How a guide exchange is deepening perspective, connection, and conservation from Namibia to Baja.
It started as a “what if” conversation—what if a guide from the Namib Desert could spend time in Baja’s marine world, and vice versa? What could they learn, not just about wildlife, but about people, place, and perspective?
That idea, first imagined by Bryan Jaurequi, has since taken on a life of its own within the Kusini Collection. Guide exchanges between Todos Santos Eco Adventures, Ultimate Safaris in Namibia, Imvelo Safari Lodges in Zimbabwe, and beyond have created meaningful connections across continents—rooted in shared values of conservation, culture, and community.
In the following article, published in the Namibia Economist, Peter Nuugonya reflects on his time in Baja, offering a perspective that feels both deeply personal and universally familiar: the awe of seeing a place—and your own work—through entirely new eyes. //
Ultimate guide Nuugonya splashed out by immersive experience in Mexican marine tourism
Ultimate Safaris’ best guide, Peter Nuugonya has just returned from Mexico after a three-week sojourn where he rubbed shoulders with the guides working for Todos Santos Eco Adventures.
Hailing from Ondangwa, Peter’s career in tourism started as a barman at the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge but it was here that he realised he enjoyed the outdoors far more than the bar counter. This is when he joined Ultimate Safaris where his childhood bush knowledge qualified him to take visitors on informative excursions. Last year, he won the company’s “Ultimate Guide of the Year” award with the main prize a sponsored trip to Mexico.
Ultimate Safaris Managing Director, Tristan Cowley, said “the guide exchange is a learning experience and a great opportunity for interaction between people on different sides of the world who may have differinnt geographies, wildlife and weather but who share the same dedication to conservation and community.”
Peter said his journey from the Namibian desert to Mexico’s vibrant marine ecosystems was nothing short of transformative. From snorkelling and scuba diving to whale watching and cooking classes, he embraced new experiences — both professionally and personally. This being his first major international travel, he shared that ending up on the other side of the world and being hosted by amazing people, helped him understand how Ultimate Safaris’ guests must feel, saying “it was a humbling and once in a lifetime experience.”
While the cultural experience in meeting locals was the highlight of his journey and something that reminded him how important local culture and cuisine are to any traveller, his ‘mind blowing’ encounter with whales and other marine life made him realise why people travel across the world, and that similar experiences are why visitors come to Namibia.
Later this year, a Mexican guide will travel to Namibia for the next chapter of this growing partnership between Ultimate Safaris and Todos Santos Eco Adventures which represents a model for global collaboration in eco-tourism.
The Mission is Simple: Empower Guides, foster cross-cultural conservation practices, and celebrate world ecosystems.
Todos Santos Eco Adventures is a proud member of the Kusini Collection, a hand-picked portfolio of sustainable, owner/founder-operated camps, lodges and tour operators in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Some years ago we presented the idea of a guide exchange program with the other members. We’re extremely thrilled to share that it is a complete success and continues to grow and enrich the lives of not only our guides but all of us! A recent exchange just took place with Ultimate Safaris from Namibia and they have shared the following.
“As a leader in conservation-based luxury travel in Namibia, we have once again demonstrated our commitment to people and the planet with our third consecutive international guide exchange, investing over N$ 300,000 into the initiative since its inception.
This year, Jason Nengola, Ultimate Safaris’ 2024 Ultimate Guide of the Year, travelled to Baja California, Mexico, for a three-week immersion experience with Todos Santos Eco Adventures. The exchange underscores a shared mission between the two companies: to empower guides, foster cross-cultural conservation practices, and celebrate the ecosystems they passionately protect.
“The guide swap initiative is a great opportunity for interaction and learning between people on different sides of the world who may have differing geographies, wildlife, and weather—but who share the same dedication to conservation and community,” said Tristan Cowley, Co-founder and Managing Director of Ultimate Safaris.
Jason’s journey from Namibia’s vast deserts to Mexico’s vibrant marine ecosystems was nothing short of transformative. From snorkeling and scuba diving to whale watching and leather-making from cactus, Jason embraced new perspectives—both professionally and personally.
“Imagine Damaraland with an ocean,” Jason remarked. “Being a guest, not a guide, helped me understand how our guests must feel. It was a humbling and eye-opening experience.”
He encountered four species of whales—Blue, Humpback, Fin, and Grey—an awe-inspiring highlight that shifted his perspective on control, nature, and the role of a guide. In addition to nature-based activities, the exchange allowed Jason to explore Mexico’s strong connection to its local culture and cuisine—an experience that left a lasting impression.
