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Born and bred in North West London, I had 3 passions from an early age – music, travel and science. I am lucky to say that I somehow managed to follow them all, in one way or another, throughout my life. Here’s the story of how I made my dream come true, in a nutshell.

After gaining a degree in Genetics at Leeds University, I worked and travelled my way around Europe before returning to the UK. I then started out in the music business, climbing the ladder in an overwhelmingly male-dominated sector by asking the right questions, and taking every opportunity to learn the numbers side of the business. In 1990, I used £2,000 from a redundancy pay-out to start [Key Production](https://www.keyproduction.co.uk/), which still specialises in the production and manufacture of CDs, DVDs, vinyl records and beautifully art-worked bespoke packaging for music and other industries. Through several acquisitions, Key Production Group has grown to be a multi-million-pound turnover company with 60 staff and 4 offices in the UK and Europe.

> In 2007, whilst on a solo holiday in Nicaragua, I was at a local restaurant by myself and saw a sign proclaiming “Island for Sale”. 

The price tag of £56,000 was less than you would pay for a garage in London. The romantic in me kicked in: it seemed such a dream to own my own island! I immediately contacted the owners, they took me on a tour of the island, and after that meeting I treated myself to a few days at a beautiful eco-lodge on the coast. It was then that an idea began to take shape. Back in London, I jotted down some rough figures on a piece of paper and within a couple of weeks I put down the deposit. The island was mine!

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Jicaro was totally untouched. My idea was for an eco-lodge, which would be very exclusive, with nine bungalows overlooking Lake Nicaragua. It could be rented out as a whole with a private chef and offer yoga retreats in the low season.

I teamed up with architect Matthew Falkiner and [Cayuga Collection](https://www.cayugacollection.com/), a Costa Rica based hospitality company dedicated to managing sustainable luxury hotels and lodges in Latin America.

>  I spoke virtually no Spanish and knew little to nothing about the local culture, which was far removed from my own. 

I began travelling between London and Nicaragua to follow the work directly, becoming more and more familiar with the customs and traditions of the country that is now my second home. Not without some initial frustration, I must admit, as I was used to the hectic pace of London and a work routine that left little room for small daily pleasures.

When Jicaro Island Ecolodge finally opened in January 2010 it was with a mix of relief and excitement. In three years we had turned an uninhabited island into the most glamorous eco-destination in Nicaragua. We built the lodge with Rainforest Alliance-certificated wood and employed a fully-local team to run it.

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> I want everyone to see why I fell in love with Nicaragua

Nicaragua is known as “the land of Lakes and Volcanoes”, and for that alone it's worth visiting. The immense expanse of water of Lake Nicaragua (the largest in Central America, nineteenth largest in the world) is home to 365 pristine volcanic “isletas” - one for every day of the year, as they say here. Jicaro is one of those. The beaches are untouched and beautiful, some with legendary surf spots.

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Natural hidden gems include Reserva Indio Maiz in the South, Solentiname, Rio San Juan and San Carlos, and The Corn Islands in the Caribbean. Bosawas deserves a particular mention: second only in size to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, the UNESCO-protected Bosawas Biosphere Reserve was established in 1997 to safeguard the biodiversity found in this northern corner of the country. A birder's paradise, it’s home to 600 of the 790 bird species found in Nicaragua, but also to plenty of mammals, including jaguars, Baird's tapir and spider monkeys.

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And then, the real treasure of the country - the Nicaraguans. Wealth, the real kind, they taught me, one sincere smile after another. Their arms always open, their can-do attitude, their deep pride for the land and the traditions that distinguish each city and mark each season.

> This is why, above all else, I am so proud of the staff and guides at Jicaro lodge, people who are genuinely passionate about their land and whose hospitality is of a disarming naturalness.

Sure, we've worked hard to get where we are today. Consider for example that none of them had ever heard of ecotourism before. We were among the first to introduce this concept, and not without some initial difficulty. As with so many developing countries, tourism had become a mainstay of the country's economy, but learning to conceive of it as a valuable resource for preserving the land and local communities required a radical change in perspective.

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> All in all, sustainability is a process that requires education first, at all levels and on both sides - that of the guests and that of the hosts.

We have educational programmes within the community, teaching about sustainability and waste management. We support Padro Nello school, helping with school supplies and healthcare. We installed a state-of-the-art water filtration system for the local community and help maintain it. We help with the electricity supply of our neighbours, buy food from them and also rent small pieces of land from them. The goods we sell, as well as many items used in the hotel, are made locally by cooperatives - often helping women from abused relationships back onto their feet. Literally everything we built, we built using local labour and local materials.

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We collaborate closely with the Plan Vivo Foundation on their CommuniTree Program,  the largest reforestation initiative in Nicaragua, working with thousands of smallholder farmers to create long-term income opportunities from growing trees on underused parts of their land. The program’s unique impact comes from its belief that for reforestation to be a successful solution to climate change, trees have to benefit and be valuable to local communities for the long term. As one of the poorest countries in the Americas, the program is specifically designed so that the forests improve the lives of Nicaraguan farmers traditionally earning less than $2 per day.

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And again, in all of this we try to involve our guests as much as possible, through educational activities in nature and with local communities. Just being on the island and seeing the amazing bird life, listening to the Howler monkeys in the distance, climbing Mombacho or taking in the peace of the lake is precious… but knowing and seeing that your stay also has a positive impact on the local communities - that’s what makes you want come back again and again. I truly feel so proud and grateful when I see this magic in action at Jicaro.

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People feel inspired when they come here. We have had writers working on their books, many marriage proposals, and I can’t count all the guests who told me how much at Home they feel here, connected, safe and relaxed.

> It's amazing to see how good it does us Westerners to get in harmony with the slow pace of life here.

To realize that we don't really have to fill every minute of our day. At least for me, this process has been incredibly empowering. After all that I have done and achieved in life, it is undoubtedly thanks to what we have achieved here at Jicaro that I feel today a fully realized woman and entrepreneur. Looking back, I have done things I never thought I could do. Establishing a business on the other side of the world, in a country whose language I didn't know, contributing positively to the economic development of an entire community... and in the process, not only finding a second home, but feeling myself becoming a better and better person.



***Karen Emanuel is the owner of [Jicaro Lodge](https://www.jicaroisland.com/), a trusted partner of Earthtones in Nicaragua.***

Jicaro Island owner Karen Emanuel tells us how a spur-of-the-moment decision transformed the course of her life, and that of an entire community in Nicaragua.

Here is one of the lesser-known gems in all of Central America. Also known as the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes", Nicaragua has experienced a rather timid tourist development compared to other neighbouring countries, but certainly not because it has less to offer. Nature abounds at every turn in its waters, forests and mountains: here you can find the second largest rainforest in the Americas, two astonishingly vast and beautiful lakes (Nicaragua and Managua), an incredible number of islands and an impressive chain of volcanoes crossing the country from North to South. Many of these, such as the volcanoes on Ometepe Island rising from Lake Nicaragua, seem improbable, prehistoric and almost otherworldly. Activities such as hiking, night climbing, or horseback riding to the fiery volcanic cones are among those that stick with you for a lifetime...especially when alternated with moments of pure relaxation on the Emerald Coast, one of the most beautiful and undeveloped in the Pacific, where low mountains covered in lush vegetation meet white pristine beaches. Expect amazing biodiversity, the charm of pre-Columbian cultures and welcoming people who radiate warmth and pride for their land.

