Tag Archives: eco-travel

Why We Need To Protect These Birds

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As we were driving to the airport on the last day, I was dismayed to see a man sitting in the street median selling endemic birds, obviously wild-caught.  I was sitting in a taxi and trying to take pics through the traffic so these aren’t great shots but you can clearly see the little green birds on the left which are Grey-headed Lovebirds and there is at least one Vasa Parrot on the right.  I don’t know what the laws are in Madagascar are, I tend to think it must be illegal otherwise I would have seen more such sellers.  It’s so heartbreaking to see them like this when I just got back from seeing their cousins in the wild.  These birds are probably being captured outside of parks that cater to birders that don’t have park rangers and tourists tramping through each day.

If anyone knows what authority I can send these pics to to help catch these people, please comment below.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get the seller in the pics but a local Malagasy may recognize this location.

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More On Choosing An Eco-Lodge

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When I first started this blog, I wrote a post on how to choose an eco-lodge.  Looking back, I still agree with everything I said back then.  But there was one element I forgot to mention until I saw this post by an award-winning travel writer and editor at large for National Geographic Traveler magazine, Mr Costas Christ.  In his outstanding article, he talks about how the lodge should reflect the culture of the country its in.  The Tambopata Research Centre looks like its in Peru.  Selva Verde looks like its in Costa Rica.  Hornbill Camp looks like its in India.  And these as well as many other I have blogged about make a point of employing local people and contributing to the local economy.  I could go on, but this is one very important factor that sets a fantastic eco-lodge apart from just a good eco-lodge.

Tambopata Research Centre

Coolest Up-Close Animal Encounters

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Travel & Leisure have an interesting list of some of the coolest close-up animal encounters.  Have a look through and see how many YOU have done!

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These are the ones I have done from their list:

3.  Pantanal, Brazil but I didn’t see jaguars.

4.  Chobe, Botswana and yes, I saw lots of elephants!

5.  Kakadu Australia for lots of crocodiles

6.  Serengeti, Tasmania and I did see lions.  Next visit will be for birds!

9.  Zambezi River, Zambia  I was camping across the river in Zimbabwe and woke up to hippo tracks very near my tent………..pretty scary!

11.  Bwindi, Uganda  Seeing mountain gorillas was amazing!  I lucked out and was in teh group that visited the gorilla family near the campground.

13.  Borneo, Indonesia  I was in a different orangutan sanctuary near Sandakan but I did see them!

20.  Macaws in Peru – I’ll take half a point since I saw them in Tambopata but in 2016 I’m going back to visit both Manu & Tambopata!

Sustainable/Green Tourism – An Overview

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If you found this blog, odds are you already have a keen interest in eco-tourism and will have seen various terms such as “Green Travel”, “Sustainable Tourism”, “Responsible Tourism”.  People who care about saving endangered species will also care about the habitats they live in and by extension the entire planet.  Let’s have a look at some ways you can keep your travel as green as possible.

DEFINITION

Google the term “Green Travel” and you will come up with a variety of definitions.  I like this one that I found on Responsible Travel Report.

Green travel is an overarching term used to describe responsible travel practices that focus on economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability. Green travel is about making sure that travelers choose businesses, tour operators, and transportation methods that maintain and preserve the ecological integrity of the environment and contribute to local community development; meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of current or future generations.

Go Green Travel Green breaks it down even further.

  • Thinking about your impact on the environment (both the physical and social environment) when you travel

  • Doing your part to minimize your impact on the environment – so that tourism in your destination can be maintained in the long run

  • Understanding eco-friendly choices you can make

  • Making eco-friendly choices when they are options

  • Doing your research to be a responsible traveler

  • Saving money by making low-impact choices

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO TRAVEL GREEN?

There are several aspects of being green and traveling in a responsible manner.  Some we will have more control over than others.  People who are engaging in eco-tourism to help conserve endangered species will already be doing a lot of these.  People who are reading this blog as a supplement to the points hacking or luxury travel blogs and are new to eco-tourism may have to make more of an effort.

