Justice Travel

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  • Eat Well and Sleep Better in Hondarribia

    Eat Well and Sleep Better in Hondarribia

    The Rio Bidasoa is a small hotel in Hondarribia ideal for those suffering from sensitive stomachs and allergies. Their ability to meet these needs is based on the gastronomical approach of their restaurant, Sugarri. This magnificent restaurant is run by Bixente Muñoz, a great chef always on the lookout for new sensations, innovative spins on traditional menu items earning a number of prizes in multiple pincho competitions. Bixente has been recognised in several international publications, including The New York Times.

    The hotel boasts spacious, hypoallergenic rooms, decorated in a minimalist style. If you suffer from allergies, the Hotel Rio Bidasoa offers special “Green” rooms. The system implemented in “Green Rooms” includes:

    • A selection of rooms that satisfy the appropriate conditions needed to prevent the presence of allergens.
    • The Regular Removal of dead skin cells, dust mites, mould spores, animal dander and other allergens.
    • Appropriate settings for temperature and humidity, as well as other environmental conditions.
    • A reduced number of surfaces and objects that might collect dust.
    • Treatment of surfaces and objects with vacuum cleaners with HEPA filtres
    • The use of sheets, pillowcases, comforters and other objects with small pore sizes and suitable materials to avoid the presence of allergens.
    • The development of a guide to ideal hygienic practices to control allergens while cleaning the room, the sheets, pillowcases and comforters.
    • Ventilation of the rooms.
    • Control over the presence of animals.
    • Input pollen control.

    This dual sensitivity to gastronomical and allergy sensitivities help make this location stand out as an authentic example of a responsible hotel.

  • Iceland: A Popular Wilderness Destination

    Iceland: A Popular Wilderness Destination

    Today we bring you our most popular wilderness destination…ICELAND.

    Below is an example of our 5 day Iceland Adventure.

    Day 1: Drive directly to Reykjavík (45 min drive). Possibility of stopping in Blue Lagoon before going to Reykjavik. Blue Lagoon is located about 20 min away from the airport.

    Day 2: Start your Iceland adventures with a drive up to the magnificent region of Snæfellsnes.
    Snæfellsnes is a unique area with a variety of geological interests such as lava fields, volcanoes, glacier, mineral springs, beautifully formed rocks, yellow and black sand beaches as well as caves and very interesting bird colonies
    The Snæfellsjökull glacier is one of the most picturesque mountains in Iceland, rising up 1450 meters from the middle of the Snæfellsnes peninsula this famous volcano is clearly visible more then 100 km away

    Day 3: Today we’ll drive to ION hotel via Húsafell.
    Head to Iceland’s second largest glacier, Langjökull “The Long Glacier”.
    Board a special 8wheel drive monster truck that will take you to the glacier tunnel opening.
    Ice Tunnel (40-50 min tour)
    This three in one tour will enable you to explore: 1. around, 2. on and 3. within, the giant, 953sq/km glacier.You’ll journey to one of the world’s great wildernesses, perhaps the closest thing to the Ice Age.

    Day 4: Visit Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where you can enjoy a truly unique viewpoint by walking behind the curtain of thundering water. This can be tricky in winter time if it’s icy outside- nevertheless the waterfall is very picturesque and worth the stop.
    You’ll also visit the nearby Skógafoss waterfall with its seductive scenery and legend of hidden gold. Continue along Iceland’s South Coast reveals majestic mountains and a masterpiece of volcanic scenery with the highly active Hekla volcano looming in the clouds along with the glistening Eyjafjalljökull, erupted in 2010 and Mýrdalsjökull glacier which conceals the fiery secrets of Katla volcano underneath

    Day 5: Of all the spectacular nature that resides in Iceland there are three ‘must-see’ highlights that are easily experienced in one day. Thingvellir National Park tremendous geological interest. A short ride across fertile farmlands in the south reveal the breathtaking Gullfoss ‘Golden’ Waterfalls where traversing a narrow path (UNESCO) is Iceland’s greatest historical site and a place of provides close-up views of the thundering waterfall below. Only a few minutes away is the Geysir geothermal area where hot springs are in abundance, geysers explode and pools of mud bubble.

  • A journey to Success: Transfrontier Parks and Communities

    A journey to Success: Transfrontier Parks and Communities

    Southern Africa has often been at the forefront of conservation initiatives on the African continent. The region’s experience in game capture, managed game parks and translocating elephants being a few examples of where it has set standards.

