What do a great soccer player and a master chef have in common? Not that long ago they were relative unknowns. Indeed, success has not come to these Peruvians quickly. Indeed, they seem to have come out of nowhere to rise to the top.

But both have actually worked hard and long to reach their relative positions.

Jefferson Farfan, nickname Foca (Seal), is a Peruvian professional footballer who mainly plays for a Russian Premier League as a forward or winger for Lokomotiv Moscow. He is also an important player for the Peruvian national team, yet if you ask most people who follow South American soccer, they might not know his name.

The same can be said of Virgilio Martinez, who worked in obscurity perfecting his innovative culinary ideas. He formerly worked at restaurants such as Lutèce in New York City, and served as executive chef at the renowned Astrid & Gastón in both Bogotá and Madrid.

Today, Martinez runs Central Restaurante in the Miraflores District of Lima. Martinez and his wife, Central’s head chef Pia Leon, have won a slew of awards in the last few years including, the best restaurant in Latin America for four consecutive years – 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017; and was ranked the fourth best restaurant in the world in 2015 and 2016.

However, like Farfan, if you ask most foodies about Martinez, they would likely not recognize his name either.

That is changing. Why? What makes Martinez stand out in the crowded culinary world? He is passionate about investigating and incorporating indigenous ingredients into his menus to bring greater diversity to local cuisine. Essentially, he does not only search horizontally, but vertically as well, much like pre-Hispanic cultures did – looking to the oceans as well as the high Andes, the deserts and the low jungles to discover diverse local ingredients found at every altitude. Examples include ingredients such as kushuru (cushuro), an edible cyanobacteria harvested in high-altitude wetlands; arracacha, a root vegetable from the Andes; and arapaima, a freshwater fish found in the Amazon River.

Martinez and his team’s approach to ingredients is fascinating as they take an almost biological and anthropological view of foods. They work with local communities throughout Peru to identify new ‘finds.’

Martinez was quoted explaining his approach. “We have been going beyond what Central guests are expecting, and our focus has been Peru, the people, and connecting to our communities, trying to make Peru nice and our country happier. I think that’s our goal, and not just the restaurant.”

Come explore some of the many fascinating ‘unknowns’ of Peru. Join us on our newest President’s Picks: Peru Sky High & River Deep.

“What is a land without its people?”

Sidharth Rohet, from the House of Rohet, grew up among the dunes of the great Thar Desert and Mihir Garh in India. Even as a young lad, he had a vision of building a fort, ‘which would look as if it has emerged from the desert itself.’ He and his wife, Rashmi, created that dream of ‘The Fort of the Sun,’ a small, luxurious five-star heritage hotel in Rajasthan, Jodhpur.

But before Mihir Garh became a reality, Sidharth inherited his family’s crumbling 17th-century feudal estate and provincial manor at Rohet Garh. That became their first project. Over 15 years, the family redeveloped it with great love and care into one of the finest heritage hotels in the country.

Both exquisite properties offer guests the experience of the village safari, a signature program that enables you to uncover rural Rajasthan in its little mud houses, the turban clad men, and the shy, beautiful women dressed in their traditional costumes. The village visit is made all the more remarkable because your guide is a member of the royal family. You enter the homes of the village folks to share a slice of their life. As one of the earliest pioneers of this concept, the Rohet family is proud to share the rich and vibrant cultural heritage at Mihir Garh.

About an hour and a half away in the ancient the Aravallis Hills, Kesar Bagh is another family’s passion that harks back to a time of vintage cars and mustached butlers in starched bush coats, their turban tails flapping away in the evening breeze. Although the word ‘bagh’ literally means a garden in Hindi, in rural Rajasthan it also denotes a huge estate property in the country of the once ruling feudal families. Kesar Bagh is one such oasis where time and weather took a huge toll on the old buildings and the orchards. The rainwater gushing down from the hills in the monsoons had breached the lake’s earthen dam on the banks of which once stood the old Kesar Bagh.

The Jojawar family was eager to restore the old traditions of the land and the family home, which has been the Rawla Jojawar in the Jojawar town since 1780. The new Kesar Bagh now stands where the old buildings once stood.

Two brothers, Nagendra Singh and Amitvikram Singh Jojawar, their wives and other family members oversee both boutique, luxury hotels – Kesar Bagh and Rawla Jojawar. Here, too, members of the royal family serve as guides for their guests. You can explore the country around the Bagh in style in a Chevy 1934 or a vintage Land Rover, or opt for a train safari. Both adventures present you with opportunities to engage with local villagers and others.

The families responsible for the restoration and running of these heritage properties are eager to connect guests with the people and cultures in the villages and hamlets of the region. You encounter communities living traditional lifestyles and practicing age-old professions like sheep and camel herding.

After all, what is a land without its people?

To discover this fascinating region and charming hotels, consider our 14-day Authentic India.

Spirit Big Five LogoEach day, more than three million tourists cross international borders, and every year more than one billion people travel abroad. Simply put, travel and tourism combined are now one of the world’s largest industries. To make sure that the power of travel is harnessed as a positive force for people and the planet, the United Nations has declared 2017 The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The three key pillars of Sustainable Tourism are:

  • Environmentally-friendly Practices
  • Support for Protecting Cultural and Natural Heritage
  • Social and Economic Benefits to Local People

At Big Five, our longstanding commitment to sustainable tourism runs deep, and we are proud to be the only travel company to have won the prestigious Virtuoso Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award, not once, but twice (2014 and 2016). We know that experiencing an outstanding vacation and supporting the pillars of sustainable tourism can go hand in hand. We are proud to share with you how traveling with Big Five can help to support cultural heritage, protect endangered species, deliver local economic benefits, and further cross-cultural understanding and peace in the world – all wrapped together into the journey of a lifetime.