1.  USE ECO-FRIENDLY MODES OF TRANSPORTATION – Depending on where you live and where you are traveling to, you may not have a choice about flying.  But once you are on the ground, there are things you can do.  Use public transport or share rides rather than using private taxis.  Walk whenever it is possible and safe to do so.  Rent economical cars or hybrid cars.  Trains are more eco-friendly than planes if you need to travel within an area.  Most remote eco-lodges that use river boat transport will run them only once a day with all new arrivals on board.

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2.  OFFSETTING GREENHOUSE GASES – A fellow travel blogger, Saverocity has an excellent post about this.  He recommends two organizations – Terrapass and Carbonfund.  From these two, I like the Carbonfund option of supporting reforestation and avoidance of deforestation because this also saves a lot of endangered birds and animals.  If your travel is to modern cities where you can’t support local communities near wildlife habitats directly, I think this is the best way to go.  The Purus Project is right in the middle of Amazon rainforest habitat and just north of Tambopata so I would highly recommend choosing this project to support.

Purus Project

3.  SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMIES – This is one of the most important things you can do for both the environment and the wildlife.  Many people have earned a living from trapping wild animals and birds and selling them on the black market.  Eco-tourism offers these people an honest way to earn a living while preserving their native species.  So please use accommodations that employ locals, eat in local restaurants, buy lots of their handicrafts (they make great gifts and souvenirs), and employ them as guides.  Many of the birding guides I have used started out as bird trappers and are now highly respected guides used by independent travelers, birding groups and documentary film-makers.

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4.  SUPPORT CONSERVATION PROJECTS – Many lodges support research and conservation projects which are trying to save endangered species.  Some of these projects welcome tourists to accompany them for an added fee.  One of the best ones is at Caiman Ecological Refuge in the southern Pantanal.  This is the home of several conservation projects including Projeto Arara Azul.  Basically, you spend the day with the crew as they inspect nests, make sure baby birds are being well-nourished, do census counts of birds and observe behaviour. Tambopata has the excellent Macaw Project to study the clay licks and Armonia supports the Blue-throated Macaw in Bolivia which you can see at El Beni.

Projeto Arara Azul volunteers with Tara after inspecting a Hyacinth Macaw chick

Projeto Arara Azul volunteers with Tara after inspecting a Hyacinth Macaw chick

You can also support conservation in some cities by visiting zoos and nature parks where your admission fees support projects.  I have already blogged about Sao Paulo Zoo, Museu Emilio Goeldi and Bali Bird Park.  Check the websites of any zoos or bird parks you may visit, they will usually have a page detailing their conservation projects.

5.  LOW IMPACT TRAVEL & RECYCLING – This doesn’t have to be only a travel strategy, you can do this at home too!  You should already be recycling paper and plastic goods, look for recycling bins when you are traveling too.  Avoid printing things out, use e-readers or pdfs on a small netbook or tablet.  Don’t keep buying plastic water bottles, refill yours with boiled water.  Minimize use of motorized transport, combine all your errands into one trip.  Keep use of electricity to a minimum, use fans rather than air-conditioners if it’s really hot.  Use local products rather than those that are trucked in.  Don’t use plastic shopping bags, buy some reusable bags, preferably from a local artisan!

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6.  PATRONIZE SUSTAINABLE ESTABLISHMENTS – This is where you need to look at the eco-lodge’s websites to see how they are handling this.  You may have to click a few menus to find their sustainability page but most eco-lodges will have one, some will be better articulated than others.   I addressed this in one of my first posts on this blog.  You want to see how they are benefiting the local community, contributing to conservation and using eco-friendly best practices in the management of the lodge.  Here are a few examples of what you are looking for.

Posada Amazonas

Cristalino

Selva Verde

 

7.  RESPECT WILDLIFE – Don’t try to get too close to birds, especially not while they are breeding.  You could spook baby birds into falling out of their nests, frighten off the parents or simply distract birds of any age leaving them vulnerable to predators.  Keep a respectable distance, use those heavy 400mm lenses!   Walk carefully and make sure you don’t damage any habitat, stick to the trails.  Speak in whispers so you don’t frighten wildlife.  If you are using a hide such as this one in the Arfaks, plan to arrive before the birds normally do, stay quiet, don’t disturb the birds as they will be very close to you.  Your guide will know what time to get there so follow his advice and don’t oversleep!