Nicaragua

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Paradise for sale

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It was September. It wasn’t “cold” but for a Bombay-ite, I was very happy to wear my boots and jacket. The wind was crisp, fresh and yeah, it was cold. But as we drove passed the docks, I saw numerous people jumping in. And trust me. Plunging into an icy cold Baltic Sea definitely seemed crazy to me!

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But a couple of days later, I was there. Climbing down the metal ladder, feverishly. The water stung! Cold shock! And then? It was complete Euphoria! I was in love with that feeling of being alive! And also, cold water boosts all those feel-good hormones, in addition to reducing stress, enhance circulation, burns calories and improve the immune system!

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I stepped out and walked to the showers and changing rooms. I had left the humdrum, the stress and the aches and pains of my life in the sea! And of course, I magically didn’t feel cold anymore! I was greeted with nods of “yeah, we got that feeling” and ear to ear smiles! What was that stereotype about somber Finns again?

I felt invincible. Well, almost. That feeling came in at the end of my trip to Finland. But I felt that inner strength – like I had woken up something within me.

Boom! SISU.

An ancient Finnish concept that dates back to the 1500s.

> It is all about an attitude of turning challenges into opportunities. Where you have the fortitude to not give up in the face of a challenge, big or small.

And anyone can do this. Trust me.

In addition to helping with a ‘functional’ lifestyle in terms of well-being (the chilled sea dip which I went for again, the walking around and cycling as opposed to other modes of transport) Sisu helped me organize other aspects of my life too. I met designers, musicians, guides, chefs, bar tenders, the whole gamut. And everywhere in one way or another I saw an aspect of that Sisu.

Today we have all been leveled. All facing what we are, at the same time. Rich or poor.

When I returned from Finland the metamorphosis, or shall I be brave and say, evolution, had begun. 

> And today, with life in lockdown, this less-is-Zen attitude has become all the more relevant and stronger.

![nishant-5.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/nishant_5_8e1f2da8d5.jpg?w=1440)

I consider my consumption. I recycle or donate almost all that I can. I haven’t got to buying second-hand yet. But that’s probably because I have learned to live with less. And I will only invest in quality, durable products.

My choice of things is aesthetic, but functional. I can do so so much more, with so much less.

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> Over the months, there has been a shift in my affinity and appreciation of things. Away from possessions and towards experiences and connecting with people – 
 likeminded or not.

Inner strength on so many levels. Acceptance on so many levels. I have never felt more awake.

I think we all have so much more within us than we give ourselves credit for. You have reserves in there. You know you can tap into those when all seems hopeless right?

Well now you do.

***Earthtones partner Nishant Badami is a transformative travel designer and visual artist. She is the Founder of [Ubuntu](https://www.instagram.com/theubuntulife/).***


Travel designer and artist Nishant Badami on how the Finnish concept of Sisu has helped reshape some crucial aspects of her life.

Finland is a land of contrasts. The south is characterised by broad, flat plains, while the north is mountainous and covered in dense forests. In the far north, there are areas where the sun doesn't set for weeks in the summer, and in the depths of winter it's not unusual for the temperature to drop below -30°C. Finland also has almost 200,000 lakes, making it a dream destination for fishermen and canoeists.

Finland

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Sisu - an Awakening in Finland

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## The Origins

I was raised in Croatia, on my grandparents' farm, surrounded by unspoiled surroundings. Animals, plants, and other natural elements were primal forces in forming my character at a young age. This early exposure to such an unadulterated world, the world where not only physical and material but the interplay and energetic interactions between species and terrestrial elements were visible to me, charted my career in biology. At college, I majored in Molecular Biology and subsequently obtained a doctorate in the US in the field of Quantum biophysics. After two postdoctorate positions, I shifted from academia to the corporate world and expanded into the areas of bioinformatics and high-throughput genomics.

![bruce3.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/bruce3_cfc8cb5be6.jpg?w=1440)

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## The Awakening

Back in the day, I worked for a company on the effects of consuming food produced from gene-modified organisms. During that research, I came to understand that **western civilization's legacy is fundamentally flawed from a biological standpoint.** We were very effective at depleting the finite resources we were living off. A characteristic of non-intelligent species working against its primary evolutionary force: a survival of itself. I decided to put up a fight. But my approach to solving the non-working model is not protesting against it. To paraphrase Buckminster Fuller: 

> "it is rather in creating an alternative, one that is sustainable and operational".

![bruce5.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/bruce5_a46654bc73.jpg?w=1440)

## The Journey

Equipped with academic knowledge of life science and with a keen interest in human psychology, sociology, and anthropology, I started a 3-year long journey that led me around the globe. I traveled with a mission to understand the inner workings of human society, looking for that common denominator regardless of our skin color, names of our gods, food we ate, or way of life. As my travels were nearing the end, I was deeply convinced that the wiring of a natural human being is predictable, reproducible, accountable, and sustainable. It is when we take that human outside its natural evolutionary environment that it starts behaving in harmful ways both to itself, its species, and members of other species. 

> The wiring of a natural human being is predictable, reproducible, accountable, and sustainable.*

As disconcerting as it sounds, I also discovered that the behaviour is reversible and that once that same human is placed back in the natural environment (which are not limited to life in the countryside but can be created in metropolitan areas as well), it starts behaving in that predictable manner, caring for itself, for the members of its own and the members of other species in sustainable ways.

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## The Ranch

Inspired by these findings, it was in 2008 that I returned to Croatia and founded [Linden Tree Retreat & Ranch](https://www.lindenretreat.com/), a place where a conducive environment assists guests in reconnecting with the best version of themselves. Everything we do at the Ranch is laser-focused on that mission. You can not just go online and book your vacation with us. There is an established protocol that involves directly speaking to a client or client’s agent, as we must find out first-hand about the finesses, needs, wants, and aspirations of our guests. Only then we can fine-tune their itinerary and say they will have a truly bespoke and custom-tailored experience, helping them to re-establish their inner natural environment and vibrational frequency.

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## The Experience

Human gene expression, as well as that of a human gut biome (a community of microorganisms that are living in the human body), is affected by the food we eat, the people we surround ourselves with, and the environment we live in. We take this knowledge into creating guests’ experiences at the Ranch: food in the kitchen is prepared to assist biochemical processes in the body; accommodation units are built with the understanding of what makes a person rest well and sleep at the cellular level; activities are created to engage the brain in creating new neural pathways, enabling the guest to experience the world in a new way, one that is more in alignment with our evolutionary meaningful living. 

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We can even sequence your gut biome before you arrive at the Ranch, to create a fully customizable diet for your and send you home with a diet plan that reflects your biochemical needs and addresses your nutritional shortfalls (in the age of industrial food we all have them). 

> Food in the kitchen is prepared to assist biochemical processes in the body

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The whole experience at the Ranch is aimed at empowering the guest to take full control over their lives and health, both physical, mental, and energetic. And that is very powerful, that is Epigenetics*.

### Footnote

Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence.

Bruce Yerkovich is the owner of [Linden Tree Retreat & Ranch](https://www.lindenretreat.com/), a trusted partner of Earthtones in Croatia.


Quantum biophysics and genomics scientist Bruce Yerkovich is pioneering transformative travel epigenetics at his boutique guest ranch in the mountains of Croatia.

