Notes from the Field: Track Giant Pandas in China's Sichuan Province
In April and October of next year, U.S.-and Beijing-based tour operator WildChina is offering two new weeklong itineraries to showcase the key panda-conservation area in southwestern China's mountainous Sichuan province. Starting out from the provincial capital of Chengdu, the group tours will delve into the bamboo and rhododendron thickets of Sichuan's Wanglang Nature Reserve, home to over two dozen Giant pandas. With a diverse array of habitat rising from between 7,500 and 15,000 feet in elevation, Wanglang is also home to numerous other wildlife species including Golden Snub-nosed monkeys, leopard cats, and some 165 kinds of birds.
Tour participants will follow "panda patrol" paths through the reserve in the company of local wildlife experts, learning how to spot panda tracks and helping to locate infrared cameras for recording panda behavior. Wanglang is home to a small but growing population of the world's estimated 1,600 wild pandas, all of which inhabit about 20 enclaves of isolated mountain forest in China's Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. WildChina's 2010 itinerary will also take in the alpine landscapes of Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World heritage site. Not only notable for its acclaim in high-end publications like Travel+Leisure and National Geographic Traveler, WildChina is a partner with the World Wildlife Fund to implement sustainable, environmentally-friendly tourism practices on the ground. Land-based costs for this trip start at $2,600 per person, with additional costs for domestic air transfers and optional trip extensions.
Photo credit: courtesy, WildChina
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October 28, 2009
Getting Out There With Afar Magazine
Traveling home from a conference in Québec last week, I picked up a copy of the premier edition of Afar, the newest travel magazine to grace an already crowded category on airport newsstands. An hour later after a thoroughly absorbing in-flight read, I can report that I was impressed. The magazine is "for readers who are curious about everything the planet and its people have to offer," according to founder and editorial director Greg Sullivan. In this day and age, when magazines seek to impress with the most luxurious travel experiences imaginable or cater to a budget-minded, close-to-home crowd, Afar bites off the essence of experiential travel with an honest, open, and upbeat appraisal of the world we explore. A bimonthly publication to start, each issue of Afar will be organized under the typical See, Connect, and Go sections; its first edition profiled everything from Japan's costume-play fetish to a local's guide to East London to the world's best treetop lodging. As someone who reads a pile of travel magazines each month for work, I'm happy to say that this is one travel magazine that will open your eyes, mind, and heart—not just your wallet!
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October 20, 2009
Hotel Spotlight: Lapa Rios, Costa Rica
Lapa Rios has become a prototype of the successful eco-lodge, set under the verdant canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest and on a lip of land dropping dramatically into the country’s Pacific-side Golfo Dulce. The owners, Minnesota natives John and Karen Lewis, built the retreat in 1993 as a way to save hundreds of acres of rainforest from development. And by all accounts they’ve succeeded beyond even their initial ambitious dreams, crafting a tranquil retreat that comprises 16 thatch-roofed bungalows as well as a sustainable business that serves local community and conservation needs, including a lodge-funded school.
For more of the world's top resorts and lodges, visit Away.com's new guide!
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October 16, 2009
Photo of the Day: Lake Nakuru Flamingos, Kenya
Lake Nakuru, located within central Kenya's chain of Great Rift Valley lakes, nourishes an incredible diversity of wildlife, including hundreds of thousands of pink flamingos that feast on the lake's abundance of algae. Part of Lake Nakuru National Park, founded in 1961, the park was recently expanded to provide habitat for Kenya's endangered black rhinoceros. It also home to white rhinoceroses, Rothschild's giraffes, baboons, and warthogs.
Planning a safari to Kenya? Learn about one company that has been leading the charge toward sustainable tourism in Africa for over 40 years.
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October 06, 2009
World Monuments Fund Announces Its 2010 Watch List
Cordilleras rice terraces in the Philippines (Photodisc/Getty)
David Farley—author, New York Times blogger, and friend of the Away.com Travel Blog—writes today on the NYTimes.com "In Transit" blog about the World Monument Fund's biannual release of its list of the world’s most endangered cultural sites. Ninety-three sites in 47 countries are listed as being under threat from neglect, overdevelopment, or mass tourism, among them Peru's Machu Picchu, the rice terraces in the Cordilleras region of the Philippines, and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.