Cultural heritage is about our legacy to the world. It is the culmination of those intangible attributes, knowledge, traditions and ideas that have been handed down to us by our predecessors, which in turn will be ours to pass on. The importance of our global cultural heritage was recognized in 1972 when the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

In 2001, UNESCO began raising awareness concerning intangible cultural heritage and encouraging local communities to protect important forms of cultural expressions. The movement toward preserving and sustaining our priceless cultural heritage continues to expand. By 2011, there were 936 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 725 cultural, 183 natural, and 28 mixed properties, in 153 countries.

Big Five supports properties such as Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where an ancient culture is striving to survive. The Kichwa Añangu Community own and operate the lodge here. Travelers experience one of the most bio diverse ecosystems in the world and, at the same time, explore its ancestral culture. In addition to protection of the land, the Kichwa also provide leadership for preservation of a way of life that is all but vanishing from the earth. This mission becomes all the more important because Yasuni National Park sits atop some 800 million barrels of crude oil, 20% of Ecuador’s reserves. You can experience and help support the extraordinary cultural heritage of the forest on a visit in our President’s Pick: Ecuador’s Galapagos & Amazon.

Deep in the heart of Jordan’s mountainous Dana Biosphere Reserve, at the end of a rugged track, is the magnificent Wadi Feynan. Feynan is special for the insight it offers into the traditional lives of the Bedouin, the desert-dwelling semi-nomads. Some 40 to 50 families live spread out in tented camps throughout the valley. There’s a small church and mosque but those are the only permanent structures other than the ecolodge. Feynan Ecolodge blends into its craggy surroundings. The lodge is on the western edge of the reserve, the largest nature reserve in Jordan. All the lodge’s staff are local Bedouin, mostly young men, who do not have to move away to find work. That is one of the most enabling aspects of these properties located in such remote areas. Traditions are easily lost when taken out of the context of their place. Being able to stay in their villages and with their families helps keep communities stable. The benefits spread out further to the drivers, a local woman who makes bread for the lodge and others who create handmade items to sell in the lodge shop. You can meet members of this ancient culture and exchange stories with local Bedouin during our Jordan & Oman: Trails of The Caliphs.

The first settlements in Hampi date from the 1st CE. In northern Karnataka, India, many communities living here have had historical ties with the region. Indigenous communities include Kurubaru (shepherds), Vaddaru (stone masons), Gollaru (cowherders) and Madagiru (dyers and fishermen). Certain indigenous tribes who’ve been sheltered from the mainstream, practice a way of life that is syncretic with that of the wildlife in the region, rather than with the outside world. According to one theory, after the fall of the Pallava empire many kurubas settled down in South India as small land owners and farmers, while some kurubas took to hiding in the forests of South India and adapted their lifestyle to their environment, where they developed their own culture and traditions different from others due to their prolonged isolation. Originally hunter gatherers, Kurubas switched to agriculture and later to collection of minor forest produce and weaving baskets. Today they work as small farmers around the forests and sell their goods to properties such as Orange County Hampi. You can explore the rich and ancient culture of the region on our President’s Pick: Southern India’s Vijaynagar Empire.

Why, in a train cemetery, of course.

It is a strange and almost eerie sight – rivets, old train wheels and miscellaneous metal shards scattered among the rusting skeletal remains of mighty steam engines that once traveled across this stark land.

Just outside the small town of Uyuni in southwest Bolivia, there is a casual cemetery of sorts of abandoned trains. In the past, the town served as a distribution hub for trains carrying minerals to the Pacific Ocean ports. British-sponsored Antofagasta and Bolivia Railway Companies invited British engineers to build the train lines, and the construction lasted from 1888 to 1892.

Until 1879 Bolivia bordered the Pacific Ocean but a war with Chile resulted in Bolivia becoming a landlocked country. Exporting their minerals became a problem, and eventually the mining industry collapsed. There was, practically speaking, no way to maintain the railroad. As a result, the once prosperous hub fell silent, and the trains were simply abandoned.

These were the first locomotives of Bolivia, yet these early-20th-century relics have all but succumbed to the corrosive effects of Salar de Uyuni’s salty winds, the relentless sun and dust. Oddly enough, they have gained something of a renewed life as a minor tourist attraction to those few who travel this arid landscape.

You can explore this unique sight on our newest President’s Pick: Bolivia & Argentina Highland Adventure

Oh wait, you might be. Sorry.

Storms are pummeling the US and Canada this week. Records seem to be falling as fast as the snow. The second-heaviest snowstorm in 117 years of records hit parts of the Northeast. As I send this to you, I am sitting in Calgary Alberta, where, you guessed it… it’s snowing. So the question I started asking is, when does Ice melt? If the surface temperatures ever warm back up to above 32°, the snow and ice will melt. But it’s hard to play catch up when the snow just keeps coming.

For those of you who simply cannot wait to bail out of your snow boots, consider our new Tanzania and Kenya safari adventure, which features a stay at the new Saruni Rhino Camp in a remote and  largely undiscovered area, where the main draw is the rhino.

After years of hard work and determined commitment by Sera community members and Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), two years ago the Sera Community Conservancy became the home of the ‘Sera Rhino Sanctuary’. This is the first community conservancy in Africa to own and operate a sanctuary dedicated to the conservation of the near threatened black rhino.

