SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN RUSSIAN

One of the latest additions to the whl.travel network is Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a destination that, in contrast with some of its ancient sister-city counterparts, is rather unvisited by today’s Western traveller. It has been considered by poets and historians as the “Rome of the East” owing to its impressive cultural history and numerous ancient sites. In fact, given its 2500 years of history, it is as old as Rome and Babylon, and, due to its unique geographical position on the Silk Road route, it has served as a link between Europe and Asia, influenced by a fascinating blend of cultures – Indian, Mongolian, Iranian, Eastern and Western. Which is why, in 2001, Samarkand was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as “Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures” and is counted among the top cities of Central Asia to visit.

Samarkand's Registan Square, a pearl of Oriental architecture with three majestic madrasahs – Ulugbek Madrasah (left), Sher-Dor Madrasah (right), Tillya-Kari Madrasah (center), is a symbol of the city.

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Posted under General, Uzbekistan, countries, new local connections, whl.travel news

Lesotho is the very small ‘Kingdom in the Sky’ completely land-locked by South Africa. It’s a perfect gem of a place – especially for the independent traveller – where the exploring opportunities seem endless.

You Too a Basotho

To come to grips with new cultures, what could be better as first immersion than to live with the locals? The Mamohase Bed and Breakfast is a family-owned bed and breakfast that gives you a truly Basotho experience. Everything is honestly and truly traditional because it is just as the others in the village do (and have done for centuries): sleep in thatch-roofed mud huts, take morning baths with a sponge and bowl of hot water, use the nearby outhouse etc. At mealtime you are also welcome to dine on traditional meals with your hosts, who are happy to talk about their family, culture and history. During the day, you can hike in the area, hire horses from the community or arrange for village tours with dancing and singing. You’re even treated to a taste of the locally grown veggies used to prepare meals.

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Posted under General, Lesotho, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

How the simple act of singing one organisation’s praise led to a whl.travel holiday in the Caribbean
By Kim Chai

This is an abridged version of a longer article, found here.

“Karma works for Kim!” said the email from Pam Logan, the founder of Kham Aid Foundation, a small non-profit I had nominated in the Geotourism Challenge contest in December 2007. Pam congratulated me for winning a trip “anywhere in the world.”

The author at her anywhere-in-the-world location of choice!

My initial reaction was “Huh?” I’d assumed the contest was to pick the best sustainable-tourism NGO; how come I was the winner? I’d gone with fellow volunteers on an art-conservation trip led by Pam in September 2007 to Kham, on the eastern Tibetan plateau. After our trip Pam asked if we would write about it on Ashoka’s Changemakers website. Hugely impressed, I was happy to sing their praises. I wrote a few hurried but heartfelt paragraphs on the website, without paying much attention to contest details.

I was really pleased to win in a worthy cause, but the magnitude of the prize dawned on me when I surfed the whl.travel portal, which leads to so many wonderfully offbeat destinations and great choices of accommodation that deciding where to go was really hard. I thought it should be somewhere that I would never have dreamt of going; also someplace warm since I could only take leave around Christmas, but not just a sunny resort.

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Posted under General, Jamaica, countries, local tips, responsible traveller, whl.travel newsletter

How the simple act of singing one organisation’s praise led to a whl.travel holiday in the Caribbean
By Kim Chai

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Posted under General, Jamaica, countries, local tips, responsible traveller, whl.travel newsletter

If you thought visiting Brazil in summer was all about crowded beaches and hordes of tourists, think again! The tiny island of Fernando de Noronha, 340km off the northeast coast of Brazil is a peaceful gem waiting to be discovered. With the government limiting the number of visitors to 420 people at any one time in order to preserve the pristine environment, you’ll find unspoiled beaches, secluded bays, stunning sunsets and spectacular marine life.