“In Namibia, we have so many rich cultures and traditions to share,” he said. “The food in Mexico inspired me to think about how we can better incorporate Namibian cuisine into our guest experiences.”
Jason also reconnected with Axel Herrera, a Todos Santos guide who had previously visited Namibia through the same exchange program—reinforcing the mutual value and long-term relationships fostered by this initiative.
Later this year, a Mexican guide will travel to Namibia for the next chapter of this growing partnership, continuing the spirit of knowledge-sharing, cultural appreciation, and environmental stewardship.
The Ultimate Safaris and Todos Santos Eco Adventures guide exchange initiative represents a model for global collaboration in eco-tourism—building not only better guides, but stronger bridges between continents, cultures, and conservation efforts.”
Recently REMOTE LA placed a spotlight on the efforts of select partners, who are demonstrating that Latin America and the Caribbean are not just embracing sustainable and regenerative tourism—they are shaping a resilient future. Through carbon offset and capture programs, conservation initiatives, responsible business practices and bold climate action plans, these companies are proving that tourism can—and must—be a force for good. Their work reassures us that conscious international travelers can continue to visit Latin America while actively contributing to the well-being of its destinations.
We proudly share what they had to say about us:
Todos Santos Eco Adventures (TOSEA) is at the forefront of responsible tourism in Baja California Sur, Mexico, integrating sustainability into every aspect of its operations. As a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and a signatory of the Future of Tourism Coalition, TOSEA spearheads initiatives that drive conservation and sustainability in the region. One of its most ambitious projects is supporting the Alianza Cero Basura, which works to establish Mexico’s first Zero Waste destination in Todos Santos and El Pescadero, setting a groundbreaking precedent for responsible tourism.
TOSEA is also taking decisive action against climate change through its partnership with Tomorrow’s Air, significantly increasing its contributions to carbon capture, having successfully removed and stored three tons of CO₂ so far. Their holistic approach to sustainability extends beyond waste reduction and emissions mitigation. TOSEA is deeply involved in conservation efforts and embedding regenerative principles into its tourism model, demonstrating that sustainability is not just about minimizing harm; it’s about fostering a thriving future for both local communities and the environment.
It was 2010 and El Manglito had a reputation as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in La Paz. Outsiders perceived it as a place where trouble thrived. Taxis often refused to enter. “When we decided to set up our office there, I really thought it was a crazy idea” recalls Liliana Gutierrez, the former program director for Noroeste Sustentable (NOS) in Baja California Sur. “NOS director Alejandro Robles stood in the middle of this maligned place and talked about building a sustainability demonstration center so that people could really see what sustainability could look like in La Paz. Sam Walton wanted to have organic gardens and fisheries restoration projects. He wanted to bring in experts from all over the world to meet the fishermen. Really smart people shared this vision with them, and all I could think is that all these people are completely crazy.” As it turns out, she was right. Continues Liliana, “They were crazy. They were crazy in the most needed way that we need crazy people in the world because from that moment began an amazing story.” And everything they envisioned has come to pass. But that was only once the women got involved.
“Our first communication from the fishermen in El Manglito was a rock through the window of our offices” recalls Liliana. Like the rest of their neighborhood, the fishermen of El Manglito had a particularly bad reputation and were infamous for illegally poaching fish in the protected waters around Isla Espiritu Santo. NOS was part of an Espiritu Santo surveillance alliance that had been literally chasing them in boats in an attempt to restrict their nocturnal thievery, so the rock was not a total surprise. “It was a time of high polarization” notes Liliana with a nod to understatement. “Conservation NGOs like NOS had very strong ideas against the fishermen and the fishermen against the NGOs.”
NOS adapted its thinking. They started reaching out to the fishermen through their children by supporting local soccer teams and eventually the fishermen agreed to meet with them. “When we first went into El Manglito we thought we knew everything about fisheries conservation and all we had to do was convince the fishermen” recalls Liliana. “But we soon realized our approach was not working so we started talking in a very different way. And by that I mean we, NOS, stopped talking. We started listening. And it was beautiful how the whole idea of restoration emerged from them.”