The sanctuary currently provides state-of-the-art protection for 11 black rhinos relocated from other conservancies and national parks. You can enjoy the thrill of a lifetime – tracking a 1,870- to 3,530-pound rhino… on foot. Accompanied by an expert Saruni guide and a highly-trained Sera Community Conservancy ranger, equipped with a GPS transmitter, you set out to find these animals that stand 59 to 69 in high at the shoulder and are some 11 to 13 feet in length.

This is just one of the memorable adventure you experience as you explore the expansive landscapes the during the 17-day President’s Pick: Tanzania & Kenya journey.

It has been whispered for years that the mummified body of an extraterrestrial was found in Egypt in a burial chamber beside a great pharaoh. Rumors have also persisted for decades that aliens built the great Pyramids of Giza. And then there’s the one about King Tutankhamun’s dagger, a 3,300-year-old weapon found wrapped in bandages on the mummy’s right thigh, is reportedly made out of “iron from a meteorite forged in the depths of outer space. Scientists said the make-up of the iron ‘strongly suggests’ extra-terrestrial origin” states one website.

Wow! Rumors can be great fun and quite amusing, but rarely completely true. They may be a nugget buried here and there but….  The truth of the pyramids is far more interesting than outer space stories — even the story about the pyramid on Mars!

The Egyptians had strong cultural, religious, and political reasons for building the pyramids. There are various theories as to why the tombs of the early pharaohs were built in the pyramid shape. Here are three different ideas that have been put forth: the pyramid represented the first land to appear at the beginning of time – a hill called ‘Ben-Ben’; the pyramid had sloping sides so the dead pharaoh to symbolically climb to the sky and live forever; and the pyramid represented the rays of the sun.

Each of the pyramids was capped with a pyramidal stone block, or pyramidion. The carvings on the one from Amenemhat III’s pyramid at Dashur confirm its celestial role for the king. It is inscribed with a pair of eyes looking up at the sundisk and hieroglyphs that read ‘Amenemhat beholds the perfection of Re’.

The Pyramid of Snefru, or the Bent Pyramid, at Dahshur was probably the first planned from the outset to be a true pyramid, with smooth sides. This pyramid was built by the Old Kingdom pharaoh Sneferu who reigned over ancient Egypt from 2575 to 2551 BCE. He was also responsible for the construction of the famous Red Pyramid and the Medium Pyramid. As one of the most unusual pyramids in Egypt, as well as one of the best preserved with much of its casing remaining, it attracted considerable attention over the centuries; yet, a serious archaeological investigation of the structure was not made until the 19th Century, when the great pyramid explorers Perring, Lepsius and later, Petrie, came to explore the structure. After World War II, Abdel Salam Hussain and Alexandre Varille further investigated the Bent Pyramid, but their work was lost.

This structure is called the Bent Pyramid because of the change in angle from 54 degrees to 43 degrees approximately half way to its peak. The structures original height was 105 meters/344 feet. It was significant in the evolution of pyramid making in ancient Egypt due to the fact it was the first pyramid to have been constructed as a true pyramid, with smooth sides, not a step pyramid. Two things about this pyramid – there are no drawings or writings anywhere on the it; and it’s unusual for having two entrances.

To explore the ancient and unusual Bent Pyramid as well as other Egyptian treasures, consider our Classic Egypt Exploration.

What is roughly the same height as Cinderella’s Castle and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, surrounded by hundreds of birds, and moves?

A sky bike, of course.

Tucked away in Ecuador’s 3,200 acre Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve is an innovative way to explore the Andean cloud forest canopy. The sky bike is a human-powered, two-seat bike, dangling from a 656-foot cable stretched between two points in the forest. Reaching up to 196 feet, the areal bike is perfectly at home among the treetops.

About 70% of the diversity of a tropical forest can be found in the high canopy, and people have found a number of mechanisms to access the top of the forest, from hot air balloons to mechanical cranes.  But the sky bike has advantages other contraptions do not – it is noiseless, does not disturb the wildlife and moves at a pace you choose. Riders leisurely explore the forest canopy as well as enjoy the views when crossing a river gorge. Guests have been using the bike – this one is the latest of five prototypes – since 2012.

The sky bike allows guests to feel a part of life in the treetops. Savor unique views of trees full of mosses, bromeliads, orchids and other epiphytes, and come across some of the other inhabitants of the forest from butterflies to monkeys to sloths. Listen to some of the 400 to 500 species of birds believed to inhabit the reserve such as indigo flower piercer, Chocó vireo and yellow-green bush tanager.

And if that is not enough high wire time for you, there is the Dragonfly, an innovative cable system that carries you under, through and above the forest canopy. The Dragonfly consists of two stations, six towers and four ‘gondolas.’ Each gondola can carry four guests plus a guide. It travels gently and slowly along a 2-kilometer/1.2-mile cable between the two stations. It really offers you a bird’s-eye view as it moves sometimes below the canopy, sometimes through it, and sometimes far above it. It also passes over some of the reserve’s trails, rivers and waterfalls.

Once you have finished your areal adventures, you can retreat to the five-star, one-of-a-kind Mashpi Lodge in the heart of the Equatorial Chocó Bio-Region, regarded as one of the planet’s most important “hot spots” of biodiversity. Even here, you remain an integral part of your surroundings with stunning views of forested mountains right up close through its floor-to-ceiling panoramic glass windows. The lodge was built using the latest techniques of sustainable construction and is designed to blend perfectly with its natural environs.

You feel like royalty in your own private castle that embraces you like a luxurious cocoon amidst the cloud and tropical forests.  Explore the sky trails of this ancient forest on our 14-day Private Sanctuaries of Ecuador.

