on the island which helps further development. There policy is, where possible, to employ people from Vamizi or neighboring coastal villages.

Vamizi Island also has a permanent conservation team, under the supervision of the WWF Vamizi Project, that supports conservation activities, such as turtle monitoring. Vamizi’s turtles have eight full-time rangers and a marine biologist looking after them. They protect nests, nurture hatchlings, spread the turtle news through the local community, and encourage the island’s guests to get involved.

(Photos, Vamizi)

Filed Under: Africa, Anti-Poaching, Conservation, Education, Features, G-M, Good Stuff, Mozambique, People, Vamizi Island Lodge, Women Tagged With: agriculture, diving, querimbas, snorkeling, wwf

Adrère Amellal, Egypt

July 8, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Siwa Oasis, located about 70 kilometers east of the Libyan border, has been inhabited since 10,000 BC but was re-created just a few years ago by Environmental Quality International, an environmental consulting company. EQI’s president, Mounir Neamtalla, first visited in 1996 and was so inspired by the beauty and spirituality of this remote corner of Egypt he expanded EQI’s advisory services to include direct investments in sustainable development – and so Siwa was reborn.

Steeped in history, it is renowned for being the site of the Oracle of Amon, whom Alexander the Great consulted. Visiting Siwa today you will find it very much the same as Alexander did, featuring majestic rock formations, luxuriant groves and dazzling salt lakes throughout the oasis.

Pool at Adrère Amellal

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative includes three different accommodations, ranging in price from $45 to $330 per night. The most luxurious, Adrère Amellal, is 20 minutes outside of Siwa and has 40 en-suite rooms overlooking Lake Siwa and is nestled at the foot of the White Mountain cliffs. Built with indigenous material using traditional Siwan building techniques, the lodge has a minimal impact on the environment. There is no electricity, rooms are lit with beeswax candles. the stars light up the nights, and the swimming pool is fed by local springs.

Shali Lodge, set in the middle of a lush palm grove in the heart of Siwa, is built of rock salt in the traditional architectural style. It has 20 charming suites that are simply but luxuriously furnished, all overlooking an internal courtyard.

Albabenshal is located, quite spectacularly, outside the jagged ruins of Old Shali, a 13th-century citadel in the center of Siwa. A restoration of what were once rundown Siwan dwellings, Albabenshal has 13 rooms on three levels, linked through a system of alleyways and terraces overlooking the town center.

HOT COUTURE

The Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative has brought significant benefits to the local community, while protecting Siwa’s delicate ecology and revitalizing its unique cultural heritage. It has renewed Siwans’ pride in their cultural heritage, creating a wave of building in the Siwan traditional architectural style and has resulted in a decree by the governor of Matruh that all new constructions be built in the traditional style.

Siwan Woman Doing Embroidery

Most importantly, the initiative has created environmentally and culturally sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities that draw on local materials and expertise. At least 600 Siwans are employed in areas such as the supply of raw materials, production of furniture and handicrafts, transport of goods and workers, and as tour operators.

In partnership with the International Finance Corporation, EQI is working to develop Siwa into a center of excellence for the production of organically grown produce and agro-culinary products, while improving the standard of living of Siwan farmers. The project, which hopes to benefit up to 450 farmers and 50 off-farm workers, aims to add value to Siwan agricultural produce by promoting the adoption of organic farming and farm management systems that are compatible with international certifications. There are crop-prefinancing and cattle-financing schemes, a renewable energy initiative, and a packaging warehouse.

In August 2001, EQI launched a cottage industry aimed at revitalizing Siwa’s traditional handicrafts and promoting a culture of artisanship among women in the oasis. An initial grant from the British embassy went towards upgrading the embroidery skills of 50 Siwan women to ensure workmanship of the highest standard. The project allows women to work from home or in an all-women setting, in keeping with Siwan tradition. Within a year, the number of women participating in the project had reached 300. Siwa Creations has worked with several haute couture companies in Italy, including Ermanno Scervino and Nia Ferrante.

(Hotel View and Creations photos by Khaled Nagy.)