Another awesome sunset from Forte Nossa Senhora Dos Remédios on Fernando de Noronha

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Posted under Brazil, General, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

The Cook Islands are best known for their pristine beaches and warm lagoons, the kinds of retreats that usually appeal to travellers in the South Pacific Ocean. Most visitors therefore end up on the two most popular and easily reachable islands, Rarotonga and Aitutaki. However, the Cook Islands have so much more to offer, especially the kinds of secrets that locals keep close to their chests – and that are a recipe for a truly local experience.

There are many forms of beauty in the Cook Islands

To try it, you must venture to the more secluded and uncommercialised islands, like Atiu and Mangaia, where you can experience the Pacific as it once was – like Hawaii 50 years ago or Tahiti 30 years ago. 
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Posted under Cook Islands, General, countries, local tips, whl.travel newsletter

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cappadocia is the Turkish Anatolian region southeast of Ankara. Once surrounded by volcanoes, it has been repeatedly buried by lava and ash over millions of years. Today, it is famous for its incredible eroded volcanic rock formations and the cave hotels carved directly into them, especially in the villages of Ürgüp, Göreme and Uchisar. Although some of these hotels offer the heights of luxury, most, like Melekler Evi and the Kayadam Cave House, are run by local families and have only two or three rooms. Is it any wonder that Cappadocia is visited by almost one million people per year?

The Ihlara Canyon is the largest gorge of Cappadocia, a natural and historic wonder. The formations seen here are near Selime Village, near where a Star Wars movie was filmed.

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Posted under Turkey, countries, local tips, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

On 8 December 2008, under a marquee on a beach at Le Lagon Resort in Port Vila, the Vanuatu Tourism Association (VTA) distributed honours to the stars of its industry. On hand were John and Silvana Nicholls of Vanuatu Hotels to present to Epi Guesthouse the Green Award, introduced to create a greater more serious awareness of and engagement in the issues of environmental and cultural protection in tourism.

The Epi Guesthouse, a welcome home

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Posted under General, Vanuatu, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

On 11 January 2009 the New York Times (NYT) published a piece entitled The 44 Places to Go in 2009. The introduction suggests that they are the new year’s ‘most compelling destinations’ and they’re presented in an order of preference ‘recommended’ by the NYT. At the article’s request, readers also voted on their favourites and, with the click of a button, the preferences can be shuffled to reflect readers’ recommendations too.

Reader comments on the article covered fairly predictable ground, lamenting omitted destinations (“Nothing in China? I am a bit surprised.” “Not a single Canadian destination?”), suggesting new ones (“Visit Poland!” “Tanzania? Kenya”?), criticising those on the list (“Dallas? You’ve got to be kidding!” “Beirut? Get real.”), questioning the division into sub-categories (“How is Greece not a cultural option?” “Can someone explain to me how $600 a night in South Africa is ‘frugal’?”) and even challenging the validity and sustainability of the topic (“Honestly, how many working people will be able to afford big vacations this year?” “Do the authors and publishers of travel pieces like this bear responsibility for the environmental damage wrought by those who go?”)

One of my personal favourites is this one: Read More…

Posted under Australia, Brazil, General, Greece, India, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Zambia, countries, whl.travel newsletter

An important thought from Len Cordiner, CEO of whl.travel:

For the past 20 years work has been underway by governments, NGOs and some industry groups to get suppliers of travel product, especially accommodations and tours, certified as eco-friendly.

More recently the scope of certification has been broadened to include social and cultural issues as well – all part of a movement focusing on sustainability.

Whilst I applaud the intent, efforts and enthusiasm of all the experts involved, I can’t help but feel things haven’t gone so well. It seems to me that key beneficiaries of the message – you! the travellers! – have been left out. As a result, many suppliers are not so sure that the cost of certification will be rewarded by increased patronage.

The result today is a proliferation of certification schemes around the world all trying to push their message down to travel product providers, but none of them having gained any real traction as far as I can see.

In fact in the developing world, where whl.travel is active, it is rare to find an accommodation provider with any form of certification and even rarer to find a traveller using certification as a selection criteria for where they shop.

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Posted under General, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter