Our friend Milgros takes her son Bruno trekking in Peru's Ausangate

This goes for grandparents traveling with grandchildren, while the parents/guardians stay in the US. Some countries are stricter than others – chances are you may not even be asked to show any consent letter, but it is definitely a possibility. I think it is always safe to error on side of caution.

I just did this recently for a trip my daughter and I are taking to Costa Rica for a little mother-daughter bonding via adventure travel. (We leave on Saturday — I’ll do my best to check in and share a little of our adventures… No promises, we’ll be on vacation after all.) Very simple – just printed off an online sample letter, filled in the travel dates, applicable names, and took it to a notary at our local bank. Done and done!

I also highly recommend that you check into the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs for additional advice, more information on entry requirements — and/or the Embassy or Consulate of the country you’re visiting is also a good reference.

Click here, for more information on family adventure travel.

Adventure Life traveler, Doug McCallum, assists biologists at the Pacuare Reserve

The Pacuare Nature Reserve, or Reserva Pacuare, was established by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 1989 and protects 800 hectares of lowland tropical rainforest and 6 km of deserted beach on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

The special mission of the reserve has been to protect the Leatherback Turtles, which nest along its beach – one of the most important nesting sites in Central America for this critically endangered species. March to June is the nesting season for these giant turtles and from June to September Green turtles also nest here, though in lesser numbers.

While staying at the reserve, travelers have the opportunity to join biologists on their turtle rounds. During nesting season, your job is to walk the beach looking for leatherbacks laying eggs. When you find one, you’ll wait with the researcher until the turtle is done laying eggs. Then, you’ll have the chance to approach the turtle and assist in measuring and tagging it before the giant leatherback returns to the sea. Turtle egg poachers are a major threat to the survival of leatherbacks, so your next job is to carefully dig up the eggs and rebury them in another location so poachers cannot find the nest.

When the turtles begin to hatch later in the season, you’ll have the chance to observe dozens and sometimes hundreds of baby leatherbacks scratching their way to the surface and making their way into the surf. The process is grueling. Hatchlings at the top of a nest often pack the sand below them so that their siblings cannot escape to the surface. This means that in the morning you might be invited to play midwife to these trapped baby turtles. By loosening the sand in certain nests, you allow hatchlings at the bottom a chance to escape to the sea to begin their lives. While the leatherbacks are hatching, 250 pound green turtles come to these same beaches to lay their eggs, and visitors will be out searching for these turtles, measuring, tagging, and hiding the nests of these endangered turtles too.

Click here to learn more about this Costa Rica trip and how you can join scientists at the Pacuare Reserve in protecting Leatherback turtles.

Have your own travel video to share? Upload your clips today to enter into our trip video sweepstakes, for a chance to win a Galapagos cruise for two.

Batting at the pinata

Letter and picture from one the children who enjoyed the holiday celebration

On November 28, 2009 Costa Rica Reps based in San Jose, Costa Rica teamed up with Adventure Life Journeys based in Missoula, Montana to host a holiday party for Costa Rican schoolchildren. Located in the Turrubares Mountains, Galan and Lanas are small isolated communities on an old travel route connecting San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica) through rural mountainous jungle terrain to Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast.

Galan school was represented by three students and Lanas school was represented by nine students. The children come from families with very limited resources and the rural location makes it especially difficult to access decent educational opportunities. For example, some children walk many miles in order to get to and from school every day.

The objective of the activity was to share a full day of fun and happiness for these children as a reward for the extra-ordinary efforts they take to be properly educated. The day began with a brief introduction about both Costa Rica Reps and Adventure life. Children were then told about tourism activities in general and specifically about eco-tourism, sometimes also referred to as sustainable tourism. Emphasis was placed on the importance of protecting and keeping the environment clean. By way of specific example students were asked to assist in cleaning up the area as the party came to an end.