Filed Under: Adrère Amellal, Africa, Carbon Footprint, Conservation, Education, Egypt, Features, Good Stuff, Lodge of the Week, People, Women Tagged With: architecture, artisans, embroidery, handicrafts, organic, siwa, women

Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa

July 1, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Tswalu Kalahari, owned by the Oppenheimer family of Anglo American fame, is South Africa’s largest private game reserve. Located in the Northern Cape at the foot of the Korannaberg mountains, it covers over 100,000 hectares of Kalahari wilderness. There are only two lodges on the reserve – the Motse and Tarkuni.

The Motse

On a Tswalu Safari

Each provides the ultimate in barefoot luxury. The Motse - Tswana for ‘village’ – consists of 8 individual stone-walled, thatched legae (small houses or suites), while Tarkuni is a private villa set amid rolling hills, offering the ultimate in luxury and personalized service for families and small groups of up to ten guests. The quaint bush suite, the Malori deck, is a raised platform with a thatched overhang for protection should it rain.

RICH AMBITIONS

Tswalu is driven by two ambitions: to create 1) an inspirational experience for its guests and 2) a conservation vision to restore the Kalahari. This vast area is a haven for many endangered and rare species. Conservation, socioeconomic development, tourism, and responsible environmental management are the four legs upon which Tswalu has been developed. To fund this vision, the Tswalu Foundation was started in 2008.

Suite-side, The Motse

Home to some 70 species of mammals and over 230 species of birds, Tswalu has embarked on a program to breed certain rare species for distribution to other game ranches and reserves and to establish viable wild populations as a contribution to ensuring their survival.

Eight adult desert black rhino were translocated from Etosha National Park in Namibia to Tswalu in 1995. They adapted to their new home and were monitored regularly by the Tswalu team. Tswalu today has approximately one third of the country’s population. There is an agreement with South African National Parks to exchange animals in order to ensure adequate gene flow through this fragmented population. Tswalu recently purchased four more rhino from Namibia, to supplement the genetic diversity of the population. Other animal breeding programs on the property include the sable and endangered roan antelopes.

Sable Magnificent

At any given time there are some two dozen research projects being carried out at Tswalu, be it in the study of cheetah, raptors, mountain zebra, insects, or plantlife.

Of the resident local community of about 400, at least one member of every family works for Tswalu.

Living at Tswalu

A clinic on the property provides free primary health care for residents of Tswalu and neighboring farms. It also runs an extensive HIV/AIDS awareness program, as well as the WARMTH program (WAR against Malnutrition, Tuberculosis and Hunger). A free preschool for children has been established in conjunction with a literacy program, aiming to address the high illiteracy levels in the area. As literacy rates increase, staff also benefit from new opportunities.

Lazing at Tswalu Tarkuni

In 2008, Tswalu embarked on the development of a new centralized staff housing complex allowing staff easier access to the clinic, creche, and sports facilities. The houses were designed on environmentally friendly principles, with particular attention paid to insulation, the planting of indigenous trees, reduction in energy consumption through solar power and water preservation. The second phase of 40 houses is due for completion in November 2009.

Tswalu's Bottled Water

Since May this year Tswalu has been bottling its own mineral water on site, rather than driving its supply 1500 kilometers from Johannesburg. The Classic Crystal water system is a seven-stage filtration process that ensures the lightest, freshest-tasting water without stripping it of the necessary calcium and magnesium minerals. As a result, Tswalu always has ice-cold still and sparkling water on tap and has reduced its carbon emissions. The classy Tswalu glass bottles cut down on recycling and garner a lot of positive attention.

Solar power is already used extensively throughout Tswalu, whether it is for electric fencing, pumps, geysers, or lighting. In June Tswalu started using lightweight, portable solar stoves for cooking meals and even breads and desserts. The plan is to use them as much as possible for meals in the bush, boma dinners, and sleep-outs. Tswalu also hopes to soon have its staff using solar cookers throughout the reserve.