This small country with its spectacular rugged coastline dotted with islands, pristine forests, huge wetlands and wild mountains in the interior is without a doubt one of our favourite destinations in Europe. Its size and characteristic boomerang shape mean that it is always possible to combine visits to places of cultural and historical interest with excursions into Nature on the same day. With water sports of all kinds along the Cetina and Zrmanja rivers, trekking, bike-climbing or horseback riding in the numerous natural parks, as well as birdwatching in the vast wetlands or around the Plitvice lakes, active travellers are spoiled for choice. But this is a country whose beauty is best savoured slowly, alternating adrenaline-pumping sensations with peaceful solitude and contemplation, filling your eyes with the deep blues and your lungs with the pungent scents of the Adriatic sea.

Croatia

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Epigenetics: how to reconnect with the best version of ourselves

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I was born in a small town called Lupane, in Zimbabwe, on the outskirts of Hwange National Park. My first interaction with wildlife involved crop-raiding elephants destroying my mother’s garden. We banged on pots and pans hoping the noise would chase them away. I was 10 years old, and the adventurer in me decided to follow 15 elephants from the garden way into the bush. Then the matriarch stopped and stood her ground. My instinct was to run, and that’s what I did until I got home. But I never forgot the adrenaline rush and my desire to learn more of these gentle giants.

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My love of nature later kicked in when at high school, when I would spend weekends camping, fishing, and getting the feeling for what it was like to have access to wildlife. This really intrigued me: I started visiting friends at safari camps and volunteered during school holidays, which gave me the opportunity to learn away from the traditional four walls. I Loved being outdoors and learning the operations of a safari camp. During this time, I gained a lot of knowledge about wildlife and nature which opened my eyes further to a possible career in the safari industry.

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My interest in guiding started organically from working in safari camps, an experience which also exposed me to the dire needs of my continent and its communities, and instilled an intimate desire to want to help out in some way. When I left high school, I got my driver’s license and first-aid certificate, then I started training as a learner guide. I acquired my ZimPro (professional) licence just three years later, when most guides take five to achieve this. For the next 10 years, I guided clients, managed camps and undertook marketing and operations roles to learn the business of a safari operator. I worked my way up through the ranks as an employee for several companies, before eventually starting my own private guiding company, Beks safaris. After a few years and with the help and support of some close clients I founded African Bush Camps in 2006. 

> At that time, I didn’t know a single black African who owned a safari company, but I thought I could hopefully become a role model for others to follow in my path.

It has been a gradual journey, and a lifetime's worth of investment.

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Since the early days of my work, I was confronted with the extreme environmental and social issues facing rural communities across Africa, and gradually got to the realisation that the tourism industry could really help. This became my greatest motivation, but working alone had its limitations, so I started to explore different ways to take others with me for the longer journey.

My dream was to reclaim the authentic safari experience with an emphasis on exceptional guiding, where guides could be true "teachers of the wild". I needed to craft a whole safari journey for people to want to travel from overseas, one which focused on remote parts of Africa, under the guidance of the very best naturalists.

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But I knew that my business could not exist in isolation of local communities: without incorporating them into tourism we cannot win the fight on conservation. 

> We’re here to stay, and we’re investing in our communities for the long term.

My heritage and background definitely helped to build a dialogue with communities and earn their trust. Over the years, I had seen so many NGOs come into vulnerable areas and provide valuable support, but then they would leave when the fundings dried up, often leaving people in worse situations than before.

When I first started ABC, I concurrently set up the [African Bush Camps Foundation](https://www.africanbushcampsfoundation.org/). **It was fundamental to start up a business that was about experiential travel, conservation and working with local communities.** I believe that those elements cannot be separated in the tourism landscape.

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The Foundation is primarily funded through ABC which donates 2.5% of its annual turnover. Other funding comes through donations which go directly to community-based development projects focusing on education, conservation, and community empowerment. 

> Only together we are able to look after our environment and to ensure that the environment is there to protect us in the future.

Empowering  communities is an important part of what we do. Currently, there are eight communities surrounding our properties and which we support through our foundation. We have a small team of dedicated managers and counsellors who are present in these communities to monitor the needs and the progress of our projects, help raise funds and ensure that the money raised is dispersed across priority projects. Many of these include skill-building and income-generating workshops (arts, crafts, clothing, ironsmiths), where we help community members create a self-sustainable lifestyle (one working member can support up to eight people in the communities).

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Our everyday staff members also act as representatives of ABC and custodians of the wildlife, often playing a crucial role of educators for the people from the villages where they come from or with whom the built strong bonds. The issue of wildlife/human conflict has always been rife in our communities: it is up to our staff members to uphold an understanding of the importance of wildlife conservation, and transfer their knowledge not only to tourists but to local communities too, so they can grip the value of our work and the ways in which it can benefit not just the wildlife, but them as well.

I believe in employing locally, not as a favour, but as a means to understanding the dynamics of the communities and culture. 

> Through my own staff I can then better learn and understand problems and issues facing an area. Communities then become ambassadors of conservation.

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Conservation and the natural cycle of nature in the bush are the driving forces that keep travellers coming back to Africa time and again. Keeping these elements intact and preserved is vital to the survival of the industry. 

> Conservation is a necessity for the survival of tourism, and vice versa. This has always been my mantra.

Education is key both for communities but also tourists on the importance of preserving nature and respecting wildlife. Tourism is the lifeblood of entire regions in Africa. When you choose a responsible operator, just by visiting you can be positively contributing to the lives of local people and the preservation of nature. **Africa benefits from less than 5% of global tourism revenue, but it represents one of the most sustainable ways to holiday.**

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Anyone who’s been on safari can tell you about the transformative experience of seeing an elephant for the first time, hearing the roar of a lion, being a spectator of immense natural spectacles in which a multitude of actors between flora and fauna act in perfect harmony and close interdependence with each other. Travel to Africa can truly open your eyes to the importance of pristine wildernesses and the need to protect the wildlife within them. It is an experience that, in the best of cases, changes the way a traveler also looks at his or her own life, and brings us closer to more conscious lifestlyle choices even once back home.

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My hope for the future of safari travel is that guests visiting Africa can look at such experience not only as a restorative getaway from their busy lives, but also as an opportunity to learn about local challenges and the ways they can contribute to solve them. These are the people who would allow us to make a far greater impact in terms of the work of the Foundation, and conservation as a whole. They include the strategic partners who support us, who understand the value of guiding their clients to choose local, responsible safari operators, based on the work they do on the ground and on how their trip can have a positive, tangible impact.

**A contribution to Africa is a contribution to the survival of the planet: we have under our care some of the vital organs of the world, which we all need for our future.**

**Beks Ndlovu is the Founder and CEO of [African Bush Camps](https://africanbushcamps.com/), a preferred partner of Earhtones in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.**


Among the very few black African CEOs of a safari company, the Founder of African Bush Camps, Beks Ndlovu, is living proof of how responsible tourism can contribute to the preservation of one of the most important organs of our planet.