Many of the fishing families of El Manglito are descended from the Yaqui Indians who left Sonora at the turn of the last century to escape government persecution. The Yaquis are renowned freedivers and used these skills in La Paz to fish for the huge scallops called callo de hacha in the Ensenada de La Paz, a lagoon inside the Bay of La Paz whose shores reach El Manglito. But by 2008 their lagoon was dead and their callo de hachas with it. Raw sewage from the city was being pumped in, and tons of the city’s garbage was being picked up by hurricanes and dumped there. The fishermen therefore started going to the rich waters around Isla Espiritu Santo to fish. But in 2010 the Espiritu Santo Archipelago was declared a marine national park, and the fishermen of El Manglito were transformed overnight from legal actors into illegal poachers. They had not been consulted on the process.
But they were resilient. “The fishermen knew it was possible to bring the callo de hacha back, to restore their original fishing area” says Liliana. “We didn’t know it, but they did.” The fishermen knew where the richest points in the bay were for the scallops and knew what needed to be done. “We had assumed that they were evil fishermen and that we were going to save them. Turns out, they knew exactly how to save themselves.” Thus started the callo de hacha restoration project that took seven years and attracted people from all around the world – biologists, conservationists, impact investors. “Everything was happening as Alejandro and that team had dreamed. It was beautiful.”
But only once the women showed up. NOS, with the support of key funders, had made the controversial decision to pay the fishermen during the restoration period while fishing was suspended. Some of their wives were not impressed with the results. Martha Garcia, speaking for herself and her friend Araceli Méndez says, “As soon as our husbands started receiving payment for not fishing during the restoration, our dream of transforming El Manglito into a beautiful, healthy community became just a job for them. They lost the dream.” Araceli didn’t think their husbands were performing particularly well at the job either. El Manglito had instituted a surveillance system at the Conchalito scallop banks to keep the poachers out, and the men were approaching the banks by boat. Notes Araceli, “It gets really shallow there so the boats would get stuck in the mud and the men would just end up having shouting matches with the poachers who would always get away with the scallops overland.” Their friend Graciela Olachea designed a new approach. “We could tell where the poachers were accessing the banks by land” continues Araceli, “So me, Graciela, Martha, and several other women started patrolling the land around the banks and scaring off the poachers that way.” The women achieved in 3 months what the men had failed to achieve in 3 years. The poachers were gone. Liliana sighs ruefully, “We should have started with the women.”
“In 2016 we joined OPRE, the fishing cooperative NOS helped the men create, and in 2018 we named ourselves Las Guardianas del Conchalito,” recalls Martha. “We wanted to do this our own way, for what we believe in. El Manglito had a bad reputation to the outside, but inside we were a strong, vibrant community. We wanted to build on that.” They were so dedicated that even though NOS had funding to pay only 5 women, 14 joined Las Guardianas and shared the pay. They have been sharing triumphs and trials in a similar fashion ever since.
Las Guardianas take turns telling some of their story. “The mangrove area at Conchalito where we ran off the poachers was a disastrous eyesore that served as a drive-through hotel, a drug dealers’ office, and a neighborhood dump” notes Daniela Bareño. “We reclaimed that land for the neighborhood.” Her colleague Claudia Reyes continued. “The first thing we did was push huge stones across the entryway to stop vehicles from entering, then we organized massive trash cleanups in which we got all segments of the neighborhood engaged. We were taking out 3 tons of trash at a time.” Daniela continued, “While we were cleaning the area, a woman came running in who was being pursued by some scary men. Araceli, Marta and I chased those men away. That incident made us realize that women come here because they know that we are women creating a safe space for women.” El Conchalito is now a beautiful public space for the people of La Paz where people come to walk their dogs, go bird watching, and enjoy the mangroves. Rosa Hale, who tracks usage of the area is particularly proud of one statistic, “The number of women using the space has increased by 70% since we started.”
Liliana nominated Las Guardianas for a National Geographic grant. They won and received training in birdwatching to further their dream of guiding people on birding trips through the mangroves. Inspired, Araceli pondered why the women never dove, only the men. They all sent letters to the Women Divers Hall of Fame in the US which awarded a scholarship to each Guardiana who wanted to learn to dive. The photo of Araceli, Martha and Claudia diving with the National Geographic flag is now the stuff of legend.
