Posts Tagged ‘reforestation’

Tulum Series: The Rise of Ecotourism

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

It seems to me that something is changing in the tourism-psyche.  Now you can’t pick up a Lonely Planet travel guide without noticing their eco-tourism tips, and you can’t go to upstanding hotels without noticing their badges bragging about their green efforts.  And you know what, it is all so great.  The green movement shouldn’t be about pointing fingers and blaming those who aren’t making green efforts; it should be about making green NORMAL, and helping everyong get to that level. 

Right now the movement is in its baby stages; the thought of ecotourism is a seedling thought that is just being planted…But it is growing and it is so exciting to see the movement take shape and gain momentum.  It makes me really believe that someday, and someday relatively soon if we all help, being environmental will simply be normal.

There are some great links for those who wish to travel in an eco-friendly way.  The first that I can recommend is EcoTrotters, an online community that allows users to search for eco-hotels and eco-destinations, and to then add their own input regarding such environmental travel endeavors.  It’s a great site, and hopefully in the future it will become second nature to think of logging onto EcoTrotters when one wants to plan a vacation (because going green does not equal more work, and EcoTrotters proves that!).

ecotrotters

Another A-MAZING site to check out for ecotravel is Ecovolunteer.org.  This site is not for ecotourism, but rather ecovolunteerism, when one is willing to/wants to spend their vacation serving in an eco-way.  It is a great site if one is interested in service–it helps you choose your destination either based on the place or the service work.  I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to do some eco-volunteer work while on vacation!

And OF COURSE, you can join Enchanting Challenge and our sponsored service trips to TULUM, MEXICO; ULAA, CHILE; MENDOZA, ARGENTINA; AND PUERTO MADRYN, ARGENTINA.  The first-ever Tulum Educational Ecological Service Trip has concluded, but the next one is currently being planned for July 13th-17th.  Contact me at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com if you are interested in taking part!!!  And look out for tomorrow’s post with reflections from Tulum service workers!

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Tulum Series: Coming Up Next–July’s Educational Ecological Service Trip to Tulum

Saturday, March 21st, 2009
a Flora Fauna y Cultura image of Mexico

a Flora Fauna y Cultura image of Mexico

Today marks the last day of the Educational Ecological Service Trip to Tulum…But have no fear-this does not mean that you have lost your opportunity to embark on such an adventure!  No, we at Enchanting Challenge have decided to make this a BIANNUAL trip, meaning that this year, we will host another Educational Ecological Service Trip in Tulum in JULY.  Here’s the scoop:

  •  Placement type: eco-service, eco-education, eco-tourism
  • Location: Zahra hotels in the Ecotulum resort in Tulum, Mexico
  • Type of volunteers accepted: university students
  • Maximum number of volunteers: 12
  • Length of placement: 1 week

 About the Service Trip & Locale: 

The Ecotulum resorts and spas are located in the heart of Mayan territory in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula.  They are bordered on one side by jungle and by waves of the Caribbean Sea on the other side.  The hotels are eco-friendly, with open-air cabana rooms where electricity is turned off at 11 pm every night. 

 The Ecotulum resorts and spas have always been the most peaceful escape, but now they offer something more: an opportunity to do service while enjoying this magical setting.  Service workers will stay at the Zahra Ecotulum hotels for a discounted rate, and participate in ecological volunteer work for most of the days of their stay.  Here are the activities that will be part of the service trip: 

  • Tour through the bioregion
  • Snorkeling through the cenotes
  • Participating in rainforest reforestation programs
  • Helping protect turtle habitats in the Playa del Carmen
  • Visiting the Tulum ruins
Flora Fauna y Cultura volunteers working with turtle habitat protection

Flora Fauna y Cultura volunteers working with turtle habitat protection

the mysterious Mayan ruins...check out our last post to learn more about the history and lessons from these ruins...

the mysterious Mayan ruins...check out our last post to learn more about the history and lessons from these ruins...

