Category Archives: Asia/Pacific

Africa, Asia/Pacific, Conservation, ecotourism, experiential travel, Nature Travel, Wildlife travel

From Brazil to Borneo, Wild Planet Adventures Reveals Five Wildlife Travel Secrets for 2015

Wild Planet Adventures picks Zambia for one of its top up-and-coming destinations in 2015: Zambia is the birthplace of the walking safari and home to Africa’s best canoe safari, on the Zambezi River at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mana Pools.
Wild Planet Adventures picks Zambia for one of its top up-and-coming destinations in 2015: Zambia is the birthplace of the walking safari and home to Africa’s best canoe safari, on the Zambezi River at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mana Pools.

SAUSALITO, CA,–The experts at five-time National Geographic Traveler magazine “world’s best” award winner, Wild Planet Adventures (http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/) share their secrets for the five upcoming destinations for wildlife enthusiasts for 2015: Brazil, Borneo, India, Thailand and Zambia.

Over the last year, each of these countries has triumphed over a challenge, undergone a shift or revealed a special secret relevant to wildlife travel, according to Josh Cohen, founder of Wild Planet Adventures.

1) India’s Remote Assam Region: #1 Up & Coming Wildlife Destination for 2015 – In India’s northeast, the Assam region (between Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and China) is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines encompassing two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the national parks of Manas and Kaziranga.

The secret, says wildlife expert Cohen: “Kaziranga’s huge concentrations of game rivals many parks in Africa. On safari here it’s typical to see over 40 Rhino, several herds of wild Elephant, up to 500 Ungulate and perhaps even a Tiger, all in your field of vision at once!”  With Wild Planet’s sustainable protocols, guests track Tigers by listening to warning cries, looking for pug marks and tracking kills, “which creates a more authentic, exciting and participatory wildlife safari experience.”  For trip details see: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/destinations/?country=india

2) Brazil – The #1 Hot Travel Destination for 2015 – The World Cup and Olympic exposure have catapulted Brazil to the top of Wild Planet Adventure’s list of MOST popular destinations for 2015. The combination of safaris to spot Jaguar in the Pantanal (averaging nearly two sightings per day) with the wonders of the Amazon have created unprecedented demand. Many of fazienda (horse-ranch lodges) in the Pantanal report they are already nearly sold out for the 2015 season.

The secret? “Interested travelers MUST make their reservations now for the 2015 peak jaguar viewing season that starts in early July and continues through the end of October,” says Cohen. Wild Planet’s itinerary also includes a Primate Program designed by a primatologist to view rare primates in the Amazon, plus options for Iguassu Falls, Rio and more. For trip details see: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/destinations/?country=brazil

3) Thailand’s Secret Wildlife Sanctuaries Bordering Myanmar Are Now Open to US Travelers – The secret is that Wild Planet Adventures is the only US operator bringing guests to Kaeng Krachan National Park and Klong Seang Wildlife Sanctuary, the two best national parks in Thailand for exotic wildlife encounters. Kaeng Krachan is the largest and least visited national park in Thailand, with the most volume of wildlife of any park in the region. Nestled up against the remote mountains at Myanmar’s border, safaris in Kaeng Krachan are done by 4WD Jeep and by foot, both day and night. The park is home to Tiger, Black Leopard, Wild Elephant, Asiatic Black Bear, Gibbon, Langur, Slow Loris, six species of Hornbill and more. Klong Seang is a wildlife sanctuary on the far northeast corner of a 185 sq. km. lake, where Cohen’s team brings guests by long-tail boat and kayak (for silent approach to the animals) from their base at a spectacular floating aqua-lodge. Klong Seang is known for its healthy populations of Guar and is home to the extremely rare Clouded Leopard as well as Wild Boar, Wild Elephant, Monitor Lizard, and other animals. Most travelers combine these parks with a few days of culture and an elephant camp in Chiang Mai and end their trip with snorkeling on Thailand’s best islands. For trip details see: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/destinations/?country=thailand&trip=hidden-thailand-14-day-eco-tour

4) Borneo –2014 May Have Been the Year We Saved the Most Human of All Primates – The demand for palm oil (in roughly 60 percent of all goods on today’s supermarket shelves) has brought to near extinction Borneo’s population of Orangutan, the “holy grail” for wildlife travelers.

