Page 34 - Explore Magazine Autumn 2018

ADVENTURE SNAPSHOT

Walks, bikes, cruises and thrills.

HELP NATURE WHILE YOU ENJOY IT

Melbourne-based Echidna Walkabout is a Social Enterprise Tour
Operator with a mission to help ensure the future of indigenous
Australian animals in the wild through responsible eco and
sustainable wildlife tourism.
The award-winning company’s seven- to 21-day small-group or
private group tours take travellers to Australia’s best locations for
maximum wildlife diversity including the coastal wilderness and
world biosphere reserve of Croajingolong National Park in East
Gippsland in Victoria, the rain-shadow woodlands of Snowy River
National Park, the wild cliffs of the Great Ocean Road, and the
Outback. Trips can be customised to focus on the wildlife and
regions best suited to travellers’ interests, and for photography,
scenery, or walking.
Echidna Walkabout also strongly supports Australian indigenous
culture and strives to employ Aboriginal People as cultural
guides as often as possible and to visit Aboriginal-run keeping
places when they are available.
Conservation is also a key focus and all Echidna Walkabout tours
include a daily Conservation Action ranging from light weeding
to bagging up discarded fishing nets to helping a guide to record
birds for atlas submissions. Designed to be fun and easy, these
small conservation actions achieved by thousands of guests each
year make a big impact. And in keeping with its social enterprise
policy of reinvesting revenue, Echidna Walkabaout operates the
not-for-profit Koala Clancy Foundation to support the wild koalas
of the Western Plains of Victoria.

NEW ECO TOURISM LODGE IN RWANDA
Bisate Lodge, the newest eco luxury lodge by Africa’s leading ecotourism
operator Wilderness Safaris, opened in June 2017 close to the southern
border of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Set in a reforested rural
area with dramatic views of the peaks of the volcanoes Bisoke, Karisimbi
and Mikeno, the property’s six sumptuous villas maximise comfort,
warmth and views while retaining environmental principles and reflecting
the culture of surrounding rural Rwanda.
Bisate’s vision of reforestation and rehabilitation means that each guest
is invited to participate in the lodge’s biodiversity conservation efforts,
as well as engage with and meet the local community in the fields, at
their homes or in the local markets. Self-guided and guided nature walks
in the lodge surrounds enable guests to learn more about the wildlife of
the area. The area is home to the golden monkey, side-striped jackal,
black-fronted duiker, buffalo, elephant, tree hyrax and bushbuck, and
of the 178 bird species in the area, at least 13 are endemic. Carefully
managed viewing treks are also available from Volcanoes National Park
to help support conservation efforts for Rwanda’s critically endangered
mountain gorillas.

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : AUTUMN EDITION