no.1 Land
SAVE OUR OCEANS Wildlife
THE ALLURE OF ASIA People
MARA LIFE LESSONS
bateleur SEE WHAT LIES BEYOND
See what lies beyond...
Dear guests,
T
he world we live in seems to evolve at an ever faster and more furious pace, whether it be technological innovation and digital engagement across all manner of social platforms, or globalisation and the speed and reach of international travel. However, I would like you to take a big step back from all of that as you read this Bateleur magazine focusing on the here and now.
At &Beyond we strive to leave our world a better place, and we try to do that by immersing you in experiences that are driven by some old-fashioned philosophies and principles. These range from a strong belief in the power of community and sharing and giving back; to seeking out really authentic experiences that speak to all of your senses; to taking you comfortably outside your comfort zone; to creating environments in which your immersion into our diverse world of cultures and ecosystems becomes a crucible for potential learning and fascination at any age and for any nationality. Time has become our most precious commodity and I fully recognise the huge responsibility we have in exceeding your expectations in delivering exceptional experiences for you whilst you are with us. By the mere fact that you have chosen to adventure with us, I would also like to personally thank you for helping support and enable all of our Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife and Care of the People initiatives across Africa, Asia and South America. You are having a direct impact through your journeying with us. And if you leave us having had a fabulous experience, learned something new, reconnected with partners, families, or friends, met someone new, laughed a little and have been left wide-eyed, then we will have done our job well. What lies beyond is a fascinating and enriching world and we feel very privileged to experience it with you. Warm regards,
Joss Kent &Beyond CEO
4
B AT E L E U R
5
Contributors Claire Trickett
Daryl Dell
&Beyond Editor Travel Blogger @clairetrickett
&Beyond Private Guide @daryldellsafaris
With a travel writing career that spans 15 years, Claire is the author, curator and content creator for both our Bateleur magazine and blog. A self-confessed travel addict with a degree in French literature and a passion for blogging and photography, Claire happily lives out of a suitcase and writes about it. From kissing giraffes, photographing a pangolin and collecting DNA from a rhino, she continues to share her many &Beyond adventures on Instagram.
6
Grant Telfer &Beyond Private Guide @granttelfer
Grant’s 14-year career in guiding ideally positions him as &Beyond’s Regional Ranger Trainer for East Africa. Not only does he inspire, educate and mentor all aspiring &Beyond guides in Kenya and Tanzania, but he also regularly hosts private safaris in East, South and Southern Africa. Having recently spent time exploring India and Sri Lanka, Grant continues to expand his guiding and photographic career.
With 16 years of guiding under his belt, guests continually ask for Daryl by name and his private safaris are booked long in advance. Although he proudly calls &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa home, he is regularly on the road hosting unforgettable photographic, birding, walking and specialist adventures from South Africa all the way to the wilds of India and South America.
Duncan Butchart Illustrator @butchartduncan
A longtime friend of &Beyond, Duncan not only created our lodge EcoGuides, Star Birds and species checklists, he also mentored over 200 &Beyond guides to document their daily wildlife observations. This long-term field study earned him an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of the Witwatersrand. An author and illustrator, Duncan now hand-paints the beautiful watercolour illustrations in all of our publications.
Ann Fulcher
Mark Ziembicki
Photographer &Beyond Guest @annfulcherphotography
Conservation Scientist &Beyond Guest @markziephoto
A physician and radiologist by profession, Ann purchased her first DSLR camera in 2010 and what started out as a hobby has evolved into nearly a decade-long love affair with photography. From Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania, to India, Iceland, Ecuador and Brazil (to name just a few), Ann continues to travel the world to capture the raw beauty of its bustling streets and enchanting wildlife.
Mark Brodkin Photographer &Beyond Guest @markbrodkinphotography
Mark is an award-winning photographer with a passion for capturing the timeless beauty of the world’s most iconic landscapes. His work has been featured in newspapers and magazines around the world and we are honoured that he chooses to travel with &Beyond to photograph the earth’s natural beauty. He ventures far, waits patiently for hours and braves the elements just to get that perfect shot.
Mark has more than 20 years’ experience in environmental research and conservation practice with a particular interest in the application of data science and new technologies to protected area management, ecological monitoring and threatened species research. He is the co-founder and director of Cinematic Science – a video and photography production company that focuses on highlighting environmental and social research issues.
BATELEUR &BEYOND andBeyond.com andBeyond.com/stories
@andbeyondtravel #seewhatliesbeyond Writer Claire Trickett Editing, Design & Production Fandam Studio Illustration Beverley Glanville (Covers) Johann Strauss (Small Group Journeys) Duncan Butchart
B AT E L E U R
7
Contents The Bateleur French for “acrobat”, this mighty eagle teeters as it soars, mimicking a tightrope walker. A fitting symbol for &Beyond, given our core ethos of balancing our Care of the Land, Wildlife and People – a balance made entirely possible by the guests that travel with us. When all three are in harmony, together, we leave our world a better place.
04
MESSAGE FROM JOSS KENT 06
CONTRIBUTORS 12
PHINDA: THE RETURN
8
LAND 28
Indian Ocean Islands
SAVE OUR OCEANS
WILDLIFE 70
A STORY OF HOPE 78
40
India
TASTE OF INDIA Argentina | Chile
NATURE’S MASTERPIECE Namibia
SANDS OF TIME
Kenya
MARA LIFE LESSONS 126
Bhutan
FIND YOUR ZEN IN BHUTAN
Ecuador
FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE AMAZON 90
58
120
India
THE ALLURE OF ASIA 84
48
South Africa | Botswana
PEOPLE
138
South Africa
SENSE OF PLACE
India
TRACKING THE ELUSIVE SNOW LEOPARD 98
Kenya | Tanzania
THE GREAT MIGRATION 112
South Africa
STAR BIRDS
B AT E L E U R
9
Stay long after
you head home Every late night conversation fuels the fire of learning. Every drive off the map takes us further down the road of conservation. Every dive beneath the surface helps us to see with clarity. Every experience leaves us richer, and wiser. Every person we welcome helps leave our world a better place. Come for a change of pace, return home forever changed. See what lies beyond. andBeyond.com
OUR LEGACY
SOUTH AFRICA
Phinda
THE RETURN
THEY SAY THAT DIFFICULT ROADS OFTEN LEAD TO BEAUTIFUL DESTINATIONS. NOTHING COULD BE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH FOR &BEYOND PHINDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE.
B AT E L E U R
13
IMAGE: HOWARD CLELAND
OUR LEGACY
SOUTH AFRICA
Phinda
&Beyond was officially
A
oreal-life phoenix, &Beyond Phinda’s ojourney is a story we are most proud oof. The relentless challenges faced and hard-earned victories won are poignantly documented in the emotive book The Return (1999). What started as an impossible dream went on to successfully become an important milestone in and microcosm of conservation history. Not only is Phinda now a flagship property, boasting six globally recognised and awardwinning luxury safari lodges, it is also a proven case study that is widely regarded as one of the world’s most ambitious and successful blueprints for international ecotourism. Even back then, in 1999, the book refers to a group of “responsible men who wanted to make
14
the world a better place”. Our vision remains unchanged to this day: we strive to Care for the Land, Wildlife and People through the delivery of extraordinary guest experiences. However, luxury lodges and wildlife hotspots aside, our mission is impossible without equal partnership with our neighbours, the local communities that surround our conservation areas and, at the heart of it all, our beloved guests, without whom none of this would be possible. Every single thing, big or small, that we are able to do in order to leave our world a better place is only made possible by the fact that you choose to travel with us. For that, we are eternally grateful, and we look forward to welcoming you back, again and again.
IMAGE: DOOK
launched with the creation of Phinda. Its arduous journey to become the world-class conservation area that it is today was not without difficult roads and dead ends.
OUR LEGACY
IMAGES: MARK BRODKIN, DARYL DELL
SOUTH AFRICA
Phinda
1
2
3
1 285
acres of the world’s remaining rare dry sand forest is found on Phinda.
90%
reduction in plastic bottle usage thanks to Phinda’s own water bottling plant.
