A taste of Africa on our doorstep!

Travelling to Africa isn’t just about the wildlife, spectacular national parks or miles of sandy golden beaches. The essentials to any holiday are authentic experiences; engaging with the local people, embracing a different culture and sampling the local cuisines. However I have found a little gem that can offer you a taste of Africa without flying anywhere…

Sat in the heart of Victoria in London, BBar offers an extensive all-day menu with a safari theme – think boerewors sausages or springbok fillet with sweet-potato purée alongside steaks & pasta.

South Africa plays its part on the style-driven wine list, but it’s 60-strong contingent of cocktails really pulls in the party animals as the sun sets over the concrete savannah.

Kitted out with leopard-skin prints ( note not real ones), elephant carvings & photographs of big game, BBar is a mysterious beast on the plains of the Victoria bar scene. Certainly one of my favorites in London. Try it!

We were thrilled to be named as ‘Tour Operator of the Year 2012’ by the readers of Food and Travel Magazine and following on from this, on Wednesday 26 September we hosted our first ever food blogger event at the Open Kitchen in Hoxton. If you fancy trying to cook your own African delight you can check out our two recipes that were cooked on the evening on our website.

Attenborough’s Wonderful World

I never tire of watching this Attenborough BBC natural history clip; it brings a lump to my throat every time, reminding me just why it’s so important to travel responsibly and help to ensure we can all live in harmony with the natural world. It’s also a tribute to the skill and commitment of the BBC’s Natural History unit… the Beeb really does a lot of things very well.

Grab a cup of tea and take a two minute break to watch this wonderful clip.

How to be a better tourist & travel responsibly

There has been much talk about responsible travel in recent times, with awards, accreditation and claims of ‘green travel’ seemingly in abundance. Authentic experiences are often high on our clients’ holiday wish list, and if the well-being of the communities and natural environments you visit are important to you, our short guide will help to ensure that you receive the warmest of welcomes wherever you visit.

1. Put money directly into the local community
• Buy locally made crafts to take home, helping to provide vital income and keep traditions alive

• Don’t over haggle… pay what you think is fair – a few extra dollars may make all the difference, especially where tourism is seasonal

• Try to eat out locally… this is not always possible but every little counts so have a drink in a local bar or book a local excursion where you can

• Tipping is a complex issue, but as a general rule tip little and often to help support many incomes. Your travel consultant can provide advice on tipping guides and drivers

Our Cape Town Township tour - organised by local company Cape Capers - includes an opportunity to purchase locally-made craft and artefacts.

2. Be sensitive to other cultures
• Read up a little and talk with your travel consultant before you go to be aware of local customs and practices. Consider learning a few words of the language too

• Dress appropriately, particularly outside your hotel, bearing in mind local sensibilities, particularly when visiting a temple or a mosque

• Children are usually keen to have their picture taken and will love to see shots of themselves but always ask before you take photos of people, particularly in Muslim countries where women are not allowed to be photographed

• Where appropriate, consider taking public transport… it’s a great way to start chatting to people

Like many of the lodges Rainbow Tours works with in the Masai Mara, most of the employees at Saruni Mara are from the surrounding areas, and guests have a chance to learn about the culture first-hand from the Maasai warriors.

3. Use precious resources sparingly
• Think about your water consumption and only use what you need – take short showers not baths, and avoid requesting clean towels or sheets every day

• Turn off air-conditioning and lights when not in your room

• Take home objects like used batteries that require complex recycling as waste disposal is a major expense in developing countries

• Take your own re-usable shopping bags and water bottles, rather than buying in countries where they don’t get recycled

In Ecuador's Amazon, many lodges are owned by or directly benefit the local indigenous communities, and each of them provides a opportunity to experince traditional life in the rainforest.

4. Actively support local charities and conservation efforts
• Safari concessions, national parks, game reserves and wildlife sanctuaries all help to preserve natural habitats, flora and fauna. Entrance fees are a vital part of income generation

• Donating to a charity or NGO that will have a lasting effect – we can make suitable recommendations

• Donating to a local school or orphanage – don’t simply hand out sweets to children you meet, consider schemes such as Pack with a Purpose, which support a school near where you are going and can tell you which items are most needed

A stay at Anjajavy in Madagascar helps the hotel to support the local school at Ambondro Ampasy.

