World Tourism Blog

Taj Mahal hotel Reopens Sunday After Attacks in Which Guests, Staff Died

Holding balloons and flowers, employees pledged on Thursday to re-dedicate themselves to Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel when it reopens at the weekend after the 2008 militant attacks in which guests and staff members died.

The hotel, which suffered extensive damage from a siege laid by four heavily armed gunmen, was one of several Mumbai landmarks attacked by Pakistan-based militants. The November strikes, which lasted over 60 hours, killed 166 people.

Standing on the grand cantilever stairway, staff members cheered and tossed rose petals in the air after chairman Ratan Tata garlanded a bust of the founder of the Tata Group, India’s oldest conglomerate, which also owns the luxury Taj hotels.

“This flagship property, this venerable Old Lady, is going to reopen in the same glory, the same splendor of more than 100 years,” Tata said, his voice cracking, ahead of the hotel’s scheduled reopening on Sunday, also India’s independence day.

Tata had vowed to “rebuild every inch” of the iconic hotel, founded in 1903, and which has played host to maharajas, heads of state, chief executives, movie stars and entertainers alike.

Architects, designers and restoration experts from India and around the world spent more than 21 months assessing the damage, then restoring the hotel, said Raymond Bickson, managing director of Taj Hotels, a unit of Indian Hotels Co Ltd..

“It was a cast of thousands that undertook the extensive restoration and sensitive restoration of the hotel, staying true to the original design and spirit,” he said.

Founder Jamsetji Tata had originally shopped for the hotel in London, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Paris, ordering 10 spun iron pillars that he saw at the Eiffel Tower opening exhibition for the hotel’s large ballroom, now redone in tonnes of gold.

The hotel, which combines Oriental, Florentine and Moorish architectural styles in its vaulted alabaster ceilings, graceful archways and marble floors, houses fine examples of modern and contemporary Indian art, and now, modern security systems, too.

By Rina Chandran

A man walks with the Indian national flag in front of the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of last year's militant attacks, in Mumbai November 26, 2009. Holding balloons and flowers, employees pledged on Thursday to re-dedicate themselves to Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel when it reopens at the weekend after the 2008 militant attacks in which guests and staff members died.

Abu Dhabi Sky Tower

The Middle East houses some of the world’s most impressive and stunningly beautiful structures. Dubai, Doha and Al Riyadh all have residential areas which are sure to impress. However, if you are looking for a luxurious property Abu Dhabi is the first place in the Middle East you should concern yourself with.

The Emirate’s architecture is modern and futuristic, and the architects who designed the hotels, residences and commercial buildings have won many prestigious awards for their work. Abu Dhabi is certainly a great destination for high flying executives with a taste for refined elegance.

In the Shams Abu Dhabi development in Abu Dhabi, the Sky Tower structure is one of the most impressive buildings in the Middle East. The 75 storey sky scraper has residential quarters starting from the 41st floor. These apartments are being sold very quickly, so if you want one you’ll have to get in quick. Architecturally, the Sky Tower is relatively simple in appearance; the structure almost looks like a huge pile of gleaming silver coins.

If you would like to live along the waterfront, you should head over to Harbour Heights in Reem Island. The spectacular 41 storey building is as streamlined and penetrating as a stack of knives. The beautiful building overlooks Reem Island’s bustling harbour, and is fully equipped to handle the most demanding of occupants. The fully equipped residential building has a modern gym containing state of the art machinery. If you are a more spiritual person there is a huge Yoga suite ready and waiting for your display of various asana. After your workout, you can head down to the impressive spa rooms and saunas – you can even enjoy a massage to unknot any worries.

Following on the waterfront theme is the Oceanscape building in Shams Abu Dhabi. The building consists of two offset arcs with a mirror finish reflecting the vivid Middle Eastern sky. This beautiful structure is part of larger development consisting of 10 districts. Oceanscape is a 32 storey building with each apartment facing the ocean. Internally, each apartment is the essence of luxury. The living spaces are configured differently catering to the needs of the occupant. The apartments have 1 to 4 bedrooms and the residents can enjoy the huge private swimming pool.

There are too many impressive residential areas in Abu Dhabi to list here; however, with so many glorious properties available you are sure to find one that fits your style and lifestyle. Abu Dhabi has, without doubt, some of the most beautiful properties in the Middle East.