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8.  SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES – I know we would all like to save the world, but we can’t do it alone!  Share your experiences and photos in social media and with schools, clubs and local publications.  Inspire more people to have their own eco-tourism adventures!

Please feel free to add your own tips for green/sustainable travel in the comments!

 

Frequent Flyer Miles Earning Credit Cards – Australian Edition 2

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Last week in Australian Edition 1 I showed you how to use the various American Express cards to get a nice sign-up bonus to kick start your mileage balance.  You will remember that you could also use AMEX Membership Rewards to transfer to a variety of partners including airlines and hotels.  Before we start, I want to point out that these are not affiliate links, you will be clicking straight off the airline’s website.  If you have been on USA based blogs and forums, you will probably have seen that they can get even better sign up bonuses through affiliates but we don’t seem to have that in Australia……………yet!  The only situation where you get more sign up points  than is offered on the bank/airline site is the Amex referral program.  Please use the contact form if you would like me to refer you for this bonus which I discussed in Edition 1.

Now let’s look at airline specific cards.  These are co-branded cards that automatically transfer your points into the airline each month.  Even if you get the Amex, you should also get a Visa or Mastercard as there are a lot of businesses and government fees where you can’t use an Amex.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA – VELOCITY

When you click on to their website, you will notice an “Earn” tab and a “Specials” tab.

The “Specials” tab will take you to whatever sign up bonuses are running at the time.  Always check this tab before you sign up for any credit card and make sure you read the T&Cs that go with the card so you know what you have to do to earn the bonus.

Now click on the “Earn” tab and select credit cards to see ALL the credit card options that partner with Velocity.  You will see that just about every bank in Australia has a Velocity card or a rewards card that you can transfer to Velocity.

Here are the banks, quite a lot!

Be sure to check out each bank’s website to look for rewards cards that you can transfer to Velocity.  You will also see different transfer ratios for each one so you have to spend some time reading each one to see which card would give you the best value for annual fee vs transfer ratio and what other benefits the card may have like travel insurance.

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QANTAS FREQUENT FLYER

Now let’s look at Qantas options.  From their homepage, go to the Frequent Flyer tab and select Earning Points, then “Pay”.

This page is set up a bit differently from Velocity.  If there are any specials, they will be on this page.  I have highlighted in yellow the bonuses that are current as of this post date.

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With Qantas, it is also worthwhile to check its partner Jetstar because their credit card also has the option to credit the points to Qantas.

No matter which credit card you choose, always make sure you are prepared to pay it off every month because if you incur interest, then the miles and points are less valuable.  Be sure to read the T&Cs of each card, check for annual fees, interest rates and minimum spend within a specified time to get the sign up bonus.  If you haven’t already, you should join both Qantas Frequent Flyer and Virgin Velocity because they will email you special deals that may include targeted sign up bonuses.

In the next post in this series, I will show you (Aussies) how to get miles and points for FREE just from every day living!

Recap – Building Your Eco-Tourism Adventure

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Over the past couple of weeks, I have shown you the different elements to consider when building your customized ecotourism adventure and how to facilitate it with miles and points so you have more to spend on the eco-lodges and supporting the local economies.  During the course of this blog, I will be adding MANY destinations that are ideal for birders and eco-travelers in general but this is a good start!

 

1.  Identify the goal of your trip.  What bird species are you most interested in?  Are birds the only focus or do you want other animals too?  Use the right guidebooks and resources to help you plan.  Use the maps in the book to help you locate the best places to see your target species.

2.  Be familiar with airline alliances.  There are 3 alliances:  Star Alliance, One World and Sky Team.  Know which one can get you to your destination as easily and cheaply as possible.  Check this example of using miles to get to Lima, Peru.  Know how to use airline partners such as credit cards, online shopping malls and services you already use such as phone companies, internet providers, supermarkets and insurance companies to get free miles for paying for things you already use.  Don’t shop more, shop smarter!  Check the resources tab at the top of this blog for advice on this.