South Africa's incredible biodiversity is ranked sixth out of the world's 17 mega-diverse countries. Here you can expect some of the finest safari experiences in Africa, especially (but not exclusively) in the private reserves adjacent to Kruger National Park. To fully appreciate South Africa's natural wonders, it is essential to travel east to the Cape Peninsula, an area of dramatic scenery blessed by ocean winds and truly unique ecosystems, home to an abundance of indigenous plant and animal life. In fact, this is where two major oceanic systems, the cold Benguela and warm Atlantic currents, mix, creating exceptional conditions along the coast for activities such as whale-watching, shark diving and world-class surfing and windsurfing. For this same reason, the hinterland also hosts one of the most famous wine regions in the world, the Winelands. Exploring this area, with verdant valleys as far as the eye can see and biological farms where you can stop and taste the delicious products of the land, is a true feast for the five senses.

South Africa

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A contribution to Africa is a contribution to the planet

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An enduringly happy land isolated from the world, Shangri-La was first described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. It was a fictional, mystical place situated in a harmonious valley enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has since then become synonymous with any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia. But the mystery and fascination around this land have actually spanned millennia, filling the imagination of ancient poets just as much as modern-day explorers. In fact, already in the 4th century a famous Chinese writer had written about a lost paradise in a remote region of Yunnan, where people lived happily and completely cut off from the troubles of the outside world; and many found correlations between Shangri-La and the deep-rooted Tibetan concept of “Shambala”, a spiritual kingdom where man and nature life in perfect balance. In 2001, Shangri-La found its spot on the world map, with the town of Zhongdian in China’s southwestern Yunnan officially changing its name to Shangri-La County. So, while we can now say with a great deal of confidence that Shangri-La does exist, the mystery and fascination around this land is far from disappearing, making it a destination where travel happens in more than just dimension.


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The story of Baima Duoji is the story of a man who was born in Shangri-La, and a wonderful film could be written about it, were it not for the fact that the only film maker here is actually himself. But let us proceed in order.

Baima Duoji was born in the village of Kna. This is where, for centuries, the Tibetan community has gathered to reach the Buddhist temple of Ganden Sumtseling, the most important in the entire region. Baima grew up surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks and breathtaking highland landscapes, breathing in the precepts and stories of Tibetan Buddhist spirituality. From an early age he developed an interest in photography, and started using his camera to capture and narrate the mystical spirit of his homeland.

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In 1994, Baima was given the opportunity to turn his passion into a career when he worked as a camera assistant on a documentary film "China: Beyond the Clouds" directed by British filmmaker Phil Agland. The experience was so intense and exhilarating that Baima left Yunnan to study film at the Beijing Film Academy, and later got a job at China Central Television (CCTV) as a documentary camera scenario director. It was during this period that Baima realized that the rest of China had a completely misguided idea of Tibetans as vulgar and uncouth people, and decided to spend all his resources, both professional and financial, to spread a truthful image of his people and culture. He produced several documentaries on Tibetan culture that received enormous critical acclaim - one in particular, The Portrait of Mountain, won him the prize for excellence at the Cannes TV festival in 1998.

During his visit to Cannes, Baima became aware of the concept of the 'boutique hotel', an intimate physical space, similar in some ways to a bridge, a gateway to a different culture. His travels abroad had also convinced Baima of the importance of spreading Tibetan culture outside China: 

> Every culture has wonderful things to offer. Learning about them makes your heart and soul stronger.

When you establish good control of your mind, you can develop your own ideas about many things. And through the process, you'll obtain wisdom.”Soon afterward, Baima returned to his hometown with a new idea: to convert his family home into a boutique hotel. He followed the works directly, paying attention to every detail, from the construction techniques to the decorative motifs, in an attempt to create a cozy and comfortable space that would tell as much as possible about Tibetan culture.

![shangri-la-6.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/shangri_la_6_54475025d9.jpg?w=1440)

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Thus, with the opening of Songtsam Shangri-La Lvgu Lodge in 2001, Baima's adventure in hospitality officially began. He continued to work for CCTV for a few years, leaving the management of the hotel to a third party, until he decided to quit his job and dedicate himself exclusively to the development of his project in Shangri-La.

Guided by a desire to introduce Tibetan culture to the world on the one hand, and to support the small communities in Yunnan on the other, Baima began work on what would become the 'Songtsam Circuit' over the years. The idea behind it was quite simple: to take the traveler on a spiritual exploration along the paths that have shaped Tibetan culture over the centuries. ‘Songtsam' means 'paradise', and 'pursuing the source of happiness' is what Baima describes as the central mission of his project. In his words: 

> Songtsam's mission is to inspire our guests with the diverse ethnic groups and cultures of the region and to understand how the local people pursue and define happiness, bringing Songtsam guests closer to discovering their own Shangri-La. 

At the same time, Songtsam has a strong commitment to sustainability and the preservation of the essence of Tibetan culture by supporting the economic development of the local communities and the environmental conservation within Tibet and Yunnan".

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Nature, adventure, village life and farming traditions are key elements for Songtsam, whose facilities are set amidst breathtaking natural landscapes, in close proximity to small local communities and numerous sites which unique biodiversity has been recognized as world heritage by UNESCO.  More than 90% of the staff in Songtsam hotels are villagers. They are the true guardians of the local culture, and working with them means not only contributing to the economic prosperity of the area, but also offering guests a genuine Tibetan hospitality. "Rather than following protocols of star-rated hotels, they serve guests according to their own beliefs and affinity for others. I believe such relationships can touch the soul”, says Baima. Indeed, it is largely thanks to them that Songtsam properties have become a unique model of hospitality for the entire region. The group now has twelve boutique hotels, with many more in the pipeline in Yunnan and other remote areas of Tibet and Sichuan. The interiors, for which only local materials, techniques and labor were used, are at one with the surrounding natural environment: Songtsam wants to be, to all intents and purposes, a Journey, rather than a destination. Accompanying guests on this journey means guiding them through Tibetan culture, through direct encounters with craftsmen, monks, farmers, men and women of all ages.

“I want to share Tibetan culture with as many people as possible and inspire people from every ethnic group to better understand each other,” Baima said.

> We’re all essentially a family living under the same roof, so we should work to live more harmoniously together.

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Meditation sessions, yoga and traditional physiotherapy, spiritual walks, Tibetan medicated-baths and royal dietary therapies are just some of the activities offered by Songtsam. In fact, according to the local culture, when the body is given the chance to transform itself, it activates its own healing abilities and regains its natural balance. Everyone seems to benefit from the Songtsam project - both travellers and local communities, who can count on new economic support for their craft, agricultural and monastic activities, while at the same time becoming major players in the dissemination and preservation of their own culture. "A piece of Shangri-La is in everyone's heart," says Baima. "It is selfless and soul-stirring." Through Songtsam, we may now have a privileged access door to the most beautiful of all journeys, the one Within.

**Baima Duoji is the Founder of [Songtsam](https://www.songtsam.com/en) hotels, a preferred partner of Earthtones. Contact us to start planning your trip to Tibet and Yunnan!**

By setting “the pursuit of happiness” as their corporate mission, the Founder of Songtsam Hotels Baima Duoji is showing the world how conserving the Tibetan culture can open doors to the most fascinating of all journeys.

