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Release
For Immediate Release
Wildland Adventures Yet Again Recognized as
one of Ecotourism’s Finest
September 1, 2005
Seattle, WA— Wildland Adventures
has received a second prestigious award
of the year for its exemplary Massailand
Safari.
Conde Nast Traveler has selected the Seattle-based
company as one of “ecotourism’s
finest” tour operators, paying tribute
to the company in its 11th Annual Green
List released September 2005. Earlier this
year, the company’s Massailand Safari
was named “Best Africa Trip of the
Year” by Outside Magazine in its “Outside
38 Best Trips of 2005” issue.
“We are very proud of our efforts
to reform ecotourism in the Maasai Mara
to create a more equitable relationship
with the Masai people while enhancing our
travelers’ experience there,” says
Wildland President Kurt Kutay. “Receiving
these two distinguished awards in one year
confirms how life-changing this program
is for our Maasai hosts and guests alike."
According to Conde Nast, the winners are
chosen based on their environmental preservation
efforts, their contributions to local culture,
and the quality of the guest experience.
Wildland is among four tour operators to
receive the prestigious recognition.
Described as a “safari-with-a-conscience” by
Outside Magazine, the Maasailand Safari
is distinguished from other African trips
for its meaningful encounters with native
Massai through bush walks with warriors,
interactive school and village visits and
conversations with village leaders and
women’s groups, combined with remarkable
game viewing in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli
National Parks. The safari is organized
in partnership with the Maasai Environmental
Resource Coalition, (MERC).
Since the first Maasailand Safari in July,
2003, Wildland and its guests have donated
more than $25,000 to MERC through out-of-pocket
contributions from individual travelers
and a share of revenues
collected from trip fees and company profits.
This figure does not include money provided
to the Massai for their participation in
the tours as local guides, or that spent
by tourists to purchase native handicrafts.
“By involving local communities,
indigenous people can share in the economic
benefits of tourism including better health,
education and overall living conditions,” says
Kutay. “As a result they have an
alternative model to the destructive social
and environmental impacts of conventional
safari tourism on their lands.”
Wildland Adventures offers monthly small
group departures of the Maasailand Safari
and on-request departures for private groups.
The price of the trip is $3750 and includes
financial contributions to local communities
along the route and support of MERC’s
conservation and cultural heritage programs.
The 12-day safari includes game drives
in the national parks and reserves of Amboseli,
the Maasai Mara, and a private ecotourism
camp on land leased from a local Maasai
community at the base of Mt. Kilmanjaro.
Special guest lecturers and field guides
include scientists studying elephants in
Amboseli National Park and park wardens
from the Maasai Mara Game Reserve. The
trips are all-inclusive from Nairobi, Kenya
and feature “better-than-first-class” cuisine
and accommodations, says Kutay.
About the Maasai: For centuries the Masai
have acted as stewards of endangered African
wildlife and the vast ecosystems upon which
it depends. A pastoral people who live
in harmony within the rich, natural world
of Kenya and Tanzania, the Masai culture
preserves a unique and treasured way of
life in East Africa.
About Wildland Adventures: Since its inception
in 1986, ecotourism has been the cornerstone
of Wildland Adventures, offering cultural
and natural history explorations as a means
to protect natural environments, preserve
cultural heritage and enhance the well-being
of local communities through initiatives
by the company’s non-profit Travelers
Conservation Trust. Kurt Kutay is a founding
member of the Board of Directors of The International
Ecotourism Society and a recognized leader
in the travel industry as a proponent of
responsible tourism.
For further information,
call toll free 1-800-345-4453 (206-365-0686)
or write info@wildland.com,
or Wildland Adventures, 3516 NE 155th St.,
Seattle, WA 98155.
Attention Media: To request a media kit
or photography, please call 1-800-345-4453
or info@wildland.com
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Wildland Adventures was founded in 1986
by president Kurt Kutay with the intention
of offering authentic worldwide cultural
and natural history explorations for active
and inquisitive travelers. At the core
of Wildland Adventures is its commitment
to conservation and authenticity. On a
Wildland Adventures’ trip, there
are remarkably few barriers between visitors
and local cultures, creating an authenticity
in the way people travel and the places
they encounter. Destinations offered by
Wildland Adventures include Costa Rica,
Belize, the Andes and the Amazon, the
Galapagos, Patagonia, Alaska, Africa,
New Zealand and more.
Media Contact:
info@wildland.com
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