 

Big Five LogoEach day, more than three million tourists cross international borders, and every year more than one billion people travel abroad. Simply put, travel and tourism combined are now one of the world’s largest industries. To make sure that the power of travel is harnessed as a positive force for people and the planet, the United Nations has declared 2017 The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The three key pillars of Sustainable Tourism are:

  • Environmentally-friendly Practices
  • Support for Protecting Cultural and Natural Heritage
  • Social and Economic Benefits to Local People

At Big Five, our longstanding commitment to sustainable tourism runs deep, and we are proud to be the only travel company to have won the prestigious Virtuoso Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award, not once, but twice (2014 and 2016). We know that experiencing an outstanding vacation and supporting the pillars of sustainable tourism can go hand in hand. We are proud to share with you how traveling with Big Five can help to support cultural heritage, protect endangered species, deliver local economic benefits, and further cross-cultural understanding and peace in the world – all wrapped together into the journey of a lifetime.

Our second in this year-long series of related blogs explores the first pillar as stated above – Environmentally Friendly Practices.

Moving beyond our own company efforts, Big Five begins planning journeys by selecting partners that share our sustainability mind set. We ask lots and lots of questions about their operations, their local employees, the systems they have in place, projects and plans they are working on. Here are examples of authentically eco-friendly partners in three diverse regions.

In Northern Australia’s ‘Top End’ on the edge of the Mary River floodplains, a short distance from the coast, is the camp of Bamurru Plains, a private buffalo pastoral property with nine safari bungalows built on stilts overlooking the floodplains. This Top End region is home to an extraordinary wilderness in the Mary River Delta, just west of Kakadu National Park.

This is a place of climatic extremes where the tropical monsoon climate brings spectacular stormy skies and an annual cycle of environmental rebirth. Here, the camp has carefully planned every aspect with an eye to minimizing impacts on the land. The design encompasses energy usage, waste disposal, choice of linens, recycling bottles and eco-certified cleaning materials. The bulk, about 75%, of the camp’s power is generated by the sun through an array of 128 solar panels. This not only ensures a predominantly clean source of energy but also allows guests to hear the sounds of the bush at night without the noise of a diesel generator humming in the background. The camp also supports communities by using products that are produced locally. Bamurru Plains takes sustainability seriously while promoting a more intimate interaction between their guests and the local ecosystems; and between guests and the local community. Experience this amazing outing for yourself on our 14-day Wild Australia.

Far off in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal, tiny Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, boasts a history that spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years, probably much farther. In this idyllic island setting, Jetwing Hotels Sri Lanka has created a collection of properties that range from pristine beach getaways, to lush mountain retreats, to rural hideaways. Eco-friendly practices are found in the center of every project. Companywide, Jetwing Hotels’ decisions include not using plastic water bottles in the restaurants; asking suppliers to reduce unnecessary packaging; switching to energy efficient lights; implementing active programs to reduce waste; and promptly replacing damaged equipment such as leaking taps. It has programs to train local service suppliers such as trishaw drivers so that they become quality-accredited business partners. Energy and water conservation are two vitally addressed issues at Jetwing properties. Hot water is generated by renewable energy sources: solar heaters and boilers powered by responsibly sourced cinnamon wood that would be an otherwise discarded by-product of the cinnamon spice industry. In 2014 alone, Jetwing Hotels saved over 140 million liters of freshwater by treating and reusing 100% of the wastewater generated at the hotels.

Each Jetwing hotel also has its own environmental initiatives. Jetwing Vil Uyana, within sight of the historically significant fortress of Sigiriya, embodies the best of environmentally proactive practices with luxury. The buildings blend into the landscape, a unique challenge as this was a wetland system on reclaimed agricultural lands. In fact, Jetwing Vil Uyana may have been the first hotel in the world to create a man-made wetland with a range of water-based and forested habitats on land previously used for slash and burn agriculture. The nearly 25-acre property has been planned to feature several projects including re-growing paddy using traditional and organic harvesting methods; developing a water reservoir; and replanting a forested area using species native to the dry zone. And the personnel here are committed to preserving and enhancing the naturalness of the environment while preventing damage and destruction. Treated water from the sewage treatment plant is used for the garden, water storage tanks and taps are checked daily for leaks by a duty technician, and housekeeping staff have been made aware to watch for of water leaks in guest rooms. Water-saving cisterns have been installed and routine preventative maintenance is carried out on a planned schedule. Explore Sir Lanka on our President’s Pick: Sri Lanka of Teas & Temples to experience two of Jetwing’s distinguished hotels.

For decades, the primary method to explore Ecuador’s fabled Galapagos Islands was by ship. But that has led to a slow degradation of the island experience with too much – too many ships, too many people and too much pollution. This is a prime example of a destination being “loved to death.”

But there is another way. A handful of hotels such as the Finch Bay Hotel and the Galapagos Safari Camp on Santa Cruz Island are heralding the way toward the historic islands’ future: land-based exploration, where guests fly between islands. This would result in fewer visitors, less stress on the islands and less pressure on the marine ecosystems. This will also provide an improved visitor experience.

Finch Bay Hotel, like other island hotels here, have developed a roster of core environmental practices to conserve resources and protect the unique attributes of each island. The hotel has developed an extensive network for rainwater collection and has a water treatment plant for purification for their own water uses. There is a program in place to constantly monitor water systems to avoid leaks. One drop of water per second in a pipe can add up to 2,650 gallons of water lost annually!

The hotel also maintains an organic garden to produce fruits and vegetables in order to reduce its carbon footprint, both by reducing the amount of food that needs to be imported and by recycling their home-made compost. The garden also improves fresh food availability. In addition, energy-saving measures include solar panels, LED light bulbs, movement sensors and more efficient electrical appliances, improved insulation in all rooms, using environmentally-friendly and biodegradable detergents, and by providing biodegradable amenities such as shampoos for guests.  Discover a better way to travel in the islands on our President’s Pick: Ecuador’s Galapagos & Amazon.