Filed Under: Africa, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, People, South Africa, Tswalu Kalahari Tagged With: Desert Black Rhino, Kalahari, Literacy, Oppenheimer, Roan, Sable, solar, Tarkuni, The Motse, Tswalu, Tswalu Foundation

Chongwe, Zambia

June 29, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Near Kasaka River Lodge

Now in its 17th year, Chongwe is one of the oldest and most established companies in the Lower Zambezi. The tough choices facing visitors start with which of its four camps to stay at. Chongwe River Camp, situated at the confluence of the Zambezi River and the Chongwe Channel, with 8 tents and two amazing tented suites, is sort of the “mother ship” of the camps.

Chongwe River Camp

Further down the Zambezi is Kasaka River Lodge, which has 8 tents and a two-bedroom tented house, with its own swimming pool, called the Hippo Pod. (All the lodges have a pool area, except for Tsika Island Camp, which we’ll get to below). The fantastical Chongwe River House has been described as a cross between the Dorchester Hotel and the Flintstone’s house. It has 4 bedrooms, all open-fronted with views over its private swimming pool to the Chongwe River. The showers are a choice between standing under an incredible rainstorm (not your usual rain showerheads) or a waterfall, reason enough to stay here! Each camp has its own distinct personality and set of activities, which include game-viewing by vehicle, foot, or boat (paddled or motor-driven).

Chongwe House

FOOT PATROLS AND SCHOOL TRIPS

Chongwe was instrumental in setting up Conservation Lower Zambezi, an NGO working with the Zambian Wildlife Authority in combating poaching, solving human-wildlife conflict, and providing environmental education to local communities. Chongwe still works closely with CLZ in all of its day-to-day activities as well as by providing funding.

Float Your Boat at Chongwe

Some of CLZ’s roles includes helping the Zambian Wildlife Authority in its wildlife protection activities by providing rations, transport, and logistical support for patrol officers, who do 10-day-long, 5-man patrols and snare sweeps in the Lower Zambezi National Park and surrounding game management areas. It also assists in the treatment and rehabilitation of injured and snared animals. For example, in August 2011 CLZ assisted ZAWA with a response to the Anthrax outbreak and succeeded in protecting the lion population of the LZNP. CLZ is presently opposing a mining facility being brought into the LZNP that would have a disastrous effect on the area. The body’s list of achievements is long, and it is truly one of the conservation success stories in Africa.

From Chongwe House

Chongwe also works with several schools and villages in the area. It supports Chiawa Village by, among other things, providing funding for its Chitende High School. Once a year it host about 30 children from Musikili School from Mazabuka for a one-week camping experience for children in Grade 7, the last year of primary school. Guides lead the children, teaching them all about Zambia’s natural wealth.

Tsika Island Bush Camp

In July 2010, Chongwe River Camp opened a purpose-built exclusive bush camp on the beautiful Tsika Island, allowing guests the option of a 2- to 5-day canoe safari along the lower Zambezi. Located about 35 kilometers upstream from Chongwe, close to the village of Mugurumeno, Tsika Island Bush Camp can accommodate six guests in three bush rooms, each with en-suite facilities.

Sleeping Arrangement, Tsika

Tsika Island is a community partnership project and combines the canoeing safari with an authentic cultural experience, offering visits to the Mugurumeno Basic School and the cultural village on the nearby mainland as activities. The Chiawa community has pledged exclusive use of Tsika Island to Chongwe, which in turn has pledged $50 of each bed night to directly benefit the community, making them real partners in the project

Near Chongwe River Camp ... with Resident

And if what they are doing in Lower Zambezi National Park isn’t enough, just recently Chris Liebenberg, owner of Chongwe, swam across Lake Tanganyika in order to raise awareness (and funds) to start a sorely needed Conservation Tanganyika project there, based on the same principles that CLZ applies in the Lower Zambezi.

