D EPARTURES MAKING A
D EPARTURES MAKING A DIFFERENCE 34 From fossil excavation to manta-ray research, travellers are digging, diving and descending into a new breed of citizen-science adventures. by Bruce Wallin Where Science Is the Star ONE OF YOUR first decisions at the new Usangu Expedition Camp in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park will be where to place your trap. As a guest in one of the camp’s four tents, you’ll take temporary ownership of a motion-triggered trail camera to Inspecting a coral garden in the Great Barrier Reef with Pelorus help track wildlife movements in the surrounding wetlands, a critical habitat for wild dogs, lions and massive flocks of ostriches. The remote camp, which Asilia Africa (asiliaafrica.com) opened in June as the first tourist operation in the Usangu area, is actively involved in an ongoing biodiversity audit of the region being conducted by the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. In addition to setting camera traps, guests can partake in the process by assisting resident scientists with everything from telemetric monitoring of predator movements to the darting and collaring of antelopes and elephants. The hands-on experience at Usangu Expedition Camp is indicative of a growing trend in luxury travel, one where science plays a starring role. At a time when we’ve all become amateur epidemiologists and backyard ornithologists, safari outfitters, hotels and even yacht-charter operators are introducing programmes that reflect our evolving interest in science and the natural world. From the mapping of a glacial gorge in Alaska to the tracking of Maldivian manta rays, the experiences pair in-depth participation and education with outright adventure and fun. Pioneers in science-based travel, Four Seasons’ Landaa Giraavaru and Kuda Huraa resorts (fourseasons.com) in the Maldives employ 13 full-time marine biologists between them. The scientists run what is arguably the most comprehensive and interactive LISA MICHELE BURNS
© SHELDON CHALET programme offered by any resort, with Marine Saver experiences for adults, children and families that span everything from coral regeneration to clownfish breeding. Launched in December, Landaa Giraavaru’s new Trainee Marine Biologist programme for teenagers consists of six full-day experiences in which participants work alongside the marine scientists. The trainees can take one or all of the individual modules, which include studying manta rays with biologists from the Manta Trust, a group that was founded at Landaa Giraavaru in 2005 and is now the world’s largest manta-ray conservation organisation. Exploring the depths of Alaska’s Ruth Glacier is on the curriculum for phase two of the Sheldon Chalet Denali National Park Scientific Expedition. Last May, two guests of Sheldon Chalet (sheldonchalet.com) – an exclusive-use, fly-in, five-bedroom lodge inside the Ruth Glacier’s rim – joined a team of scientists on a historic expedition to map, measure and study the glacier’s Great Gorge. The scientists will descend once again next spring – exact dates depend on weather patterns and glacial movements – with as many as four guests who will help gather and interpret data and, for the first time, conclusively identify the depth of what some believe to be the North American continent’s deepest gorge. Freshwater samples are the focus of a new programme launching this October from Exodus Travels (exodustravels.com). Guests on the tour operator’s trips, which venture everywhere from Patagonia to Kyrgyzstan, are invited to fill syringes at waterways and other natural habitats throughout their journeys. The company then sends the samples to eBioAtlas, an organisation that is building the most comprehensive database of flora and fauna populations. Through DNA sequencing, the group analyses the water samples to identify the presence of plants and animals, monitor migration habits and gauge ecosystem health in regions worldwide. Guests participating in the programme receive post-trip reports with analyses of their specific samples. In the dry, dinosaur-bonefilled deserts of Utah, aspiring palaeontologists can dig into Amangiri’s ( aman.com) fossilexcavation experience at the Tibbet Spring Bone Bed Quarry. The fullday adventure starts with a palaeontologist-led introduction to the famed fossil site, followed by excavation training and a four-hour, get-your-hands-dirty excavation. Amangiri – a stunning retreat on 242 hectares near Zion National Sheldon Chalet guests explore an ice cave in Alaska’s Denali National Park “In the dinosaur-bonefilled Utah desert, aspiring palaeontologists can dig into Amangiri’s hands-on experience” Park – also offers a fossil-extraction experience where you work side by side with experts from a Bureau of Land Management laboratory to coax prehistoric bones from stone. Averting the extinction of Antarctica’s threatened wildlife populations is a priority for Dr Mercedes Santos, a biologist and the National Director of Marine Protected Areas of Argentina, who recently joined a private charter trip led by the expedition yachting company Pelorus (pelorusx.com). Guests on the charter accompanied the scientist as she conducted research on the breeding and feeding of chinstrap, Adélie and gentoo penguins – and educated the group on Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems. In addition to the polar regions, Pelorus’ over-the-top journeys frequently visit the South Pacific and other areas that are experiencing change from rising temperatures. The outfitter encourages its clients to take part in – and help fund –research in the regions on citizen-science adventures that might include monitoring coral health on the Great Barrier Reef or tracking manta-ray populations in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat. 35 DEPARTURES