By  LUCAS LOWECROFT

PARIS — Many people buy a pied-à-terre in Paris to use for a few weeks a year and to rent the rest of the time. Most of them don’t realize, however, that they are breaking the law. Now, the city government is trying to address the problem with a more direct approach to enforcement.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë ordered an agency last year to warn property owners that renting out residential apartments for less than a year at a time violated French law. The move was intended to address the lack of affordable housing in the city center. Those who ignored the warning, he said, would be prosecuted.

Only about 25 letters have been sent since enforcement began last autumn — most of them in response to complaints made by neighbors. And only a handful of those cases have gone to court.

But the rental industry in this most-visited city in the world is concerned and, as more owners slowly become aware of the issue, confusion is growing. A few have pulled their properties off the market, others have deleted addresses or other identifying details from Internet listings. And dozens of rental agencies have banded together to try to save their lucrative business.

“No one seems to know what this crackdown means, but I feel my business will have to change,” said Susie Hollands of Vingt Paris, a property advisory and management company.

There is no precise tally of how many of the 1.3 million residences in Paris are being used for short-term rentals. Industry professionals estimate there may be tens of thousands, with a significant proportion owned by foreigners who bought them as vacation homes or investment properties. (Those buyers are predominantly Americans, Italians and Britons, according to brokers.)

Those in the industry also say they believe that the numbers have risen sharply in the last 10 years as the Internet has made it easier to find potential renters.

To legally offer short-term rentals, owners would need to have their residential properties reclassified as commercial sites, a complicated process that involves finding a commercial property in the same neighborhood that can be transformed into residential use.

“It isn’t difficult; it is impossible,” said Fabrice Luzu, a notary who has helped many international clients invest in city real estate. “The owner must apply for a special permit and there is very little chance he would obtain it.”

Without such a permit, any apartment classified as residential in a French city of more than 200,000 must be offered with a minimum one-year lease. The law, passed in 2005, has some exceptions for student housing.

For landlords in Paris, the difference in income can be substantial. Depending on how it is renovated, a 650-square-foot apartment in the chic Saint-Germain-des-Prés area, for example, could be rented furnished for 2,500 euros ($3,100) a week, Ms. Hollands said.

She estimates that the yearly income, based on the flat being rented about 70 percent of the time, would bring triple the amount of a long-term lease.

She added, “Unfurnished, on a long lease, it would rent between 2,200 euros and 2,500 euros a month” or at most, 30,000 euros a year.

The police are charged with enforcing the law, but rarely do. So last year, after several attempts, Paris succeeded in transferring enforcement within the city to the mayor’s housing agency, the Bureau de la Protection des Locaux d’Habitation, or the office for the protection of residential property.

“We decided to apply the law in a strict manner,” said Franck Affortit, the agency’s assistant director. “Letters have been sent to owners, who include many Italians, some Americans and British and French.”

Most of those owners have taken their properties off the rental market, while “several” others who have not are being prosecuted, Mr. Affortit said.

One case has resulted in a preliminary judgment in favor of the city; court dates for the other cases have not yet been set, Mr. Affortit said.

Conviction could result in a fine of as much as 25,000 euros. Continued violation could result in additional fines of as much as 1,000 euros a square meter a day. Still, he admits that given his small staff of five, tracking down violators “is a problem.”

Therefore, he said, “we are going to apply this in an intelligent manner.”

By JEAN RAFFERTY

Many foreign owners in Paris use their apartments only part of the year, renting them out to short-term tenants for the rest.

Hotels, airlines slash rates in attempt to lure back tourists

As more oil from the Gulf of Mexico washes up on surrounding beaches, tourism in many Southeastern states is fading — even in areas far away from the gooey mess. But hotels from Texas to Florida and some airlines like Spirit are eager to drum up business driven away by oil fears — which means bargains aren’t hard to find.

Prices for hotel rooms are down by as much as 30 percent across the Gulf Coast and some spots in the Caribbean, as worries spread about where the oil will wash up next. Hotels in some cities as far away as Miami and along the eastern coast of Texas are seeing bookings affected by the spill, even though the likelihood of oil appearing there is small.

Airline ticket prices to the Gulf region have fallen slightly since the spill. In general though, flight deals are harder to find because airlines can move planes to other routes if passenger numbers drop.

Room prices for New Orleans in July have plunged by about 30 percent over the last six weeks, Travelocity senior editor Genevieve Shaw Brown said. Prices in Ft. Myers, Fla., are down by about 16 percent. They’ve dropped by about 10 percent in Miami.