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September 16, 2009
Grand Canyon Railway Goes Green
The Grand Canyon Railway (courtesy, Xanterra Parks & Resorts)
Travelers will be happy to hear that the Grand Canyon Railway is now ISO 14001 Certified. Although I’m quite certain that the majority of people reading this know exactly what that means, I’ll explain. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sets environmental standards, and the ISO 14001 standard applies to the environmental aspects of the train that can be controlled and influenced, ensuring environmental protection, regulatory compliance, and continual improvement. Grand Canyon Railway has taken a number of steps to be environmentally responsible and to earn this certification, which have included:
- Tripling the amount of recycled material in their property-wide recycling program, while decreasing the amount of solid waste generated;
- Using Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel in all the locomotives (much cleaner burning fuel);
- Educating staff and customers on energy- and water-conservation measures;
- Installing room sensors and timers in many areas to save on electricity;
- Decreasing water consumption by 10 percent from 2008 to 2009;
- And replacing all cleaning solvents with green chemicals.
Continue reading "Grand Canyon Railway Goes Green" »
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September 10, 2009
Vermont's Bolton Valley Ski Resort Announces New Wind Turbine
WHITE MAGIC: Snowboarder at Bolton Valley, Vermont (courtesy, Bolton Valley Resort)
Vermont's Bolton Valley ski resort took a step into the green future with an announcement today that a 121-foot-high wind turbine will be coming online this fall to power the resort's operations. It will be the first wind turbine to be constructed at a Vermont ski area, and only the third at a ski area in the United States. The turbine is expected to provide upwards of 300,000 kilowatts of power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity used to power up to 45 Vermont households each year.
Locally owned and operated, Bolton Valley is a popular local hill within close proximity to Burlington, Vermont. The 165-acre resort offers 64 trails to suit skiers of all levels, plus boasts some of the cheaper skiing in the region, with adult lift tickets going for around $50.
Planning a skiing vacation this winter? Visit Away.com's Ski & Snowboard Guide for profiles of the best ski resorts in the world, plus check out our roundup of the best ski lodges.
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September 08, 2009
Win a Free Eco-Vacation to The Lodge at Chaa Creek in Belize
PARADISE, FOR FREE: The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize (courtesy, The Lodge at Chaa Creek)
We've just nominated The Lodge at Chaa Creek in Belize as one of our all-time favorite family resorts. Now here's your chance to discover for yourself why we put it on our must-visit list of the world's best resorts and lodges.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek is currently running a Nature Adventure Sweepstakes [PDF download] to award five lucky winners to the chance to win a free vacation to its award-winning eco-lodge, which is nestled deep in the rainforest of Belize's interior Cayo District. In 300 words or less, tell them why you want to visit Chaa Creek. The contest ends October 30, 2009. If you win, don't forget to send us a postcard!
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August 20, 2009
Guide to the World's Best Resorts & Lodges
Cayo Espanto, a private luxury all-inclusive in Belize (courtesy, Cayo Espanto)
For the past 12 months, I have been neck-deep in one of the toughest assignments a travel editor can expect: Scouring the globe for the world's best destination resorts and lodges. I know, it's a hard job gazing at images of unspoiled, faraway places (like the one above), but I wasn't alone for my journey. We assigned a crack squad of travel writers with clips in publications including National Geographic Adventure, Travel+Leisure, and Lonely Planet to track down the cream of the crop, including their selections for the best family resorts, beach resorts, national park lodges, all-inclusive resorts, and six other distinct travel categories. One year later, with my list of must-visit places in a state of morbid obesity, we're excited to announce the launch of Away.com's new Resorts & Lodges Guide, featuring 200 of the world's ultimate destination-resort experiences. If you're looking for inspiration about where to stay next, this is the place to start.
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August 03, 2009
Sea Turtle Nesting: Viewing Tips
Erosion on Bald Head Island, North Carolina, eliminating important sea turtle nesting habitat (Jeff Janowski/courtesy, Oceana)
In my post on July 24 about where and how to observe female sea turtles laying their eggs on beaches around the world, I warned that sea turtle populations are becoming endangered as their habitats become less and less safe for them. Here are some tips for how you can be a conscientious observer if you do happen to be lucky enough to catch this wonderful event in their life cycle. Help us defend and protect sea turtles and their nesting sites!
1. The best time to view nesting females or hatchlings emerging is late at night. Turtle tracks—wide indents in the sand similar to a single tire track—may lead you to a nesting site, though females may stop and dig several times before settling on the perfect location. Don't disturb the tracks.
2. Don’t shine white lights on nesting beaches at night. Nesting mothers and hatchlings use moonlight to locate the ocean and can become confused by other sources of illumination. When you’re searching for sea turtles at night, cover your flashlight in red cellophane. Sea turtles can’t see the red spectrum, so you won’t disturb them. And if you own beachfront property, turn off your porch lights at night, or cover them in red cellophane, too.
Continue reading "Sea Turtle Nesting: Viewing Tips" »
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