Isolated tribe spotted in Brazil

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Title – Isolated tribe spotted in Brazil
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 30th May 2008

All too often we hear that travel was not what it was 10 or 20 years ago, that the tourist trail has ruined the adventure and that the world has nothing new for travellers to discover. If ever there was a story to prove people wrong; then this is it.

The world is a very big place and there are very large parts of it which remain completely isolated and untouched by the ‘developed’ world. That in 2008 there are still tribes in the Amazon that remain ‘un-contacted’ is amazing, inspiring and very reassuring. One of the most important things is to ensure that we allow them to stay that way, that we allow them to live their lives in peace and that we protect them and their environment for future generations.

Many travellers visit parts of the world for the wrong reasons. Anyone who has spent any time in a hostel almost anywhere in the world will recognise exactly who I am talking about. You sit down and exchange travel stories with fellow travellers, something that is an essential part of the travel experience and provides you with ideas, warnings, advice and friendships; but there is always the one there (usually on his own for a reason) who tries to upstage you and everyone else in the room. You start talking about a fantastic trip you took 2km up river, they went 10km up river; you talk about a village you visited, they lived in a more remote village for a month; you met a wonderful local person who invited you in for tea and they married the chiefs daughter…. You know who I am talking about.

The thing to remember is that the world is already an amazing place, it is amazing precisely because of what we have been able to create; our modern cities, the pyramids, Angkor Watt, the aeroplane, the variety of cultures that have developed; and it is amazing for what we have not achieved, the un-contacted tribes of the Amazon, the new species we still discover on a regular basis, the vast areas of land and sea that remain unconquered. You can’t fail to be in awe of what the world has to offer, visit the great barrier reef, the Mongolian Steppe, the blue hole of Belize, the Grand Canyon and you’ll be amazed at what you see and you’ll have enough to boast about for many many years to come. If that doesn’t satisfy you, then the problem is probably closer to home.

Those people who are desperately in need of always having the more extreme adventure to boast about, are the ones most at risk of overstepping the mark. That this story has broken should already worry us, that some idiot will try and make contact with this tribe and will try and be the first to meet them, simply to satisfy their ego. Unfortunately these are exactly the type of people who will ruin the last true undiscovered wonders of the world. Those ignorant of cultural sensitivities, uneducated about the impact on their hosts and who don’t care about their environment. Through ignorance or arrogance, often claiming to be environmentally aware, eco-friendly or ‘green’; they are often no better than the loggers, shark-fin fishermen, oil companies and rogue governments, in the damage they can cause.

Ethical and Responsible Travel is not the domain of the hippie any longer; every traveller should consider their impact on the world’s environment and their host community. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we examine how you can create a positive impact, rather than have a negative effect on the communities you visit, we highlight the benefits of responsible travel to you and your hosts.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com or join us on Facebook. For a complete list of Blog entries visit our National Press Archive page.