As vast and rich in natural treasures the entire territory of China may be, there is one small region in the southwest of the country that has stolen our hearts like no other: Yunnan. The province occupies only 4% of the entire national territory, yet it harbours around 42.6% of all protected plant species and 72.5% of all protected wild animals in the country, of which 15% are strictly endemic to Yunnan. Its landscapes vary from snow-capped mountains to real tropical forests, supporting an extraordinary and unique biological diversity. If we then consider that Yunnan shares its borders with Tibet, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, it is easy to imagine that this diversity is also reflected at a cultural level, in a truly sensational mix of ethnicities, traditions, languages and customs.

Several of Yunnan's breathtaking landscapes, such as the Honghe Hani rice terraces or the Three Parallel Rivers protected area, have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, yet it's still possible to explore much of the region without getting stuck on tourist routes. It is precisely here that the mythical kingdom of Shangri-La is hidden: if you ask us, we will continue to look for it alongside our local guides, while protecting the timeless charm of this unique land.

Yunnan (China)

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Finding Shangri-La

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Back in 2020, I had spent the last 7 years living in a one of the most spectacular national parks on Earth, Torres del Paine. Some call this area “the crown jewel of Patagonia” and it is easy to understand why. With its pristine landscapes that mix granite spires, ice fields, windy plains and an abundant wildlife, Torres del Paine is heaven on Earth. My definition of heaven, at least.

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Then came the pandemic. All hotels were evacuated within just a couple of days, including the Eco lodge I work at, [EcoCamp Patagonia](https://www.ecocamp.travel/). Some travelers had to leave the country soon after they had landed. On March 18th, 2020, Torres del Paine National Park was closed and so were the borders of Chile. The shocking truth was hard to assume. All of us were asked to stay home, and for most of us it was even impossible to leave the city. Lockdowns quickly started and lasted for roughly a year and a half.

For everyone like me who is in permanent contact with nature, being forced to stay home was a tremendous challenge. As a nature photographer, it was the first time I had to pack my lenses for such a long period.

At the same time, If there is one good thing to highlight with the Covid-19 crisis, it’s definitely the time it gave us to step back and think about the way we live on the planet. These months of quarantines were probably the best opportunity to remember the importance of the word “solidarity”. And while solidarity is a word that can apply towards both human beings and nature in general, I am convinced the upcoming years may be even more complex if we humans do not adapt ourselves to minimize our impact on the only planet we inhabit.

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### Wilderness from home

As a content creator for EcoCamp Patagonia, I couldn’t imagine a life that wouldn’t involve filmmaking and photography. I knew patience was crucial, but I also knew I had to do something to keep inspiring people during the pandemic, even virtually. So I organized the content I had been creating for the past 7 years, and started re-editing and re-posting some of my favorite shots of Patagonia. I was convinced now more than ever was the time to reconnect with nature. People needed to travel to wild places, even from home. I had to share my passion for the southernmost region on Earth I am proud to call “home”.

And then I decided I would shoot a new video.

### Filmmaking as an inspiration to go outside

In September 2020, just a few days before the worst COVID wave hit Puerto Natales (the city I inhabit and the entrance door to Torres del Paine), I shot “A Path”. This short film features the story of Jorge Canales Helmer, a local that founded an archeological route near Puerto Natales. To sum it up, the participation of only 2 persons allowed this video to exist. 100% of it was shot outdoors - at Laguna Sofia, one of the most beautiful spots you will find between Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine National Park. And if you watch the video until the end, you’ll get why I think this pandemic is the best opportunity to rethink the way we value natural places.

<iframe width="100%" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/htM28wgBUfk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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### Why we must cultivate a sense of wonder

If – like me – you’ve locked yourself at home because of the COVID-19 outbreak, you know what missing being outside means. Nature is not only beautiful; it matters to all humans. [The benefits of the immersion in nature have been proven by science.](https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health) Nature benefits our health, and the health of nature directly impacts our quality of life. Nature is where we all come from.

Patagonia may just be the best place on Earth to immerse in nature. However, planet Earth is full of natural places, whether close or far from where you live. 

I know there will be a “before” and an “after” COVID, and I hope humans will value wild places even more. We all need to cultivate our sense of wonder towards nature, and it is the aim of all nature photographers and filmmakers to help people doing so.

Because whenever we wonder at something, we want to protect it.

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**Timothy Dhalleine is Content Creator at [Ecocamp Patagonia](https://www.ecocamp.travel/), a preferred partner of Earthtones in Chile. Ready to plan your next adventure?**

Photographer Timothy Dhalleine on how Covid times have turned his most intimate passion into a need to share the breathtaking beauty of Torres del Paine with as many people as possible, in hopes of helping others establish a deep relationship with the natural world.

Definitely a Must for any traveler willing to immerse body and soul in Nature, Peru is a real treasure chest of wonders, far beyond the spectacular citadel of Machu Picchu for which everyone knows it. Covered 60% by rainforest, traversed lengthwise by the Andean Plateau and caressed by over 2,400Km of coastline, Peru is not surprisingly among the world's so-called "mega-diverse" countries, i.e. the 17 nations that harbor the majority of Earth's species and highest numbers of endemic species. What really leaves you breathless is not so much the high altitude or the dazzling colours of places like Cusco or Lake Titicaca, but rather discovering at every step how intimately Nature and Culture have intertwined here, for millennia and up until today. The spectrum of unique natural experiences is so vast that a lifetime isn't enough to explore it all, and literally anyone can be assured of finding unrepeatable thrills here - from the Salkantay heights to the Chicama breaks, from the Gocta waterfalls to the Nasca lines, via the impenetrable forests of the Manu Reserve and the Amazon streams surrounding Iquitos... Pachamama's extraordinary generosity can't help but leave you amazed, grateful, and eager to protect such immense beauty.

Peru

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Redefining our relationship with nature through photography

**I was born and raised in the first Mongolian community in the United States** in Howell Township, New Jersey. My parents survived WWII, both Stalin’s purges and Hitler’s camps. Liberated by allied forces, my parents and two brothers were a part of 580 Kalmyk Mongols who were allowed to immigrate to the U.S. in 1951-52. 

![jalsa.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa_cc694ad2a3.jpg?w=1440)

Growing up in this community of immigrants, Mongolian became the first language I learned at home. There, in the middle of NJ, I was completely immersed in Mongolian culture, and naturally I started feeling deep curiosity and respect for my ancestral origins. My father had great foresight and was very intentional in making sure that I learned the language and my cultural traditions, and he used to tell me: “When you are at home you speak Mongolian, because those with blue eyes and another religion will teach you English.”  He knew that learning English while living in America would have been easy for me, but maintaining my language and my cultural identity was far more challenging. I lost him when I was 14, but I will always cherish his wisdom. In fact, **my father has been the greatest source of inspiration in my life** - through the tales and proverbs he used to tell me, his love and pride for our homeland, the desire he instilled in me of knowing where my ancestors came from. 

In 1990, following a peaceful revolution, Mongolia became a democracy after 70 years of communism. I invited and hosted one of the earliest Mongolian political delegations in a visit to our community. Six members of the new democratically elected Parliament came to visit their newly opened Embassy in Washington DC, and made a stop in New Jersey. The leader of that delegation, Dash Byambasuren, invited me to visit Mongolia for the first time, and so finally, in September that year, my dream came true. 

By the time I arrived, His Excellency Dash Byambasuren became the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Mongolia. 

>At that time, less than 100 Western passport holders were coming to Mongolia for leisure tourism every year. 