    Over the past couple decades it’s been doing the same in cross-border conservation initiatives, such as establishing Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA). These are wilderness areas which have no political boundaries, entities created to encourage natural game migration across ecosystems that are allowed to flourish.

    Along with TFCA comes a group with its own particular focus – balancing community needs with those of nature and the over-used but all-important buzzword, ‘sustainable tourism’ (now known as ‘Better Tourism’).

    This is Transfrontier Parks Destinations (TFPD), run by co-founder Glynn O’Leary, who finds tourism locations where development is needed most – in or adjacent to Transfrontier Conservation Areas – and there revitalises and operates community-owned hospitality facilities, which essentially translates into lodges.

    The TFPD then assists in commercializing these community assets, such as !Xaus Lodge – exactly 91 dunes west off the Auob River road in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (linking South Africa and Botswana), on ancestral land owned by the ‡Khomani San and Mier communities. Sometimes it may involve a national park, or a provincial tourism authority; whoever is involved, it’s all about partnership.

    !Xaus Lodge has 12 individual chalets, each with its own deck overlooking a vast saltpan and waterhole fed with fresh water. Watching gemsbok traipse across the pan in energy-saving desert fashion is a wilderness treat, as is exploring the dunes with the resident ‡Khomani San bushmen.

    At over 3,5 million hectares, the park is almost twice the size of the Kruger National Park, and is home to the famous black-maned lion.

    An area that has more socio-economic need, given its history of civil war, social and political upheaval and associated rural poverty, is the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP). Fifteen years ago it was proclaimed with the signing of an international treaty involving Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, thereby connecting the Kruger Park, Zimbabwe’s Ghonarezou Game Reserve and Mozambique’s Parque Nacional do Limpopo, a conservation area of 35 000km².

    All three countries’ borders meet at Crooks Corner, at the lush and wooded confluence of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers. This is the northernmost Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park, a location of great elephant herds, historical legend and crocodiles. It has tourism, and the opportunity for responsible development, written all over the landscape.

    Travellers who support the increasingly popular model of ‘Better Tourism’ can access this land rich in stories through Awelani Lodge, situated near the Pafuri Gate entrance to the Kruger. The lodge offers visitors the opportunity to walk or mountain bike through the wooded conservancy, a lush landscape dominated by significant woodland, sandstone outcrops and over 700 species of birds.

    Over the border in the Mozambique section of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, home to the Big 5, the unfenced Machampane Wilderness Camp offers full-service accommodation and guided wilderness walking trails, especially significant in an area where jobs are almost unheard of, and bush skills abound.

    At 2200m, Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge in the Maluti Drakensberg TFCA is far south of what is known as ‘the bush’, and the highest lodge in South Africa’s statuesque northern Drakensberg remote mountain range. As with the other TFPD operations, the lodge provides essential employment opportunities and secondary economic activity that has proven to impact positively on the local economy.

    The lodge provides access to Sentinel Peak and the Maloti Drakensberg that draws backpackers, hikers and climbers, probably viewing the endangered bearded vulture and the extraordinary mountain flora, like the sewejaartjie, that has adapted to grow at high altitudes.

    Each TFPD managed lodge is a holistic entity, providing essential work and local economic activity in an area of great natural beauty.

    Just recently O’Leary spoke of a meeting involving serious tourism players where he highlighted the following: “What we see is that these community-owned tourism activities create strong rural development, and that ‘Better Tourism’ is helping create great places to live”.

  • Interview with Catherine Capon – Naturalist and Adventurer

    Interview with Catherine Capon – Naturalist and Adventurer

    Catherine Capon is a naturalist and adventurer who is passionate about responsible tourism.Thank you for joining us here at Justice Travel for our first Wilderness Week.

    Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you became an eco-adventurer?

    My background is in ecology and zoology but I have always been interested in communicating science to non-scientists.  This desire has seen me working in wildlife filmmaking, sustainability consultation and conservation journalism.  However, it was my time working with Sam Branson at Sundog Pictures that really solidified the importance that tourism plays in the conservation of endangered species.  People travelling to see wildlife brings money into the local community and the residents therefore value wildlife more alive than dead (via poaching, bushmeat, illegal fishing or habitat destruction for agriculture).  I therefore decided to start a not-for-profit campaign to promote ecotourism and wildlife watching destinations around the world.  Rather than seeing ecotourism as something for middle aged couples with sandals and binoculars, I wanted to also excite the younger generation about the adventure activities that wildlife watching entails.  So far, I have shared the water with a green anaconda, rock climbed with marmosets, been metres from a Bengal tiger and swum with great white sharks!  I’ve just started a YouTube Channel to follow my adventures too.

