The Ethical Travel Guide: Americas
The information provided below is taken from 'The Ethical Travel Guide' by Polly Pattullo with Orely Minelli, published by Earthscan on behalf of Tourism Concern at £12.99. To order your copy with free p&p call Independent Books Direct on 08700 798 897. For more information visit www.tourismconcern.org.uk/ www.earthscan.co.uk or phone Tourism Concern on 020 7133 3330
Friday, 7 April 2006
JAMAICA
Jamaica is about much more than the sum of its all-inclusive resorts. Apart from the cities of Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica has wonderful examples of Georgian architecture, such as at Falmouth and great plantation houses. Jamaicans, too, take their pleasures seriously and open their lives and culture to tourists with great generosity.
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COUNTRYSTYLE COMMUNITY TOURISM
The two packages available are the "Community Experience" and the "Jamaica Home Experience". This is your chance to become a Jamaican for a week and join in everything. Countrystyle is a network of island-wide hotels, restaurants and visitor centres. It is partnered with the Sustainable Communities Foundation through Tourism (SCF), which is a community tourism NGO with chapters all over the Caribbean and the USA. There is a real commitment to peace through tourism and its interactions.
Tel 001 876 962 7758
E-mail countrystyle@mail.infochan.com; countrystyletourism@yahoo.com
Web www.countrystylecommunitytourism.com
ZION COUNTRY BEACH CABINS
Ten beachside cabins - throw a line and catch a fish - in Muirton, Portland, east Jamaica. The operation is rooted in the local people and suppliers, and is low budget and laid-back: if you believe in give-and-take, and are eco-minded, then just lean back into the vibe and enjoy.
Tel 00 1876 993 0435
E-mail info@zioncountry.com
COSTA RICA
In recent years Costa Rica has become something of a magnet for eco-tourists. The country can boast more than a quarter of its territory as protected national park and forest reserve, and is justly proud of its enlightened environmental policy. Most of these conservation areas are easily accessible and provide some of the continent's best chances of encountering a bewildering array of exotic (and occasionally endangered) plant and animal species.
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BOSQUE ALEGRE
This project is located in northern Costa Rica, three hours by road from San Jose. Visitors stay in a ranch in the rainforest overlooking a volcanic lagoon. Bosque Alegre organises excursions to observe flora and fauna in the rainforest, including a visit to a butterfly farm and a solar dryer for medicinal plants. Travellers will have the opportunity to fish, navigate by boat and camp in the rainforest. Within the host community, visitors have the chance to share the life of the local population in their daily activities.
Tel 00 506 476 0194/382 8683
E-mail lagunahule@yahoo.com
Web www.redturs.org
CASA CALATEAS
This community-based rural tourism lodge in the mountains, a four-hour drive from San Jose, offers horse-riding and walking trails in the forest. It's especially good for bird lovers. It is owned by a community farmers' association dedicated to the protection of the area's biodiversity and the environment.
Tel 00 506 228 5695
E-mail actuar@racsa.co.cr
PERU
Peru's flat coastal lands feature harsh deserts and oases as well as the capital, Lima, which is a mind-boggling feat of fairly unsustainable irrigation. The Andes are dotted with Inca and pre-Inca ruins. Away from the mountains, in the Inca capital of Cusco, take a bus through the cloud forests and you may be lucky enough to see the scarlet cock-of-the-rock, the Peruvian national bird.
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LLAMA TREK
Starting in Olleros, a village in the High Andean plateau, this is a four-day trek accompanied by llamas and local guides. The trek follows the ancient Inca trail between Olleros and Chavin de Huantar. Visitors will enjoy the beautiful snowcovered landscapes of the Huascaran National Park, along the way experiencing a taste of Andean food, music, ritual ceremonies, traditional medicine and natural art, including textile production using llama and alpaca wool.
Tel 00 51 4472 1266
Fax 00 51 4472 1266
THE TREASURE OF WINAYMARKA
This aptly named project gives tourists a bracing diet of cross-cultural tourism within the community of Anapia island, which is one of the islands comprising the archipelago of the Minor Lake. The aim is to show both visitor and locals that tourism can change lives, enhance self-respect and improve local education and health. A sustainable tourism association has been set up in Anapia and efforts are made to be environmentally responsible.
Tel 00 51 5135 5552/5135 5979
E-mail allwaystravel@titicacaperu.com; sales@titicacaperu.com
USA
Take a tour of a Native American reservation, organised by the residents themselves, with profits staying on the reservation. As well as seeing the spectacular landscapes, in particular Monument Valley on the Navajo reservation and the mesa-top hopi pueblos, visitors can also take part in ceremonies such as Sweat Lodges and even Vision Quests. However, this is the subject of heated controversy among Native Americans, some of whom feel strongly that this is commodifying and degrading their culture.
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GO NATIVE AMERICA
Go Native offers 10- to 14-day trips into Native American traditional tribal homelands. All the guiding is done by Native Americans - the company aims to make fairly traded tourism into the standard for the Northern Plains, to raise visitor awareness of relevant issues, and to run a green operation. After your arrival in a designated US city everything is then down to the company. Prices range from £840-£1,060
Tel 01924 840 111
E-mail info@gonativeamerica.com
INDIAN COUNTRY TOURISM
The purpose of this organisation is to promote and support Native American destinations. From the listing displayed on the website you can select places, native-owned businesses and tours that match your interests. For example, Indigenous Landscape Tours is headquartered in Manderson, South Dakota, near the middle of the Pine Ridge indian reservation, close to historic Wounded Knee.
