TRAVEL THERAPY

Apr 16 2008

Giving Back Vacation

Published by travel therapy at 8:00 am under Best Travel Blog, Honeymoon, Island Escapes, Luxury Destinations, Travel Therapy

Copyright Karen Schaler All Rights Reserved

Heads up! Here’s a real TRAVEL THERAPY find. You can stay at an amazing resort in Bora Bora AND give back at the same time by helping to protect the native turtles.At Le Meridien Bora Bora, besides stunning bungalows you’ll also find a very special Turtle Sanctuary in the resort’s private lagoon and efforts are underway to help and protect green sea and hawksbill turtles, both are prized by poachers for their meat and egg production.

It’s hard to believe but three adult turtles buy a smuggler a boat so you can understand how hard the uphill battle is to try and educate locals about why these turtles need to be protected and not sold for profit.

Part of the program includes allowing guest to swim with the turtles they are helping with the majority of the program focusing on having people walk the beach during nesting season from October and February searching for turtle nests, tagging turtles and marking eggs.

Nests are transferred to the hotel’s private beach for two months for safekeeping and when the little guys hatch they’re put in the resort’s nursery for one year so they can grow up strong away from harms way. Then the turtles spend the next few years in the resort’s lagoon until they are released into the South Pacific with the hope that they’ll now survive into adulthood and come back to the protected beach to lay their eggs.

Le Meridien also takes in turtles for rehabilitation that have been confiscated by poachers or injured by hunters.

So if you’re looking to stay at a luxury resort, where you’re spoiled rotten and can completely relax, but you also want to contribute and give back to the local eco-system this is one TRAVEL THERAPY choice you might want to check out!