16
CARE OF THE LAND
The land selected for &Beyond’s first game reserve was identified as key conservation land. Yet having endured almost a century dominated by pineapple, cattle and sisal farms, Phinda’s land had become severely overgrazed and degraded, and its naturally occurring wildlife had long since deserted the area. With a strong conviction that this derelict land could be beautifully restored to its original splendour, it was purchased by our founders and the rest of its journey has now become conservation history. Overcoming the initial hurdles was paramount: to rehabilitate the mistreated wasteland to its natural vigour; to return the long forgotten wildlife that once roamed the area as nature intended; and, of course, to build luxury lodges that would entice wanderlust travellers from around the world, without whom our impact model would not be viable.
204
CARE OF THE WILDLIFE 4
5
Reintroducing wildlife is not without its challenges, and no one knows this better than &Beyond Group Conservation Manager Les Carlisle. Les’ now almost 30-year career with &Beyond bears an endless string of worthy accolades and laudable victories, not to mention an impressive list of conservation firsts, many of which were accomplished during his time at &Beyond. Positioned at the helm of this vital mission to restock Phinda’s land with its natural wildlife, Les recalls in The Return, “The first thing we had to do was get legislation in place for the establishment of a Big Five game reserve. We also had to get permission from all of our neighbours. What was most significant was that the community were the first to agree with our plans to return the wildlife. Nkosi Simon Gumede, the leader of the Makhasa Tribal Authority and the Mduku community, had far more sympathy with what we were trying to do than most of the other farmers. ‘The animals were here long before us,’ he said. ‘We should let them come back.’” From escapee elephants, powerful pythons and disease-ridden buffalo to irate rhinos and notquite-sedated lions (including one that suddenly and very unexpectedly decided to wake up next to Les, mid-flight, in a small aircraft), each day provided its own roller-coaster of events, not to mention the occasional broken bone and bruised ego. A natural born storyteller, Les’ tales of pioneering conservation are as comical as they are captivating. “One gets accustomed to adrenaline! On one occasion I had grabbed a darted lioness by her tail and was pulling her backwards when the whole pride of about 18 cats came rushing at us. Tony Adams [&Beyond Field & Sustainability Director] said it sounded like the start of a Grand Prix. I was more interested in keeping the lioness from turning around and biting me. Fortunately we were able to intimidate the pride long enough to get back to our Land Rover, by which time the lioness was immobilised.”
cheetah cubs across 64 different litters have been born on Phinda, and 54 individuals have been translocated to diversify gene pools and bolster new populations elsewhere.
1 000
disease-free buffalo are breeding on other private reserves thanks to Phinda’s buffalo TB (bovine tuberculosis) programme.
1 A NEW DISCOVERY
A new frog species, the Phinda rain frog (Breviceps carruthersi), was discovered on Phinda by private guide Daryl Dell.
2 DECADE OF RESEARCH
The Mun-Ya-Wana leopardresearch programme was started in conjunction with wild cat conservation organisation Panthera; 72 leopard were collared and tracked for 10 years.
3 KEEPING BALANCE
&Beyond Phinda actively and responsibly manages its elephant population through the use of contraceptives.
4 GOOD GENES
Phinda’s meticulous wildlife management practices have resulted in one of the broadest gene pools for lion in South Africa.
5 SEEING SPOTS
Now classified as a vulnerable species, cheetah thrive on Phinda, and it is arguably the best place in South Africa to view them in the wild.
B AT E L E U R
17
OUR LEGACY
SOUTH AFRICA
Phinda
In 1991, 21 white rhino were moved to Phinda in what was, back then, the largest single translocation. Nearly three decades later, illegal poaching is sadly at an all-time high, forcing this now-endangered species to the brink of extinction. In South Africa, where rhino are being killed at a rate of one every eight hours, it’s estimated that 7 130 rhino have been poached since 2008. Phinda is actively involved in Rhinos Without Borders, our joint initiative with Great Plains Conservation, which aims to translocate 100 rhino from the poaching hotspots of South Africa to relative safety in neighbouring Botswana. Read more about it on page 70.
18
IMAGE: DOOK
A STORY OF HOPE
120
rhino have been translocated from Phinda to other protected wildlife areas, making Phinda one of South Africa’s most important rhino reserves.
OUR LEGACY
SOUTH AFRICA
IMAGES: DOOK, STEVIE MANN
Phinda
20
Neighbouring Zulu communities were, and continue to be, consulted in all aspects of development, ensuring that their expectations and aspirations are met in a sustainable way.
CARE OF THE PEOPLE
Wildlife encounters and translocation victories aside, the final and most crucial hurdle was to reconnect the surrounding local communities with their ancestral land. The late Nelson Mandela said it best: “Ultimately, conservation is about people. If you don’t have sustainable development around wildlife parks, then the people will have no interest in them, and the parks will not survive.” Neighbouring Zulu communities were, and continue to be, consulted in all aspects of development, ensuring that their expectations and aspirations are met in a sustainable way. Community member Gladys Zikhali explains in The Return, “The rural communities bordering Phinda were ordinary people. They never thought that one day they could have better jobs and the opportunity for tertiary education. When Phinda started, for the most part, they did not think that changing a pineapple farm and cattle ranch into a game reserve was a good idea. “They believed that there was every chance that the dangerous game would destroy their farm stock, and perhaps even worse. We couldn’t believe that this belief would change so quickly and so easily. But this is what happened when our people started to work there. Phinda started with bringing in the wildlife. They also promised job opportunities and training. In 1992, the establishment of the Rural Investment Fund [now Africa Foundation] opened many doors that
had been closed to the communities. More and more students are given golden opportunities to further their studies in tertiary institutions.” Fast forward nearly three decades, and our social development partner, Africa Foundation, continues to work hand in hand with the rural African communities that neighbour Phinda. Through effective consultation and collaboration, with legitimate local leadership in place, these communities are empowered to enable development on a far more successful and sustainable scale. Africa Foundation has provided support to 10 high schools, 20 primary schools, one special-needs school and 15 crèches across the five communities surrounding Phinda. It has also provided support to two medical clinics in the area. Mduku Clinic, which was built by Africa Foundation, now operates 24 hours a day, servicing 6 000 patients a month, and its TB/HIV facility provides treatment for over 2 500 adults and 120 children. “Today Phinda is considered a role model, enhancing cross-cultural understanding, changing poachers to businessmen, linking the rich with the poor, and helping to unite everyone in environmental equation,” Gladys continues. “We, as the Phinda Committee, believe that in a successful family, as we have become, there is always a need for collective action, shared responsibility and pooling of ideas. This alone holds the key to our long-term survival.”
689
Hippo Water Rollers have been distributed, and 27 new accessto-water sites created, enabling people to easily transport water from the source to their homes.
226
local students have received bursaries towards tertiarylevel education, empowering them to study the course of their choice at college or university.
B AT E L E U R
21
Mother Nature once again has the upper hand, and &Beyond Phinda remains a successful microcosm of what is possible.
22
RETURNING FULL CIRCLE
Phinda means “the return” in Zulu, a name that has turned out to be more prophetic than once expected. Not only was the wildlife returned to the land, but a significant portion of the land has since been returned to its ancestral owners in a groundbreaking partnership between &Beyond and the neighbouring Makhasa and Mnqobokazi communities, making a marked difference in the lives of the local people. This partnership’s been so successful that, as additional land has been handed back to the communities, they’ve continued to request that this land been incorporated in &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, because they believe that their best financial return is gained through the use of the land for conservation tourism. Through our relationships with the local communities and our affiliation with the
Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy (a collaboration of wildlife land owners in the KwaZulu-Natal region), &Beyond Phinda has grown from 13 000 hectares to more than 28 000 hectares of pristine protected wilderness. Mother Nature once again has the upper hand, and &Beyond Phinda remains a successful microcosm of what is possible. Not only was the habitat returned to its original state, the wildlife returned to its intended home, and the land ownership returned to its rightful owners, but the land has also been returned to conservation. Through the continued return of our guests, year in and year out, this land will be protected, conserved and loved in perpetuity. Phinda is living proof that together, we can leave our world a better place. &
PARADISE RESTORED
Now one of the most sought-after safari locations in Africa, &Beyond Phinda has grown into a thriving commercial enterprise and bucket-list destination, thanks to the success of our 3Cs impact model.
@andbeyondphinda B AT E L E U R
23