    You have just returned from India, what were your highlights?

    My last ecoadventure was in India where I visited Ranthambhore National Park to see the tigers and Kaziranga National Park for the India Rhinos.  The two destinations differ vastly and it was great to have the contrast on a 2 week trip.  Ranthambhore is hot and dry in March which is perfect for tiger watching as they go to the watering holes to drink.  Each safari is hugely exciting as seeing a tiger isn’t guaranteed so tracking their footprints is a thrilling process.  We were also lucky enough to see three leopards during our stay which is very unusual as they are extremely illusive in the area.  Kaziranga is green and lush in comparison with far fewer tourists.  The Indian Rhinos’ story is a phenomenal conservation success.  In 1903, there were only 15 left in the area.  Now, the population is comprised of over 2,000 individuals and we saw countless rhinos on our ecoadventure.  Kaziranga highlights also included with Western Hoolock Gibbon which is the only ape in India and the incredibly rare Ganges River Dolphins.  If you subscribe to my YouTube channel, you’ll see films of both destinations.

    How do you choose your destinations?

    As I’m looking to engage travellers who are new to ecotourism and wildlife watching, I tend to choose destinations with really charismatic animals.  The hope is that someone might be initially enticed by the orangutans in Borneo for example, but will then be moved by all of the other animals that live in the forests too.  With regards to accommodation, I look for sustainable businesses that use renewable energy, local products and employ local people.

    What makes a great eco-resort?

    For me, a great eco-resort is one that encapsulates life in the community that you’re visiting.  This may mean that tourists have to adapt to new types of food, accommodation and customs but you’ll definitely have a story to tell when you get home.  The resort should have as little impact on the environment as possible with local people benefitting from the business.

    Do you have a favourite wildlife destination/s?

    I’m often asked which is my favourite wildlife destination and it’s the hardest question to answer.  However, Madagascar exceeded all of my expectations and I’d visit again in a heartbeat.  Due to its evolutionary history, the flora and fauna on this island are like nowhere else on the planet.  With 107 species ofLemur (20% of the world’s primates), Baobab trees straight from a fantastical Disney animation, mysterious Tenrecs that resemble an otter-hedgehog hybrid, and the world’s smallest species of reptile; wildlife watching here is a truly unique experience.

    However, 30,000 hectares of forest are being cut down each year in Madagascar and, if this rate continues, there will be no forest left within 25 years.  Ecotourism is a viable way to make the forests worth more to the local people than turning them into agricultural land.  If the Malagasy people can make a good living from guiding tourists through the forests and showing off the besotting animals it hosts, they are far more likely to protect them for many more generations.

    Why is responsible ecotourism important?

    People have and will always travel.  Travelling itself has consequences for the planet but if you compound that impact with staying at an environmentally unfriendly mass tourism resort then a 2-week holiday has a big impact on the local area and the wider ecosystem.  Choosing sustainable accommodation and immersing yourself in nature during your time off work will mean that you’ll have a much deeper respect and understanding of the place that you’re visiting.  At its best, ecotourism provides employment for local people and puts a real value on areas of outstanding natural beauty.  Ecotourism has also been scientifically proven to benefit wildlife conservation.

    Where can we expect to see you next?

    During my campaign so far I’ve travelling far and wide but I often get asked to explore ecotourism options within the UK.  I’m heading to Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands next for a weekend of hiking, biking and wildlife watching.  This reserve is reintroducing species that have previously been removed from the area like the Red Squirrel and the European Wildcat.  The owner of the reserve, Paul Lister, also hopes to reintroduce wolves back into the United Kingdom after a long absence due to being hunted to extinction.

    Catherine Capon – Bio

    “Having always been bewitched by wildlife, I studied ecology and zoology at Imperial College London where I was fascinated by the theories but yearned to see these exotic creatures in their environment. My first wildlife expedition was to study bats in Honduras.

    I slept in a hammock and waved goodbye to all the ‘necessities’ that I’d become accustomed to living in London. I learnt to live a very simple life in that cloud forest. It was here that I experienced my first moment of pure awe – sitting on a smooth rock in the centre of a clear stream with the midnight forest singing around me. Fireflies and bats were dancing over my head and the sheer happiness that I felt moved me to tears. That moment changed my life forever and I became fiercely protective of that forest. I became an ecoadventurer.