3.  Know how to save money by using hotel points for free nights at the gateway city before you head off into the bush.  Depending on your flight schedule, you may need a gateway hotel in your home country before the flight and/or the destination country between your international connection and domestic flight to the staging point.  See this example of Lima, Peru.

4.  Research how exactly you get to your main destination.  Can you fly?  Drive?  Take a bus or riverboat?  Or maybe a combination?  What do you have to pay for and what is included in the cost of your eco-lodge’s package.  See this example of Tambopata National Reserve for ideas on how to do this.

5.  Know how to choose an eco-lodge in an area where there are many options available.  How do you find the various options?  See this example of Tambopata National Reserve’s lodges and how I analyzed an area where there are a lot of choices and sorted them out by my priorities.

6.  Read as many reviews as possible of the lodges and try to get a feel of the people who posted them.  For example, one lodge may get a bad review because they were too remote and hard to get to by someone who likes more of a bar/social scene.  Or one lodge may get a bad review because there were or were not facilities for kids.  Trip Advisor, Fat Birder and Surfbirds all have lodge reviews or trip reports from people of all walks of life so try to find reviews by people who are similar to you.  Here is a review I did for Tambopata Research Center.  My priorities were sustainable, helping conservation efforts, abundance of parrots and other birds and preferably adults or at least teens only(no small kids).  Remoteness, social life not an issue but I did need to keep in a budget.  They have packages of various sizes to suit most anyone.

7.  If you don’t know, don’t be afraid to ask questions!  Use the comments on any of my posts if you have a specific question or want to request advice on a specific location.

New Club Carlson Visa Gets 2 – 3 Free Nights Near Panama’s Soberania National Park

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Panama is a fantastic place for birders!  Soberania National Park is less than an hour’s drive from the airport and there is even the Metropolitan National Park right in the city of Panama City!   The bird lists are very impressive!   Birders on a budget can stay at the Radisson Summit on points and drive over to the Canopy Tower for a day visit.  Birders with more to spend can also stay overnight.

There is a special way to get up to 3 nights FREE at the Radisson Summit or any of their other hotels with the Club Carlson Visa.  They currently have only a USA version of this card but they do say they will introduce cards in other countries.  ***Disclaimer, this is not an affiliate link, these links go direct  to Club Carlson’s site.  Just sharing an awesome deal!

The USA one with US Bank comes in 3 varieties:

Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature card Highlights

  • 10 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases at participating Carlson Rezidor hotels3
  • 5 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases everywhere else3
  • Up to 85,000 Bonus Gold Points – receive 50,000 Gold Points after your first purchase plus 35,000 points once you spend $2,500 on your card within the first 90 days1
  • 40,000 renewal bonus points each year when you renew your card4
  • Bonus Award Nights – When you redeem Gold Points for 2 or more consecutive Award Nights, your last night is free.2Exclusively for cardmembers!
  • Your upgrade is automatic5 – Your Club Carlson membership will be upgraded to Gold Elite Status after you activate and use your card
  • Already reached Gold or Concierge Elite Status? You will receive 15 qualifying nights toward obtaining or maintaining Concierge Elite status after you activate and use your new card6
  • Enjoy all of these benefits for $75 Annual Fee

Club Carlson Rewards Visa Signature card Highlights

  • 6 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases at participating Carlson Rezidor hotels3
  • 3 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases everywhere else3
  • Up to 60,000 Bonus Gold Points – receive 50,000 Gold Points after your first purchase plus 10,000 points once you spend $1,500 on your card within the first 90 days1
  • 25,000 renewal bonus points each year when you renew your card4
  • Bonus Award Nights – When you redeem Gold Points for 2 or more consecutive Award Nights, your last night is free.2Exclusively for cardmembers!
  • Your upgrade is automatic5 – Your Club Carlson membership will be upgraded to Silver Elite Status after you activate and use your card
  • Already reached Silver, Gold or Concierge Elite Status? You will receive 10 qualifying nights toward obtaining or maintaining Gold or Concierge Elite status after you activate and use your new card.6
  • Enjoy all of these benefits for $50 Annual Fee