Stay tuned in coming months as we show you how traveling with Big Five can help to support cultural heritage, protect endangered species, deliver local economic benefits, and further understanding across cultures while exploring on the journey of a lifetime.

 

Time honored and ubiquitous in much of the world, the three-wheeled ‘auto rickshaw’, aka tuk tuk, is the modern incarnation of the rickshaw. It is a common form of inexpensive, urban transport, especially in tropical climates, including many developing countries. It is used by everyone from business men to school girls to tourists.

Especially popular in Southeast Asia, there are many tuk tuk variations and designs. The most common type is characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels, a canvas roof with drop-down side curtains, a small cabin at the front for the driver (sometimes known as an auto-wallah) with handlebar controls, and a cargo, passenger, or dual purpose space at the rear.

The predecessor of the tuk tuk is the original rickshaw invented in Japan about 1869, according to author Hanchao Lu in Beyond the Neon Lights: Everyday Shanghai in the Early Twentieth Century. Until 1868, vehicles with wheels were banned in Japan during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868).

For many young men from the country who migrated to large Asian cities, their first job was as a rickshaw runner, which was once called the “the deadliest occupation in the East.”

Anyone who has been a passenger in a tuk tuk in a bustling city like Bangkok can attest that it is a thrilling, sometimes seemingly death-defying, experience as the driver darts in and out of traffic along congested streets, among swarms of shoppers and school kids.

Now, you’re the driver! That’s right – in Bangkok, we offer you an experience like no other. Take tuk tuk lessons assisted by your guide as well as by a qualified driving instructor. After learning about the theory part, you will get to the most exhilarating part of the experience – actually driving one of these unique vehicles on your own. Needless to say, you will be rewarded with your Tuk-Tuk Driving License when you finish your drive.

Take a chance and go on a tuk tuk toot during our President’s Pick: Incredible Indochina.

While the word glamping only appeared for the first time in the United Kingdom about a decade ago, the concept that it implies, that of luxurious tent-living, is decidedly not new.

In the 16th Century, the Scottish Duke of Atholl prepared an extraordinary glamping experience in the Highlands for King James V and his mother with lavish tents filled with all the provisions of his own palace.

About the same time, the Ottoman sultans had ostentatious, palatial tents erected and then transported from one military mission to the next. Armies of artisans traveled with the military to set up and maintain these imperial tents.

The idea surfaced in Africa in the 1920s, when safaris became the realm of wealthy travelers seeking ultra comfort and luxury while in search of adventure. And, they were provided with every domestic comfort from folding baths to buckets of champagne.

Fast forward to 2017, and the concept is still being reinvented for the next generation with style but away from the all-luxe-all-the-time themes of the past.

Today, glamping in locales from a Guatemalan pyramid to a Chilean glacier is more about the luxury of experience.

In Guatemala, for example, Uaxactun was a sacred place of the Maya civilization, with the earliest known public structures dating back to 600 BCE. Yet archaeological research suggests that the site may have been occupied 400 years earlier, making this one of the longest-occupied Maya settlements. Uaxactun was defeated in a lengthy war with Tikal, which ended in 378 CE.

On our Colombia & Guatemala journey, you stroll crossing the same stones that ancient Mayans walked on, and that the U.S. archeologist Sylvanus Morley rediscovered in 1916. Watch the sun set in the company of an astronomy specialist. Then, stay overnight in the ruins of this amazing site. What a unique way to experience this ancient mystical Maya site in the comfort of your own private camp.

In Chile, during our President’s Pick: Chile’s Patagonia & Mapuche Culture, glamping redefines the luxury of place, as you go glamping on a glacier. Yes, you overnight on Exploradores Glacier after a day spent trekking across a glacial moraine and ice climbing. On the ice, everything becomes magical: the landscape, the colors, the sculpted glacial forms, and even the sounds of the ice cracking and your crampons breaking the ice. After a long day, you camp out in this amazing, pristine environment of ice, sea and air.

So… if you sneeze and no one is around do you still hear it?

Spirit Of Big Five FoundationEach day, more than three million tourists cross international borders, and every year more than one billion people travel abroad.  Simply put, travel and tourism combined are now one of the world’s largest industries. To make sure that the power of travel is harnessed as a positive force for people and the planet, the United Nations has declared 2017 The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The three key pillars of Sustainable Tourism are:

  • Environmentally-friendly Practices
  • Support for Protecting Cultural and Natural Heritage
  • Social and Economic Benefits to Local People

At Big Five, our longstanding commitment to sustainable tourism runs deep, and we are proud to be the only travel company to have won the prestigious Virtuoso Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award, not once, but twice (2014 and 2016). At Big Five, we know that a wonderful holiday and supporting the pillars of sustainable tourism can go hand in hand. Each month throughout this year, in celebration of the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism, we are proud to share with you how traveling with Big Five can help to support cultural heritage, protect endangered species, deliver local economic benefits, and further cross-cultural understanding and peace in the world – all wrapped together into the vacation of a lifetime. This month’s blog focuses on travel and the wellbeing of local communities.

In East Africa, we have long supported private wildlife conservancies that include small-scale tented safari camps and authentic ecolodges. These conservancies, owned by local indigenous communities, deliver job and educational opportunities to local people as well as provide important income to the indigenous landowners. The local community directly benefits – with dignity and without charity – through your visit.