Much to my surprise, Prime Minister Byambasuren asked me to promote tourism to Mongolia from the West. Filled with excitement and an enormous sense of responsibility, I accepted the challenge and started working immediately. Nomadic Expeditions was established in 1992.

I fell deeply in love with my ancestral homeland, with its untouched beauty, vast wilderness areas and its unique horse-based nomadic way of life. I still find it extraordinary to think that our ancestors had conquered the largest contiguous empire in the world in the 13th century under the leadership of Chinggis Khan, and that almost 30 percent of the population still lives the same nomadic way of life.

![jalsa1.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa1_ffa7ee25fc.jpeg)

In 1999 we started construction of the Three Camel Lodge, which I designed and built by hand with local architects and carpenters, following the ancient traditions of Mongol sum (temple) construction. In 2002 we opened the Three Camel Lodge, the first sustainable luxury accommodation in Mongolia, motivated by a desire to help the country compete with other destinations in Asia and beyond.

![jalsa2.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa2_aedea9f675.jpeg?w=1440)

> In reality, Mongolia has little to envy from any country in the world. 

Each traveller is touched in a different way by the vastness of our spaces and the thousand-year history of our people... which is why it is impossible to draw up a list of our country's "must-sees".

Personally, among the typical Mongolian experiences that never fail to make my heart leap with enthusiasm and gratitude, I would certainly include:

- walking on a frozen river in the desert during the summer
- seeing a circular rainbow
- crossing wide open spaces and lakes without a single human
- Being in rivers and lakes so clean you can see rocks 90 feet below your kayak
- watching 20 stories of sand-formed cliffs becoming flaming at sunset
- seeing a herd of 600 horses come to drink water at the well in front of your yurt
- riding on horseback with a Golden Eagle on your arm
- driving overland on the same dirt paths that Chinggis Khan’s armies traveled centuries ago
- visiting the ancient capital of the largest empire in the history of the world
- watching a Mongolian virtuoso fiddle as sun sets in the middle of wilderness

![jalsa-horses.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa_horses_b2c460753a.jpeg?w=1440)

Mongolia lends itself naturally, one could say: it encourages the traveler to connect with Nature in a different way, or on a larger scale perhaps, and to engage in cultural experiences that are often very distant from what the western world is used to. Let’s take nomadic life as an example: we know that pastoral people who led nomadic ways of life in different parts of the world have diminished significantly over the centuries, with many of such tribes having settled and no longer being active carriers of their unique tradition. 

> In Mongolia, nomadic pastoralism is still at the very heart of the country’s culture and identity. 

Spending time with nomadic families in the countryside offers a truly unique understanding and deep appreciation of this ancient way of life - one where Man and Nature are intimately connected and harmoniously synched.

![jalsa3.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa3_d06fa05e30.jpg?w=1440)

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I love the saying we have in Mongolia “Only in wide open places, you truly have vision” - and indeed I believe that the vastness of our natural landscapes almost inevitably calls for deep reflection.

![jalsa5.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa5_83e7bf8257.jpg?w=1440)

I see it in me, but I also see it in so many of my guests. Mongolia has an almost contagious effect you could say...it's an experience that takes you back to the past and makes you think about the future. When our eyes open, our minds and hearts open as well: we become more attentive and eager to protect what we love. One of my guests helped to establish the first kindergarten for deaf children in Mongolia; another guest supports and funds our Three Camel Lodge’s scholarship program for arts education in college. Truly, it fills me with gratitude and hope to see people from all over the world who are touched so deeply by my land and want to contribute to its prosperity. It makes me think that **Mongolia's cultural heritage is important not only to me and my people, but to the whole world.**

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## Preserving Golden Eagle falconry

I  was not born a conservationist, by the way. The urge to protect Mongolia's cultural heritage grew little by little, hand in hand with the gratitude I felt towards this country since the day I touched its ground. In the late 1990s I visited Western Mongolia’s Ulgii province for the first time. I witnessed Golden Eagle falconry, an ancient tradition from this part of Mongolia, and I was concerned that it would eventually disappear, like so many other indigenous traditions around the world. I felt that ancient falconry with golden eagles, traditionally practiced by Kazakhs herders, needed to be saved, so future generations of Kazakhs could keep such an important part of their cultural identity. In 1999 I conceived and co-founded together with three local Kazakhs the Golden Eagle Festival to help preserve this tradition, and the festival continues to play an important role in promoting this cultural heritage. Last year we also launched a conservation partnership with the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia and the Peregrine Fund to support the conservation of golden eagles and the local traditions surrounding these majestic creatures. The project is aimed at monitoring the golden eagle population, and reviewing falconry traditions according to animal welfare guidelines, to ensure that both the bird and the tradition can enjoy a long and sustainable future.

![jalsa6.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa6_2ff24c6f7c.jpg?w=1440)

## The Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project

Another conservation initiative I'm particularly proud of is the one we started in partnership with the Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project. The Mongolian Bankhar Dog Project has been working to reintroduce the breed to nomadic herders since 2011. The nonprofit breeds, raises, and places Bankhar puppies with nomadic families to serve a dual purpose: repopulate a native breed and protect wildlife. In 2015 we adopted Barbuus, our first Bankhar dog at the Three Camel Lodge. In 2020 we started the breeding, and the first puppies have been placed with local nomadic families this past spring in the Gobi.

![jalsa7.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa7_66391eefff.jpg?w=1440)

## Our people, our richness

People, people, people. Protecting our culture means first and foremost supporting small communities, therefore operating as locally as possible. I’ll use our operations at the Three Camel Lodge in the Gobi Desert to illustrate how we engage with local communities. The lodge company is registered locally at the local township level, not at the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, which was intentionally done so we could pay all our taxes locally, instead of at the national level. We believe in training, growing and empowering local staff, so we prioritize local families and locally owned businesses in all our purchase and contractual decisions. 100% of the Lodge staff is Mongolian with about 50% of the staff coming from the South Gobi province, where the Lodge is located. Before the lodge was built in 2002, we repaired a defunct well so nomads could come to the well to water their animals.  Ever since we have continued to supply water to approximately 5,000-7,000 animals a day.  Much of the buildings and furniture at the Lodge were made locally by local carpenters and artisans, and we support numerous programs with local schools.

![jalsa8.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/jalsa8_614875ea3a.jpg)

> In all my endeavors, I am most fulfilled by empowering others to do their best and be their best.

I would say it is most rewarding to see our team members have grown personally and professionally over the years. The tourism industry is at the early stages of development in Mongolia, and the country lacks not only tourism infrastructure but well-trained tourism professionals. It is extremely important to us that we provide opportunities to our staff for training and growing, both personally and professionally. Our General Manager Buyantogtokh Munkhbayar at the lodge started with us as a tour guide, and our Head Chef Munkhtsetseg Nasanbat started with us as a dishwasher, for example.

![three-camel-lodge.jpg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/three_camel_lodge_04a9b3adfc.jpg)

Thirty incredible years have already passed since the beginning of this adventure. I am certainly happy with the results achieved, but above all I have great hopes for the future. Mongolia is a perfect example of how the development of a sustainable tourism model based on environmental, cultural and social initiatives benefits literally everyone. It’s in the interest of everyone who works in our industry to contribute to the preservation of the destinations in which we operate.

It is clear to me by now, that knowing and protecting our roots is not only my own desire, but is intimately shared by every man and woman. And by getting close to our roots, by working collectively to strengthen them, we can often realize that we all belong to the same community, the one called Humanity.

