Tanzanian official urges beauty queens to boost tourism

by Sean McLachlan on

An official at Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area is encouraging contestants in the National Miss Utalii pageant to use their assets to boost tourism.

Public relations manager Adam Akyoo said that beauty pageants would attract more tourists to a region already famous for its wildlife.

The dozen contenders for the Miss Utalii pageant are all university or college students from Tanzania’s northern region, where the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is located. The most famous beauty queen from this region is Miriam Odemba, pictured here. She was crowned first runner up for Miss Earth in 2008, winning the title Miss Earth Air.

Much of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is taken up by a large caldera and is home to Olduvai Gorge and its rich collection of fossils of early humans. Huge herds of zebra and wildebeest migrate through the area twice a year and thanks to this it has large populations of lions and cheetahs. Other animals include hippos, rhinos, leopards, elephants, and hyenas.

Unlike many parks in Africa, humans are allowed to use the land for limited agriculture and grazing. The Maasai bring their herds into the caldera every day, but must leave before dark. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is popular with safaris and adventure travelers.

Sherpas prepare to clean up Everest

by Kraig Becker on

With the spring climbing season on Mt. Everest in full swing, a special team of 20 Sherpas from Nepal is preparing to mount an expedition of their own. But rather than going to the summit, as most of the other climbers on the mountain are preparing to do, this team hopes to scour the peak, collecting tons of trash and other items from expeditions long past. They even hope to collect the bodies of dead climbers who have been left behind, and them down the mountain at last.

The team, which is led by Namgyal Sherpa, plans to focus on a portion of the mountain above 8000 meters, or 26,242 feet, which is commonly referred to as “The Death Zone.” This section of the mountain is especially dangerous because of the high altitude and extremely thin air, but surprisingly enough, there is still plenty of garbage to be removed, including spent air cylinders, old tents, fuel canisters, ropes, and more.

Namgyal, a seven time Everest summitteer himself, says that the plan is for the team to stay on the South Col for up to a week at a time, making multiple trips into the Death Zone and bringing down as much garbage as they can carry. They expect to collect as much as 6500 pounds of trash in this manner before proceeding down to Base Camp, where they’ll rest up in preparation for another climb. All told, they plan to make three such week-long clean-up missions before the monsoon arrives in early June, marking an end to the climbing season.

While conducting their clean-up duties, the Sherpas intend to bring down several bodies of dead climbers, including those of two rather high profile mountaineers. Namgyal says that they will be removing the body of American mountain guide Scott Fischer, who died on the mountain back in 1996. He also suspects that they’ll find the body of Rob Hall, a Kiwi guide who perished that same year. Fisher and Hall’s stories were made famous with the general public thanks to the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which told the tale of that tragic day on Everest during which eight people lost their lives. The removal of Fisher and Hall’s bodies will close out a long and painful chapter in Everest history.

In recent years, the Nepali government has enforced strict rules on the climbers requiring them to carry all of their trash off of the mountain when they depart for home. Moving forward, that bodes well for the future of Everest, and thanks to the efforts of these dedicated Sherpa, a lot of old trash is being removed to clean up the mountain for future climbers as well.

The ten safest African airlines

by Sean McLachlan on

Airlines based in Africa have a bad reputation. When the European Union published a blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the EU, it included 111 carriers from 13 African countries. Carriers got on the list for having out-of-date planes (often Soviet-era “flying coffins”), poor government oversight in their own country, and not fixing problems pointed out by EU inspectors. You can read more about the criteria and the list here.

Airlines from other countries got on the list too, including a large number from Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, but the preponderance of Africa-based carriers was noticeable.

In response, Flight Africa blog has published a list of the ten safest African airlines based on “attainment of IOSA Certification, number of accidents per flight and fatalities per passenger kilometres.” That last phrase actually made me wince. Here’s the list:

1. South African Airways
2. Ethiopian Airlines
3. Air Botswana
4. Air Mauritius
5. Air Seychelles
6. Kenya Airways
7. TunisAir
8. Royal Air Maroc
9. Nigerian Eagle Airlines
10. Air Zimbabwe

This is an encouraging list because it includes carriers from every region of Africa and some of the most popular tourist destinations. One common mantra of adventure travelers is that they’re helping the local economy with the money they spend. This list proves they can start helping before their adventure even starts.

Chase a solar eclipse in unique style this summer

by Kraig Becker on

On July 11th of this year, the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, creating a total solar eclipse that will cast portions of the planet in complete darkness for up to 4 minutes. The best place to view this astronomical phenomenon will be in the South Pacific, with prime viewing locations along a few atolls in French Polynesia and on remote Easter Island. Actually, those places will be the second best place to see it, as a once in a lifetime travel opportunity will give 41 lucky travelers a unique and very personal view of the eclipse – from the air.

The EFlight 2010 will set out from Tahiti and fly directly into the moon’s umbral shadow, while climbing above any cloud cover for a complete, unobstructed view of the eclipse. The flight will take place aboard a specially designed and equipped Airbus A319, which will allow its passengers to intercept the lunar shadow approximately 2500km to the east of their starting location. While traveling through that shadow, the travelers will have the opportunity to witness the totality of the eclipse for an unprecedented 9.5 minutes, more than double its length on the Earth’s surface.

The Airbus that has been specifically chartered for this flight has had all of the seats removed along the left side of the plane, the same side that will face the eclipse itself. This will allow the passengers to have the best view possible out of those windows, where they’ll not only be immersed in the darkness of the Moon’s shadow, but will also get a chance to glimpse the Sun’s bright white corona in all of its glory.

Make no mistake, a unique trip such as this one doesn’t come cheap, but with the limited number of seats available, you also know that it is a travel experience that few will have a chance to enjoy. The EFlight alone will set you back $9000 which ensures that you have your own window for the eclipse. If you don’t mind sharing that window however, the costs drop to $6500 per seat. That price is for the EFlight alone and doesn’t include the international flight to Tahiti or accommodations while on the island.

For more information about the tour itself, click here. And for more details on the EFlight than you ever thought possible, click here.

National Geographic Traveler’s Tours of a Lifetime 2010

by Kraig Becker on

With the economy starting to show signs of life, people are starting to plan to travel again soon. In fact, the outlook for 2010 is much more promising for travel companies and tour operators around the globe than it has been for some time. With that in mind, National Geographic Traveler magazine has released its 5th annual Tours of a Lifetime list, offering up suggestions for every kind of traveler looking to escape to a new destination this year.

The list, as usual, contains 50 “tours of a lifetime”, with a focus this year on “innovation and cross-cultural tours”. Those tours span the globe from the wilds of Africa to the remote regions of Asia, to the well worn paths of Europe, and beyond. We’re even invited to rediscover North America, with a host of adventures located relatively close to home. Whether you’re an adventurous traveler or prefer something a bit more relaxed, there is sure to be something on the list for you.

Traveler also has great suggestions for families planning a trip this year as well, offering tips for finding the right outfitter, planning your itinerary, and getting the kids involved in the process as well. Similarly, they also offer up their picks for the best deals in travel for the year ahead, with companies offering a variety of discounts and other special savings.

The latest issue of Traveler hit newsstands last week, and is available now to help plan your travels for 2010. I’m sure it’ll serve as a great resource, both now, and for future journeys, as this issue always has a knack for expanding that “life list” in new, and unusual ways.