However, the secret is that, “In 2014 manufacturers responsible for producing nearly 60% of the world’s palm oil pledged to use responsible forest-friendly practices. This is a major breakthrough that will help preserve what’s left of the critically threatened habitat for endangered wild Orangutan populations.”

In Cohen’s experience, “There is not another animal alive more capable of creating the magical connection between traveler and wild animal than the Orangutan. It’s what wildlife lovers dream of. That’s not surprising, considering this great ape is one of humankind’s closest relatives, sharing 97% of our DNA. They are born with the ability to reason and think and considered to be one of the smartest mammals on Earth. Nevertheless, many travelers are completely unprepared for just how deeply touched they are by Orangutan displays of love, nurturing young, playfulness and courtship.”

The majority of visitors to Borneo only see Orangutan at rescue centers; however Wild Planet specializes in authentic expeditions to see these great apes in the wild, as well as Borneo’s other exotic wildlife including the Proboscis Monkey, Bornean Gibbon, Pygmy Elephant, Tarsier and Slow Loris. One of the world’s top five dive locations, the Sipadan reef in the Celebes Sea, is a must-see ending for any trip to Borneo. See: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/destinations/?country=borneo&trip=weird-wonderful-wildlife-12-day-borneo

5) Zambia Is the Prime Destination for African Safaris Due to its Safety from Ebola – Demand for African safaris exploded in 2014 to an all-time high. However, the recent Ebola crises took wind out of the safari sails.

The secret: “While fewer people are traveling to Africa for safari because of the Ebola fear, Zambia is 100% clear of the crisis and located 5,300km from the nearest Ebola outbreak; flights to Zambia do not stop in Ebola affected zones and Zambia was one of the first countries to ban travelers from affected areas in order to protect its safari economy,” says Cohen. “Zambia couldn’t be more safe.”

Zambia’s remoteness and multitude of eco-systems also offer significant advantages over more commercial safaris in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania or other Africa countries.  It’s the birthplace of the walking safari and home to Africa’s best canoe safari (on the Zambezi River at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mana Pools). Wild Planet offers a multitude of award-winning Zambia safari options including walking, canoeing and jeep safaris with legendary master guides. See: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/destinations/?country=zambia

For detail tour itineraries, availability and booking information, call 800-990-4376, visit www.wildplanetadventures.com or contact [email protected].

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Asia/Pacific, experiential travel, food-and-wine travel

Learn to Cook Indonesian Style at Four Seasons Bali’s Newly Opened Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy

Four Seasons Bali is the only resort on the island to feature its own stand-alone cooking school.
Four Seasons Bali is the only resort on the island to feature its own stand-alone cooking school.

Delicious local food is one of Bali’s most famous attractions and now visitors can take home the authentic flavors of Indonesian cuisine, thanks to a new Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy which has opened at the Four Seasons Bali at Jimbaran Bay.

“Four Seasons is the only resort on the island to feature its own stand-alone cooking school. We wanted to go beyond offering casual lessons in the kitchen to providing a full professional-quality training facility. Our classes are designed for novice and experienced cooks alike – creating a focused learning environment for a maximum of 10 students per session,” says Michael Branham, General Manager.

“Food is a great way to create a deep personal connection and also enhance people’s cultural appreciation of Bali and Indonesia. Many of the recipes are based on old family traditions. Now our guests can take these recipes home and share these authentic dishes with their own family and friends.”

Set in its own building, the Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy features a charming stone-paved courtyard and herb garden at its entrance. Enormous glass doors lead into the air-conditioned kitchen, equipped with gleaming state-of-the-art appliances and a large, kidney-shaped, black granite preparation unit with induction hot plates. Students can sample their creations at the communal dining table or outdoors in the shaded courtyard. All graduates receive an official certificate of achievement, as well as copies of the recipes in a beautiful hand-drawn booklet.

The Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about the secret techniques and distinctive ingredients of Indonesian cuisine. Recipes are sourced from the resort’s team of Four Seasons chefs who come from various regions across Indonesia, including Bali, Sulawesi and Sumatra. All classes are taught in English only.

Classes are led by Chef Anak Agung Kristya Yudha, a Balinese native who has been preparing delicious meals for Four Seasons guests for more than 20 years. Caring and passionate with a charming sense of humor, Kristya enjoys engaging with students and sharing his knowledge of Indonesian cuisine and culture.

In each half-day session, students learn to prepare a full five-course meal according to traditional menus representing Bali, Java, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Sumatra. Highlight dishes include: “Sate rembiga” (traditional beef satay skewer with spicy sauce) from the Nusa Tenggara region; “Bebek betutu”(roasted duck with wrapped in banana leaf) from Bali; and a dessert of “Es doger” (young coconut, tapioca pearls and cassava with sweet milk) from Java.

As part of the day, students can visit the Jimbaran Fish Market – about 10 minutes from Four Seasons – to see how locals shop for the freshest seafood. Students can also pick indigenous ingredients from the academy’s herb and spice garden that grows Thai lemon basil, tamarind, pandan leaf, ginger and garlic.

Taking a class at the Cooking Academy is ideal as an interactive family activity. Once a week, the school offers a kids’ pastry class, focusing on Indonesian desserts.

After an optional market tour at 8 a.m., students gather in the kitchen at 9:30 a.m. to create an authentic Indonesian meal. There are six regional menus (including two different Bali menus), rotating on a daily basis, seven days per week. Special pricing is available when booking multiple sessions, starting at IDR 900,000++ per class. Classes are open to a maximum of 10 participants. Non-resort guests are welcome to attend with advance reservation.

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay sits along Bali’s southern coast in 35 acres of oceanfront gardens. Accommodations include 147 villas and nine grand-scale residence villas that can accommodate up to 10 in palatial 11,000 – 24,000-square-foot spaces with 24-hour butler service. Memorable dining options include four restaurants and lounges featuring Indonesian, Thai and global cuisine, in-villa and in-residence dining and specialty meals accompanied by traditional Balinese dance. Cooking classes offer novice to expert instruction in Balinese, Indonesian and Asian dishes as well as the culinary secrets of pastry. The oceanfront Spa features an array of treatments that demonstrate the curative powers of water, including Balinese ayurvedic wellness and healing rituals, along with massages and yoga sessions offered in thatched open-air oceanside gazebos.

For more details on schedules and booking at the Jimbaran Bay Cooking Academy, phone (62 361) 701010, or email [email protected], www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay/

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Asia/Pacific, Asia/Pacific travel, Voluntourism

Adventure Vietnam Introduces New Voluntourism Program

Adventure Vietnam (adventurevietnam.com) invites travelers to join its new Volunteerism program named “Exploring Vietnam’s Charm – Bringing Smiles and Happiness to Disadvantaged People.”

Recognizing that it is difficult for volunteers to devote several weeks to work on a community projects, but would dearly love to give a little something to Vietnam, Adventure Vietnam has designed an eight day/seven night itinerary that enables travelers to spend a couple of days volunteering as well as time to explore.

“We work with a number of orphanages/disabled children centers across Hanoi, and you will be placed in one of them depending on need and availability. The children who live at the orphanages/disabled children centers are both male and female and are aged between 1 and 18 years, with the older children attending school during the day. We also work with a shelter specifically for boys as well. Some of the children living at the orphanages have special needs and you will also be volunteering with these children too. The centers that we work with can vary in size from 20 to 250 children, so be prepared for a busy schedule!” said Xuan Truong who became head of the new department in June.

Adventure Vietnam is also looking for people who would serve as a group leader and independently promote and sell the program as a representative of their country of residence. Group leaders would receive a net rate. (Contact Xuan Truong at [email protected].)