    My life since university has seen me working in wildlife filmmaking and sustainability communication. Throughout this journey, I have kept the sense of purpose that overcame me in Central America. At every opportunity, I have travelled to a new corner of this planet to see the wildlife and how the people interact with the environment around them.

    I’ve been lucky enough to visit places so beautiful that no photograph can truly capture them, and along the way, I’ve tried to encourage my family and friends to join me.

    It was these travels, through work and pleasure, that inspired my mission to write about and photograph the top wildlife hotspots on the planet.

    I hope that by doing this, other awe-seekers and ecoadventurers will awaken and unite to live more consciously with our planet.

    The hard earned cash that you spend on your wildlife holiday makes those animals worth more alive than dead. At its best, ecotourism provides employment for local people and puts a real value on areas of outstanding natural beauty.”

  • Traveling with a conscience in the Selinda Reserve

    Traveling with a conscience in the Selinda Reserve

    Almost an hour by plane to the north-east of Botswana’s legendary Okavango Delta, close to the borders with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, lies an African conservation legend… The Selinda Reserve.

    It’s hell-hot as the build up to the annual rains reaches its height, reducing the area to nothing more than a loose collection of permanent pools and lagoons dotting an otherwise parched landscape. And yet life is abundant here, and the dusty road to Selinda Camp is littered with amazing game sightings.

    Guide Motsamai “Mots” Morundu marvels at how the resident wildlife copes with the heat and tells me about the success story we are traversing over.

    Little more than a decade ago, this area was still home to a hunting concession before Great Plains Conservation, headed up by wildlife filmmakers extraordinaire Dereck and Beverly Joubert, took it under its wing – and introduced the concept of sustainable development, community engagement and conservation through low-impact, high-end tourism.

    Mots has worked with Great Plains since it began, and sums up the concept very nicely: “it’s about making sure that what we have now, here, is valued by everyone and can be enjoyed by my children, their children, and their children’s children,” he says. “It’s not just about recycling, reducing energy and being green – it’s about being beneficial to everyone involved in it – whether you are an animal or a person,” adds Mots.

    Selinda Camp, and its sister properties on the reserve – Zarafa and Selinda Explorer’s Camp – are recognised by Fair Trade Tourism, Africa’s leading sustainable tourism organisation, through its partnership with the Botswana Tourism Organisation‘s Ecotourism Certification Programme. This means that guests staying on the reserve can rest assured that their holiday spend is making a real and lasting difference to both conservation and communities.

    Koketso “Koki” Mookodi is the community liaison officer for Great Plains Conservation. “For us here on the Selinda Reserve, and across all of the camps we operate, conservation underpins our business,” she says. “It’s vitally important that we equip young people with conservation knowledge and an understanding of the role that tourism plays in helping to protect our environment,” Koki explains.

    “We have adopted two villages on the Delta’s panhandle – Seronga and Gudigwa – and have rolled out a conservation education programme in their schools to complement the work of the conservation clubs,” says Koki. “Through this programme the children have become conservation ambassadors, teaching their entire communities on the importance of protecting wilderness areas and the wildlife that call them home. They are also champions of our Big Cat Initiative and Rhinos Without Borders campaigns.”

    The big question seems to be: “does sustainability really matter to tourists?” For Americans Celsea and Wyatt Jenkins it most certainly does. They are among a growing number of international travellers who choose to live sustainable lifestyles and select their destinations based on how sustainable they are.

    “We travel widely and make a point of engaging in authentic, local experiences which benefit communities no matter where we are in the world,” explains blogger and fitness guru Celsea. “We live in San Franciso and use solar energy, recycle, give to community programmes and try to live as consciously and sustainably as we can. So it makes sense for us to choose our holidays based on how sustainable they are.”

    Business developer Wyatt reinforces his wife’s viewpoint by saying that he is particularly conscious of where their holiday spend ends up. “We need to know where the money goes and feel comfortable with the footprint we leave behind us,” he says. “There has never been a greater need for sustainability in everything we do. Communities and people need to feel the benefit of tourism in places as remote and wild as this in order to see the value of protecting them for future generations.”

    The sun is setting, and a breeding herd of elephants files silently past Selinda Camp, silently reinforcing the sentiments of all concerned.

    Your travel choices can help to change the world, so remember to choose wisely!

