The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes. – Marcel Proust
One’s destination is is never a place, but rather a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller
Tag: Sustainable Tourism
EcoCircuitos on the top 25 of Responsible Travel companies for Latin America
Travelers Against Plastic
Supporting local communities
Working with local indigenous guides
Carrying capacity in trails and national parks
Cultural tours
Kayaking the Gatun Lake
On 15 February 2016 EcoCircuitos Panama was selected as one of the top 25 responsible tourism agencies in Latin America on Viajero Responsable It was highlighted that all the selected agencies have a common philosophy and implement tourism practices in a responsible manner with the environment, communities and with the tourists they receive. EcoCircuitos Panama is honored to have received this recognition. For more information visit: Viajero Responsable America Latina and at EcoCircuitos Panama.
Ministry of Environment launches ‘Green Tourism Initiative’ in National Protected Areas in Panama
On the occasion of the World Earth Day, the Ministry of Environment of Panama launched the Green Tourism Initiative, one of the strategic priorities of Minister of Environment Mirei Endara.
Endara noted that this Green Tourism strategy has several components that aim to develop a shared national vision and to prepare an action plan that will allow ecotourism to be a driver of economic growth and social inclusion, as established by the Strategic Governmental Plan 2015-2019.
To achieve this goal, the Minister stressed that it is crucial to have the support and involvement of key stakeholders in the public and private sector, NGOs, community groups, municipalities and volunteers, including their partner implementing institutions, the Tourism Authority of Panama and the National Institute of Culture.
As part of this initiative the Ministry of Environment issued a Decree, which supports the development of a National Action Plan for the Development of Ecotourism in Protected Areas of Panama. This reaffirms the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Panama to implement the components of the Green Tourism Initiative, said Minister Endara.
President Varela explained that the signed Decree promotes sectorial integration of the Ministry of Environment, the Tourism Authority of Panama and the National Institute of Culture in terms of ecotourism with the goal to develop, together with the civil society, communities and private companies a national vision towards a green, responsible tourism aligned to national and international standards.
“This way, we will promote a sustainable economic activity, valuing our natural resources, and promoting prosperity with equity,” stressed the President.
An Action Plan will be elaborated with support of Sustainable Travel International, “through a participatory process that should lead us to create a country brand for our ecotourism products, which will generate demand parallel to the increase of Panama´s ecotourism products “, said president Varela.
The president highlighted that “The action plan’s primary goal is to generate welfare for communities and organisations within and adjacent to protected areas.”
Minister Endara mentioned that some of these actions will be supported by the ECOTUR-AP project, funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Interview with Annie Young J. – Director at EcoCircuitos Panama
Annie Young, visiting Ecuador
Annie Young J. Kayaking in the San Juan Islands
Local future guides in Panama with Annie Young J.
Questions by Hedda Rumohr Berge
Norwegian journalist
HRB: What do ecotourism stand for?
AYJ: Well there are so many different academic definitions…Ecotourism is a form of nature-base tourism. But the one that I like refers to the concept that ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well being of our local communities. Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature and also cultural features from the past and the present. It is also a form of tourism that promotes conservation, has low negative impact from visitors and provides economic benefits to locals.
HRB: Where do it come from?
AYJ: Ecotourism is a sub-component of the field of sustainable tourism. If you want to know a bit more of sustainable tourism in Panama, I invite you to learn from our Association: www.aptso.org (Asociación Panameña de Turismo Sostenible).
Ecotourism is connected to the conservation movement. It provided a highly source of revenue to natural areas that need protection. I worked as a volunteer in the some local NGOs when I was younger and it was a good dynamic: conservation plays an important role in the promotion of ecotourism and both can work together.
Some good resources: The Sustainable Travel International and the Ecotourism Society. Both organizations offer important guidelines to the private sector that promotes ecotourism.
HRB: When did Panama start ecotourism?
ACY: I started learning about ecotourism in Panama in the early 90s when the conservation movement started growing here. I had the opportunity to be a volunteer for ANCON, a local NGO that promotes conservation of land and also worked for The Panama Audubon Society, that promotes conservation for bird’s habitats. These two experiences give me an important insight on how the conservation could be linked to the outdoor travel. As volunteers we visited different areas in Panama to promote conservation and environmental education. We did field trips with donors to see bird’s habitats to National Parks, private reserves, indigenous communities, and this was my first experience as an ecotourist.