Tel 001 303 661 9819
E-mail info@indiancountrytourism.com
Web www.indiancountrytourism.com
NICARAGUA
There are several journeys worth making here - across beautiful volcanic landscapes, to colonial cities steeped in history, to sandy beaches with stunning backdrops at sunset, and to the country's jewel, Lake Nicaragua, one of the world's largest freshwater lakes.
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COMMUNITY TOURS
Five short tours - a few hours or a half-day - around the community of Ostional, on the south coast of the Nicaraguan Pacific, offer a glimpse of the area's local culture and agriculture, flora, fauna and fishing practices. Accommodation is also available.
Tel 00 505 883 6753
Email communitytours@yahoo.es
Web www.geocities.com/communitytours
FINCA ESPERANZA VERDE
Located in the beautiful mountains of San Ramon, in the state of Matagalpa, this prize-winning finca can accommodate a maximum of 26 people, but you can also stay with local families. Visitors are guided by locals on horseback or can hike in the rainforest. The supporting NGO network facilitates the sale of almost all the campesinos' organically farmed coffee to an eco-oriented roaster in the US, at well above the world price. The earnings have improved local education and ten per cent of eco tours' revenue also goes on local projects.
Tel 00 505 772 5003
E-mail herma@ibw.com.ni,
Web www.fincaesperanza-verde.org
BRAZIL
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. Its northern and north-eastern regions are the least developed and carry a legacy from colonial times, especially in their architecture. The southern and south-eastern areas are the wealthiest and most developed, with influences from the immigration of Italian and German communities.
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EL NAGUAL RESERVA
The reserve is located 68km from Rio, on the edge of the Serra dos Orgaos National Park, and is a guest-house with six simple rooms with private bathrooms. There is a hydro-energy plant for light and solar power for hot water, while food is grown organically and the local community produces crafts such as candles and mosaics. Stress is placed on education about the rainforest and there are opportunities to help prepare lunch and to join art and craft courses. Or, visitors can just relax in the swimming pool!
Tel 00 55 21 2630 2625
E-mail artnagual@hotmail.com
PRAINHA DO CANTO VERDE
You can relax on the beach in this beautiful fishing village in north-eastern Brazil safe in the knowledge that that all the economic benefits from your stay will go to the locals. A local co-operative acts as the incoming operator for guest houses and restaurants. It is very involved in wider community tourism development, especially with other communities in Ceara, and has a leadership role in promoting sustainable tourism.
Tel 00 55 88 3413 1426
Email fishnet@uol.com.br
Web www.prainhadocantoverde.org
ECUADOR
The Amazonian rainforest is home to many indigenous Indian tribes such as the Huaorani and the Siona-Secoya. Logging and recent developments in the oil industry coupled with internal migration all disrupt these people's livelihoods, as well as their fragile environment. Similarly, an ever-increasing number of tourist arrivals threatens the Galapagos Islands - that microcosm of unique and bountiful fauna and flora. In tandem with tourism, local and international initiatives have sprung up in recent years not only to help protect these islands and the rainforest but also the traditional habitat of Ecuador's people.
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BLACK SHEEP INN ECO-LODGE
High in the rural Andes, the two owners of Black Sheep Inn have helped make the village of Chugchilan into a paradigm for community-based tourism by encouraging the founding of hostels and sustainable businesses. All aspects of the operation aim to promote conservation, sustainability and the environment. The restaurant offers family-style vegetarian gourmet food.
Tel 00 593 3281 4587
E-mail info@blacksheepinn.com
BOSQUE NUBLADO SANTA LUCIA
This is a land co-operative (formed, owned and run by 12 former landless campesinos), which is committed to forest conservation and is trying to make a sustainable living out of eco-tourism. The eco-lodge (maximum occupancy of 20 people) is in the heart of the cloud forest in the Andean lowlands.
Tel 00 593 2215 7242
E-mail info@santaluciaecuador.com
GUATEMALA
Small but geographically diverse, Guatemala's cool mountainous highlands graduate into the tropical jungle lowland north of the Pacific coastline. This spectacular scenery envelops active volcanoes and ancient Mayan ruins, lush rainforest with abundant wildlife and the stunning Lake Atitlán. Guatemala is also culturally rich, with an indigenous population of over 40 per cent, much higher than elsewhere in the region.
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ASSOCIATION AK'TENAMIT
This is an NGO that runs two eco-tourism projects 30 minutes by boat from Livingston, in the heart of the Guatemalan rainforest inside the Rio Dulce National Park. Staying in comfortable guest-houses in a Mayan village, visitors can enjoy guided tours in the rainforest, traditional dance and music, handicrafts made by Mayan women and traditional pre-Columbian religious ceremonies.
Tel 00 502 254 1560
E-mail gperez@aktenamit.org/
ECO HOTEL UXLABIL - ATITLAN
Lake Atitlan offers you an expanse of crystal-clear water and three volcanoes. If you want to get away from it all, stay in an environmentally friendly hotel, meet local people, eat local and international cooking and all the time stay within easy reach of a Jacuzzi, then this is for you.
Tel 00 502 2366 9555
E-mail atitlan@uxlabil.com
Web www.uxlabil.com
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