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Category Archives: Conservation

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Ashy-headed Geese flying over A colony of King Penguins in Tierra del Fuego
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During #AdventureWeekTDF we were pretty lucky to see penguins not just once, but twice: first the Gentoos on our first day in Argentina, and then the Kings by the end of the trip in Chile.
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On our way to Porvenir to board our charter back to Punta Arenas, we stopped along the way in @parquepinguinorey to learn a little bit more about these fellas.
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The park began after 2010 when a group of close to 100 of these guys arrived to the place. People were very curious and pretty much harassed them, so a local family who owns the property took the initiative to protect the 8 penguins that did stay and educate visitors to further the conservation project.
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To avoid being intrusive, we watch them from afar behind a wooden wall built to limit the area according to the best conservation practices and using binoculars, but that’s more than enough to feel the connection with them. You can hear their cries, and they have a very particular one. At first I thought there was a drone in the area, but then I realized it was them. As they got close to the young ones that look up and make that funny sound.
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Praises to the family, team of scientists, and volunteers who take on the task of caring for this beautiful birds!

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Penguins are real in Tierra del Fuego!
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So we begin with the #AdventureWeekTDF series!
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Today my half of the group started by taking a flight in the morning to Ushuaia to meet the other half. We all boarded a boat to navigate the Beagle canal and learned a little bit about the history of the region by the hand of Ernesto Piana, a recognized archeologist of the region.
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Afterwards, we went to a small refuge in one of the islands for a delicious lunch and followed with a hike that showcased so many amazing views! I can’t wait to share some more of these photos with all of you. Coming soon!
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Finally, we rode a boat to the place they were going to pick us up to take us to Hostería Kaikén, out home for the night, buuut, on the way, our guides from @canal_fun spotted penguins on one of the islands and kindly stopped so we could get off the boat and admire them from up close.
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It’s funny, but until today, I hadn’t quite realized how real they are. It’s kinda dumb, I know, but sometimes these animals feel like unicorns, like something you’d only see in movies or documentaries, but once you see them up close and personal at their own home the experience becomes so much more meaningful and the connection and value they bring to you is truly exhilarating. I can assure you, the reward of working hard to visit your favorite species in their habitat will be much more real and rewarding than you can imagine.

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Planting 5,000 Trees in Costa Rica for a Carbon Neutral #ATWS2016
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Last year I visited Costa Rica along with @adventure.travel_ and @visitanchorage for a very enlightening trip about Carbon Neutrality.
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Rafael Gallo, an amazing guy, one of the top conservation advocates in Costa Rica (if not in the world) and owner of @riostropicales, was our guide through this awesome experience. He was also the one who challenged Visit Anchorage to make their Adventure Travel World Summit the first carbon neutral one, setting in motion a movement that brought this critical subject to the attention of many of the adventure travel industry leaders! Kudos, Rafa!
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With Rafa’s help and under the guidance and supervision of EARTH university (a leading carbon neutrality institution based in Costa Rica), the ATTA and Visit Anchorage gathered over 300 volunteers to plant 5,000 trees which will be cared for by Rafa and his people for about 3 years until they can sustain themselves, and will be kept in the ground for at least 12 years to capture the carbon that was produced to make the Summit happen.
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I encourage you to research this very interesting subject. I hope you’ll be inspired and will inspire others within your reach to take action on this super important matter.

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