 Each volunteer will stay in a Zahra cabana, and we recommend that each volunteer share the cabana to cut down on the cost of lodging.  The hotel chef will prepare 3 meals a day, especially for the volunteers, and can provide vegetarian meals upon request for no extra charge. 

Zahra cabanas

Zahra cabanas

Zahra chef goodness!

Zahra chef goodness!

Zahra restaurant

Zahra restaurant

 Cost: We charge Ecotulum service workers a total of $372 for a one-week stay.  This price includes all meals, transportation to-and-from the airport (if volunteers arrive between hours of bus operation), transportation to-and-from service activities, snorkeling, and lodging (if the cabana is shared between two people). 

 Transportation: Volunteers are responsible for getting themselves to Cancun airport.  We will then arrange transportation to the Ecotulum resort through the ADO bus and taxis (and chartered buses if volunteers arrive during hours that the ADO bus is not in operation).

If you are interested in participating in this service trip, please contact me!  Below is my contact information, and all the ways you can be a part of the Tulum Internet community:

Keep your eyes peeled for next weeks posts with accounts from this weeks service workers, equipped with photos, videos, and written reflections!

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Tulum Series: Tulum Take-Off Today!!!

Monday, March 16th, 2009

The past two weeks I have written an Ulaa series, based around the Enchanting Challenge organic farm service opportunity in southern Chile.  For this week, I am shifting directions, and focusing on the Educational Ecological Service Trip in Tulum, Mexico, the service trip that begins today.

Today is the very first day of the very first Enchanting Challenge-sponsored sevice trip!!!  This is the week of the Educational Ecological Service Trip in Tulum, Mexico, a service trip embarked on by two brave pioneering university students from Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin.  Meet the pioneers here:

a picture of Aleigha, one of the Tulum Volunteers, volunteering at the OR on a school break

a picture of Aleigha, one of the Tulum Volunteers, volunteering at the OR on a school break

a picture of Maria, Tulum Volunteer, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower!

a picture of Maria, Tulum Volunteer, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Aleigha and Maria arrive in Tulum this evening, where they will get settled and have dinner in the hotel dining room with Gaby, their trip leader!  Then they will go to sleep because tomorrow begins their hard work in Tulum and the surrounding areas.  Here is what the week has in store for them:

Day 1 (March 17th): A 2-hour tour through the Bioregion, including a visit to the regional school and the camping area, to be followed by snorkeling in the Cenote Dos Ojos!!

a photo of snorkelers at the Cenote Dos Ojos!

a photo of snorkelers at the Cenote Dos Ojos!

Days 2 & 3 (March 18th and 19th): Volunteering with beach clean-up projects, rainforest reforestation projects, and turtle-habitat protection projects, all done with the Flora Fauna y Cultura Organization!

turtles in the Playa del Carmen

turtles in the Playa del Carmen

Day 4 (March 20th): A visit to the Tulum ruins to learn lessons from the Mayan cultures native to this region.

a photo of the ruins in Tulum

a photo of the ruins in Tulum

Day 5 (March 21st): Beach Day!!  A free day to enjoy the waves of the Caribbean Sea, a reward for a week of service work!

the BEACH and cabanas that the volunteers will stay

the BEACH and cabanas that the volunteers will stay in

Day 6 (March 22nd): Departure :-(

I think this trip is a wonderful opportunity to experience an exotic place while also leaving the place a little better off than it was before you came.  It is the best of both worlds–good for the traveler and good for the destination.  As Nick wrote in his blog, ecotourism is a really great way to preserve fragile habitats.  I think he says it best when he notes that,

By responsibly allowing rainforests, coral reefs, mountain ranges, and tropical islands to become tourist destinations, we can not only protect these threatened habitats, but provide incentives to permanently preserve them.

Ecotourism is a way to help our world, and the Educational Ecological Service Trip to Tulum, Mexico is a great eco-tourism opportunity!  If you are interested in participating in an Educational Ecological Service Trip to Tulum later in the year, please contact me at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com and I can provide you with all the details!!!

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