Kangaroo Island Eco Tours

Kangaroo Island is an Eco island, full of Wildlife and Nature, and an eco tour is the only way to fully appreciate the Wilderness of Kangaroo Island. Travelwild's Eco tour employs many Eco features which make us a leader of Eco Touring.

Although there is a range of accommodation options at our disposal, for the true Eco experience we recommend the Ante Chamber Bay Eco Cabins, located in a natural bush setting at Ante Chamber Bay, the cabins have been designed and built with full eco specifications and are only 50 metres from the beautiful Ante Chamber Bay Beach.

Native wildlife, especially Kangaroos, Tamar Wallabies (extinct on mainland Australia) and Possums also occupy the property and can be easily seen grazing around the cabins at night, penguins also call the sand dunes home and can be seen, completely in the wild coming ashore on the beach after a hard days fishing.

Ante Chamber Bay is a large natural bay with a white sandy beach located on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. The beach is sheltered and very safe for swimming. Behind the beach the Chapman River winds it's way through the sand dunes where it enters the ocean on the beach and the area contains ample native vegetation, much of it protected by the Lashmar Conservation Park.

The eco features of the accommodation includes;

• Solar powered lighting and refrigeration.

  Solar panels are used to collect electricity to power lights and refrigeration but you won't even notice the difference!

• Rainwater Collection.

  Rainwater is collected from the roofs of all buildings on the property and stored in a series of interlinked tanks that enable sharing of the water.

• Solar heated hot water.

  The solar heated water is held in recycled aluminium drums and heavily insulated in the Amenities Centre roof.

• Self-composting odourless toilets.

  Australian-made Nature-Loos - they are chemical free, use no water and don't pollute the environment. Better than that they are 100% odourless!

• Use of recycled and plantation building materials.

  Australian cyprus pine was used as it is a natural white ant deterrent. Plumbing fittings, kitchen areas and much of the building timber and windows are recycled materials.

• Chemical Free Cleaning.

  No chemicals are used to clean the facilities. Kangaroo Island's Emu Ridge eucalyptus oil in a 10/90 water mix is used for its natural disinfectant properties. Enjo fibres are used with small amounts of water and bicarbonate of soda is used as an abrasive cleaner. Vanilla essence is used in a 10/90 water mix as a fridge deodoriser.

Our private charter vehicle is a late model Toyota Langdcruiser GXL, this is an extremely comfortable vehicle with lots of room, it is fully air conditioned front and rear and even fitted with a DVD player, a bonus for long drives especially if you have children.

The vehicle seats up to 7 passengers, the rear seats are smaller and not designed for giants, the are well suited to children and smaller adults

The vehicle is powered with Bio Diesel fuel, this is an environmentally friendly fuel manufactured from canola and other agricultural oils, it is 100% biodegradable, emits far less life cycle Carbon Dioxide and far fewer harmful exhaust emissions.

The vehicle is also fitted with a CD player, with a selection of CD's and iPod transmitter so you can access your favourite music as we tour. In addition there are a number of reference books on wildlife available for you to read.

We see all wildlife in the wild, this is apposed to some operators who visit a wildlife park, with our nature based principals we believe that seeing wildlife in it's natural habitat is a far more rewarding experience:

On tour we always see:

• Kangaroos
• Koalas
• Wallabies
• Australian Sea Lions
• New Zealand Fure Seals

We often see: (some are subject to seasons)

• Echidnas
• Goannas
• Possums
• Dolphins
• Glossy Black Cockatoos
• Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo

We occasionally see: (some are subject to seasons)

• Platypus
• Whales

Viewing wildlife in the wild is a special experience and it is important that this activity is available for generations to come, we therefore adhere to the following Minimal Impact Guidelines for Wildlife Viewing:

• Minimal Impact Wildlife Viewing

  Encounters with wildlife are often the highlight of a tour. It is important to be safe around wild animals and respect their space. Here are a few tips to ensure both the animals and your tour groups safety.