Ecotourism is a niche market that is growing… sadly not so rapidly in Panama. Some countries, some companies and some destinations have developed ecotourism policies and we should learn from those experiences. We need to create policies in Panama for sustainable tourism. We are on the race but a little behind. Costa Rica, Brazil, Chile and USA are interesting examples and we can learn from the good experiences.
HRB: What kind of people travel like this? and why should we?
ACY: I feel that people today want to travel responsible and also want to receive guidance. The ecotourists wants to behave responsible when travel: how can negative impacts be minimized while visiting sensitive environments and cultures? How can we interact with local cultures without affecting them? How can we contribute to the conservation of the visited areas?
People and travelers that are sensitive to these issues are the ecotravelers. And to me those travelers are very important because they will demand sustainable services and with this demand good offer will arise and more conscious companies. Ecotourism can be a highly effective tool for conservation, but it depends on committed tour operators, service providers that also want to work for the future generations.
HRB: Is the ecotourism growing? Or can it be only a trend?
ACY: It will keep growing if we have travelers behaving in a responsible way and committed with the principles of sustainable tourism. It will keep growing if more companies embrace a responsible approach in tourism and work not just for today. Sustainable travel and ecotourism are the only way of traveling in our current world. If we want to keep it for the future generations, this is the best way!
Annie Young J. founded EcoCircuitos Panama in 1999. She is in charge of the Marketing and Sales Department and continually researches and creates new programs and adventures. Annie has a degree in Social Communication with an emphasis in Journalism from the University of Panama, a diploma in Business Strategies for Environmental Sustainability from Stanford University in California and a Course on Environmental Management of International Tourism Development from Harvard University. She is the President of APTSO (Panamanian Association of Sustainable Tourism) and is committed to the conservation and social development of Panama through the promotion of sustainable tourism.
Animal protection in Panama: EcoCircuitos signs FAADA´s policies for activities involving animals.
By Benita Rose
Panama City, Panama, November 29, 2012 – Tour operator EcoCircuitos recently held its ground as a responsible and committed company by signing the policies for activities involving animals by the nonprofit organization “Foundation for the adoption, sponsorship and defense of animals”, FAADA.
The policies for the protection of all animals as one of the Foundation´s campaigns are supposed to raise awareness and sensitize society on the protection and defense of nonhuman animals, under different perspectives, coupled with the defense of nature and, ultimately, of life.
EcoCircuitos strongly encourages FAADA´s actions and therefore committed itself to meet the given guidelines, especially concerning whale watching, as well as birdwatching tours and any other activities involving animals.
“It is extremely important for us to respect and maintain the animals’ natural environment and to not disturb them in their routines”, says Annie Young, director and founder of EcoCircuitos. “In none of our tours we will harm animals, get too close to them, nor will we disturb them with noises or speed, or in any other way. Only this way we can sensitize our clients and make sure that the services we offer are sustainable and don´t have any impact on nature”, she adds.
EcoCircuitos stands up to its position as a sustainable tour operator by taking action and implying what is necessary to protect our animals.
Embera Indigenous Encounter with EcoCircuitos
By Benita Rose
One of our tours that had interested me the most since I´ve started working as an Intern in the EcoCircuitos-office was the tour to the Embera indigenous tribe In the Chagres National Park. I had heard that it is a fascinating experience, and therefore I felt very fortunate when my supervisor Annie sent me on the Embera-tour with guide Fabio, driver Roberto, and our clients Mr. and Mrs. Sameth. I had no idea what was expecting me yet . . .
Our adventure started with a 1-hour ride to Puerto Colotun, where we embarked a Piragua, a typical Embera-canoe, for our exciting trip to the Embera Drua village. While on our way to the port, we were already able to see different sides of Panama: passing the metropolitan City towards the countryside, and from there entering the lonely Chagres National Park, where life is more laid-back than in the City, and skyscrapers and fancy restaurants are not a lot of people’s business. But the fun part started on the piragua, which carried us through green and ever greener landscapes that provided enough space and the perfect environment for all kinds of birds and animals. Our client Mr. Sameth was at a loss for words, while Mrs. Sameth got a little nervous on our quite unusual piragua-ride. Guide Fabio managed to keep us all in a good mood though, explaining us everything about the area, and all of us were excited to arrive at the Drua village.
Upon our arrival to the 93-people-community, we were kindly welcomed by the Embera, all of them seemed pleased to have us there, while at the same time we didn´t seem to distract them much from their daily routine, which we liked to see.