Throughout the day Cristy from Costa Rica Reps led the children in team building activities and traditional games to keep them actively engaged. Prizes were given for each game. At noon lunch was served including hot dogs, snacks and sodas. It should be noted that for a rural Costa Rican child a hot dog is quite a novelty! For dessert the children enjoyed ice cream and cake. Each child also received a bag filled with an apple, a pear, juice, cookies and candies.

Staff member gave a pre-selected child a personalized gift. The look on some of these childrens’ faces was priceless! The event ended with a lively traditional Central American game where each child took turns swinging a stick at a classic piñata. One final blow and piles of candy rained down on the deliriously happy children as they scampered about collecting the treats!

The event was truly a great success for all in attendance for the following reasons: The children received a fun and wonder filled day of games, a nice meal, lots of treats and a special gift. Their parents were able to see laughter in their childrens’ faces and could clearly sense the love in the hearts of the staff at Costa Rica Reps. The staff were able to actively participate in that special gift of giving. Even the onlookers wore painted smiles for the entire day. It was a day of special warmth for the children that only a human heart can give.

This event is still fresh on the minds of the staff and has provided motivation to make this an annual tradition. Perhaps next year’s event will include nearby communities and we hope activities like this holiday gathering will provide opportunities to educate children and their parents as to the positive benefits tourism can bring to remote places.

For 2010 Costa Rica Reps hopes to incorporate a reward system throughout the days events whereby students will begin the day by planting trees and collecting litter around their homes and schools. Perhaps there could be a “trash art” contest to see who can make the most creative piece of art out of the trash collected. Now all we need is a grand prize for the winner!

A special thanks to Adventure Life Journeys for allowing Costa Rica Reps to collaborate on this inspiring initiative.

Thank you, our friends in Costa Rica. Truly our pleasure.

Leatherback nest found! The Lovato family assists scientists on their turtle patrols at the Pacurare Reserve

While at the Pacuare Reserve, travelers are invited to assist the biologists in their turtle patrols. The patrols vary by season. During nesting season, it is your job to walk the beach looking for a leatherbacks laying eggs. When you find one, you’ll wait with the researcher until the turtle is done laying eggs. Then, you’ll have the chance to approach the turtle and assist in measuring and tagging it before the giant leatherback returns to the sea. Turtle egg poachers are a major threat to the survival of leatherbacks, so your next job is to carefully dig up the eggs and rebury them in another location so poachers cannot find the nest.

The Lovato family shares a little of their time at the Pacuare Reserve, and their turtle patrols when they worked hands-on with researchers as they continue to protect, monitor and study the intriguing turtles that return to this region each year to lay their eggs.

About an hour after we got there, we were asked to accompany two volunteers on an excavation. This is where they dig up a nest that has already hatched and count the eggs in categories (hatched, and not hatched but: fertilized, not fertilized, and some more fine categories). The digging is done by hand, scooping out sand, the eggs and anything else you find down there: crabs, maggots, and turtles that haven’t yet made it out of the nest. Some of them are no longer alive, but this day we found six live healthy babies! They are set on the sand to perk up and make their way out to sea. The kids were beside themselves with excitement as each little one crawled across the beach. One with a bent shell they nicknamed Peanut. Another baby had a slightly bent flipper. Hope the little guy or girl made it once they started swimming! I was up to my armpits in sand digging, and the kids helped with the digging, and counting once all the babies made it to the ocean. What a way to start our visit!

Click here to read more.

If you had a chance to pick-up the May 2009 issue of National Geographic, there is a great article — “Ancient Mariner” — that addresses the history and future of the leatherback turtles (which can easy reach 2,000 pounds, mind you!) that have endured on the planet for 100 million years. Issues, such as climate, population, pollution and predators, plague these endangered marine giants. But, as Tim Appenzeller in the National Geographic reports, because of their adaptable and resilient nature, some regions have actually seen their leatherback populations increase. A great read, with great pictures.

