Vietnam rare primates tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

In Vietnam we (as with everywhere we go in South East Asia) we carefully choose accommodation, suppliers and transportation that either minimise their effect on the environment or that help to contribute to its sustainable development. By choosing small, privately owned accommodation where possible we also look to only stay in truly eco-lodges and where possible we stay inside the national parks and make sure that most of the money makes its way back to the national park itself; by doing this we make sure that nearly everywhere we stay on this trip the management abide by basic and also pioneering methods of ecological sustainability.

On this trip we stay in a variety of accommodation, which include national park chalets (located within national parks and therefore run within the sustainable parameters of being inside the national park. Another of the accommodations we use (when in Phong Nha) is the Phong Nha Eco Farm, which is a truly sustainable establishment, with water recycling, the vast majority of the food is grown or raised on site and solar panels provide all electricity and water heating. Solar power is an important in rural South East Asia, it is how water is heated for showers.

Even outside of the Phong Nha Eco Farm when traveling in Vietnam we make sure that where we eat the food is all locally sourced where possible and we order more plant-based meals for the set menus for our groups as the vegetarian options are often excellent and diverse in Vietnam.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

As part of this trip we visit various locations which are not protected to national park status, such as the grey-shanked douc forest location. As a result the exploitation of the forest can go unnoticed. We employ local trackers from the area and provide income to people who live on the borders of this forest.

We also contribute to these studies by providing all of our images and data on sightings. All of which is crucial help for the ongoing conservation of the some of the world's rarest primate species. On this particular trip our local guides have experience working with large and small conservation bodies such as WWF and Vietnamese based studies and conservation programs.

By bringing people here with a professional naturalist as well as professional local guides we aim to showcase the environment in full but also to allow you to learn about the problems facing the ecosystems here and highlight the ways that continued development and human exploitation are affect the species and how cutting edge research is countering the problems as well as showing you examples of success stories. We also keep a record of all the great sightings we see on each tour and record the environmental factors, this data is used by ourselves but also given to the researchers who are working on many of these species. All the information collected in invaluable as the knowledge of some of the animals that live here are little understood. We also donate our pictures to the researchers to aid in their photo identification studies.

When visiting the gibbons in Vietnam we are contributing direct to their ongoing research and conservation, these activities are much needed sources of revenue to stop the deforestation within the regions we visit as well as other areas within the gibbons range.

Throughout this trip we use as many locally produced and sourced foods as possible, by doing so we minimize waste as most of these locally produced products have less packaging that mass produced products. All waste we do create during visits into parks and reserves is taken back with us to the city so they can be recycled effectively. In fact nearly everything we consume along the way is locally produced in the villages around the parks and reserves we visit. Leaving next to no waste from packaging.

For water conservation we reduce washing of bedding and towels by encouraging our clients to use the same towel for the duration of their time at certain accommodation, so to reduce water usage in cleaning them regularly.

We only use one vehicle on this trip, we minimize the amount of driving on the trip, most of the movement on the trip is walking. We are also ready to switch from using the domestic flight connecting Saigon and Danang once the express way is finished and so when that is a viable option to connect these two locations we will only use a vehicle and no longer have the domestic flight included.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

On this trip the accommodation we stay at are all locally owned, a combination of national park (state owned) chalets, local independent hotels and Vietnamese chain hotels. Particularly in Cat Tien and Van Long the accommodation are run by people who live in the immediate vicinity, many on the border of the national park and have to live their lives within the conservation laws of Vietnam that govern Vietnamese national parks and who have the most to benefit from responsible use of the parks.

As with any of our tours throughout South East Asia or elsewhere in the world we always employ local guides and drivers. We also do our best to employ as many local guides as possible, so that we can share the money from tourism around more than one regularly used guide. On this trip our guide and driver come from Vietnam and inside the forests we employ local trackers from the immediate areas to help find the primates.

This not just helps in supporting the local people with income direct from wildlife tourism but these local people often have much better local knowledge of the wildlife.

Each of the locations we visit has small handicraft stalls and we promote these for souvenirs as opposed to the shops in larger cities.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY & DIVERSITY

All of the people employed as part of this trip are from Vietnam and many of the drivers we employ are from the local communities we are visiting for wildlife which in this case are indigenous people. We work hard to provide a genuine pathway from driver to guide, by helping educate English speaking as well as providing coaching and informal training on guiding techniques. We also donate equipment which can help in this progression in the form of binoculars, field guide books and torches. In the last few years we have had one of our drivers train and learn English to become a guide who now leads trips for us on his own.

During our time in Phong Nha the accommodation we use is involved in community based projects and schools in particular as well as conservation projects such as reforestation and cultural programs which are helping to keep alive key components of the local heritage.

Many of the projects that are funded by people staying here are geared towards helping children in townships get better education and enhance their career opportunities in the future. We also encourage the purchasing of local handicrafts which are all created in a sustainable way and provide great unique souvenirs.

This trip, like all of our trips, is LGBTQ+ friendly.

There is a good amount of walking involved on this trip, including walking on uneven ground and up and down slopes (in Bach Ma particularly). Walks can be 3-4 hours on occasion (although 2-3 hours is more normal duration). The temperatures can be very hot and conditions humid so that needs to be factored into thinking when walking in the forests.