Travel Life
Caroline Collins introduces her son Ben, 12, to conservation issues in the Turks and Caicos
My ne t
uncle has been involved with the Turks and Caicos since the 60s and I have spent many happy family
holidays on Pine Cay. Now it’s my children’s turn but for several years I have been hearing stories about the threat of pollution to the islands’ natural wildlife, eco system and beautiful coral reefs. So I jumped at the chance to take my son, Ben 12, and his friend Milo to visit the new Amanyara eco-hotel and fi nd out more.
A boat ride and then 20 minutes down a sandstone track brought us to the national park on the north-west point of the island Providenciales, home to the Amanyara. Miami is an hour away, New York just over three and London, 12 hours – and this stunning and very luxurious hotel couldn’t be more peaceful. The shoreline is craggy,
Ben gets acquainted with a snake. Below, exploring the islands’ rich waters
fossilised and wild with ospreys; pelicans patrol their fi shing grounds at sunset. The beaches are made up of a very fi ne sand. Peace for me, however, was short-lived. My two noisy companions were hell-bent on exploring the jagged rocks, the turtles nesting sites – and on visiting the island’s new Nature Discovery Centre, with its snaky inhabitants where Naturalist Lindsay Mensen has developed a series of nature programmes with the American Museum of Natural History for guests of the resort. She introduced us to Fritz, a rainbow boa constrictor and his pencil-sized pygmy boa constrictor companion. Lindsay suggested that the boys handled the cold-blooded snakes to warm and wake them up prior to their feed. She said they were harmless, but I was relieved when the snakes slid down the boys’ arms to dine on curly-tailed lizards which we had captured in the island’s interior with a bamboo cane and lasso. Don’t ask! Wildlife is integral to the way of life in the Turks and Caicos, but, concerned by the damage being done to it, luxury hotel owner Adrian Zecha has joined forces with the islands’ inhabitants to encourage wealthy visitors to learn from and perhaps to contribute to their work to save the coral reefs. Learning to dive is a pre-requisite, not to
ne a ne nco s a pr
say great fun and Amanyara off ers everything from the full 5-day PADI course to a half-day refresher. We opted to try free-diving. Down, down, down we went: our target a wire
dome, left over from a 70s French game show. Actually, it was barely 30ft but when you are diving without air and forbidden the usual diving weights it is surprisingly diffi cult. Ben managed 25 ft; Milo and I barely scaled 15ft, while Lindsey made the full 30ft. We were all delighted with our eff orts, and even more so, by the kaleidescope of colours and animals waiting below including a manta ray with two young and a small hawksbill turtle. Ben and Milo relished the colour and diversity of the reefs, alive and fl uttering with Rainbow grouper, Angel fi sh, Parrot fi sh as well as lime and mauve sea fans, orange Stag’s horn, coral and pink anenomes. Back at the hotel, tired but fl ushed with
success, excited by what we had seen and hungry, the boys tucked into a mountain of grilled squid, green curry and mango ice cream with deep fried balls of rice. It was a fabulous day with Lindsey’s commitment to education and her care of little beasts enthusing the boys so that they learnt much while having fun. The courses are a half day and guests can visit every day. Fortunately, by the time we left, Fritz had made no move towards his supper…a bleak night awaited the curly-tailed lizard. Amanyara from £779 (USD1,250) per night in a Pavilion; includes airport transfers, non-motorised watersports, snorkel trips, tennis, yoga, and soft drinks. The hotel organises conservation talks, kayaking and diving and night walks to discover Turks and Caicos’s nocturnal wildlife, including rainbow boas, ghost crabs and spiders.
Visit
www.amanresorts.com or call toll free on 00 800 2255 2626.
www.fi rstelevenmagazine.co.uk Michaelmas 2011 FirstEleven 67
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