    More about Selinda Camp and Fair Trade Tourism

    For more information on Selinda Camp, visit www.greatplainsconservation.com. For more information on Fair Trade Tourism and sustainable tourism destinations in Africa, visit www.fairtrade.travel or download the Fair Trade Traveller app free from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

  • Child-friendly Wildlife Photography Workshops at Jaci’s Lodges

    Child-friendly Wildlife Photography Workshops at Jaci’s Lodges

    They say a picture tells a thousand words. Whether you’re an aspiring amateur snapper with a passion for wildlife or a professional paparazzo looking for that perfect photographic moment, Jaci’s Lodges’ photographic safaris guarantee an encounter with some of the most sought-after wildlife subjects. And it’s not just adults who can join in the fun, but young people can also take part in these photographic excursions thanks to Jaci’s Lodges’ children’s photographic safaris.

    The photographic workshops and safaris for children are unique to Jaci’s Lodges and are hosted by well known photographer, Andrew Aveley.

    The aim is to have fun while learning basic photographic skills from Andrew, with a strong focus on creativity with no rules.

    Having never been on safari before, a recent guest, 11-year-old Finlay McDonald from Scotland, was keen to learn how to properly capture some exciting wildlife moments with his new camera.

    So that morning, instead of going out with the rest of his group, Finlay got to head out with Andrew in their own private vehicle to experience a one-on-one photography session with him!

    Finlay describes Andrew as “an enthusiastic teacher with the patience of a saint!”

    Andrew went through the basics of wildlife photography with Finlay, talking him through some of the more important aspects of photographing animals in their natural habitat.

    “The thing he said that he thought was the most important was composition. Let the animal walk into the frame.” – Finlay MacDonald

    They were lucky enough to see wild dogs as one of their first animal sightings, and Finlay managed to capture some great shots thanks to Andrew’s professional advice. They also saw two lions taking a power nap next to the leftovers of their breakfast feast; an unfortunate buffalo; tall and elegant giraffes; a warthog; and a guinea fowl in tree. What a fun morning!

    Finlay enjoyed his first session so much that he asked Andrew if he would take him out a second time, but in the evening instead.

    The following evening Andrew took Finlay and his family out on a drive and taught them about night photography, guiding them through some of the technicalities that a photographer must prepare for when photographing at night. For example, what to set the ISO to and how to adapt the camera to the artificial light created by the vehicle’s spotlight.

    Again they were very lucky with their sightings – they saw a brown hyena with the remnants of a zebra in its mouth, a herd of elephants out on an evening stroll with their newly born calf, and two lions that had just killed a wildebeest. Seeing the lions was especially exciting as they had tried to track them down earlier that evening but when they saw Jenna, their amazing guide, they ran away. “I had a brilliant time with Andrew and extremely enjoyed my stay at Jaci’s Lodges!” – Finlay MacDonald, age 11

  • Peace and Reconciliation Tour- Sri Lanka

    We are eternally grateful for all the Gods involved for allowing this journey to occur, the planners, tour guides, conversation partners and everyone in, out and between. What Uniting Journeys has been able to facilitate has been nothing short of incredible.

    As I told you from the outset, I didn’t know what I could offer on this journey; being so far removed from it all as an Australian born of Sri Lankan heritage, I didn’t think I would be the right person for this journey. But sometimes, it’s not what you can do- it’s what others can do for you- open your mind, your understanding and your perspective of the world around you.

    It’s been a long time between visits and regardless of the time lapsed, now was the right time to be there with the right people. I couldn’t have been blessed with anyone better- what we had was a microcosm of Sri Lanka, a Noah’s ark representative – two of each, male and female of the major faith groups; Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian and the races; Singhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher. There was so much diversity, yet so much in common. That first meeting at Lentil as Anything, we began by shaking hands. We walked out of the restaurant hugging and kissing goodbye like old friends.

    Led by the loving and gentle Larry and Cynthia, they took us in and kept us safe, yet allowed us space for vulnerability and exposure to every site we wanted to see, the patience to understand the stories of those we met and openness to allow the possibility of things not on the itinerary. These things were the most memorable.

    One of Sri Lanka’s many names was once Serendib – where the term serendipity comes from; happy discoveries by chance and we were blessed with so many connections due to lots of opportunities we allowed ourselves time for. Two such people we should thank in particular are Ralston who introduced us to the incredible story of the Tamil tea plantation family who has endured so much to continue working the land that they have known, and Rev Aloysius Peiris, who at 83 keeps inspiring us with his vigour to run a school for hearing impaired children with incredible success alongside his collection of Christian art depicted by a Buddhist sculptor.