  • To avoid causing distress when observing animals always keep your distance, and excessive noise. Watch for changes in behaviour which will indicate you have moved too close.
  • Approach wildlife slowly from downwind to make the most of your experience.
  • For closer observations use binoculars, or a long range telephoto lens for close up photographs.
  • The best action shot is one where an animal has not been chased out/flushed from hiding. Never disturb animals for your own benefit.
  • Do not feed wild animals or leave food waste behind.
  • Avoid sudden movements or surprise encounters at close range.
  • Respect nests, dens, rookeries and haul-outs. Alarm cries and displays are an animal's request for you to keep your distance.
  • Avoid coming between or disturbing female animals and their young.
  • Do not handle or adopt an “orphan” animal as parents are usually not far behind.
  • Carry out all trash. Wildlife can be endangered by discarded plastic or other garbage.
  • Do not bring pets such as dogs. This makes it difficult to view wildlife.
  • Be considerate and sensitive of other viewers.
  • Report any wildlife or environmental abuse to National Parks or wildlife officers in your area.
  • Allow space for wildlife - When encountering wildlife, maintain your distance and remain quiet. KI has great wildlife viewing opportunities. Harassing or approaching wild animals will cause them to flee, possibly causing injury and definitely using up the vital energy reserves they need for mating, raising young, winter survival and other activities.
  • Driving slowly at night - will give both you and the animal a better chance of avoiding a collision. Take note of wildlife warning signs. They are there to advise you of known ‘hot spots’.
  • Don’t throw away any rubbish - especially out of car windows. This attracts wildlife to feed on the scraps on the sides of roads, thereby increasing the risk of road kill.
  • If you accidentally hit an animal – Please stop if it is safe to do so. Female marsupials such as kangaroos may have pouch young which are able to be saved. Contact National Parks in the area as soon as possible, and keep the young in a warm dark place. These injured or orphaned young do require special treatment.
  • Feeding wildlife - By feeding native wildlife we are doing them no favours. It causes animals to become accustomed to our livelihood, and loses the nature of its own. The tamer an animal becomes, the more likely it is to develop into a repeat offender e.g. become a pest. Possums etc which have been fed around camping grounds can turn to a life of crime, stealing food and damaging expensive camping equipment. Wallabies, possums and kangaroos have been known to become quite bold and injure people in their attempts to get food. Also animals that have become tame from being fed are more likely to be hit by cars in car parks. Wallabies are also subjected to lumpy jaw (bony growths) as a result of eating processed foods. This causes a slow painful death for the animal.
  • Nocturnal viewing - Little Penguins for example have very sensitive eyes. Night becomes a time of increased activity for most terrestrial animals on KI. Here are a few tips to respect their sensitivity to flashlights by following the next few principles on nocturnal viewing. Grab a good-sized flashlight, and cover the lens with a piece of red cellophane. The eyes of many nocturnal creatures do not pick up the red end of the light spectrum — it's possible to sweep this light around and catch the glow of “eye shine” from creatures large and small, while causing them minimal disturbance. You will find that your sense of hearing is important when locating nocturnal wildlife. Brush up on the calls of frogs and penguins, and listen carefully for movements of wallabies, kangaroos and possums. This will enable you to pinpoint the general direction of wildlife.

There is no better way to enjoy the peace and quiet of the great outdoors and appreciate the islands wilderness areas than hiking and bush walking, there are a number of walks on the island and depending on the length of the tour any number of them can make up in important component of the tour.

While bumping into other tourists in inevitable in any tourist area, by hiking into the wilderness areas we can also escape the crowds and see and experience places which most tourists don't go, for example Lathami Conservation Park on the North Coast, has a number of short

• Minimal Impact Bushwalking

  • Carry out all litter including vegetable peels and cores.
  • Animals can be attracted to food waste, it is unsightly and many items, like orange peel can take years to biodegrade.
  • Keep to designated trails and don’t create new ones.
  • Bury human waste at least 150mm deep and 100 metres from a water source.
  • This give the waste a change to breakdown and be filtered through the soils before it enters the water source.
  • Tampons, sanitary pads and nappies to be carried out in plastic bags.
  • Do not use soap or detergent near water.
  • Soaps and detergents, even biodegradable one pollute water sources and can kill aquatic life, this is especially relevant in Australia where the volume of any water flow is minimal to none.
  • When walking minimise the trampling of vegetation.
  • Vegetation is especially important near walking trails to minimize erosion.