5. Choose your accommodation carefully
Ask our travel consultant to suggest lodges and hotels that have strong social and environmental practices. Some things to look out for are:

• A robust commitment to the environment that includes use of bio-degradable toiletries and cleaning materials, solar power alternatives particularly in wilderness areas, properties that sanitise and filter their own water reducing the need for plastic bottles

• Employment and training opportunities for local people. In remote areas there may not always a huge of choice of hotels, but in most regions you will find properties that operate ethical employment practices

• City hotels that distribute excess food to homeless people and support street children, a serious problem in many developing countries.

Trainee chefs at Hog Hollow Country Lodge on South Africa's Garden Route. The lodge is a model of Responsible Tourism and is accredited by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)

We may not know all the answers to the big responsible travel questions, but as company Rainbow Tours is committed to ever increasing our knowledge and finding ways to help all our customers make a positive difference. If tourism is to be sustainable it needs to ensure it improves the lives of the people in the countries visited. Please do add your comments to this blog.

There are a number of excellent organisations that are leading the debate about sustainable travel and their websites are well worth visiting: Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and Harrold Goodwin’s blog.

Highlights of Colombia: From Capital to Coast

Colombia has finally begun to secure a reputation as a safe, if somewhat off-the-beaten track destination.  Two decades have past since the dark days of Pablo Escobar and the associated drug-related violence of the early 90’s.  Modern Colombia is thriving with its strong economic and political ties to North America.  The tourist cities feel safer than ever before and the country is populated by some of the most laid back, friendly people in the South American continent. Quite amazing considering their recent, turbulent past.

Aside from the modern and vibrant capital city of Bogota, Colombia has a host of intriguing places for the more adventurous tourist. Visit the coffee triangle around the cities of Manizales, Armenia and Pereira. Take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride through the dimly lit, cobblestone streets of colonial Cartagena. Relax on some of the remote beaches of the Tayrona National Park, located close to the Venezuelan border. Colombia is also home to hidden gems such as the small town of Villa de Leyva. As the witty tourism ministry slogan explains ‘El riesgo es que te quieres quedar’ – ‘The only risk is wanting to stay’.

Here are some highlights from my recent trip to Colombia…

Bogota

I arrived in Bogota with pre-conceptions about the security situation and conjuring images of gun-toting drug lords. With hindsight, I couldn’t have been more misinformed. Having checked into my hotel in the upmarket Zona Rosa district of the city, I took the funicular to the summit of Monserrate where you can have lunch whilst enjoying unrivaled views of the Colombian capital. After returning back to the city centre, I visited La Candelaria district where there is a high concentration of government buildings and interesting streets.  One of my favourite stops was the museum of famous Colombian figurative artist, Fernando Botero.  Botero is famous for accentuating the fullness of his subjects.

City of Bogota

Cartagena

Having spent a couple of days in the capital, I took an early morning Avianca flight to the northern coastal city of Cartagena. Cartagena is a former hub of the Spanish empire in the 16th Century, and was an important shipping port of the wealth from the New World to Spain. Cartagena is now arguably the number one place to visit in Colombia as it oozes history, colonial charm and is the perfect setting for a romantic getaway. I spent most of my time in the UNESCO World Heritage Old Town which is surrounded by stone walls enclosing several blocks and hundreds of charming colonial homes – many of which have colorful flowers hanging from their balconies. I like my architecture so I felt like a kid in a candy store. The famous Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez has a house in the city. His home is right next to the Sofitel Santa Clara hotel which is worth a visit even if you are not a paying guest! The hotel was used to film part of ‘Love In The Time of Cholera’ – associated with a Marquez book by the same name.

UNESCO World Heritage Old Town of Cartagena

UNESCO World Heritage Old Town of Cartagena

Santa Marta & Tayrona National Park

From Cartagena I made the road trip along the coast to the city of Santa Marta. My favorite excursion was to the 17th Century Hacienda ‘La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino’ which is famous for being the place where South American liberator Simon Bolivar died. A little further along the coast towards the border with Venezuela, I found what can only be described as a hidden gem, an off-the-beaten track paradise. The Tayrona National Park is set in a mountainous region flanked by rugged beaches. I camped in the park for a number of nights although the Ecohabs offer a more comfortable way to stay. There are not many tourists or locals around so it really is a great place to forget about your woes!

Caribean Beach close to Cartagena Colombia

In the land of the Baobabs

I’d like to tell you about an exceptionally inspiring new initiative in the Morondava area of central- west Madagascar, called Baobab Center. Our Malagasy ground handler and good friend Nivo Raveljaona visited this new project earlier this year, and is keen to include visits here as part of our program in the West of Madagascar.

