Think Thanksgiving. Think giving. Consider combining an adventure vacation in the mountains of Belize with important volunteer work with the not-for-profit Casa Avian Support Alliance (www.casaavian.org).
A five day/four night holiday stay at Casa del Caballo Blanco eco lodge (www.casacaballoblanco.com) includes a visit to the major Mayan ceremonial site of Tikal, tubing through Xibalba, the Mayan underworld of the Caves Branch River, and hands-on work with the center’s avian rescue and rehabilitation program.
Casa del Caballo Blanco eco lodge is a six-casita accommodation on 23 scenic hilltop acres near San Ignacio, Belize. It shares space with an avian rehabilitation and release center called Casa Avian Support Alliance and offers voluntourism and adventure opportunities on premise and throughout the region.
Concerned travelers now can put words into action by booking a visit here and participating in avian rescue and rehabilitation efforts while also enjoying the culture, adventure and tranquility of a vacation in Belize. This is the first avian voluntourism program of its kind in Belize. It has been endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance sustainable Tourism Program (www.rainforest-alliance.org), Belize Audubon Society, Friends for Conservation and Development and Birds Without Borders.
The four-night Thanksgiving package, dubbed the “Toucan Tour” runs $815 per person inclusive of accommodation, most meals, planned outings and on-site volunteer work with the various ongoing avian support projects. Excluded are local taxes, optional activities and service charges. Operation of both the lodge and its avian project, both not for profit, depend partly on guest revenues from the lodge operations as well as volunteer labor and participation to fulfill its vital mission.
“Habitat destruction, the effects of global warming and the illegal poaching and capture of exotic birds are real world problems. The work we do here seeks to understand and support the biodiversity of Belize that attracts and sustains over 530 species of migratory and resident birds spotted in a given year,” explains lodge owner Vance Bente.
E.O. Wilson, citing work done by leading wildlife biologists on the destruction of rain forests in the Americas, suggests that within a century, “The stage will be set…for the inevitable loss of 12 percent of the 704 bird species in the Amazon Basin and 15 percent of the plant species in South and Central America.”
Lodge visitors are encouraged to assist with on-site nest-box building, general maintenance and feeding as well as habitat restoration, nature trail building, wild bird identification and signage. In addition, lodge guests can access numerous Mayan ruins and indigenous villages in Belize and across the border into Guatemala including Flores on Lago Peten, the World Heritage site of Tikal, and the recent Survivor site at Yaxha/Topoxte.
Casa’s hacienda-style Main House celebrates the region’s Hispanic culture with high, beamed ceilings, tile floors, hand-made furniture and interior design features hand-crafted by local artisans to evoke the footprint of an ordered, spiritual world of centuries ago. Nestled on a hillside overlooking the Mopan River Valley, the location provides a stunning view of the Mer de Verde, the “Green Ocean,” a site that could likely have been used in a similar manner by the Mayans. The guest quarters, six thatch-roofed, fully screen cabanas, all have en-suite bathrooms, refrigerators, hand-crafted furniture and Mayan-inspired fabrics.
Meals served in an airy, thatch-roofed dining room include Mayan food prepared in centuries-old Quiché, Mopan and Yucatecan traditions. Creole foods combine exotic Hispanic and Caribbean flavors. All produce is fresh from Casa’s own gardens and local markets and prepared locally by Belizeans.
On-site facilities provide a haven for avian wildlife recently freed from captivity or treated for injury or illness. Here birds can heal, rehabilitate and eventually be released back into their natural habitat. The facility is dynamic and will evolve annually with the guidance and cooperation of the Forest Department, Belize Audubon Society, Friends for Conservation and Development, Aves Sin Fronteras, and other organizations and experts from the avian community. Visit the alliance website for more information, www.casaavian.org
Lodge guests are also welcome to join its Passport Program that over time will showcase a half dozen other properties in the Americas with organizations who have similar goals and missions such as avian support.
For information on year-round educational programs and vacation packages, please visit www.casacaballoblanco.com or call 707-974-4942.
SOURCE: Widness & Wiggins PR
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
While summer winds down, the hiking season quietly shifts into one of its most stunning periods. The cooler days of late August and early September offer a refreshing opportunity to explore hidden valleys and high alpine ridges. Larch trees flare up with breathtaking glory as their blazing yellow needles contrast sharply against a deep sapphire sky, snow kissed peaks, and the sparkling waters of a hidden glacial lake.
It is not too late, with Canadian Mountain Holidays you can still capture the magic of themountains with trips starting August 20, 23, 26, 29, September 1, 4 and 7, 2007.
For more information and reservations, go to www.CanadianMountainHolidays.com or call 1-800-661-0252.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
The Portland Oregon Visitors Association (POVA) has partnered with the Oregon Wine Board (OWB) to create a "Green Getaways" package. This online promotion - a natural fit in eco-friendly Oregon - combines green hotels with hybrid car rentals and sustainable winery and vineyard tours in the Oregon wine country.
Available through the end of 2007, the "Green Getaways" promotion includes the following:
· A double-occupancy hotel room at one of five green hotel properties: Doubletree Hotel Portland - Lloyd Center (BlueWorks, Climate Trust, Green Seal certified); The Heathman Hotel (recognized by the Energy Trust, becoming Energy Star certified); Hilton Portland & Executive Tower (Green Seal certified); Hotel Monaco Portland (BlueWorks, Kimpton EarthCare); and the Hotel Vintage Plaza (BlueWorks, Kimpton EarthCare).