Once such conservancy is the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) in Kenya. Not only does Big Five support the conservancy through our responsible travel itineraries to this spectacular wilderness area, covering more than 20,000 acres located in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, but our Spirit of Big Five Foundation also makes donations to support MWCT indigenous community health programs and anti-poaching patrols to protect endangered elephant and rhinos. MWCT operates on land owned by the local Maasai community, which receives income when travelers stay at their flagship lodge, Campi Ya Kanzi, located in the heart of MWCT. The staff and guides are local Maasai, as are the MWCT rangers who work under a partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service. Experience the world of the Maasai during our Precious Journeys® Kenya: Kids, Cats & A Tree House.

For Big Five, supporting local people also translates into empowering women in the workforce and as business owners. Five years ago, the United Nations General Assembly created “UN Women,” the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, to encourage and support the advancement of gender equality on a global scale. Big Five also recognizes the transformative power of women and girls. It is no secret among international development experts, that when you empower women in the workforce, you improve the livelihoods of entire communities, as the economic income among women goes more directly to benefit their families. When more women work, villages, neighborhoods, and communities also prosper. Gender equality in the work place is win-win for everyone. In both Egypt and India, Big Five hires women guides, both for their unique insights into the local culture, as seen through a woman’s eyes, and as powerful way to elevate women into the workforce.  We have introduced this in Egypt and India.

In Nicaragua, Big Five guests support the wellbeing of local people by, among other ways, visiting a Hammock Workshop in Granada that works with local residents who are deaf and mute, as well as with inner city children in need. The project employs these individuals to make hammocks from discarded recycled plastic bags, which have been collected by school children in exchange for school supplies. The hammocks are then sold to tourists and locals alike. Explore President’s Pick: Natural Nicaragua.

We believe in the power of travel to make the world a better place. We welcome you to join us on this great journey.

Indiana Jones is expected to return to the big screen in a couple of years. While we do not know where it will take place yet, we’d nominate Sri Lanka, a perfect fit for the role. It has all the elements for a grand adventure, from stunning relics and ancient kingdoms, to romantic tea plantations and hidden archeological treasures.

You can feel a little like Indiana Jones in your own right as you explore this island nation, especially areas in the north that are only now reopening to the outside world after some three decades of isolation. The Cultural Triangle, heart of the early Sinhalese civilization, has the ruins of Anuradhapura, capital city from the third century BCE to 993 CE. And, the amazing hidden archeological site of Kaludiya Pokuna isn’t in any guide book. The Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Lion Rock, is a massive column nearly 660 feet high that takes 1,200 steps to scale. It is topped with a fifth-century fortress that, according to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Culavamsa, was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE). The king wanted to build an impregnable fortress and within it, a heavenly abode. After the king’s death it became a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Here you can discover the ancient city of Jaffna by bicycle, the main mode of transportation in the city; dine on fresh seafood with a local family as your hosts; hike through lush tea plantations and meet the people working there. In the old port city of Galle, there is time to sample tea with a gentleman who pours a magical cup; enjoy a chat with a passionate, local amateur historian; and buy delicious samosas from a smiling lad on a bicycle cart.

Sri Lanka is not for everyone, it’s not supposed to be. But it is ideal for the adventurer that lurks in every serious traveler. Explore Sri Lanka with us on our new President’s Pick: Sri Lanka – Of Teas & Temples.

In the world of the zebra, where any misstep could be the last, hoofing it across Africa in search of green grasses is their life’s mission. And that life can last up to 25 years in the wild. During that time, zebra can trek upwards of 12 million steps in a year — without shoes.

When most people think of Africa’s zebra on the move, they usually picture East Africa during the great wildebeest migration, where hundreds of thousands of animals, primarily wildebeest and zebra, follow the seasons, traveling from Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains into Kenya’s Masai Mara.

While that is indeed a dramatic journey, it is surprisingly not the longest migration on the continent. That title belongs to the zebra of Namibia and Botswana. The migration of thousands of zebra is the second largest after East Africa. Recent research, including that carried out by the World Wildlife Fund, has discovered that, in fact, this is Africa’s longest land mammal migration!

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The movement of massive herds of plains or Burchell’s zebra between Namibia and Botswana covers a distance of more than 300 miles roundtrip. They travel in pretty much a straight north-south direction, taking some two to three weeks to complete the first half of the journey in November and December. The rainy season’s ample rainfall allows the zebra to thrive away from permanent water sources for about ten weeks before they return to the Chobe River along the Namibia/Botswana border for the dry season.

The sight of these huge herds is breathtaking as they move across the Kalahari Desert into the remote, briefly lush, salt pans of the delta. Yet this incredible natural event has remained largely unknown to most people. Witness this stunning spectacle for yourself on our Precious Journeys® College Edition Southern Africa: Teeth of the Crocodile.

 

Looking back over the last year, it was both challenging and exciting. We all saw our share of tragedies and triumphs as we do every year, yet, amazingly, each time we manage to end up stronger, wiser and ready for whatever comes next.

We wanted to pause for a moment to reflect on 2016 and look forward to 2017.

Last year, we were honored to become the only company in Virtuoso’s history to twice win the Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award, having won in both 2016 and 2014. And, our weekly blog was featured as one of the Top 100 Luxury Travel Blogs by Feedspot.com.

We launched our President’s Picks collection of innovative tours that encompass some unique activities not found elsewhere. For 2017, this collection will encompass re-emerging destinations including Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bolivia and Nicaragua.

To make your job easier, we initiated video conference calls that allow both the agent and the clients to have direct visual access to one of our Destination Specialists for a more personal conversation with the ability to share images, maps and more.