    The second person is our tour guide Kumara, who went out of his way to answer every single question we could possibly throw at him and to made special effort to accommodate every request to stop at somewhere. For example, if it was at all possible, I was keen to visit a cinnamon plantation and moonstone mine along the way. We had had some free time and he promised it was half an hour away. The half hour journey ended up being a little longer than expected of course and by the time we arrived the manager had just left the premises for the evening and the security guards were having no bar of us to let us in. Well, Kumara worked his magic and called the manager who not only let us in for a tour of the facility and allowed us in the jewellery store for purchases. Turns out, had it have been anyone else, it wouldn’t have happened. Lushani, Kumara and I later charged our blue moonstone rings under the full moonlight of the Kataragama Perahera the next night. It makes me smile and is a constant reminder of the magical discoveries and adventures on our trip.

    We were so blessed to cover as much as we could around Sri Lanka, we were constantly changing environment, the lush greenery of the south to the dusty ochre roads and arid dry of the north. It reminded me of the varied landscape of Australia except instead of being greeted by kangaroos on the road, we had elephants! But it is not just the destination that is important. The journey along the way was just as important and my, what fun we had. Quite early on, Lushani had become our resident DJ, downloading baila hits in both Singhla and Tamil, taking requests from Larry for the additions of 60’s and 70’s party hits. Later on, we passed a drumming stall which landed some musical additions of not only a few more drums but even a tambourine to the bus. Shanaka and Desh accompanied our budding singer soloists, Sivanjana and Kumara and our dancers Shyama and Shally. Forget the Vengabus; we had the Montaloose party bus. It held singing and dancing, sightseeing and people watching, deep and meaningful conversations, a place of resting and snoozing and snacking on the incredible fresh produce and very tasty snacks.

    While we were surrounded by mostly fun and frivolity in South, our adventures in the North held a different story, deeper and darker. I do not know what it is like to experience war, let alone witness it as a child, dodging bullets on the way to school. Hearing Desh’s story in Batticoloa, seeing the bullet hole marks marring the property of his Uncle’s house, seeing the heavy German machinery rust away surrounded by self-seeded trees after the factory being burned down, show how nature finds a way. The resilience of the Tamil people is incredible as they continue living their lives in their hometown despite the horrible instances of the war. It takes time to heal, grow and mature our understanding and scars don’t fade completely. Their family insistent on not patching up the bullet holes reminds us of their struggle and story and how far we have come to be able to tell that story.

    Things appeared a little brighter in Jaffna where the bus welcomed extra passengers in the form of Sivanjana’s partner and friends, Ash and Kate. We were surprised to find them waiting at the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil. After the initial shock, we were given a guided tour by Siv. I have never been in a Hindu temple before and I was struck by the colour and beauty of it. When asked to compare which place of worship looked better, I simply couldn’t, each place of worship is beautiful in their own special way. I was particularly captivated to the sound of the naraswaram, a reed instrument that sounded like it was a brass instrument. It seriously sounded like it was a bluesy pop saxophone played along with drums. It surprised me how calls to prayer could sound almost festival party-like when compared to the sullenness of an organ at a Catholic church. The stories of the Gods painted in large murals on the walls of the temple enabled us admire the morals in the tales, much like a parable that would be similar in Christianity.

    We then took a boat ride to Nainativu, a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula. Here there is a Buddhist shrine and a Hindu Kovil. Here my faiths were in all the Gods not only to get there and back safely but also to avoid sea sickness. The Gods were with us. Again we were struck by the beauty and the prayerfulness of both the temples and I also noticed the rituals are similar; water to cleanse, fire for candles of blessings, incense to purify and flowers for homage.

    Here we stayed for lunch which was an experience in itself. Imagine a room with a continuous straw like mat laid in rows with individual banana leaves as place mats on the floor. Here we lined up and were admitted into the room in a somewhat orderly fashion to be served a vegetarian meal of rice, dahl, vegetarian curry and pappadums. This was communal eating like no other. Although being right next to each other in the queue, we all became separated from each other and I sat amongst ladies resplendent in their sarees, crossed legged, eating the same meal. The service was faster than any McDonald’s and tastier than anything I have ever experienced and just as soon as we had finished, a new group of people flooded the doors and new spots were taken up and new banana leaf placemats replaced.

    Later that evening, the ladies of the group were in on a plan that had been hatched in the form of an engagement. Dilan, the ever romantic had organised an outfit and transport for Siv for the evening which us ladies were (invited ourselves) to surprise her with. Surrounded by a bed full of jasmine petals, Siv awoke from a siesta with a box full of instructions and us at standing at the foot of the bed armed with cameras. A bullock cart whisked her away while we waited with in an icecream parlour for the wonderful news. Needless to say, being able to bear witness to the engagement of a beautiful interfaith couple only strengthened my belief that there is hope for unity in diversity and hopefully an invite in the mail for an excuse for a reunion tour!

