Volunteer Vacations

Take a vacation that's good for you, good for wildlife, and even good for your tax return.

By Gretel H. Schueller

There is a new breed of tourism that links science, conservation, and public involvement. These journeys of discovery not only give you a chance to explore some truly untrammeled places but also help protect those places and the wildlife that depends on them. Trip leaders provide on-site training, and the volunteer groups are generally limited to 15 participants, so you're on intimate terms with both the people and the environment around you. And although there are daily research tasks to be accomplished, free time is included. Accommodations range from tent villages in Uganda to beachside condominiums in Maui. Prices are per person and usually include everything except for airfare to the country. Much of your participation fee goes to support your project's research and conservation efforts; this means your expenses are generally tax-deductible. Earthwatch (see "For the Love of Lemurs," page 60) is one of the best-known volunteer-vacation leaders, but there are many others. Here is a sampling.

Pink River Dolphins of the Amazon

Deep in the jungles of northern Peru, you'll travel through a labyrinth of rivers and lakes as you survey the tributaries of the Amazon River. Your mission is to study the elusive Amazon dolphin. At nine feet in length, it's the largest river dolphin in the world. But it's color, not size, that makes this creature so memorable. Scanning the murky waters, "you see a flash of pink--as pink as bubble gum," says one participant, Wallace Kain.

Most of your time will be spent in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, which has large stretches of virtually untouched rainforest. Even here, however, dolphins are trapped and killed in gill nets or poisoned by increasing numbers of fishermen. Working with researchers and local conservation groups, you'll help gather information to protect these dolphins and their habitat.

During your stay, you'll be fully immersed in the jungle, living aboard a 76-foot wooden riverboat, with verdant vegetation all around you, and sloths, howler monkeys, horned screamers, toucans, macaws, parrots, and parakeets just an arm's length away.
Oceanic Society; 800-326-7491; www.oceanic-society.org; March-November, 8 days; $1,690

Reefs of Fiji

You've dived and gone to heaven. Surrounded by a rainbow of coral gardens, clouds of kaleidoscopic fish darting among the reefs, and barracuda, tuna, hammerheads, and manta rays hovering above, you'll work with marine ecologist Larry Harris to study Fiji's corals. These reefs and waters are among the earth's richest, but signs of overfishing have begun to appear, says Harris. And runoff from agriculture and development is stressing the corals.

Diving at least three times a day, volunteers survey the reefs for nudibranchs, flatworms, sea urchins, and other creatures. You'll also help study a recent outbreak of crown-of-thorns, ravenous coral-devouring starfish. To take part, you must be certified and have moderate diving experience. (Because of political unrest, check with the State Department before going to Fiji.)
CEDAM; 914-271-5365; www.cedam.org; November 23-December 2; $2,500

Chimpanzees of Uganda

Uganda is a green oasis where the eastern savanna meets the West African jungle. Here, Discovery Initiatives, in cooperation with the Jane Goodall Institute, lets you step right into the chimpanzee's world. You'll have privileged access to a chimp community for eight days in the Kibale Forest National Park, home to the highest concentration of primates in Africa--including red-tailed colobuses, gray-cheeked mangabeys, and an estimated 700 chimpanzees. Other large mammals abound as well, including elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs. You'll start many of your days before dawn, hiking to find where the chimpanzees built their nests the night before. When they wake up, you'll spend the day studying and recording their behavior.
Discovery Initiatives; 011-44-1-285810621 (England); www.discoveryinitiatives.com; 8 days; $2,745

Wetlands and Waterfowl of China

Just outside the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong is a serene spot where mangroves and reeds sway and as many as 68,000 birds rest during their migrations between Asia and Australia. The marshes and tidal flats of the Mai Po Nature Reserve provide a veritable feast for some 350 species of birds, including spotted greenshanks, spoon-billed sandpipers, and a quarter of the world's endangered black-faced spoonbills.

However, the rapid growth of Hong Kong, plus urban and agricultural pollution, have placed these wetlands in danger. The University Research Expeditions Program (UREP) coordinates scientists to study the reserve in order to improve its management. "The importance of wetlands conservation is slowly becoming understood in China," says Alex Chow, one of the researchers involved in the study.
UREP; 530-752-0692; http://urep.ucdavis.edu;
14 days; $1,195

Whales of Maui

Tucked between the base of Maui's tropical green mountains and the edge of the deep blue Pacific lies the "birthing room" of humpback whales. Overlooking these tranquil and protected waters, you'll watch females train their calves to breach. Behavioral scientist Marsha Green is conducting a long-term research project on humpback whales; one just-completed study examined the effects of increased tourism on the whales. (The conclusion: Large boats, which move more predictably than small ones, are less disturbing.) Now Green plans to look at the effects of naval sonar testing.

So as not to disturb the whales, you'll monitor them from land with the help of binoculars. "I've done some whale-watching trips," says Mary Jane McKown, who took part last year. "But this lets you get to know one pod and its behavior, so you feel more involved with the animals." McKown enjoyed it so much, she signed up again for this winter.
Sierra Club Outings; 415-977-5630; www.sierraclub.org/outings; January 21-31; $1,245

Cloudforests of Costa Rica

If you're going to spend two weeks hauling wood, hammering nails, and planting, you might as well do it in paradise. Last April retirees Rick and Carolyn Johnson packed their work gloves and a generous supply of Ben-Gay and headed to the primeval cloudforests of Costa Rica, where they did just that. "This was a life-altering experience. I learned a lot about myself, about another culture, and about the impact that a small group--or even one individual--can have on the world," says Rick. Working with members of the local Monteverde Conservation League, you'll help maintain and restore this lush forest.

Costa Rica hosts nearly 900 species of birds; hundreds of mammals, reptiles, and fish; and 10 percent of the world's butterfly species. Some of the rarest species, such as the bare-necked umbrella bird and the Baird's tapir, are found where the volunteers work: the 54,000-acre Children's Eternal Rainforest, the largest private reserve in Costa Rica.
Global Volunteers; 800-487-1074; www.globalvolunteers.org; 14 days; $1,595