&Beyond Latin America
&Beyond remains firmly committed to its expansion plans in Latin America. Together with a respected firm of international auditors we are currently conducting due diligence procedures into the Latin American businesses that the company is interested in acquiring.
By late 2010 we plan is to open exceptional wilderness lodges in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil and Bolivia and to offer the same life-changing travel experiences for which &Beyond is renowned in both Africa and India. The rich diversity of these extraordinary land masses offers an abundance of indigenous wildlife to be viewed on foot, from a boat or even from viewing towers high up above the tree tops.
After some of the best bird and animal viewing in the world, try white water rafting or ocean kayaking, explore ancient civilizations, be warmly taken in by people from several fascinating cultures or simply spend the day on an idyllic beach doing absolutely nothing at all.
Peru
More than half of Peru lies within the Amazon Basin, covered by a dense, towering rainforest that is the wildest jungle left on Earth. The most biologically diverse region on our planet, these rivers and forests of the Amazon are home to jaguars, pink river dolphins, tapirs, caimans and giant anacondas.
Acclaimed as one of the most beautiful lakes in Peru, Sandoval Lake is home to an abundant population of giant otter often spotted fishing the waters. The surrounding forests are alive with six species of monkeys.
Considered an extraordinarily pristine jungle, Manu, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site in the southwestern Amazon is one of the largest protected areas in the Americas. The thousands of bird species found here represent 10% of the world’s total feathered populations. In addition to the giant river otters and lowland tapirs, wildlife enthusiasts can spot flocks of more than 500 macaws and parrots, as well as Andean cocks-of-the-rock.
Brazil
Vast tracts of untouched rainforest, long stretches of tropical beaches and endless rivers all combine to create Brazil’s incredible natural beauty.
One of the world’s most spectacular wetland systems, often referred to as the largest, the 200 000 square kilometer (77 000 square mile) Pantanal is an immense mosaic of seasonally flooded forests and savannah drained by a complex labyrinth of rivers. Approximately the size of the United Kingdom, this wetland lies in the centre of South America where Brazil bumps up against Bolivia and Paraguay.
Travellers in the Pantanal enjoy the finest wildlife viewing in Latin America. Jaguars are now visible on an almost daily basis while giant otters, majestic hyacinth macaws and tapirs can be seen on most trips.
The elimination of sport and market hunting and adherence to wildlife laws has turned Brazil into a paradise for wilderness experiences with amazing sightings in every corner of this country, the fifth largest in the world.
Ecuador
Ecuador boasts colourful cultures, charming colonial architecture, fantastic volcanic landscapes, impenetrable rainforests, enchanting oceanic islands - and more than 1 600 species of resident and migrant birds.
A tributary of the Amazon River, the Napo collects waters from the eastern flanks of three towering snowcapped volcanoes: the Antisana, the Sincholagu and the Cotopaxi. This region is home to 560 bird species plus hundreds of thousands of other plant and animal varieties.
In Ecuador you’ll also be enchanted by the famous pink river dolphins that have survived for centuries, thanks in part to the legends and myths that surround them.
Just off the coast of Ecuador lie the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site also famous as the birthplace of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. It’s characterised by its spartan volcanic vegetation and its unique wildlife, most of which has no fear of man.
Bolivia
The most mysterious country in Latin America, Bolivia is a land of extremes and expanses - of virtually uninhabited rainforests and Andean vistas.
The country is home to the wildlife-rich Madidi National Park. Ranging from the glazier-capped peaks of the high Andes Mountains to the tropical rainforests of the Tuichi River, it is recognised as the most biologically diverse region in the world. The Heath River region is where you’ll find tumultuous gatherings of brightly-coloured parrots and macaws, including the largest macaw of them all, the impressive claylick.
Other delights awaiting travellers to Bolivia include the intriguing high elevation salt flats known as Salar de Uyuni; Laguna Colorada Lake, a volcano- fringed desert lake that turns red when the sun is high and which is also the nesting ground to 40 000 rare James flamingoes; and the stark beauty of the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.