Club Carlson Business Rewards Visa card Highlights

  • 10 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases at participating Carlson Rezidor hotels3
  • 5 points per $1 spent in eligible net purchases everywhere else3
  • Up to 85,000 Bonus Gold Points – receive 50,000 Gold Points after your first purchase plus 35,000 points once you spend $2,500 on your card within the first 90 days1
  • 40,000 renewal bonus pointseach year when you renew your card4
  • Bonus Award Nights – When you redeem Gold Points for 2 or more consecutive Award Nights, your last night is free.2Exclusively for business owners!
  • Your upgrade is automatic5 – Your Club Carlson membership will be upgraded to Gold Elite Status after you activate and use your card
  • Already reached Gold or Concierge Elite Status? You will receive 15 qualifying nights toward obtaining or maintaining Concierge Elite status after you activate and use your new card6
  • Enjoy all of these benefits for $60 Annual Fee

Remember, I am not a financial advisor so it is up to you to make sure you should have this credit card.

Club Carlson is a great program for non-frequent travelers as they have several promos throughout the year where you can earn points, so even if you don’t want the credit card, still join Club Carlson and be on their mailing list for promos.  Usually chain hotels suit eco-travelers best as gateway hotels but we are lucky that Club Carlson has a great option right near the Soberania National Park.

Depending on which card you get, you will have 1 or 2 free nights right off the bat!  But these cards have a little something extra!  Did you notice this part?

Bonus Award Nights – When you redeem Gold Points for 2 or more consecutive Award Nights, your last night is free.

This means that to get this (or any other Carlson hotel), you would redeem 38,000 points and get the last night free!  This effectively reduces rewards to half price, a fantastic deal any way you look at it!  I would recommend staying here 2 nights, birding along Pipeline Road and into Soberania National Park, then move to one of the other hotels in the city, go birding at the Metropolitan National Park and check out the Panama Canal, Panama Viejo or any of the markets, redeem one night and get the second night free.  This makes for 4 nights all up in Panama free!

Frequent Flyer Miles Earning Credit Cards – Australian Edition 1

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I am sure that many Aussies have looked with envy at the huge credit card signing bonuses available to Americans and the free trips they brag about in forums such as Flyertalk,  Milepoint and some blogs.  Amex Bluebird, Vanilla Reloads, Green Dots, Chase Sapphire Preferred and similar are out of  reach for most Aussies but cheer up!  While Australia doesn’t have nearly the amount of affiliate cards as the USA, there are still a few good options.  Disclaimer:  I do not have any affiliate relationships with any of these banks.  The links below take you directly to the bank’s website or the airline’s website.  I am not a qualified financial advisor and the links are only to let you know what is available.  It is up to you to analyze your own financial situation.  I personally RARELY carry a balance on my credit cards and if I do, it’s only for a month.  Interest charges can be very high, please be aware of these charges on the bank’s website.  The invitation I offer in the red text below is available to most people once they have a similar American Express card.

AMERICAN EXPRESS

These come in various types with different mileage earning partners.  Click HERE and let’s compare the options, scroll through the different options and take some time to read the T&Cs of each card.   There are two types of cards that will get you miles.  Travel cards are affiliated with a particular airline such as Qantas or Virgin Australia and will automatically sweep into the airline’s program each month.  Rewards cards will earn Membership Rewards points which you can transfer manually to your choice of programs.

When you click on each card in turn, the details of that particular card will show on the right.  For example we can see that the Velocity card has no annual fee and a 7500 sign up bonus.  You have to apply and be approved by 28 February 2013 and spend $300 on your Card within the first 3 months.  The Qantas version of this card is much the same so you would choose which program you want to earn points in first.

Now let’s look at the Rewards card which comes in several varieties.  The most expensive one, the Platinum Card has a $900 annual fee and you receive 45,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when you spend $500 on your Card within the first 2 months of receiving it.  While the fee may seem high, it does come with other benefits, so have a read through and see if they appeal to you.

