* LEIA LOGO ABAIXO ESTA NOTICIA EM PORTUGUÊS / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN PORTUGUESE

Once overrun with pirates and slave traders, the peninsula of Armação dos Búzios, or simply Búzios, began to receive a different kind of welcome attention during the 1960s, when Brigitte Bardot popularised its brilliant beaches. It has since been transformed into one of the best seaside resorts in Brazil, a trendy destination especially for Brazilians and Argentines.

The harbour of Búzios fills with fishing boats in the afternoon and offers lovely sunsets. There are several hotels with views overlooking this spectacle.

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Posted under Brazil, countries, new local connections, whl.travel news

By Johnny Hogue

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As perhaps the premier Mediterranean destination for diving, Kaş, located on the south coast of Turkey, frequently mesmerises first-time visitors. It seems to have a magical quality that people return to again and again. This is particularly true for scuba divers and snorkelers, who discover in Kaş’s waters its unusual shore formations, ancient and modern wrecks, reefs, canyons and large caves.

Around Kaş, Turkey, the crystal-clear turquoise Mediterranean Sea, purified by local currents, offers excellent diving conditions

In fact, the Turkish diver community has declared the nearby rocky reefs to be the country’s best. In the waters of Kaş, lucky divers can thrill to a swim alongside a gentle giant sea turtle or the rare Mediterranean monk seal, both carefully protected. Schools of dolphins sometimes race a dive boat out of the Kaş marina. Groupers appear on almost every dive, along with schools of calamari and small barracuda.
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Posted under General, Turkey, countries, local tips, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

By Pedro Paulo Capelossi

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Every year, people travel to Fernando de Noronha, a group of islands off the coast of Brazil, to meet some of the archipelago’s most famous residents: spinner dolphins.

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

By Laura Fornadel

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When deliberating a honeymoon – an important rite of passage for all soon-to-be-married couples – traditional romantic cities like Venice or Paris are usually top destination choices. Few amorous outings compare to a stroll along the Seine or a gondolier’s serenade on the Venetian canals. This year, however, a new locale has topped a few lists for those in search of romantic settings… and it isn’t in Europe!

Newlyweds Ken and Isabella look to the horizon and contemplate their future at Anse Source d’Argent on la Digue Island in the Seychelles after their wedding

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

Image/text by Elsie C. Orabona, whl.travel local connection
in Ubatuba, Brazil

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That’s a hawksbill turtle. With its namesake hawk-like bill, it is considered one of the most beautiful of the five marine turtle species encountered in Brazilian waters. It is a superb animal and can live more than 60 years. Unfortunately, already critically endangered, it will one day be extinct if people continue to kill them for food or for their shells (used to manufacture combs and eyeglasses).

The encounter shown above happened in Ubatuba, Brazil, during a dive. Our region is blessed with a lot of algae, fish, sponges and crustaceans that most marine turtles love to eat, so it’s very common for us to see them on our beaches and swimming around our snorkelling and dive sites. They are so sweet and move so gracefully underwater that they enchant almost every diver.

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Posted under Brazil, Photo of the Week, countries, responsible organisations

By Maureen Valentine

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Off Panama’s Pacific coast lies Isla Gobernadora, a peaceful and natural haven practically untouched by modern preoccupations. For the local inhabitants, primarily fishermen, island life tends to revolve around the seasons and tides, and the absence of roads and cars means that people get around by boats or boots. This hasn’t however prevented outsiders from beating a path to the famous surfing point of Santa Catalina or establishing a base for diving trips into Coiba National Park or nearby Isla Cebico.

Boats on the Isla Gobernadora shore await use in this ideal diving area. The beautiful waters of the Pacific off Panama draw some of the best divers in the world.

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Posted under General, Panama, countries, responsible organisations, responsible travel, responsible travel news, whl.travel newsletter

By Maureen Valentine

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Off the Caribbean coast of Venezuela lies Los Roques, a remote paradise, where stretches of picturesque beach meet a crystal-clear sea teeming with schools of colourful fish. Over the centuries, this near-utopia archipelago has seduced many tourists into full-time residence with its isolation, charm and stark beauty. It was even once described by Christopher Columbus as ‘heaven on earth,’ and has continued to amaze Venezuelans and international holidaymakers alike as they take a break from the routine of everyday life.

The turquoise waters and marine wildlife diversity of the Los Roques archipelago make it an ideal location for diving and snorkelling. Close encounters with sea turtles are common.

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Posted under General, Venezuela, countries, local tips, responsible organisations, responsible travel, whl.travel newsletter

Image/text by Pedro Paulo Godoy Capelossi,
whl.travel local connection in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

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These eagle spotted rays were seen at Laje Dois Irmãos, a dive site off Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, famous for reef sharks encounters. Coming across rays like those pictured here is also very common.

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Posted under Brazil, General, Photo of the Week, countries

The Bodrum Peninsula has been drawing travellers from around the world for a very long time. With white sandy beaches, quaint village restaurants dishing up fresh seafood and impressive archaeological sites to explore, there’s little wonder why so many people choose to visit Bodrum time and time again!

Blooms of bougainvillea stand out against the white-washed walls of a typical Bodrum home

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

SILAKAN LIHAT DI BAWAH INI UNTUK ARTIKEL INI DALAM BAHASA INDONESIA / SEE BELOW FOR THIS MESSAGE IN INDONESIAN

Bali is the most famous of Indonesia’s many and spectacular Lesser Sunda Islands, a 1200-kilometre-long archipelago east of Java that also includes Komodo, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor, and Lembata and Alor, not to mention a mouthful of adjacent smaller islands. Visitors will find them bursting with human culture and vivid with mind-boggling land-based flora and fauna – like the famous Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard in the world, native only to Komodo National Park and some parts of Flores island – as well as some of the world’s most spectacular and unusual marine life.

The fully grown male Komodo dragon can reach three metres in length and about 100 kilograms in weight

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