TOURS & DETOUR: Voluntourism opportunities this fall and winter

Greenloons, which guides travelers to sustainable vacations, suggests vacation adventures from Cambodia to Tanzania offering voluntourism opportunities for families and friends traveling over the upcoming winter holidays. “We can’t image a more meaningful holiday season and wish the world a happy New Year,” says Greenloons founder and president Irene N. Lane.

Explore Cambodia and Laos Dec. 29, 2012, to Jan. 13, 2013, for example. New Hope Cambodia is a grassroots, hands-on non-government organization whose mission is to restore hope, dignity and promise to the local community of Mondul. Volunteer work varies from helping build a new school or library to participating with teaching in classrooms or visiting local families who require assistance. The rest of the time is spent with bike rides, swimming, cave-exploring and visits to the countryside. Departures are monthly and Lane calls this trip “ideal” for children 12 years and up.

Accommodations are for 12 nights at hotels and guest houses. One night is with a family home stay and another night is on a sleeper train. All are designed to be authentic experiences with many of the comforts of home.

Greenloons Voluntourism Vacations requires an average level of fitness and there are opportunities for hiking and biking. The price includes entrance and guide to Angkor Temples and the New Hope Volunteer Project, the UNESCO town of World Heritage of Luang Prabang and more. Maximum number permitted for group is 15, but the average size is 10 participants.

Another project is Tanzania and Safari Dec. 9-21, 2012. Guests in Zanzibar volunteer in the village of Jambiani, helping teachers in local schools and organizing sports activities for community youth. The local government school in Jambiani has about 1,300 students and on average only 20 percent pass their government exams. Although English is widely spoken in areas frequented by tourists, a large percentage of Zanzibar’s population has limited English skills. Schools are very appreciative of assistance from English-speakers in helping children master the language. Due to a lack of teachers with science and computer training, volunteer contribution in these areas are also needed.

Other opportunities for voluntourism are Zambia Community and Safari Dec. 29, 2012-Jan. 11, 2013, which is an adventurous trip across three countries with an authentic safari through national parks in search of the “Big 5” with time spent working on volunteer projects that benefit the people and the animals of the region. Guest walk with rhinos and gain personal insight into the culture of the Shangaan people one day and participate in the Livingstone community volunteer program the next.

Project Kenya and Safari Nov. 26-Dec. 10, 2012, is a 15-day trip in which guests scour the Maasai Mara for lions, cheetahs, elephants and rhinos while camping under the sky for a uniquely African experience. Volunteers are involved at the Limuru Children Center, Mukeu special unit school and In His Image baby-rescue center.

Project Peru Amazon and Project Costa Rica are two of the many programs in Latin America that Greenloons offers where volunteer work and family vacations combine to help these countries.

Project Peru Amazon is a 9-day family adventure that includes travel by motorized canoe up the Tambopata River to spend 5 days at a center for the rehabilitation and conservation of wild animals. Zoologists help to maintain an interpretative trail, build animal enclosures and interact with the local community. An additional 2 days are spent in the rainforest learning about traditional medicinal plants, spotting exotic birds, caimans and monkeys. Departures are weekly.

Project Costa Rica gets families involved with the Pacific Sea Turtle Project, a conservation initiative undertaken to protect endangered sea turtles and their nests and improving the chance of the hatchlings on Matapalo Beach. Over the 15-day program, families will volunteer in night beach patrols to protect the turtle nests, collect data, do some general cleaning and maintenance, and monitor the hatchery where baby turtles are counted and released. There are 2 days scheduled in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and another 2 days in the town of La Fortuna where activities in the Arenal Volcano area range from birdwatching to hiking and biking to canyoning and river rafting. Departures are July through November and the trip is recommended for children aged 12 plus. Continued...

Sourced: mainlinemedianews