Some resorts are getting inventive. Sterling Resorts, which manages vacation properties along the Gulf Coast, is offering a “clean beach booking guarantee.” Guests can get their deposits refunded or reschedule their vacation if they’re concerned about the oil.

The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla., is offering a “buy three nights, get one free” deal this weekend. It’s also constructing a massive inflatable water park for visitors that are concerned about going into the ocean.

Although the summer is the “low season” for many hot Florida spots, a number of Gulf cities rely on the peak summer tourist season. They’re hurting, and no one is sure when they’ll get a foothold again.

While hotel deals appear to be growing, you can’t fetch a bargain everywhere. In Pensacola, Fla., for example, prices have remained flat over the past six weeks for rooms in July. Brown said that’s due in large part to all the workers that have converged on the city since oil first leaked in April. Oil first washed up on Florida beaches earlier this month.

But because workers don’t spend the kind of money that tourists do on activities like eating out or buying souvenirs, many businesses are still being hurt. Hotel prices are also holding up in more inland cities like Orlando — home to Disney World.

If you want to take advantage of these deals, you’d better jump fast. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the spill, the deals might go quick. That makes more sense for people within driving distance of the coast who don’t have to worry about buying an airline ticket in advance.
Still, flight deals are out there.

People looking for a last-minute trip to the Florida panhandle from New York can snag a package for just $400 per person this weekend on Lastminute.com. That includes a flight on US Airways and two nights hotel. The same deal is $637 with American Airlines.

Some airlines have been more aggressive than others in drawing in the beach crowd. Last week, Spirit Airlines offered a $50 discount on roundtrip flights to certain beach destinations; Fort Lauderdale; Cancun; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Atlantic City.

Two out of four of those spots could be hurt by the spill. Ads that featured a bikini-clad model with the tagline “Check out the oil on our beaches” drew a slew of complaints. Spirit later pulled the ads, but it continued the discount — which works out to be more than half off, considering most Spirit flights are under $100.

Brown said it’s tough to tell whether airfares will get cheaper later this summer to the Gulf Coast and Caribbean. But if the oil spill continues to spread, cheaper airfares will likely start to pop up in larger numbers in September, when the summer crowds subside and airfares typically fall.

A couple more words of advice when booking airfares or hotels in the area: Travel insurance may not cover your loss if you decide to cancel your vacation, since the spill is a known risk. It’s also a manmade disaster, which prevents insurance from paying under most natural disaster insurance clauses.

By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP

People walk past empty beach chairs in Destin, Fla., on Sunday. Some hotels and condominium owners along the Gulf say their business is down by 50 percent.

Cape Town Has Much to Offer, Even If You Are Not a Soccer Fan

CAPE TOWN - Overshadowed by Table Mountain and teeming with soccer fans here to watch the World Cup, Cape Town is a vibrant city at the tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors to get the most out of a 48-hour visit to a city in the feverish grip of Africa’s first World Cup.

FRIDAY

6 p.m. - Kick off your stay with sundowners or hot chocolate at Wakame Asian sushi restaurant in Beach Road , Mouille Point, enjoying an uninterrupted vista of the ocean as the waves break meters away. Even in winter, the sun pokes out its brilliant head periodically and this is an ideal spot to relax as the fading light becomes one with the ocean darkness. Call them on +27 21 433 2377. If raw fish isn’t quite your fancy, then try the sophisticated Aubergine restaurant where diners enjoy their meals as a fireplace provides warmth and ambience during the cold winter nights. Situated in the former 19th century home of the Cape’s first chief justice, the restaurant offers innovative twists to culinary classics, with wild boar and geranium scented sauce among the favorites. The restaurant is found at 39 Barnet Street, Gardens or could be contacted on +27 21 465 4909.

7:30 p.m. - It’s soccer World Cup time and the inner-city undergoes a regular metamorphosis as streets are blocked or opened to assist thousands of fans attending matches at Green Point Stadium. The stadium, within walking distance of the city’s central business district, is adjacent to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a mega-mall that offers something for everyone. Having whet your appetite earlier, why not grab a succulent Ostrich (the world’s largest flightless bird) fillet with red wine sauce at Belthazar Restaurant (Shop 153, +27 21 421 3753) or for those with a wilder palate, a game kebab typically featuring meat cuts from Kudu, Springbok, Gemsbok and Impala buck. Also situated at the V&A is Nelson Mandela Gateway (+27 21 413 4217), where you can buy tickets (200 rand p/p return) to visit Robben Island Museum and see the cell which held South Africa’s first black state leader for 26 years. There are usually four tours a day during winter ending 3 p.m. daily, (including Sundays and holidays). To cater for increased demand during the World Cup tournament, there are an extra two boat trips at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The island is a World Heritage site and a former leper colony. All trips are weather dependent.