Traveler outside of her dome at Torres del Paine's EcoCamp

EcoCamp at sunrise -- hard to beat that view

A remote welcome from Sacha Lodge, in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Madidi River, enroute to Chalalan Lodge in Bolivia

Waterfall hike in the Costa Rican jungle during a stay at Selva Bananito

Visit largest parrot and macaw clay lick in the 4.4 million acre Manu Biosphere Reserve

By Shannon Beineke
Ecotourism has skyrocketed in recent years. As a result, many lodges around the world are now claiming to be eco-friendly, but it can be hard to tell which places are truly considerate of environmental issues. Fortunately, the very best eco-lodges in Latin America leave zero room for doubt.

EcoCamp in Patagonia
In Patagonia of Chile, EcoCamp helps visitors make minimal impact on the environment. The dome-shaped design was inspired by huts of the nomadic Kawesqar people. EcoCamp units are less vulnerable to 100 mph winds. While Kawesqar huts were made from local materials covered in animal skins, EcoCamp domes are made from sturdy materials collected outside of Torres del Paine National Park. Each foundation-free dome is removed seasonally so the land can fully recover, and using 17 hours of sun each day, solar panels power toilet fans and indoor lighting. It’s no wonder EcoCamp was the first Chilean hospitality company to receive the esteemed Enviromental Management Systems Certification: ISO 14001 from the SGS of Switzerland.

Sacha Lodge in Ecuador
Sacha Lodge is located on a private 5,000-acre reserve. Approximately 50 miles east of Coca in Ecuador, it’s nestled on Pilchicocha lagoon, near the dark and mysterious Napo river. This eco-friendly lodge is almost completely concealed by forestry. In fact, “Sacha” is the Quichua Indian word for “forest.” Each thatched-roof hut is made of local materials and screened in to keep insects at bay. A diesel generator powers the electricity. Remember, “lights off” is at 10:00 pm! Also, each unit has its own bathroom, complete with biodegradable soaps and shampoos. Runoff water is treated with ozone to keep the environment intact. With miles of footpaths and canoe routes nearby, Sacha Lodge is the ideal eco-friendly “home base” for Amazon Basin exploration.

Chalalan Lodge in Bolivia
The San Jos de Uchupiamonas are an indigenous Amazon community in Bolivia. They’ve lived in the Madidi National Park jungle for centuries. With help from Conservation International, the natives built solar-powered cabins and created Chalalan Lodge. Traditional building styles and local Madidi materials were used to keep construction eco-friendly. Now guests can enjoy home-cooked meals, musical shows, dances, and even moon-lit canoe rides. All of the proceeds help over 100 local families sustain life in the Amazonian jungle. Their precious home is among the most ecologically sensitive areas in the world, so it needs to be respected and protected. Be prepared for a trip! Chalalan is a 5-hour boat ride from the nearest town.

Selva Bananito in Costa Rica
Selva Bananito is run by Rain Forest Conservation Through Tourism, Inc. It’s the only eco-lodge in Costa Rica built with recycled waste wood. During construction, instead of being set in the forest, each cabin was placed in an area that had already been affected by humans. In addition, Selva Bananito doesn’t even offer electricity! This makes it ideal for an environmentally low-impact getaway. The lodge is located near Muchilla Mountain in Limon, at the south end of the Cordillera de Talamanca range; home to the gargantuan La Amistad Biosphere Reserve. Over 2 million acres of protected land in this area make the “green belt.” It’s the least-explored territory in all of Costa Rica, so Selva Bananito guests can discover unspoiled nature without harming it.

Manu Wildlife Center in Peru
The Manu Wildlife Center offers access to 40,000 acres of rainforest, with more than 30 miles of nearby footpaths to explore. Guests can see several species of monkeys and birds close up as they wander through the Amazon. They can also visit the largest tapir lick in the world, 120-foot-tall canopy platforms, or lakes full of hoatzins and giant otters. The Manu Wildlife Center offers a one-of-a-kind experience both outside and indoors. Guests can enjoy screened-in bungalows, electricity, showers with hot running water, and all-cedar walls. The lodge was built with salvaged wood from uprooted trees, gathered after flooding. This makes Manu an eco-friendly lodge, surrounded by one of the most magnificent creations in nature: the Amazon rain forest.

