Archive for the ‘Ecotourism’ Category

By Dian Hasan | January 15, 2010

Calling out all Biking Adventure lovers: Destination Sulawesi, a 525 km adventure route in and around Tana Toraja (Feb 1 – 13, 2010)

Indonesia is renowned as the last eden on earth, home to the second largest rainforest biodiversity after the Amazon. Adventure awaits at every corner, replete with among the friendliest people in the world and a culture and fiery cuisine like no other.

They say the closer you get to the ground and to the people, the better to appreciate their culture. Such is the philosophy behind Cycle Sulawesi, a 13-day biking adventure tour organized by Jakarta & Sydney-based Cycle Indonesia.

Colin Freestone, Founder of Cycle Indonesia, is avid cyclist, die-hard Yoga practitioner, and old Indonesia hand, will be your guide par excellence. Mr. Freestone, who happens to be my uncle, will lead the group tour through Tana Toraja’s famed natural beauty and her unique culture. This is Cycle Indonesia’s second year, after last year’s successful debut (see pictures below), which was a much longer trip covering Makassar to Tana Toraja (27 days, 1,200 km)

Other activities include: Daily Yoga Sessions lead by in-house guru, Mr. Freestone himself. Trekking, Rafting, Village Stays and a chance to dabble into Bahasa Indonesia.
ARE YOU GAME? To learn more about pricing and registration, click here. Or email Colin Freestone of Cycle Indonesia at: cycle_indonesia@bigpond.com.au Read the rest of this entry »

By Dian Hasan | September 11, 2009

Let’s be frank, we all live with lists! The vast majority of us LOVE it, while others disdain it. But we all get through life – a little easier – equipped with these lists, or a variation thereof. Published Best Of~ lists, in particular, probably fascinate us the most.

The Media makes perennial compilations – print, electronic and now… viral. Everyone from Celebrity Gossip magazines to TV Gossip Shows, Yahoo and YouTube… including glossy Travel Magazines, like Condé Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure who each year anoint “what’s hot” and “what’s not”, in Hotels, Spas, Airlines, Restaurants, and Travel Destinations. Even National Geographic has their version of a hot hotel list, but focuses on what matters the most – whether or not they have a green heart. The result: 50 Top Ecolodges: The Most Earth-Friendly Retreats in the World’s Most Spectacular Wilds. Here’s a partial look at some of them, across the 5 different categories of: Island, Savanna, Jungle, Desert, and Mountain.

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All the talk of “staycations,” reducing one’s carbon footprint, and the wastefulness of private jet travel are enough induce a guilt attack when one thinks of jetting off to New Zealand to explore Great Mercury Island (see picture) or driving back and forth to a summer house every weekend. But our friends over at The Daily Green have a different take on the impact of travel on the earth’s resources:

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“Le Lézard Rouge (The Red Lizard train)” – is a century-old narrow-gauge railway whose red cars take passengers through the spectacular 9-mile long Selja Gorge, amidst walls of red rock which rise over 300 meters above the train.

A vintage French-built passenger train, The Red Lizard runs through the red and pink rocks, split by canyons of Northern Africa’s Atlas Mountains in Tunisia. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dian Hasan | September 6, 2009

Hotels with an extra dollop of attitude, accomplished with the help of architecture and design, has put many a hotels on the design map across the globe. From major urban centers to tropical isles and desert outposts.

Now it’s Africa’s turn, in the unlikely destination of Tanzania. Offering surf and sand with style, instead of mere safaris enjoying the Big-5, roaming Zebras or Kilimanjaro’s majestic Peak. Z Hotel, Nungwi, Tanzania. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s that alien-looking giant ball rolling downhill? And is that a person trapped inside of it? Welcome to Zorbing. And welcome to the capital of extreme sports and activities, New Zealand. This is what Kiwis do for fun!

ZORB, was created in the 1990’s in New Zealand, as a new adventure challenge. Based on a very simple philosophy, a rider is essentially strapped inside a giant clear plastic ball, and then rolled downhill. Read the rest of this entry »

By Dian Hasan | September 5, 2009

It’s clear that the Kiwis have a knack for packaging adrenaline into a travel commodity that strikes a chord with adrenaline-junkies from across the world. A useful reminder that they did invent the modern bungy jumping activity. And if this were the mother of all extreme activities, everything else are mere offsprings.

PS: the original idea was most probably inspired by the island tribes of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu, South Pacific, whose coming-of-age ceremony for boys entering teenage-hood was jumping off a man-made tree-like wooden structure with mere vines strapped to their ankles. This was their way of demonstrating bravado and courage of entering a man’s world. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’ve been living under a rock, as a real traveler or armchair traveler, you will have noticed that Design has swept the hotel world like never before. Everyone in the industry agrees that “Good Design, Good Bottom Line”, and “Smaller is Better”.. Explaining the mushrooming of boutique hotels across the globe. Now it’s Africa’s turn.

Welcome to Sabi Sand, one of the most reputed and beautiful game reserves in South Africa, situated to the southwest of the famous Kruger National Park. With two fabulous lodges: Singita Boulders, the bush minimalism that defies classification, and Singita Ebony, the classic look you’d expect adventure novels. Read the rest of this entry »

The award-winning luxury tented camp Tortilis Camp is located just outside the Amboseli National Park in the shade of a dense natural forest of the flat topped, umbrella thorn tree, the Acacia Tortilis, from which it takes its name.

Tortilis Campis one of the top luxury tented camps in East Africa, offering unmatched views over the game filled Amboseli plain at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.
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The rainforest treetop walks in Australia are not for the faint of heart or those fearful of heights, but can be incredibly amazing adventures for those who dare to take the walk. Breathtaking views of nature few people will ever have the opportunity to experience are waiting on these suspension bridges in down under. Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, Western Australia (WA).
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