    There were so many personal stories from this trip that were uncovered and I along with others are honoured that they felt comfortable to share their story with us. Being all “overseas Sri Lankans”, the accepted term for diaspora, we all have our own family story for leaving this beautiful little island and not all of them are pretty. However, whether time heals old wounds or that we’ve fallen in love with new places, the majority of the group have all committed to returning sooner rather than later.

    Something I’ve come away from this trip is that if you haven’t been affected in some way, you haven’t really travelled. It has to have an element challenge, a depth of reflection and journey inward. It’s not ticking off a bucket list of tourist hotspots or tracking the kilometres travelled. There’s more to life than that. I’d like to thank you, Uniting Journeys, for the opportunity you have given us all to experience and witness a travel experience like no other.

  • What Does it Take to Save Just One Rhino?

    What Does it Take to Save Just One Rhino?

    With one rhino dying by the hands of poachers every seven hours, there isn’t time to waste, and with everyone’s help, the #JustOneRhino campaign might just make a difference.

    2015 is set to be an incredible year for the endangered rhino. The largest blogger-driven fundraiser ever assembled has started making waves in the fight against poaching. Two organizations, Travelers Building Change (founded by Jeremy Scott Foster) and Justic Travel have teamed up to raise money for Rhinos Without Borders through 2015. Rhinos Without Borders was developed to save rhinos by translocating them from South Africa to secret locations in Botswana with the hope of providing a safe haven for them to thrive in. RWB’s conservation goal for this year is to raise five million dollars and translocate 100 rhinos out of harms way. This project was started by National Geographic Explorers In Residence Derek and Beverly Joubert, founders of the Great Plains Foundation.

    With 100 percent of donations going directly to the project, over 120 of the world’s top travel bloggers have joined the Jouberts’ cause to save #JustOneRhino. Over 20 sponsors have also signed up to give away more than $30,000 worth of travel prizes, such as resort stays, tours and exciting adventures in dozens of countries. According to a recent press release posted by supporters of the #JustOneRhino campaign, “Every donor to the TravelersBuildingChange.org site earns chances at winning incredible prizes, including a safari in South Africa, a Galapagos Islands cruise and stays at luxury resorts in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. The Jouberts are also offering #JustOneRhino donors additional incentives, such as origami rhinos and downloads of their wildlife photos.” The campaign ends March 1 and even though the #JustOneRhino hashtag has already reached nearly 4 million people on Twitter, there is still much more that needs to be donated.

    Even with so much left to do, Jeremy Scott Foster was able to spare a few minutes to answer our questions about the campaign and what it would take to save the African rhino.

    Why spearhead a campaign like #JustOneRhino?

    The idea behind Travelers Building Change is to support the communities which have nurtured people on their travels. Last year we raised money for elephants in Thailand and this year we’re supporting rhinos in Africa. Both places have been highly affected by tourism and, with so much to lose (we’re talking about an entire species, here), we knew that rhinos had to be the focus of our campaign this year.

    Was there a personal reason that prompted your interest and involvement?

    I actually began working on this project for some more personal reasons. I was feeling entirely overwhelmed by the amount of kindnesses that I was experiencing, time and time again, on my travels around the world. When nobody ever asked for anything in return, I knew I had to take it into my own hands in order to pay these kindnesses forward. So I started a charity project and, over the past three years, it has evolved into what you see today.

    Why does it cost so much to translocate a single rhino? What does the process involve?

    The translocation process is actually quite involved. After a lengthy process of identifying and selecting a rhino for relocation, a crew arrives by helicopter and darts and sedates the rhino. Blood samples and other information about the rhino are collected and the strength of each rhino is assessed to ensure it is strong enough to make the trip. Finally, it is loaded into a container and driven to a quarantine enclosure. After a six-week quarantine period, the rhinos are airlifted and distributed to a secret, remote location in Botswana. Once the rhinos are on the ground, teams assess their health and set them free. In total, the whole process costs $45,000.

    What makes Botswana so much safer than South Africa? What is stopping poachers from moving there and doing the same thing?

    Much of the relocation has to do with “spreading the risk.” Moving rhinos to another location makes it much harder for poaching units to come in and hit large numbers of animals at one time. Not only does South Africa hold 80% of Africa’s rhino population, but they have some of the most liberal poaching laws on the whole continent. The translocation helps to spread the assets and into areas where poaching is a much more difficult undertaking.