Safety and security of our travelers is of the highest priority, and Adventure Life will continue to monitor the global swine flu situation.  We work with a great network of local affiliates in all of the countries we travel to and will maintain open communication about the local situations and perspectives.  We encourage any booked or prospective travelers with concerns to contact our office.

Adventure Life always encourages our travelers to obtain travel insurance with international medical, trip cancellation, and trip interruption coverage.  Travel Guard International’s Platinum and Gold policies do have an optional Cancel for Any Reason coverage available.  Please contact us for details and withany questions about travel insurance offerings and how this relates to the current concerns for the swine flu epidemic.

Below is information from the Galapagos National Park Service in Ecuador to prevent the swine flu from entering the Galapagos to harm both fauna and humans:

The National Park Service together with other relevant institutions in the Galapagos Islands have announced the following preventive measures at all main entry points to the Galapagos Islands in order to protect the fragile ecosystem from a possible infection with Swine flu.

• All employees at the airports and ports must use disposable gloves and masks
• Foot disinfection at the arrival gate of the airports in Baltra and San Cristobal and at the docks while embarking and disembarking
• All arrival halls will be fumigated with a wide spectrum disinfectant prior to the arrival of each aircraft
• Any waste material must remain on board the aircraft and cannot be unloaded in the islands
• All passengers arriving to the islands must disinfect their hands with alcohol prior to leaving the arrival halls

At this moment Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands have not reported any infected persons.

One of my favorite photo albums from one of our travelers

For those of you who aren’t going to read the article, let me summarize it for you: guy goes to Costa Rica, has a blast, doesn’t see jaguars, does see sloths, almost misses out on Manuel Antonio because the park is closed Mondays, is put off by the number of tourists near Quepos, but learns how to appreciate the beauty of the area anyway.

Not to detract from the author’s expertise, but if he had been traveling with Adventure Life, we would have been able to inform him that Manuel Antonio is closed on Mondays, so he wouldn’t have missed out on that. He would have also been with a local guide who could have pointed out the less-crowded beaches. Not that I’m against independent travelers – that’s what I’ve been most of my life – but it’s interesting to see how much easier and more fun a trip can be with someone who knows the area well.

For more information on the Adventure Life tours that visit this area, check out the Beaches and Rainforest tour (Pacuare Whitewater Rafting) or the Adventure Pacifica tour (Monteverde and Manuel Antonio).

For the un-summarized version of the article, click here.

Horseback riding excursion in Costa Rica

Everyone lately seems to be looking for ways to cut costs on the trip of a lifetime. For me, it can be difficult to give good advice on how to do this, as to slash costs usually translates into a reduction of service quality or hotel quality that normally greatly reduces the value of the trip as well. I would say there are some countries (such as Guatemala or Peru) where you definitely do not want to skimp on guide quality or services, hotel quality, or transportation quality, as the end result will likely leave you wishing you had not visited the country in the first place!

There is however one destination where I would say it can be done, and done with relative ease and little noticeable lack in experience at all, and that would be Costa Rica. The tourism industry in Costa Rica is so well developed that you can travel to almost any region in the country and find someone who speaks very good english and knows the names of flora and flauna in English well enough to tell you all about the local wildlife in the area as any top knotch travel guide would do. While you may find it inconvenient to have to adjust to the various personalities of guides that you will encounter on the way, you will find that your overall experience will still be the trip of a lifetime!

I have put together though a spin off our most popular guided tour – Adventure Pacifica, that offers the “unguided” experience in Costa Rica. I have included locally guided excursions here and there along with free time in each area and a mix of pooled and private transfers to be able to offer a very affordable option that doesn’t skimp on the experience! Take a look at it here: http://www.adventure-life.com/costa_rica/costa_rica_tours/tour/AP9-E.php5