Adventure Vietnam has more than 10 years of experience in voluntourism projects for communities in Vietnam.

Adventure Vietnam, 5 Nguyen Truong To Street, Ba Dinh Dist, Hanoi, Vietnam, Phone: +84.4.3927 4120  Fax: +84.4.39 27 41 18, Mail: [email protected], http://luxurytravelvietnam.com.

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Asia/Pacific, ecotourism, family-friendly adventures, Responsible Travel, Sustainable Travel

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Malaysia Eco-Experience Explores Southeast Asia’s First UNESCO Geopark

One of the creatures that might be encountered on the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi in Malaysia's new family-friendly Mangroves & Eagles Safari through the dramatic Kilim Karst, Southeast Asia's first UNESCO Geopark
One of the creatures that might be encountered on the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi in Malaysia’s new family-friendly Mangroves & Eagles Safari through the dramatic Kilim Karst, Southeast Asia’s first UNESCO Geopark

The Four Seasons Resort Langkawi in Malaysia now offers a family-friendly Mangroves & Eagles Safari through the dramatic Kilim Karst, Southeast Asia’s first UNESCO Geopark.

Guest take a private boat from the Resort’s Serai beach and in just a few minutes are sailing past a maze of 550-million-year-old limestone cliffs, craggy rock formations and tangled mangroves.

The eco-adventure is led by one of the resort’s three resident naturalists through one of the world’s most accessible mangrove forests. The trip affords up-close encounters with majestic eagles and kites, mischievous macaques, fish that walk (mudskippers), colorful tree-climbing crabs, shy otters, elegant monitor lizards, coiled snakes and hundreds of sleeping bats. With the entire experience conducted from the comfort and safety of the Resort’s boat, this family-friendly safari offers an experience only pure nature can offer complete with Four Seasons-style commentary and refreshments.

With little intrepid solo explorers in mind, an hour-long kids-only Mangroves & Monkeys Safari has also been designed. Aboard a floating classroom, adventurers aged 4 – 12 (young-at-heart parents welcome too!) join the resort naturalists for an educational eco-experience to discover the magical mangrove world and watch the antics of hundreds of mischievous macaque monkeys.

The Resort also offers a Rainforest Immersion, a three-hour excursion to the uninhabited islet of Pulau Langgun, where the pristine rainforest encircles a karst lake. Here guests can ascend on foot through the vibrant rainforest, enveloped by thousands of plants and animals, before trekking downhill to the hidden sanctuary of Tasik Langgun – a freshwater lake in the middle of the jungle. To end this extraordinary experience, the return cruise takes in the intriguing Gua Cerita (Cave of Legends) – mythical home of a giant phoenix, a captive princess and a deadly giantess.

Back at the resort, the newly launched Geopark Discovery Centre serves as an educational tool for guests and the local community to learn about the Geopark’s key attributes, from the most complete Paleozoic sedimentary sequence in Malaysia to labyrinthine mangroves, lush rainforests and unique animal and bird residents. Through a series of exhibition boards, interactive presentations and display cases, the resort’s naturalists guide guests through Langkawi’s natural environment. The Centre also inspires deeper exploration of local wonders, from the resort’s impressive rock-climbing outcrop to the animal-filled mangroves of the Kilim Karst Geoforest, as well as towering sea stacks and ancient salt-water lakes, linked to the sea by cave tunnels.

 

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi is a luxury Malaysian retreat in the Langkawi UNESCO Geopark, offering 90 pavilions and villas in tropical beachfront gardens, a family pool with private coves, plus a 55-m adult quiet pool, an expansive range of natural and outdoor pursuits and an immersive Geo Spa that draws on Langkawi’s natural healing energies. Dining options include three waterfront restaurants and the atmospheric Rhu Bar.

For reservations, contact Four Seasons Resort Langkawi at tel: (60) 4 950 8888 or email: [email protected] or visit www.fourseasons.com/langkawi.

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