    There are extremely stringent anti-poaching laws in Botswana, which do not exist in South Africa. The anti-poaching units, who operate on the ground in Botswana, function under a shoot-to-kill policy in which any uncooperative poacher is treated as an aggressive military threat. This should be a major deterrent to any poachers hoping to hunt in Botswana.

    What kind of progress has #JustOneRhino seen so far? What will it take to become a reality?

    The #JustOneRhino is a smaller project in a much larger fundraising effort. We still have a ways to go before we meet our goal of raising $45,000 to translocate #JustOneRhino, but every dollar counts. Rhinos Without Borders, the organization that we are raising money for, is hoping to raise $8 million toward the relocation of 100 rhinos in the year 2015. By the end of 2016, they’re hoping to have moved 500.

    Apart from donating to causes like this one, what else can travelers do to fight against poaching?

    The truth is that donations are the only thing that will help right now. The rhino situation is critical and, although raising awareness is extremely valuable in its own right, there simply isn’t enough time for that to be our only recourse. One rhino is being killed every seven hours. 50 years ago there were 500,000 black rhinos in Africa, and now there are only 5,000. If there isn’t drastic intervention, the end of the rhino is a very real possibility and it takes place within our lifetime.

    If you are interested in being a part of the #JustOneRhino campaign, visit TravelersBuildingChange.org. No donation is too small.

  • Orangutans Dying as Demand for Palm Oil Soars

    During the 1950s, the Sarawak house of Barbara Harrisson and her late husband Tom became a home for orphaned baby orangu-tan who had been found helpless in the jungle. Here, she describes her experiences rearing orangutan in a half-wild state and her attempt to re-educate them to jungle life.

    The Harrissons decided eventually that their partially domesticated animals would have great difficulty surviving in the wild– yet keeping full-sized orang-utans in the home was no more practical. This personal account of the joys and trials of raising orang-utan is both informative and delightful reading.

  • Can the elephants survive the coup in Central African Republic

    Last month saw the government of the Central African Republic overthrown by rebels and the state has now become lawless. Rebels groups have reportedly joined up with Sudanese poachers and elephants are facing a crisis. Conservation groups World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and World Conservation Society (WCS) have today released a joint statement calling for immediate action to tackle the problem.

    Elephant meat is openly on sale in the markets and villages around the World Heritage Site of Dzanga-Sangha protected area.  Many of the park rangers have fled the area because of the dangers as rebel groups take control.  The WWF have pulled many of their staff out of the park after a series of armed raids on their offices. Some rangers and WWF staff have stayed behind to try and protect key areas despite the dangers to their lives.

    Bas Huijbregts, head of policy for WWF’s campaign against poaching in Central Africa, said it’s impossible to know for sure how many elephants have been killed because patrols have been suspended in the area.

    “Given the total absence of any type of law enforcement and rule of law in the  area, there is elephant meat all over the place,” he said. Heroic rangers are standing firm in the face of immense danger, but they alone cannot safeguard the special species and places the world treasures.

    Despite patrols being severely restricted since the coup on 24th March it’s known that at least 40 elephants have been killed in or around the World Heritage Site. The rebel group behind the overthrow of the country are the Seleka and they are known to have joined forces with the Sudanese poachers who regularly target central African elephants.

    Next week sees a regional meeting of African countries to discuss ways of tackling elephant poaching the is rife across the region.

    Jim Leape, WWF Director General said, “The elephant poaching crisis – driven by insatiable ivory demand – is so severe that no area is safe, not even the World Heritage Site Dzanga-Sangha where both WWF and WCS have now worked for the conservation of elephants for decades. Heroic rangers are standing firm in the face of immense danger, but they alone cannot safeguard the special species and places the world treasures. When meeting next week, Central African governments must urgently join forces against this criminal activity that is also threatening the stability and economic development of their countries. I encourage them in the strongest terms to take a stand against wildlife crime and together declare that poaching and illicit trafficking will not be tolerated.”

    Cristian Samper, WCS President and CEO said,  “Together, WCS and WWF, are calling on the Central African Republic government to immediately increase security in the region to protect these elephants from poachers and is asking other regional governments to provide assistance to stop the killing. Our staffs have been forced to evacuate in the chaos. I recently visited CAR and saw first-hand that without a full-time conservation presence in the region, these elephants are in jeopardy from poachers. WCS and our partners will continue to work tirelessly to protect elephants across their range.”