Founder of [Nomadic Expeditions](https://www.nomadicexpeditions.com/) and [Three Camel Lodge](https://www.threecamellodge.com/), Earhtone's preferred partners in Mongolia, Jalsa Urubshurow also serves on the board of the directors of The Arts Council of Mongolia, The Peregrine Fund and The Captain Planet Foundation.


Son of Mongolian immigrants, Jalsa developed a passion for his roots long before he set foot in the land of his ancestors. This passion has guided his entire life, inspiring many others along the way. Here is the story and personal reflections of one of the founding fathers of sustainable tourism in Mongolia.

Mongolia is an expanisve land that links earth and sky, and is one of the last few places on the planet where nomadic life is still a living tradition. Mongolia has the lowest population density among all independent countries in the world, and it is this vast and majestic emptiness that is the country's enduring appeal, bringing the traveller, as it does, into a close communion with nature and its nomadic inhabitants.

Mongolia

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Only in wide-open places you truly have vision

## A life-long thirst for Travel

I was born in Perth, Western Australia and, whilst I am totally happy living here now, it was a long road I travelled to get back home!  

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For almost 30 years I explored the world and lived in several places along the way - Rome, New Delhi, Victoria Falls, Dubai and Sydney.  Through all of this I worked in various aspects of the travel industry including with airlines, as a retail travel specialist, a hotelier, in lodge building and in marketing. These days I am incredibly lucky that my work revolves around my great passions – family, travel, stories and people.  

Long hours at my desk fly-by when I am creating a journey, I love to reveal the destinations and the experiences one-by-one.  **A journey is like a stage-play and each act must be more intriguing, more captivating than the last**; but I don’t want my travelers to merely be spectators at that show. They must be a part of the action!  When the time comes for them to leave Australia they should do so with magic memories and a warm understanding of our people and our country.

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My very first full-time job was with Air India, here in Perth. It was a manual airline reservations system in those days and each afternoon we had to send massively long telex messages to Mumbai. I visited India in my second year - I stayed on a houseboat in Kashmir, visited the Taj Mahal, marveled at Lutyens Delhi, haggled over the price of treasures, and came home HOOKED! I had to stay working in the travel industry, just to feed my habit.\

I truly do love to travel, and I love it for the people I meet along the way, the stories I hear and the things I learn. **When I am at home I love to read and to cook – and I guess it is because these things are just extensions of my travels** as both can transport me to other places, known and yet to be explored.

My Dad is my greatest source of inspiration. It sounds corny I know but he was a great adventurer long before I was born and I think I inherited his curiosity, love of learning and my spirit of adventure from him. He spent 15 months mapping mountain ranges in the Antarctic from 1958-59 and I think his love of the wilderness and wildlife seeped into my genes too.

## Australia - The Lucky Country

Australia, the place I call Home, is known by many of us as ‘The Lucky Country’, and really no nickname could suit it better! We have a huge array of landscapes from the world’s oldest rainforest to the vast outback and pristine coastline; we have a truly unique flora and fauna; we are home to the world’s oldest continuous culture and yet at the same time we are a melting pot of people from all over the world; we have great open spaces, vibrant cities, a delicious food scene and a very relaxed and welcoming lifestyle.

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> The West Coast in particular is a treasure chest of hidden gems.

Its hugely varied from thick forests, wine regions and surf beaches in the south, to one of the world’s longest and most pristine fringing coral reefs at Ningaloo and then the vast landscapes of the Kimberley in the north. For endless stretches of this 12,000 kms of coastline there is scarcely a person, the landscapes are wildly beautiful, the air is clean, and the colours are so vibrant. **It is truly a privilege to be in such remote and pristine country.**

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In fact, Australia is one of the most important nations on Earth for biodiversity - most of Australia’s wildlife is found nowhere else in the world, making its conservation even more important.  From bilbys to wombats, to koalas and platypus – all living things deserve our protection and in doing so we will protect our diverse habitats. Here in Australia, living things extend a long way offshore too as we are blessed with extensive coral reef systems - the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast and Ningaloo Reef on the West Coast.

## Crafting meaningful connections

I always try to include an unstructured time with an Aboriginal guide. Aboriginal Australians are the ultimate sustainability advocates, they say we must respect our country, since we are part of it.  **Through explaining the Aboriginal concept of connection to country we may enhance the travelers understanding and awareness of their personal connection to their own country,** no matter where they’re from.

I believe that unforgettable experiences are best made through meaningful connections between travellers and local people who are passionate about their patch. I think travellers love learning, they love hearing real-life stories (not tour guide spiel learnt from a book) and exploring the world through local eyes; it could be a chat with a chef who is documenting Australia’s indigenous ingredients; hearing the story of crocodile conservation in Kakadu; a ramble with an historian around Hobart... 

> People that are passionate connect us to the place.

Facilitating such connections is without a doubt the most rewarding part of my work: when they happen, I can hear my guests GLOW as they share their travel memories, and that is always a sign that my partners and I have succeeded in sharing our genuine passion for Australia.

![aus.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/aus_e70731ff3c.jpeg?w=1440)

## Unmissable Australian experiences

To get a taste of the local lifestyle, nothing can beat a morning surf at Australia’s most iconic beach – Bondi! If my guests can’t surf, I usually arrange a lesson with one of the local guys - they know the action so well that they will have you up and standing within the hour. And when guests don’t feel like getting wet, the next best thing is the coastal walk from Bronte to Bondi Beach, stopping at Ice-bergs Kiosk for a toastie and a latte overlooking the surfers riding the waves. These things are Sydney institutions!

![australia-surfing.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/australia_surfing_c4f68161d5.jpeg?w=1440)

When it comes to wildlife experiences, one that I consider an absolute Must is the Quoll Patrol in northern Tasmania. There, legendary guide and campfire-cook extraordinaire, Craig “Bushie” Williams, hosts intimate fireside dinners. And as the stars come out so do the locals — the brush-tailed possums, pademelons, wombats, quolls and other nocturnal creatures all arrive to share the evening and Bushie’s fireside yarns with you.

Yet, **when my guests ask me about the most unique experience in Australia, my answer is: the one that goes above and beyond your expectations.** An inspiring African woman has said “give them what they didn’t know they wanted!” and that is my motivation. The most unique experience I can offer is something that surprises, delights, thrills and wows someone because it goes so far beyond what he/she was expecting.

## Using our power for Good

All consumers have power in their pockets, and they wield that power every time they decide to spend. By knowing Australia’s tourism operators intimately and personally I can help travellers use their power for good wherever possible. This means supporting suppliers that are doing the right thing by the environment and by the community – championing those who truly care and place conservation at the core of their business.

My guiding principle is very simple: we protect what we know and what we love. 

> By introducing travelers to Australia’s pristine wilderness, unique flora, fauna and friendly people, we are really building an army of guardians! 

All in all, if there's one thing that I hope to pass to every traveller, that is love and respect for our natural world and an understanding of the importance of biodiversity. If future generations will retain a connection to the land and a passion for individual cultures and for storytelling, then I think we still have a chance to see our fragile ecosystems thrive again.

Amanda is Senior Travel Designer at [The Tailor](https://www.thetailor.com.au/), and Earthtones' local expert in Australia.