By Wendell Roelf

The new 70,000 seat capacity Green Point Stadium (bottom L) for the FIFA Soccer World Cup in Cape Town, on April 25, 2010. Overshadowed by Table Mountain and teeming with soccer fans here to watch the World Cup, Cape Town is a vibrant city at the tip of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

The guestroom of the future is not that far off.

Imagine opening your hotel room door with a ringtone, monitoring your health via the bathroom mirror and having the temperature, lighting and other amenities adjust themselves based on your personal preferences.

Actually, said room has already been imagined for you. It’s called Guestroom 20X (nee Guestroom 2010) and it’s on display at HITEC, an annual lodging and hospitality conference for financial and technology professionals that runs June 22–24 in Orlando, Fla.

Now in its fourth iteration, this year’s exhibit features nearly 30 new and near-future technologies that promise to reinvent every aspect of the lodging experience. Some are little more than intriguing ideas at this point, but others are already starting to show up in hotels around the country. In fact, depending on your next trip, you might even run into some of the amenities below:

No keycard? Sounds good
You probably already use your cell phone as a camera, music player or gaming device; why not use it as your room key, too? That’s the idea behind OpenWays’ Crypto Acoustic Credential technology, which will unlock an appropriately equipped door when your phone emits a unique (and encrypted) audio code. Even better, you can receive your code before you check in, bypassing the front desk altogether.

According to the company, the system will work with any cell phone now on the market, although smartphone owners will likely get first crack at it. In fact, Holiday Inn expects to roll out a (smartphone-only) pilot program soon at the Holiday Inn Chicago O’Hare Rosemont and Holiday Inn Express Houston Downtown Convention Center.

Your room, your way
A room that lets you manage everything from the lights to the TV to the drapes with a single remote is nice. One that “greets” you pre-loaded with your personal preferences is even better. The SuiteSystems Guestroom Control from Control4 Corp. is designed to do just that, keeping your choices — stereo off at midnight, for example, or drapes open at 8 a.m. — on file for future visits. Check it out yourself at the Aria Resort and Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter in Las Vegas, the Montage Beverly Hills boutique hotel and the recently opened Trump SoHo New York, among others.

Hotel services via touch screen
While the SuiteSystem remote provides door-to-drapes control, the SmartTouch system from Incentient LLC focuses on the bigger guest-services picture. Using its touch-screen panel, you’ll be able to access all manner of hotel services, from room service and the bell desk to on-site restaurants and spa facilities. The system is currently being used as a wireless wine list by restaurants across the country, with hotels in Chicago, Miami, New York and other cities expected to roll out in-room units later this year.

Finger-friendly fan
You probably won’t see one of those high-tech Dyson vacuum cleaners in your hotel room any time soon, but you may see one of the company’s innovative fans. Looking like an oversized magnifying glass without the glass, the Dyson Air Multiplier draws in air and amplifies it 15 times by passing it through an aerofoil-shaped ring that’s as futuristic-looking as it is free of blades altogether. The fans retail for $300–$330, but you can try one out at the W Los Angeles-Westwood, which offers them in its poolside cabanas and by request for in-room use.

Mirror, mirror on the wall
TV in the bathroom mirror? That’s so 2007. If the folks at James Law Cybertecture International in Hong Kong have their way, the well-equipped hotel bathroom of the future will feature a Cybertecture Mirror that will serve as a “reflective window to a digital life.” Akin to one of those digital windshield displays, it’ll display the time, temperature, traffic, news and even personal health data with the touch of a button. The company expects to start production by the end of the year.

Don’t toss that trash
Burn it instead, with the Miniature Waste Incinerator, an in-room unit designed to heat garbage until it spontaneously combusts. Configured to capture and re-circulate exhaust gases, the unit will save both energy and trash-disposal costs. Alas, it’s strictly a prototype at this point — for some reason, the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor from the “Back to the Future” movies comes to mind — but if it ever comes to pass, it could turn out to be a housekeeper’s best friend.

