Author Archives: Jane Behrend
There are 21 articles by Jane Behrend published on this site.
When is the best time to visit the Amazon rainforest? There are distinct differences between rainy and dry seasons in the region — and how that impacts both the water level and the excursions that are offered aboard the riverboats such as Jungle Experiences’ La Perla and Zafiro. Read the rest of this entry »
You probably haven’t heard a lot about Guyana as a tourist destination. But that’s about to change.
Bolstered by a relatively modest budget and an infusion of new talent, which not only includes a new Director, but a new Board, new support staff, and new market reps honcho — the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is hoping to compete with the heavyweights of South American tourism.
Leading the charge is Brian Mullis, who was appointed director of the tourism authority last April with a mandate to restructure the agency, pull its tourism marketing and products into the 21st century, and ultimately put Guyana in the sights of eco and adventure tourists around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »
Emerging Destinations’ vision statement is “Saving Wild Places Through Travel.” In this month’s article, I thought it would be fun to highlight the non-profit organizations that Elewana works with in Kenya at the Loisaba Conservancy.
The San Diego Zoo’s Global Partnerships program connects animal care, conservation research and education experts with regional, national, and international agencies, zoos, benefactors, and conservation NGOs in collaborative efforts to end extinction. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cruce Andino route through the Andes between Chile and Argentina is special for several reasons; which include the spectacular Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, a mosaic of lakes, waterfalls, lush Patagonian forest, and one of the world’s most perfectly shaped volcanoes.
Those who linger in the Chilean park — rather than taking Cruce Andino all the way through from Puerto Varas to Bariloche in one day — can hike or bike through the spectacular scenery, photograph the flora and fauna, relax in thermal baths, take a leisurely boat ride or raft a wild river, climb mountains, go fishing or swimming, camp, and more depending what time of year you visit. Read the rest of this entry »
The second largest national park in the entire Amazon, Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve safeguards a huge tract of rain-forest in eastern Peru between the Marañón and Ucayali rivers. Covering over 8,000 square miles, the park is home to more than 1,000 animal species and a similar variety of plants.
Africa may be the spot on the planet most famous for safaris (a Swahili word that literally means “journey”) but it’s far from being the only place where travelers can experience close encounters of the critter kind.
Another incredible place for wildlife watching is South Asia, in particular the India, Nepal and Sri Lanka which between them boast scores of national parks and nature reserves that revolve around animals.
Reykjavik — which doubles as the home port for Iceland ProCruises — offers an amazing array of places (and foods) to eat during your sojourn in the Icelandic capital. These are some of our favorite new eateries:
Anyone who has been on a safari in Africa knows about the “Big Five” of African wildlife (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant). But Patagonia has its own Big Five: the puma, guanaco, huemul, Andrean condor, and ñandú. All of them roam the wilds of Torres del Paine National Park, calling it home along with over 20 other mammal species and more than 100 types of bird.
Looking for something totally different to offer your clients on the African Continent? EcoTraining Guides & Guardians is a South African company offering inspirational wildlife courses, accredited wildlife career courses, gap year opportunities and high school programs.
Are you one of those people who think that hiking is just for the wimps who can’t hack a full-blown gym workout? Think again. Because studies show that hiking not only keeps you physically fit, but also mentally sharp. But there is a pretty big caveat.
I’ve just returned from visiting Torres del Paine National Park in the south of Chile. This was my 4th trip to the area and I was able to spend 5 nights there. In addition to hiking and seeing Puma in the wild, seeing the hiking Refugios owned by Fantastico Sur, I got to spend a lot of time learning about what it takes to take private land and make it a conservancy or a reserva as they call it there. This is a great example of how tourism is saving wild places.
“Saving wild places through travel” is our vision statement at Emerging Destinations. A recent article that we came across channels that philosophy and we wanted to share.
Why should people care about wildlife? BBC poses that critical question in an article by Michael Marshall on the British news service’s global website — What is the Point of Saving Endangered Species?
With a small and compact city center, meandering coastline and lots of parks, the Icelandic capital is ready-made for walking. Here’s the first of our favorite urban hikes, what we like to call the Viking Trail.
Safari companies often tout seeing the Big Five – Cape Buffalo, lion, African elephant, leopard, and rhinoceros. Did you know there is also a “Northern Five” of iconic creatures that are primarily found in the national parks and conservancies north of Nairobi?
I spent most of May at an Ayurveda hospital in India, located on the grounds of a former resort and geared more to Westerners than domestic patients. Since medical tourism is a growing field and I’ve had so many friends in the industry ask me about my experience, I thought I should share a few thoughts about my sojourn at CGH Earth Ayurveda’s Kalari Rasayana.
After venturing twice to Ethiopia in the last two years with Addis Abbas-based Jacaranda Tours, I’ve come to the conclusion that four weeks there just isn’t enough time to explore one of the world’s largest and most diverse nations. With culture, history and landscapes as the focus rather than just wildlife or beaches, Ethiopia stands far apart from other African destinations. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on this intriguing country.
Gudmundur Kjartansson, a native Icelander, is the co-owner of Iceland ProCruises and Iceland ProTravel companies. With over 23 years of experience in Iceland tourism and selling trips to Iceland abroad, the cruise line is beginning their third year of operation specifically focused on Iceland as the destination. Read the rest of this entry »
During my career, I’ve had the privilege to work with some of the world’s most ardent conservationists, many of them involved in preserving wild places through “conservancies” — an innovative concept that utilizes private or community owned land for the purpose of wildlife conservation.
People often ask me about conservancies (what exactly are they?) and why they should go to one verses a national park or government game reserve. I’m a big fan of conservancies and thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve learned about them over the years, as well as some of the differences between visiting a conservancy and a national park.
So many agents I visit around the country seem afraid to sell what they perceive as “exotic” destinations to their clients. They always come up with lots of don’ts and can’ts on why their customers aren’t taking (or don’t want to take) more adventurous trips.
I think the main reason more agents don’t branch away from selling traditional vacations and getaways is a fear of selling what they don’t know. I don’t know if there’s a fancy name for that—like fear of clowns (coulrophobia) or fear of chickens (alektorophobia). But it sure is easier to come up with reasons why you “can’t” or your clients “won’t” than actually branching out and learning about new destinations.
Here are my responses to common objections that I often hear in the field:
“My client’s can’t afford to go there”
I’ve made a living selling wildlife and nature trips for the last 27 years – working with travel and safari companies that have programs to visit iconic bucket list species from mountain gorillas to rhinos to jaguars.
Not only are the agents who sell these trips making high commissions, but if the trip is done correctly, they are also helping to save those species. These agents have tapped into a whole group of avid travelers who aren’t counting countries – but are tallying animals they have seen in the wild.
A Growing Area of Tourism
Tourism wasn’t developed to save the planet. But that’s exactly what certain sections of the industry find themselves doing in the 21st century — aiding and abetting the conservation of certain species (and by extension, other flora and fauna that live in their ecosystems) through a collaboration of national parks and governments, private companies, conservationists, and local communities who have a vested interest in the survival of these animals. Read the rest of this entry »