· Complimentary hotel parking, saving guests $20 per night (downtown average).
· Complimentary continental breakfast for two each morning.
· Discounts on Enterprise Rent-A-Car's eco-friendly fleet, which includes flex-fuel and hybrid cars.
· Opportunities to visit some of Oregon's sustainable vineyards for green-focused tours, tastings and special offers. Among the types of activities visitors might experience are the Sustainable Vineyard Tour at Ponzi Vineyards (Saturday and Sunday, noon and 3 p.m.); the Taste, Tour & Picnic Package at Stoller Winery (a special $30 per person offer that includes tasting, a winery tour, a picnic lunch and disc golf); or 20 percent off wine when purchasing two or more bottles at Van Duzer Winery.
· A Portland "Big Deal" coupon book featuring additional savings and special offers at local restaurants, attractions and retail outlets.
For details, including a complete list of package participants, visit www.portlandbigdeal.com or www.oregonwine.org. Travelers can book packages online at www.portlandbigdeal.com or call POVA's toll-free hotline, 1.877.678.5263.
All of the participating wineries are within 60 miles of Portland. Green travelers are encouraged to book their Green Getaways early. Hotel rates and offers are subject to availability, depending on dates of travel and hotel occupancy.
Portland Oregon Visitors Association
POVA is a non-profit, independent association whose mission is to strengthen the region's economy by marketing the metropolitan Portland area as a preferred destination for meetings, conventions and leisure travel. www.travelportland.com
The Oregon Wine Board
The Oregon Wine Board is a semi-independent state agency that manages marketing, research and education initiatives that support and advance the Oregon wine and wine grape industries. The Board represents more than 350 wineries, 300 independent growers and 15,600 vineyard acres throughout the state's diverse winegrowing regions. For more information about Oregon wine or how you can plan a trip to Oregon wine country, visit www.oregonwine.org.
SOURCE: Portland Oregon Visitors Association
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Join Backroads for an active vacation in Africa, Asia & the Pacific or Latin America and venture off the beaten track, explore exotic lands, and experience unique and diverse cultures.
All Backroads trips provide the perfect balance of activity, relaxation, spectacular surroundings and rich cultural encounters. The 2008 lineup of Exotic Escapes is no exception. Here’s some of what’s in store:
Soak up the wonders of Peru on a new lodge-to-lodge trek to one of the ancient world’s most extraordinary sanctuaries, Machu Picchu. This trip features some of the best hiking this strikingly beautiful destination has to offer.
Experience a new biking trip in the stunning natural beauty of northern Argentina—an evocative landscape of immense geologic variety: dramatic wind-carved rock formations, mountain passes tinted in vibrant rainbow colors, lush cloud forests green vineyards.
Fascinating history, diverse scenery and cultural immersion await on our once-in-a-lifetime journey through Vietnam and Cambodia.
Did You Know? Backroads guarantees its trips will run! No cancellations due to low enrollment—once confirmed on a trip, guests can count on a great Backroads vacation. See the Web for the rare exceptions to this unique policy that, as always, puts guests first.
For More Information
For detailed information on all Backroads active vacations, contact Backroads at 800-GO-ACTIVE (462-2848) or visit www.backroads.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
The Insiders’ Culinary Adventure with The Santa Fe School of Cooking
Santa Fe has made a big name for itself in the global restaurant scene. For centuries before Santa Fe was even considered a city, there was an interesting and unique food culture cultivated by the Native American peoples. The trinity of cultures, Native American, Spanish and Anglo, that assembled here give our city the foundation for her exquisite food offerings. Our local chefs embrace the traditions of the ancients and draw off their individual backgrounds to produce one of the most diverse and exciting ‘food scenes’ in North America.
Where does an out-of-towner, a new transplant or an interested native begin to investigate this eclectic mix of old and new, traditional and contemporary? At The Santa Fe School of Cooking, of course. The Insiders’ Culinary Adventure begins at the school in downtown Santa Fe for a taste of the traditional New Mexican chile then heads off on an intimate walking tour of restaurants and a museum that illustrate the diversity of our capitol’s offerings. The tour will be led by one of the fabulous chef/instructors from the schools staff.
On tour, meet the owner of Los Mayas, a traditional Mexican restaurant and discuss the differences between Mexican and New Mexican while sampling the unique and scrumptious food. Followed by a visit to Amavi, the just opened and much anticipated restaurant of local celebrity chef David Sellers, famous for his many years heading up the kitchen at SantaCafe. Dave will dazzle participants palates with his finely tuned cooking style that has earned him a great reputation.
Lois Ellen Frank, a James Beard award winning author, will be waiting for the tour in the courtyard of the Institute of the American Indian Arts where you will taste some Native food and learn the Native influence on food and culture-not to mention a peek at some great art. (A pass is included with the tour so you can return the next day for a more in depth viewing.) Finally, raise a glass of Spanish sherry with chef/owner James Campbell Caruso of Santa Fe’s new tapas hot spot, La Boca, the big winner at this years Taste of Santa Fe, taking home the Best In Show!
Participants can look forward to meeting some of Santa Fe’s top chefs and a one-of-a-kind introduction to Santa Fe's diverse culinary scene.
The Insiders’ Culinary Adventure is being offered July 9, 16, 26, 30, Aug 13, 20 and 27. The tour begins at 1:00 and will run about three hours. Cost is $105.00 per person.
Call (505) 983-4511 for more info, or visit www.santafeschoolofcooking.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".