Filed Under: Africa, Anti-Poaching, Carbon Footprint, Chongwe, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Health, People, T-Z, Zambia Tagged With: chiawa, conservation lower zambezi, kasaka, tsika island, zambezi river

Tongabezi, Zambia

June 24, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Tongabezi by Night

Tongabezi is a small, owner-operated luxury lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River. There are five gorgeous chalets set on the river, and five open-fronted houses built into the landscape, some with trees growing through them, creatively using the natural environment to make stunning rooms. Each one has its own butler to take care of every need.

Sindabezi Island

Sindabezi, a sister property, is located on a private island in the Zambezi, about a five-minute boat

Your Own African Queen

ride from Tongabezi and fifteen kilometers upstream from the Victoria Falls. This more remote camp has five open-sided chalets under thatched roofs. Activities at both properties include game drives in the Mosi-o-Tunya National Park, trips to the Victoria Falls, village visits, canoeing, guided bush walks with picnics on local islands. The romantic San Pan dinners are served on a pontoon floating in the river.

You Can't Get Closer to the Edge of Victoria Falls

DOING THE ROUNDS

Tongabezi owners Vanessa and Ben Parker originally started the Tujutane School for the staff and owners’ children but it now has 170 local kids at the primary level.

Tujutane School

The school is self-financing and is run by Vanessa, who employs personnel and does fund-raising and everything needed to run the school. Tongabezi provides logistical support, such as electricity and housing for visiting teachers. The school employs over fifteen people.

Tongabezi supports the USAID/SHARE AIDS program. It has an internally appointed staff welfare committee that, among other things, assists staff who are HIV-positive. Tongabezi gives the committee a monthly donation that it can spend at its discretion, and it is currently helping at least four HIV-positive staff members with treatment. Tongabezi sends several staff to Share AIDS programs, where they learn about AIDS in the workplace and receive training in counseling.

The Tree House

Tongabezi has several smaller projects that include helping staff with soft and interest-free loans to purchase and develop land. As a result, at least twelve staff members now have plots of land in Livingstone.

No Caption Necessary

Filed Under: Africa, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Lodge of the Week, People, Tongabezi, Zambia Tagged With: mosi-o-tunya, sindabezi, tongabezi, tujatane, victoria falls

Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Nepal

June 13, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

On the Road Near the Lodge

A thousand feet above the Pokhara Valley in western Nepal, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge is perched on a spectacular hilltop ridge overlooking not only the magnificent valley and Machhapuchhare but three of the highest Himalayan peaks. Just a half-hour drive from Pokhara, this unique hotel’s 19 hand-cut stone bungalows blend into the natural garden surroundings. Each one has a large veranda and is furnished with Tibetan hand-knotted wool carpets in traditional design and watercolors of the region.

Tinger Mountain Pokhara on a Clear Night

The Entrance to Tiger Mountain Pokhara

The dining room serves fresh salads and herbs picked from the lodge’s organic gardens and fruits and vegetables from the village. After a trek, unwind with meditation, yoga, or Ayurvedic massage treatments. Expert guides can lead you on an exploration of the Pokhara area.

FORESTS AND COMPUTERS

Pokhara, in conjunction with the International Trust for Nature Conservation, works on the Shilinge Project, a community forest management program that aims to combine non-timber forest production with more longterm community forest management practices.

One of the Bungalows

The lodge buys its fruit, vegetables and meat locally, and when these needs cannot be met they buy produce from the Pokhara valley. When the lodge first opened in 1998, due to lack of interest and experience in the local community, staff was found among relatives from their sister Chitwan property, Tiger Tops, and as positions now become available, they are filled by locals. Quite untraditionally, females in the community are strongly encouraged to apply for positions.

From Pool to Peak

The lodge works closely with the community, and has been instrumental in the progress of nearby Amar Jyoti Secondary School and the Shiva Shakti Primary School. Efforts at Amar Jyoti have seen the school get better desks, electricity, drinking water, toilets, and much more than government-funded schools typically don’t have. Pokhara has helped raise over $39,000 for this community-led project towards the cost of more classrooms and furnishing a computer room.

Filed Under: Asia & Middle East, Conservation, Education, Features, Good Stuff, Nepal, People, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, Women Tagged With: forest, guided walks, hiking, organic, yoga