The village is built in a very rustic style and makes you think back in time, when people used to live without any technological devices and when capitalism wasn´t as present as it is today. The houses are all built with natural materials: wood & different types of dried leaves as protection against rain; to enter you need to climb up a latter.
A lovely young Embera girl approached us and wanted to explain us a little bit about her culture. She gave us a nice presentation about the history and present culture of the Emberas. Mr. & Mrs. Sameth, as well as myself, were listening carefully and questions about how things work in the community kept popping up in our minds. She patiently answered all of our questions while a number of other Embera girls were gathered under the same open roof than us, chatting, cooking or playing with their kids, just living their everyday life. To round-off the presentation about the Embera culture, we were served a typical lunch: fresh fish (oh how fresh!) & Patacones – delicious!
After lunch we were able to explore the rest of the village, take pictures, and have any new questions answered by guide Fabio. We spent some time watching little boys play soccer, and at the same time we were observing everything else happening around us.
With a bunch of new impressions on our mind, we left the Embera village with a smile on our faces. We were treated very nicely by everyone in the community and felt very welcome. On our way back to Puerto Colotun, where driver Roberto was already waiting for us, we barely said a word, but instead reflected on what we had experienced during this adventurous day.
For more information about our tour to the Embera-villages, please feel free to contact us at info@ecocircuitos.com, or visit our website http://www.ecocircuitos.com
Turtle observation in Panama
If you are looking to observe sea turtles and sea turtle nesting Panama is one of the most popular places in the world for this. Four species of marine turtles are known to nest in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago only. The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), that can be seen in different seasons during the year.
During the season for the leatherback you can see it along the beaches of Bluff and Bastimentos in Bocas del Toro. This is the largest of the marine turtles. A mature female averages 150 cm in length and weighs around one half a ton. Females lay eggs about 9 times during their 4 month gestation period, with 10 days roughly been nest making. Escorted by a naturalist Guide and sometimes by a biologist on site doing their research, you will have the opportunity to admire this amazing wonder of nature. We won´t be disturbing the turtles so the tour will be manage in a very sustainable way only for very small groups. To learn more about this great educational tour, please contact us at info@ecocircuitos.com come and discover Panama with the best team! http://www.ecocircuitos.com
The Belly bottom of the Americas
Panama is a true biological bridge between North America and South America. The country has a concentration of animals and plants species among the richest in the world and is one of the countries in Central America with more biodiversity.
This time, we will focus on one of its jewels of this country: the Barro Colorado Island. This extraordinary biodiversity will delight the nature lovers. The Barro Colorado Island (BCNM) is the highest Island in the waters of Gatun Lake. It is located in the Isthmus of Panama and is one of the first protected areas of America. Barro Colorado Island’s unique location and history have made it what may be the most intensively studied piece of tropical forest in the world.
Before the filing of Artificial Gatun Lake, Barro Colorado Island was a hill, full of trees and animals. The needs of the Panama canal, converted the Barro Colorado in a shelter island to the animals in this flooded valley. Very quickly, biologists realized the scientific importance of this tropical sanctuary.
Founded in 1923, the Barro Colorado island has been recognized as a nature reserve in 1979. This preserved ecosystem attracts scientist who study the evolution of the fauna and the flora of the neotropics. On the island live thousands of insects of all kinds, but also 120 species of mammals, half of which are bats. This marvel of biodiversity host more species than all Europe, there are more of 1.200 different plants.
EcoCircuitos propose a Historical and natural Tour, which offers the opportunity to admire a great variety of this wild forest.
The adventure begins at 6:30 AM at your hotel in Panama City, with a car ride through the tropical rainforest towards the small town of Gamboa where a boat is waiting for us in the STRI dock. From there you go on a 45 min – 1 hour boat ride to the Barro Colorado Natural Monument (BCNM), administered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. You will discover the splendor of the tropical rainforest in Barro Colorado, the largest forested island in the Panama Canal waterway. You will learn about research in progress and the rich natural history of the BCNM.
You will go on a 2-3 hour walk along the trail on Barro Colorado Island. The walk ends at the Visitor Center, where you will find an exhibition regarding BCNM. After the Visitors Center you will head to the cafeteria to have lunch in a student atmosphere. Next time in Panama don´t miss this great adventure tour. For more information, contact us at sales@ecocircuitos.com or call us at + 507 3140068
EcoCircuitos Panama Travel Blog and News 