Much cheaper is the Platinum Edge card with a $149 annual fee, a free flight on Virgin to your choice of several selected destinations.   These are short haul domestic trips.  The sign up bonus is 10,000 Membership Rewards Bonus Points when you spend $500 on your Card within the first 2 months.

And then there is the Platinum Reserve card with a $395 annual fee.  Some Aussies got grandfathered into this card when Amex discontinued the Gold Rewards Maximizer so we have a lower annual fee but no free domestic flight.  This is the currently offered version of the card.  There is no publicly available sign up bonus at present but I can refer you for a limited time special until 31 Dec.  You will get a large bonus and I will get a smaller bonus for referring you.  These bonuses come up throughout the year so once you have a card, you can then refer your friends and family and get bonuses for yourself!  The included flight with this card is much more generous and depending on your city of origin, you can even go to Bali or New Zealand!  For example if you live in Brisbane, you can go to Perth, Darwin, several cities in New Zealand- all flights which compensate for the annual fee.  Plus you get other benefits such as free lounge access via Priority Pass, travel insurance and more-you really need to read the whole description on the Amex site.

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The special offer is:

You will receive 40,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $500 within the first two months of Cardmembership. If you have already applied for The Platinum Reserve Credit Card without using this recommendation, you will not be eligible for the bonus Membership Rewards points. If you already have an American Express Card, you will not be eligible for the bonus Membership Rewards points as this offer is not valid for upgrading Cardmembers. Please allow 8 to 10 weeks for the Bonus Points to be awarded once approval is made. Offer expires 31 December 2013. Subject to the Terms & Conditions of the Membership Rewards Program.  The email invitation you get will have the T&Cs and more details. 

UPDATE FOR 2013:  I can give referrals for the following American Express products:

PLATINUM CARD – You get 60,000 points

PLATINUM RESERVE CREDIT CARD – You get 40,000 points

PLATINUM EDGE CREDIT CARD – You get 15,000 points

GOLD CARD – You get 30,000 points

AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD – You get 10,000 points

If you would like a referral, please use this contact form.  I will need you email address to send you an invitation.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS OFFER, PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM AND GIVE ME YOUR EMAIL AND I WILL SEND YOU AN INVITATION!

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WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH MEMBERSHIP REWARDS POINTS?

You can either spend them directly with online shops or transfer them to airline partners.  Obviously, the biggest value is in transferring them to airline partners for free or greatly reduced flights.  In most cases, you will have to pay some taxes but if you transfer to Virgin Velocity there are options for using points to pay the taxes and even the checked bag fees!  Here is an overview of the Membership Rewards Program.  The participating airlines and transfer ratios are HERE and the participating hotel programs and transfer ratios are HERE.

OK, I AM CONFUSED!  HOW DO I MAXIMIZE THIS FOR ECOTOURISM?

I will tell you how I use my Membership Rewards points to best advantage having been a member for 7 years.  I use 3 transfer partners.  Virgin Velocity (usually to top off what I get from my NAB card), Singapore Krisflyer for cheap awards to Pacific Islands and SPG to use on either hotels or transfer to airlines in blocks of 20,000 to get a free bonus of 5000 miles.  Transferring SPG to American AAdvantage works best for me.  If you have a 40,000 sign up bonus and you use the card for your everyday expenses like groceries, phone bills, fuel, etc; you should have 50,000 within 6 months to a year.  Here’s some ideas!

Keas, Kakarikis, Kakas and maybe Kakapo if Sirocco is doing one of his tours in New Zealand.  Remember, you get one trip included with the card so use the points to take a friend!  45,400 with no additional taxes!   Here is an example.

Or how about the Pacific Islands?  Rimatara Lorikeets and Tahitian Blue Lorikeets in the Cook Islands?  Ultramarine Lorikeets in French Polynesia?  Shining Parrots in Fiji?  Although you will need some domestic flights at additional cost, you can get from Australia to the main airports of Rarotonga, Papeete or Nadi using a Star Alliance award with Singapore’s Krisflyer.    Awards within South West Pacific are the greatest bargains in this region!