Much of out eco focus has been on reducing Carbon emissions through use of solar power and bio diesel fuel, however it is never going to be possible to organise and run a tour without producing carbon emissions, so what we can't reduce we offset. The emissions produced to run each tour are 100% offset by purchasing carbon credits through Green Pass, an Australian Company who provides Carbon Offset Credits.

So when you participate in a Travelwild Private Eco Tour, you can rest assured that not only are we doing our bit to reduce Greenhouse gasses, but we are offsetting what we can't reduce and you tour is Carbon Neutral.

We have in place a number of minimal impact principals which cover Penguin Watching, Wildlife Viewing & Vehicle Use

• Minimal Impact Penguin Watching

  Little Penguins are vulnerable to attacks by dogs and stress due to disturbance from unknowing people, we adhere to these guidelines, so others may continue to enjoy the same experience.

  • Three meters is as close as you should approach, to limit the disturbance that you cause;
  • Camera flashes are very disturbing to penguins. A camera flash will blind a penguin for up to 5 minutes making them vulnerable to predation;
  • Use torches indirectly- shine the bright spot past the penguin. It is preferable that you place your hand over the torch or use a red filter;
  • Many penguin deaths have been caused by dog attacks, so keep dogs away at all times. Even the smell of dogs within the colony will disturb penguins and may stop them from breeding;
  • The penguins always have the “right of way”. They are usually returning to their burrow or chicks. Don’t get between chicks and adult penguins or obstruct a penguin from getting to its burrow;
  • Moulting penguins may be easy to see in their burrows but they are most vulnerable at this time. Their new feathers are not yet waterproof so they cannot leave the burrow if disturbed;
  • Do not touch any penguin, chick, eggs or burrow as human scent may cause the penguins to abandon their breeding activities;
  • During summer penguin watching becomes challenging as most of the adults are out at sea feeding for the next breeding season in autumn. Consequently there may be summer nights when no penguins can be found.

• Minimal Impact Vehicle Use

  • Use only designated tracks and roads for your journey
  • Avoid side slipping and widening unsealed roads by driving in the middle of the track when possible.
  • When tracks or roads are unavailable, select your route by ones which:
  • Reflect ones preferred by natural area managers;
  • Avoid driving over sensitive areas;
  • Keep vehicles to the highest and driest ground.
  • Tour routes should be regularly rotated to minimise impact on the environment.
  • Where creek crossings are essential, they are only forded at designated crossings slowly, and at a 90 degree angle to the bank.

Recycling on tour and in the office and workshop are integral parts of our business, as well as recycling we also use recycled paper to print on and have introduced environmentally friendly "Eco Brochures" (see below) which dramatically cut down on the number of brochure we print and distribute.

• Eco Brochure.

Unfortunately in Tourism it is a fact of life that most of the thousands of brochures which get printed end up being thrown out at the end of their validity date. As leaders in Eco Tourism we have developed the "Eco Brochure", the eco brochure dramatically cuts down on the amount of brochures printed and ensures that every brochure which does get printed, is used by a consumer.

The Eco Brochure is a single brochure which sits on the shelf of a Travel Agent, as a customer in the Travel Agency, if you are interested in the product the consultant can print off a brochure from their computer. This incredibly simple initiative saves not only paper, but also the energy required to print and distribute traditional brochures.

Electricity used in our office and workshop is purchased through Australian provider AGL, AGL have a 100% green energy plan which guarantees to source the electricity used from Green suppliers, which include Solar and Wind Power.