“This has proven very successful with both agents and their clients,” says Ashish Sanghrajka, president. “We have found that these visual sessions provide a key element in successful travel planning – setting the right expectations. We eliminate potential issues when all parties know exactly what to expect.”

And, we are delighted that the United Nations has declared this the Year of Sustainability. Over the course of the year, Big Five will highlight projects in locations around the globe we support that align with the principles of sustainability. For example, we continue to partner with One More Generation, whose project One Less Straw aims to reduce the use of plastic straws in places such as Colombia.

We are eager to explore with you the possibilities of 2017.

Family households threw dice to determine who would become the temporary (much like Ashish) monarch during the festival of Saturnalia, the pagan Roman winter solstice festival.

It was a public holiday celebrated around December 25th in the family home. A time for feasting, goodwill, giving to the poor and decorating trees.

The first-century CE poet Gaius Valerius Catullus described Saturnalia as ‘the best of times’ when dress codes were relaxed, and small gifts such as dolls, candles and caged birds were exchanged.

Saturnalia also meant an exchange of social roles, decidedly temporary. The wealthy were expected to pay the month’s rent for those who couldn’t afford it; and masters and slaves swapped clothes.

It began as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honor of Saturn (satus means sowing). Archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, show that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century CE.

Saturnalia grew longer and was held on progressively later dates during the Roman era. During the reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BCE-14CE), it was a two-day event beginning on December 17th. But it evolved over time into a seven-day happening. Changes to the Roman calendar moved the end of Saturnalia to December 25th, around the time of the date of the winter solstice.

In honor of the season, whatever you choose to call it, we wanted to share some pictures from Big Five’s holiday/winter (remember we are in Florida) party here. No, we did not swap clothing. That would have been creepy.  

All of us at Big Five wish you and your families a holiday filled with joy, celebration and all good things (and maybe a few silly ones).  And, may 2017 be a year of peace, health and prosperity for us all.

 

A mother kicking her baby

But in the world of giraffes it’s true. A giraffe gives birth standing up and the newborn falls almost six feet to the ground! The baby is somewhat protected during the fall by the sac it is enveloped in.

Yet despite such an abrupt and dramatic entry into the world, a newborn calf is in for more. The mother giraffe first lovingly lowers her head to clean her baby. And then… she lifts her long leg and kicks the newborn. As the baby lies curled up, the mother continues to kick the calf until the little giraffe, still trembling and exhausted, pushes its limbs outward and for the first time stands on its feet. Then, there comes another kick from mom that knocks the baby down. But the youngster quickly recovers and stands up. The mother has taught her baby the first lesson of survival – learn to quickly get up and to run with the pack, or become prey to lions, leopards or other predators.

Unless it learns this lesson immediately, it has no chance at life. As it is, only about 25% of newborn giraffes survive to adulthood. But the little giraffe can stand up and run within an hour after birth. Of course, little is a matter of perspective. This baby actually stands about six feet tall when born, and can weigh in at about 150 to 200 pounds.

Giraffe have no formal breeding seasons as they are designed to be able to shift feeding patterns in order to maintain a high nutrient diet throughout most of the year. It has been observed that calving can be synchronized in herds to provide safety in numbers against predators.

Giraffes can survive in the wild for about 20 to 25 years with the right conditions. Unfortunately, as of 2014, there were only about 80,000 giraffes left in all of Africa, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. This is a major drop from 1999, when there were an estimated 140,000 giraffes on the continent.

It was once thought that there was one single living species of giraffe with numerous subspecies, but research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA have revealed four to six distinct extant species that include Northern Giraffe, Southern Giraffe, Masai Giraffe and Reticulated Giraffe.

There are a variety of wonderful places to go in search of these lanky beauties, including Etosha National Park in Namibia. Flat, open spaces with thorny acacia trees is ideal giraffe country, especially around watering holes, where you will also find many other animals including impala, zebra and oryx. Explore the world of giraffes in Etosha National Park on our Namibia Flying Safari.

 

P.S.  The holidays are closing in fast – just 288 hours left, but who’s counting. Ask us about last-minute holiday space.

 

Nikki Visootha Lohitnavy is the first and only female winemaker of Thailand. A non-traditional woman in a non-traditional grape-growing region of the tropics, she is the Director of Viticulture and Winemaking Operations at her family’s winery, GranMonte Estate Vineyard. Graduated from the University of Adelaide in December 2008, she is the only scholar in history of university to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Oenology together with Honours in Viticulture. Her research was published in two respected scientific journals, Journal of Food Quality and Preference (UK) and Vitis (USA).

After graduation, she returned to the land in Northeast Thailand, once a cornfield and cashew plantation, where her father, Visooth Lohitnavy, established the vineyard in 1999. He had a vision for what he wanted to create there; and he studied diligently the vines and soil types to choose just the right varieties that would grow in his vineyard and yield fruit for future generations.

Set in the foothills of Khao Yai National Park, some 350 meters/1,148 feet above sea level, GranMonte Estate Vineyard lies in Asoke Valley, known for its beautiful yellow blossoms indigenous to the region. GranMonte, has a planting area of about 90 rai (approximately 15 hectares/36 acres). It has become a family affair that includes Lohitnavy, his wife, Sakuna, and their two daughters, Mimi and Nikki.

Today, Nikki adapts new winemaking innovations and techniques in the vineyard and wines to further accelerate GranMonte and Thai wines to the highest international quality. The vineyard produces some 15 varieties plus fresh grape juice. The wine grape varieties grown include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Verdelho, Durif and Grenache. The table grapes come in many varieties with or without seeds, such as Muscat of Alexandria and Hamburg, Thomson, Perlette and Maroo seedless grapes.