Dama, the leader of one of the country’s most popular music groups, Mahaleo and his wife have opened a center in Morondava, where they train farmers to cultivate rice using sustainable techniques with only natural products. These farmers are often migrants from everywhere in Madagascar; are very poor and have no land on which to cultivate. ‘But they are ready and willing to work’, says Nivo.

The center allocates a plot of land to each person and teaches them that to escape poverty, they have to become self sustaining: in other words, they have to grow their own rice (Malagasy traditionally eat rice three times a day). Without land there would be no rice and no work, so the principle is simple: convince people to think of work first, rather than money. Two thirds of the produce is kept by each farmer and a third goes to the center, which is responsible for building huts, water pumps and sanitation works. After a family is sufficiently established, they leave the center and return to their home regions, where they train other farmers using the techniques they have learned .

‘I went there in April and was amazed by the little village’, says Nivo. ‘We want to do something to help this center. So, if tourists want to visit a typical Sakalava village , this is the perfect choice. I was very happy to watch the children taking care of their trees, that they have planted themselves and in many cases, have even named’, Nivo enthuses. ‘From the plane as you descend to Morondava airport, I have in recent years noticed that there are less and less baobabs, and because the center has a vast tract of land, it would be excellent to have tourists planting baobabs there. The people at the center will then take care of the trees’. Nivo elaborates: ‘the lady in charge, Noro, is a former English teacher, an excellent hostess and a very good cook .They have an organic vegetable garden and a farm. We dined there and the food was delicious’ .

Nivo proposes that people who arrive in Morondava in the morning could visit the center, see the village, the rice fields and Noro could give a briefing on how the center operates. They can then plant baobab trees, enjoy lunch there and in the afternoon, drive to Camp Amoureux which is at the Alley of Baobabs at exactly the right time for photographing the baobabs at sunset . (The center is on the way to the Alley of Baobabs which is a World Heritage Site and National Monument). At night they can then visit Kirindy Forest, part of the new Menabe Protected Area, which has an otherworldly look about it being dominated by thousands of baobabs, of three different species – the largest of all, Grandidier’s baobabs, is found only in this narrow area. You can also see the robust Adansonia za of the island’s southern half, and the smallest of the baobabs, Adansonia rubrostipa or the ‘Bottle baobab’.

Baobab Alley, Madagascar

Kirindy claims a world record for primate density – in this case several species of Lemur. By day you should see the ‘dancing’ and iconic Verreaux’s sifakas, along with Red-fronted brown lemurs, while by night you have the chance to see the world’s smallest primate, the endangered Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur. There is a grid of broad trails on flat, sandy substrate, so anyone can walk there with ease. The forest – which is usually tinder-box dry – has a wealth of other wildlife including the biggest predator, the Fosa, which my colleague Rachel Dobb managed to photograph in broad daylight at the researchers campsite in June.

Fossa in Kirindy

Recently, biologist Luke Dollar released this excellent video clip on the Fossa which he has been studying for many years.

Reptiles present in the area include the world’s largest chameleon, Oustalet’s chameleon, which can reach about 2 ½ feet in length – it was at Kirindy that I saw a truly monstrous specimen of about that size. (Over 60% of chameleons are unique to the island and it is their epicentre, as is the case with Baobabs). If you are lucky you may also see the very beautiful Labord’s chameleon, and a variety of snakes and other lizards. With the well tended Camp Amoureux, there is at long last good quality accommodation for visitors who want to explore the Menabe region with its compellingly unique locally endemic assemblage of flora and fauna. As Rachel and I often reminisce, there is definitely something quite surreal about being in that forest which is dominated by thousands and thousands of baobabs…

Nivo & Derek co-wrote the Globetrotter Madagascar Guide, now in its 4th edition. It remains the sole Madagascar guidebook co-written with a Malagasy author.

Costa Rica, A Nature Lover’s Paradise

Costa Rica is a nature lovers’ paradise. A visit to this relatively cheap and sparsely populated Central American country is like being transported into an animal kingdom. Throughout the country, you can take walks on well-marked trails with expert local naturalist guides who will point out the wildlife.

Howler monkeys can be found swinging around in the trees.

The sounds of Howler Monkeys sound terrifying for a first-time visitor in Costa Rica but these animals are 100 percent peaceful vegetarians.

A myriad of different bird-life, including the illusive resplendent quetzal, chirp away whilst colourful frogs leap around in the undergrowth.

