LA: Because it isn’t just the big national ones, right?
EP: It gets you into national forests, I believe national monuments, historic sites, military, civil war battlefields, stuff like that. And yeah, I just love that you don’t have to be wealthy to park your car with an awesome view of mountains or a lake. You don’t have to buy a million dollar lake house to go vacation by an incredible lakeside spot. But yeah, to your point, I feel like you want to make sure that people going there understand fully how to dispose of trash and human waste and not have their dogs off leash. And there’s just so many considerations that you have to make, even car camping if you’re in a full-on wilderness area. I think that education is one of the key factors when it comes to safety and a leave no trace-y way of getting into the backcountry that’s going to remain here.
LA: Leave, no trace-y, poor Tracy, don’t leave her behind.
EP: [laughing] Yeah.
LA: After a short break, Emily tells me about some of her very first experiences in the backcountry and explains what a newbie like me might need to begin to get out into the wilderness.
In partnership with Wilderness
LA: And now, a conversation with Malavika Bhattacharya of Condé Nast Traveller India, all about both of our experiences with Wilderness, the sponsor of this week’s episode. Welcome to the podcast, Malavika.
Malavika Bhattacharya: Hi, Lale. It’s so nice to be here.
LA: So, I mean, this year we both got to experience some pretty extraordinary trips. I think you could maybe describe them as once in a lifetime, and they were all with Wilderness, which is this luxury conservation tourism company with some truly, truly gorgeous locations. I got to go on two incredible trips, one to Namibia and one to Botswana, both places I kind of felt like I’d never get the chance to visit. Uh, where did you go?
MB: I was lucky enough to go to Rwanda, a place that’s been on my bucket list for so long. The main reason I went was to trek with the very elusive mountain gorillas, and I was lucky enough to stay at Wilderness Bisate, which is this gorgeous rainforest lodge at the edge of the Volcanoes National Park.
LA: Tell me a little bit about your trek into the forest where you got to see the gorillas.
MB: So I’ll be honest, I was quite nervous the morning of the trek, but I think traveling with Wilderness makes it so seamless because they sent us out well prepared. We had our rain gear, we had snacks, and they organized all the permits for us. The guides were just so fabulous. They understand the terrain and the gorillas, and they actually communicate with them with grunts and sounds, to let them know that we are not a threat. I think it’s just largely about understanding that you’re a visitor in the gorilla’s home.