Best. Bed. Ever.
Finally, when it’s time to hit the sack, consider the HiCan High Fidelity Canopy, which is part sleeping unit, part entertainment center and all-around awesome. Shaped like a king-sized, open-sided cube, it features a state-of-the-art sound system, built-in PC/gaming console and projector that links to a 70-inch screen that slides down at the foot of the bed.

Alas, you’ll probably have to wait to crawl under the covers as the Italian company that makes the bed has so far delivered the unit to only a handful of private customers in Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Unless you run with that crowd, an invitation for a sleepover is probably not in the cards.

By Rob Lovitt

The SmartTouch allows guests to access all manner of hotel services, from room service and the bell desk to on-site restaurants and spa facilities.

Until now, Harry Potter fans could merely imagine the sensation of quaffing a butterbeer, finding a magic wand at Ollivander’s or escaping the steam from a snarling dragon’s snout.

But finally, 13 years after the first of seven books began chronicling the boy wizard’s adventures, imagination has become reality at Universal Orlando.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a mini-park inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park, opens for general admission June 18, but The Associated Press got a sneak peek at what has become the most highly anticipated theme-park attraction in years.

Past a stone archway and the steam-belching Hogwarts Express, the fictitious city of Hogsmeade unfolds amid snowcapped, dingy rooftops and storefronts packed like row houses with shops straight from the books and movies. Zonko’s joke shop offers Sneakoscopes and extendable ears. The confectionary Honeydukes has chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans (literally ranging from pear to fish). At the Owl Post, guests can stamp mail with a genuine Hogsmeade postmark.

Towering over it all is Hogwarts, a perfect reproduction of the imposing, many-spired castle where Harry and his magician friends are students.

“Once we locked in and knew what we were doing — what we thought would be the most iconographic moments of the fiction to bring to life — it became a matter of executing at a level of authenticity and detail that was going to be unquestionable,” said Mark Woodbury, head of Universal Creative.

Park construction was overseen by the production manager from the Potter movies, and as Warner Bros. filmed the series’ sixth movie, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” scenes were shot for the park’s crown jewel, a ride called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The cutting-edge ride seamlessly combines the sensation of flight with tactile experiences like smoke and drops of water as it takes guests through a hodgepodge of encounters in Potter’s chaotic life, from the Quidditch field to the mouths of giant spiders and dragons. The ride queue stars lifelike projections of film characters like Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

By TRAVIS REED

Visitors on Flight of the Hippogriff at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.

The tables on the Seabourn Sojourn were set. Silverware, from Sambonet, and wine glasses, from Schottzwiesel, were meticulously arranged, and napkins crisply folded. The empty dining room awaited the passengers for the luxury cruise liner’s maiden voyage, set for June 6, from London to the Norwegian fjords.

The Seabourn Sojourn aims to provide a lavish yet personalized experience for the upscale cruiser.

Karlo Buer, the captain of the Seabourn Sojourn, which is the second of three nearly identical vessels released by Carnival Corp.’s Yachts of Seabourn line over the course of three years, said the Seabourn Sojourn distinguishes itself not only by its amenities and sophisticated cuisine but by its extra space and singular attention to details.

The 650-foot ship carries no more than 450 passengers, even though it could carry many more.

“On a ship this size, we could hold up to 1,000 or even 1,200 [passengers], but since we’re in the luxury market, we cannot do that,” Buer said. “This is not about quantity. This is about quality.”

Andrew Magowan, the vice president of Seabourn Cruise Line for Europe , the Middle East and Africa, said the Seabourn Sojourn has one of the highest space-per-guests ratios in the industry.

The Seabourn’s emphasis on space extends from the sparingly furnished main decks to the passenger cabins. Ninety percent of the yacht’s 225 suites include private verandas. Suites range from 295 to 1,182 square feet, and all have ocean views.

By CATHERINE CLOUTIER

The Seabourn Sojourn seeks to provide a luxurious yet personalized and intimate experience for the upscale cruiser.

Well, are you always ready to take the first road out? Do you love outdoor adventure and thrills: Rock –climbing, Trekking Expeditions, White Water Rafting, Skiing, Nature Trails, Wildlife Safaris and more. Do you believe that there’s an exciting new world waiting to be explored? If, yes, than, you definitely are an ardent traveler and nature lover. But, wait; does that make you an eco-tourist? Read this and find out for yourself!