These birds can actually get as far north as the southern parts of Montana in the summer and as far south as Guatemala in the winter.

These flashy, colourful birds are among the most recognizable in Central America, thanks in part to their trademark bill.

Red Eyed Tree frogs have bright red eyes and are a really bright color of green with blue and yellow stripped sides. They also have funny looking orange toes. These are definitely one of the more beautiful species of frogs!

Costa Rica also offers coffee plantations, cloud forests, volcanoes with natural hot springs and rugged yet beautiful pacific coast beaches. “Pura Vida” as the locals say.

Arenal Volcano & National Park

Steaming hot waters pour out from the base of the Arenal Volcano and cascade through this lust landscape with a series of therapeutic mineral pools.

Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio has remarkable biodiversity, with abundant wildlife and magnificent beaches. Sightings of toucans, sloths and scarlet macaws are virtually guaranteed!

Costa Rica holidays make wonderful destinations for nature and wildlife lovers as well as offering some stunning beaches and unspoiled coastline for relaxing stays after exploring its lush forests and majestic volcanic peaks. Its also a perfect destination for honeymooners and families looking for a unique holiday – explore the cloud forest, take a canopy tour, visit the butterfly garden, coffee plantations or go trekking in the rain forests.

All you can eat… Brazilian style!

The popularity of Brazilian cuisine is on the rise here in the UK with the opening of a host of churrascarias which are quite simply an all you can eat buffet. Feast on the salads and typical Brazilian options such as cassava (also know as mandioca) chips, black beans , rice and the delicious pao de queijo which is a cheesy bread! The main draw however is the delicious meat which is served on skewers – from different cuts of beef to pork and chicken hearts! Yes they sound disgusting but are now one of my favorites – try them!

Brazilian Churrascaria

Often considered the national dish, feijoada was introduced to South America by the Portuguese. The name comes from the word ‘feijao’ which means beans in Portuguese. The basic ingredients of this filling dish are beans (normally black) with either fresh salted pork or beef (don’t be surprised by an ear or  trotter in your food) along with bacon and smoked sausages. Prepared over a low heat in a thick clay pot this is a dish that takes time to prepare and is served up covered in a dark broth. Add some rice and farofa (a filler made with cassava  flour) and you are all set to tuck in!

Feijoada Mineira

Oh and don’t forget the drinks – an ice cold beer or refreshing caipirinha! Enjoy!

Caipirinha Cocktail

Facts

Churrascharias can be found in most towns throughout Brasil and offer a relatively inexpensive was to eat out. Factor around 40 BRL (approx £13) for the whole meal (including dessert). A feijoada meal for two is around 70 BRL (approx £24) but can easily be shared between 3 or 4 people. In tourist areas such as Copacabana look for restaurants hidden away a few blocks from the seafront for better value at non touristy prices.

If you’d like to experience Brazil, speak to our Brazil holidays travel specialists and find out more today.

Southern Carmine bee-eaters are back!

The lush South Luangwa marks the southern end of the Great Rift Valley in Zambia, and visitors to the area at this time of year are treated to some of Africa’s most spectacular and colourful sights.  September brings the musical sounds of Merops nubicoides, or the “Southern Carmine Bee-eater” to the non-scientists, truly one of Africa’s most beautiful birds!

Birdlife in Africa is truly magnificent and whilst many of our clients proclaim that they are not really interested in birds, they often return from their trip captivated by the vast flocks of flamingos, fascinated by the array of raptors and entranced by the colourful colonies of carmine bee eaters.

The Southern Carmine Bee-eater is one of the most stunningly beautiful birds that you will find anywhere. It is an amazing sight as it swoops from a perch to hawk large insects and the sound of a large group of birds calling together in wonderful. These highly gregarious and vocal birds favor the steep, sandy banks of the Luangwa River as nesting sights. Having migrated from the coastal areas of Tanzania and Mozambique the birds soon start to excavate holes into the river bank using their long bills to create tunnels often two meters deep with a warm oval nesting chamber at the end. Hundreds of their nests are trampled every year by elephants and hippos, so to see the flock grow larger every year is a great attraction for visitors.

Although bee-eaters do eat bees, their main diet consists of flying insects, termites, butterflies and locusts. Yum!

After their young chicks have hatched both parents feed them on insects. Come December when the rains arrive, their chicks are big enough and strong enough to fly the nest before the river floods and erodes their home, until next year, when the cycle begins again, and the birds return to amaze once more….