The wines have won more than 100 awards in the past four years, including two gold medals and 10 silver medals at the 2016 AWC Vienna, the largest officially recognized international wine competition in the world. Some 1800 wine producers submitted 12,826 wines for judging this year. GranMonte was also judged the Best National Producer of Thailand.

In this unconventional viticulture climate, the winery employs a precision farming system called ‘smart vineyard’, which incorporates a microclimate monitoring system. It combines scientific experiences in grape diseases with leading edge technologies that include cameras and instruments that monitor rain, wind and soil.

GranMonte Estate is only about 160 kilometers/99 miles from Bangkok in a perfect setting with a serene atmosphere and beautiful natural surroundings. It includes a guest house that offers a quiet and unique retreat in Thailand within the idyllic vineyard.

You can experience this award-winning Thai vineyard on our 17-day Thailand and Cambodia adventure.

 

P.S.  Holiday countdown continues whether we like it or not: Only 432 hours left until you have a problem. Call about last-minute available space.

 

In Colombia, people begin putting up holiday decorations as early as mid-October. Indeed, some homes and businesses leave the lights up year round, dimming them during the off-season. And, as soon as November arrives, lights start popping up everywhere from upscale malls to small houses, in windows, across roofs and in trees. This season offers an excuse for cities and towns to try to top one another with the most spectacular lights displays possible. Of course, that is especially true in major cities like Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín, which boast massive light spectacles in parks and public spaces.

This year will bring a special element to the celebrations – the recent, new peace pact between Colombia’s government and the FARC rebel group. This agreement, though still controversial among many, has the potential in the long run to bring an end to a 52-year-old conflict. But it won’t happen overnight.

Cited in a recent Wall Street Journal article, William Ury, a Harvard University expert on conflict resolution who has advised Colombia and other countries, said “We’re talking about 2, 5, 10 years, 15 years even. Just looking at other peace processes around the world, these things take time.”

Ashish is currently in Colombia, leading as educational trip that includes an exclusive look at graffiti art. He reports, “We have talked to many people in Bogota about this in the last 48 hours from guides to drivers to graffiti artists. There is a lot of excitement about what this historic agreement will mean for Colombia’s future and its blossoming tourism sector.”

Big Five began offering Colombia about eight years ago, and is today an even bigger, more committed fan of this dynamic country. “The potential is there to project Colombia as a new beacon of stability in Latin America that is trying to peacefully shed the nightmares of its past for a greater future,” adds Ashish.

But you don’t have to wait to experience Colombia. Begin your exploration with the 10-day Colombia’s Gems. Ride a bike through Bogota, dig for your own emerald, savor a private rum tasting in Cartagena, discover Medellin’s barrios, and travel into the heart of Colombia’s coffee growing zone.

 

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We are pleased that Big Five’s blog was selected as one of the  Top 100 Luxury Travel Blogs by Feedspot.com.

 

Relax, it’s over for now. Time to get back to basics and focus on the good stuff – the really good stuff like days spent enjoying the rhythms of the East African bush. Walk the spectacular Kalama mountains of Northern Kenya. Saruni Samburu, a safari camp within the Kalama Community Conservancy, is an ideal spot to discover the charms of the African bush. Take in the landscapes with all your senses. See, feel, touch and smell the earth, trees, bushes and rocks. Meet and walk with Samburu warriors in the wild lands. Learn about their traditions and their lives today. Encounter elephants, Grevy’s zebra, giraffe and a variety of other residents in the conservancy. Savor sunsets, picnics and bush dinners.

The conservancy includes about 54,000 square hectares near the border of the Samburu National Reserve, and has become a welcoming place for both people and wildlife. As part of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), it offers a holistic approach to grassland management that insures a balanced and sustainable ecosystem able to support a healthy mix of cattle, wildlife and communities.

NRT encompasses 33 conservancies that form a patchwork of protected areas that incorporate ocean, mountain, desert, forest and grassland habitats. Each habitat supports a breathtaking range of biodiversity – from the most iconic African mammals to the lesser known birds, reptiles and marine life.

Safari camps such as Saruni Samburu, which Ashish mentioned recently in The New York Times article “How to Have a Culturally Rich Vacation,” offer you an authentic avenue to experience a way of life that has all but vanished from most of the world.

Renew your spirit and calm your soul – the African wilderness can do that. Spend the holidays in the Kenya Highlands.

 

 

 

“You may delay, but time will not.”

 

So said the ever-wise Benjamin Franklin. Indeed, time is a precarious and precious thing. It can rush past us like a shooting star on its journey home, or race past like a horse to the finish line. I expect to hear holiday music any minute now.

We suspect that like so many of us, you have been on overload with the flurry of activity from work to elections to getting the kids back to school this fall. So you may not have had the time to plan for the holidays.

Indeed, there are roughly 45 days – a mere 3,840,000 seconds – until the real season rush begins. But there is good news… It’s late but it’s not too late.

The chances are good that you can have a fabulous holiday getaway as long as you are somewhat flexible about the destination. While many locales were sold out long ago, there are still some great places to go such as Costa Rica, for example.

Costa Rica is well known and much visited. But whether you have been to Costa Rica or just heard a lot about it, you don’t know our Costa Rica – full of little-known places that offer luxury plus an abundance of active adventures. Our newest President’s Pick: Costa Rica Authentic   features a thrilling ultra-light flight that takes you soaring over breathtaking landscapes and waterfalls as well as whitewater rafting, zip lining, horseback riding and hiking. You can also learn about sustainable growing techniques used on plantations to produce some of the finest coffee available anywhere.

Stay tuned to future blogs and we will share some other last-minute gems.

 

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