Just joining tour operators, who promise eco-tourism does not make one an eco-tourist. This is a concept which has to be believed and felt from within.

says Aloke Bajpai, CEO, The Explorers, a Mumbai based Adventure tour outlet.
Going on nature trails and exploring natures’ unexplored and virgin beauty is not enough, practicing eco-friendliness is equally important. Many travellers litter garbage, plastic bags and bottles on the way without giving it a second thought. Keeping the surroundings clean and pure is an important part of eco-tourism.

Besides, paying up a huge some of money to a travel outlet which takes care of all your needs and also plans your trip, it sometimes bars you from a lot of amazing experience. According to the Kiwi travel writer, Heather Hapeta, ‘Eco-tourism is an activity that has minimum impact while providing maximum benefits to the locals.’ He opines that independent travellers are most likely the closest to being real eco-travellers. By staying in cheaper, locally-owned accommodation, eating at small food outlets and using local transport, they leave much of their travel money in the country. Not only this. By doing so, they also get to visit places that are not on the tourist trail and can get to know people and absorb the local flavours. So, are you ready for an actual eco-tour?

Kate Siber treks into the jungle of Ecuador to spend four days at an ecolodge run by the Huaorani tribe.

From the window of a van, during a four-hour drive south from Quito to Shell, Ecuador, I watch what seems like several countries roll by. In small towns, mere jumbles of concrete houses, women dressed in colorful shawls and dark Andean hats carry bundles of thatch on their backs. Beyond the towns, Andean volcanoes rise up to over 16,000 feet in halos of clouds and snow. Farther south, the peaks soften to hillsides patched with fields, which then plunge into the steamy, jungle-choked interior, where farmers sell oranges by the side of the road and beautiful dark-haired women stir steaming pots in restaurant windows.

We arrive at a one-room aviation club in Shell, a speck of a town, and, soon after, take flight in a six-seat Cessna. Chartreuse squares of farmland quickly dissolve into a verdant carpet that stretches to the horizon. Rivers the color of milky coffee sneak beneath gorges then plow through the forest. On the horizon, a bank of clouds tumbles to the ground midst a downpour.

After 40 minutes, the pilot dives and banks hard left. Skimming over the forest canopy, we were close enough to spot monkeys if we weren’t moving so swiftly. Just as it seems we’ll crash into the tangled jungle, the trees part to reveal a tiny dirt airstrip. We land in a metallic clamor and splash through a pond-sized puddle before coming to an abrupt halt. Unfolding ourselves from the cabin, we emerge into the soupy heat to find two dozen indigenous Amazonians surrounding the plane—women with babies in palm-leaf slings, wide-brown-eyed children, and toothless old men. They all stare and grin at us, such rare curiosities.

Meeting the Huaorani people is exactly what brought us here. My group consists of four travelers—an expat Brit living in Costa Rica, two business partners from San Diego, and myself—and a bilingual guide named Jorge. We are on our way to the Huaorani Ecolodge, an outpost that officially opened in January 2008. It is so hidden in Ecuador’s swath of Amazon Rainforest that it takes nearly a day by car, plane, and dugout canoe to get there.

Famed as fearsome warriors in the past, the Huaorani resisted contact by Westerners through the mid-20th century. Two clans still shun Westerners and guard their villages fiercely from any visitors, including other clans. Most of the 3,000 Huaorani inhabit a 1.7-million-acre parcel of land, the largest tract set aside for any of Ecuador’s indigenous peoples. They live a peaceful existence, practicing subsistence hunting, gathering, and agriculture in relative isolation.

But it’s hard to maintain an isolated, peaceful existence when sitting atop a treasure trove of resources, including Ecuador’s largest oil reserve and large swaths of valuable tropical hardwood trees. And oil companies, loggers, and missionaries have all negatively affected the Huaorani’s way of life. Finally, in the late ’90s, five villages came together to build a tiny ecolodge to help sustainably support themselves and raise awareness of their rare and fragile culture. The tribe runs the lodge entirely, though a Quito-based sustainable-travel company named Tropic Eco helps market and arrange trips. They have received funding from several NGOs, and a non-profit called Rainforest Alliance has helped train staff members.

By Kate Siber

NATURAL LANDING: Indigenous Amazonians greet the six-seat Cessna as the author exits (Kate Siber).