I think I’ve probably overloaded you now with information and lots of studying to do, so I will continue next week with other mileage earning credit cards in Australia.  I have seen on Flyertalk how most people dislike seeing credit card posts all the time so I am not going to do that.  I will do one edition each week until I have most of the world covered, then just link them all on a master list.  If you have any specific questions, please ask in the comments.

***** PART 2 IS AVAILABLE HERE *****

Choosing An Eco-Lodge

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This will be a reference post I use often when analyzing the lodges in any particular area.  While I will only do a REVIEW of a lodge I have actually been to, I will use other resources found online to determine the lodging options in any avian eco-tourism adventure.

There are several things to consider when choosing an eco-lodge.  In some cases, you will be choosing a location because of a bird species you want to see which may have only a small range.  An example of this is Crimson-bellied Conures (Pyrrhura perlata), which are only found in the central and south Amazon basin.  The only eco-lodge in their habitat is Cristalino Jungle Lodge based in Alta Foresta, Brazil.  So in this case, the lodge is chosen for you by the species.

Crimson-Bellied Conures

In other cases such as Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao), they can be found all over South and Central America so you have many choices. Even in cases such as Tambopata National Reserve, the Pantanal, Carara National Park you will have many different lodges to choose from in the same area.  So how should you choose?

CONTRIBUTION TO CONSERVATION

Is the lodge affiliated with a conservation project?  Do they sponsor scientific research?  Do they have an education program for foreign volunteers and local employees?  Do they make an effort to be sustainable and “Green”?  Do they have a program to protect wildlife from poachers?  Do they train former poachers to be guides?  Do they financially support any conservation causes?

LOCATION

Are they in the reserve or park, or in a town nearby?  How do you get there?  Can you drive in yourself?  Do you have to use their transport if it is a remote location?  Can you afford the transportation to get there?  Are the local people actively involved with the lodge?

SPECIES OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS

Is there a bird list and animal list on their website?  Which lodge reports more sightings of the species that interest you?  Are the species easily found?

SIZE, ROOMS AND CLIENTELE

How large is the lodge?  Is it so big that it will feel crowded?  Is it too small that you worry about the level of service?  Do they prepare their own meals or do you have to self-cater?  Do they accept children as guests?  Are you looking for opportunities to socialize or to get away from people and be with nature?  Do they have separate bungalows or motel-style accommodation?  Does the lodge blend in with the environment?

IN-HOUSE GUIDES

If you are not part of a pre-organized group, you will be using the in-house guides and probably put into small groups with other guests.  Where do the guides come from?  Who trains them?  How well do they know the bird calls?  Do they know the habitat well and likely places to find birds?

COST

What options of accommodation do they offer?  Do they have a dorm for backpackers?  Do they have family accommodation? Do they include meals?  What other extras are included in the package (guided walks, boat trips, photography instruction, etc)?  Are there seasonal rates?  Group discounts?  How do you pay?  How much in advance?  Do they take credit card on a secure serve?  Paypal?  Is the only way to pay via bank transfer (which has fees involved)?  Can you use a portal such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com?  What is the cancellation or rebooking policy if your plans change?  Do they take credit cards for incidentals or will you have to bring cash along?

ONLINE REVIEWS

What do other people say about them on Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, Facebook and birding sites such as Surfbirds, Fat Birder, etc?  What do people like?  What do they not like?  Does the lodge manager communicate on social media and seems like they want people to be happy?

YOUR PRIORITIES

You are unlikely to find one lodge that has everything you want so you will have to know what is most important to you.  The species you want may only be found at a small, remote lodge that is expensive to get to and stay at.  You may have to take a long trip down the river in a small boat which some people may find uncomfortable.  The menu may be limited at remote lodges and you may end up being the only ones there in the off-season.  One lodge may be in your budget but it may be a larger one and more crowded.  A lodge that accepts families may have you waking to screaming kids instead of warbling birds.  You can never do too much research when it comes to choosing an eco-lodge!