Aussie experience designer Amanda Fisher on how creating meaningful connections is key to understand and protect Australia's beauty.

Oh, Australia! Unless you have several months to spare, prepare yourself for the idea that one trip won't be enough to even scratch the surface of all the outstanding natural wonders this country-continent has to offer. Just to put things into perspective: nearly seven million square kilometres, or 91 per cent of the country, is covered by native vegetation. And about 93% of Australian flora and fauna can’t be found anywhere else in the world. That’s right. It's not surprising when you consider that for millions of years this land has enjoyed total isolation from the rest of the planet, becoming home to ecosystems you won’t find anywhere else. For tens of thousands of years, the life and cultural identity of the local populations has been inextricably linked to the natural elements, flora and fauna. And indeed, this is still the case: we can still find traces of it in the animist spirituality of Aboriginal cultures, passed down orally from time immemorial, but also in the eyes of any Australian man, woman, boy or girl. From the arid red sands of the Northern Territory to the flourishing wine regions in the South, passing through the Daintree Rainforest and the luxuriously blue skies of Queensland, Australia has it all. And this is as true inland as it is offshore: here we find the Great Barrier Reef, the only living system visible from Space, born twenty-five million years ago, home to over 400 species of corals and over 1,500 species of tropical fish. 
And then there are the pristine landscapes of Tasmania, the jewel on Australia’s natural crown and a living paradise for adventure seekers. In short, there really is enough to fill a lifetime, or even two, of unparalleled experiences.

Australia

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Australia: The Lucky Country worth protecting

1995. I was in my second year at the University of Architecture of Chile when I took a trip to Mexico and visited the archaeological site of Teotihuacan. That was the first time I was exposed to the unique fascination of pre-Columbian architecture, as impressive as it was mysterious, but most of all impossible to understand in its extraordinary complexity if not in relation to another discipline (of which I knew little or nothing at the time): astronomy.  I can certainly say that that experience changed the course of my life. That day my eyes and heart were opened to what would become my greatest passion: Archaeoastronomy, which is the study of ancient astral systems and how they have shaped entire civilizations - from architecture to agriculture, to entire transportation networks and the relationship with the Divine.

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Soon after, I moved to the city that more than any other in the world reveals the magnitude of ancient wisdom in harmonizing Heaven and Earth: Cusco, capital and political, military and administrative centre of the Inca Empire, the largest and most important that pre-Columbian America has ever known. It was the beginning of my love story with Peru, a story now 18 years long, and a love that continues to grow day after day, one scientific discovery after another. 

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I began to study the plan of Cusco, to measure positions, alignment and distances of the main streets of the city and its ancient temples, most of which had been converted into Christian churches after the arrival of the Spaniards. I joined the local elders to learn some Quechua, an unwritten but millennia-old language that would be of extraordinary help in all my research.

**Almost immediately, perfect geometries emerged, correspondences between the celestial carpet and the sacred buildings so precise as to give the shivers.** From there I expanded my research to the Sacred Valley and all of Peru, discovering with extreme amazement that the same correspondences could be found between sacred buildings hundreds of kilometers apart. Often armed only with a GPS and a machete to penetrate the most inaccessible areas of the country, my small team of researchers and I have never stopped organizing expeditions in search of sacred places still unexplored.

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Understanding the solar cycles was very important to the daily life of the Incas, especially for activities such as ploughing the land, sowing and harvesting. For this reason, the Sun (Inti in Quechua) became one of the most important deities in the highlands of Peru and throughout the Andean plateau. Even today, the most heartfelt holiday in Peru is the Inti Raymi (Sun Festival), celebrated every year in June on the day of the winter solstice, to mark the beginning of the solar New Year. Now, if we all know the thrill of seeing the sun rise or set, imagine what it's like to see it rise on that day and, only on that day, hit precise points of sacred buildings, penetrate cracks specially carved in the rock and draw amazing plays of light all around… Well, today I can say that **the most rewarding part of my job is to see the goosebumps of some of my guests when the sun appears on the winter solstice above the pyramid of Ollantaytambo,** in the Sacred Valley.

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Machu Picchu deserves a separate discourse: the entire citadel, if observed with the eye of the archaeoastronomer, is a mine of information and ancient wisdom, and the truth is that we are only beginning to dig the surface. What is certain, is that many of the enigmas that surround this extraordinary site find very clear explanations if looked at from this perspective.

Yet, one need only approach the small communities, not only in the Sacred Valley but throughout Peru, to realize that much of this wisdom has crossed the millennia and survived intact in oral tradition. The sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, and all the elements of Mother Earth (Pachamama) are still at the centre of all peasant life - revered as deities, respected above all else.

![renny-gamarra-3xRDFO5zRJ8-unsplash.jpeg](https://earthtones.imgix.net/cms/renny_gamarra_3x_RDFO_5z_RJ_8_unsplash_c0fa6f847e.jpeg?w=1440)

And this is certainly one of the reasons that make Peru so fascinating: from North to South, from the snowy peaks of the Salcantay to the most remote areas of the Amazon, it is possible to find ancient cultures that are still very much alive, in which man and Nature seem to have found a perfect balance. 

> Entering these cultures, looking at the world through their eyes, is not only a fascinating experience, but also a deeply transformative one. 

I had perhaps the most striking proof of this when I led a small group of tourists on the ascent of Ausangate mountain during the Qoyllor'ity, the most ancient Andean festival. We began the walk at 1 am, the air was crispy and thin, the night illuminated by the sixth full moon of the year. I saw the cold, contrite faces of my passengers getting relaxed and filled with a vigour that is hard to describe as we immersed ourselves into the multitude of pilgrims along the trail. They seemed to belong to another time, another planet, all silently united by the same goal: to reach the glacier at 16,500 feet, wash their faces in the sacred lagoon water, then wait for the sunrise on the East as the moon set on the other side of the horizon.

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> Feeling on your skin the connection of Peruvians with Mother Earth is the experience I try to pass on to every tourist.

Understanding the value of their traditions and ancient knowledge is the only way to ensure that they are protected. In a certain sense, it requires an education of the heart rather than of the mind: feeling part of a community based on love and reciprocity between Nature and human beings is something that awakens, in an almost unequivocal way, our soul.

My passion for my work and my deep love for this incredibly beautiful and diverse land go hand in hand with my desire to preserve its cultural heritage. I owe so much of what I have learned in my over 20 years of research to the Andean communities, and I can say that all of my work in tourism is guided by the desire to help these communities so that they can continue to live according to their own rhythms and traditions.

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In recent years I have found in Art a way to express all the inspiration I receive from the Andean culture - from the knowledge of the stars to medicinal plants, to ancient weaving techniques. I create my artworks with the help of two masters of traditional weaving, with whom I opened a [small company](https://weavedzeppelin.com/). In the complex weaves of the wool threads, I see the interconnectedness of Everything, and I feel growing gratitude for a culture that is teaching me to see the Human Kind more and more as a community of Kind Humans.

***Andres leads archeoastronomy tours with Earhtones' preferred partner [Mountain Lodges of Peru](https://www.mountainlodgesofperu.com/). Start planning your adventure now**.*


A pioneer in the study of archeoastronomy, Andres Adasme shares his fascination for a culture where humanity and nature still live in harmony, and describes what Peru can teach us about the interconnectedness of everything. 

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