And this is how Las Guardianas get things done. They support each other to pursue their own passions, and they inform the NGOs about what support is most beneficial to them. While there’s scarcely a high school diploma amongst them, Araceli is now the “biologist” and is the first woman oyster farmer in La Paz; Daniela is the “engineer” who is working on restoring the Conchalito mangroves in conjunction with WildCoast; Claudia is the “Professor” who teaches people about El Conchalito and takes courses on sustainable business initiatives; Rosa is the “Secretary” who generates use statistics for the estuary; and Martha is the “lawyer” who negotiates deals and recently got Las Guardianas incorporated as their own legal entity. More importantly, she negotiated the permit for the group to restore the Conchalito mangroves, the first time such a permit has ever been issued in La Paz.
“This is the paradigm shift that we are seeing in Baja California Sur now” says McKenzie Campbell, the International Community Fund’s Director of Programs. “Local groups like Las Guardianas have clear hopes, goals and solutions for the future of their communities and ecosystems they steward. They know what they need, and our job as a foundation is to support them in their visions and help provide the tools for their success.”
Liliana is now the director of the Mexican Initiative for Seas and Coasts* and continues her work with Las Guardianas. “Las Guardianas take full advantage of the courses offered by local NGOs, and I gave one on Systemic Thinking. But they really didn’t need it” she recalls. “Las Guardianas are systemic by nature. They embrace the idea that their children, the mangroves, the scallops, the ocean, conservation are all one single issue that can’t be separated.” Liliana, once so skeptical of El Manglito, learned what the women always knew: El Manglito is a strong and dynamic community. It just needs tough, loving guardians to continuously defend, protect and transform it. Las Guardianas.
*TRANSLATOR: Iniciativa por los Mares y las Costas de Mexico
As a traveler, you have the unique opportunity to enjoy unforgettable experiences while making a positive impact on the world. Sometimes the question is just, “how?”
We are thrilled to have partnered with Tourism Cares to be among the incredible organizations included on the map. This dynamic tool includes more than 350 vetted, sustainable travel organizations from around the globe — highlighting tours, activities, and businesses that offer a unique, authentic experience while prioritizing environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and community benefit.
The following are just a few reasons to consider the map before making travel plans:
Enriching Travel Experiences: The Map provides a list of authentic, immersive experiences that go beyond traditional tourism offerings, which allows you to connect deeply with the places you visit and increase overall enjoyment.
Future of Travel: Sustainable tourism is more than a trend — it’s the future of travel. Today, travelers are increasingly seeking meaningful options that align with their values.
Protecting the Industry’s Future: Help make a difference by supporting businesses that protect natural resources, honor local cultures, and give back to communities — our destinations need AND deserve it.
This year, Jason Nengola, Ultimate Safaris’ 2024 Ultimate Guide of the Year, travelled to Baja California, Mexico, for a three-week immersion experience with Todos Santos Eco Adventures. The exchange underscores a shared mission between the two companies: to empower guides, foster cross-cultural conservation practices, and celebrate the ecosystems they passionately protect.
NOS adapted its thinking. They started reaching out to the fishermen through their children by supporting local soccer teams and eventually the fishermen agreed to meet with them. “When we first went into El Manglito we thought we knew everything about fisheries conservation and all we had to do was convince the fishermen” recalls Liliana. “But we soon realized our approach was not working so we started talking in a very different way. And by that I mean we, NOS, stopped talking. We started listening. And it was beautiful how the whole idea of restoration emerged from them.”
But they were resilient. “The fishermen knew it was possible to bring the callo de hacha back, to restore their original fishing area” says Liliana. “We didn’t know it, but they did.” The fishermen knew where the richest points in the bay were for the scallops and knew what needed to be done. “We had assumed that they were evil fishermen and that we were going to save them. Turns out, they knew exactly how to save themselves.” Thus started the callo de hacha restoration project that took seven years and attracted people from all around the world – biologists, conservationists, impact investors. “Everything was happening as Alejandro and that team had dreamed. It was beautiful.”
But only once the women showed up. NOS, with the support of key funders, had made the controversial decision to pay the fishermen during the restoration period while fishing was suspended. Some of their wives were not impressed with the results. Martha Garcia, speaking for herself and her friend Araceli Méndez says, “As soon as our husbands started receiving payment for not fishing during the restoration, our dream of transforming El Manglito into a beautiful, healthy community became just a job for them. They lost the dream.” Araceli didn’t think their husbands were performing particularly well at the job either. El Manglito had instituted a surveillance system at the Conchalito scallop banks to keep the poachers out, and the men were approaching the banks by boat. Notes Araceli, “It gets really shallow there so the boats would get stuck in the mud and the men would just end up having shouting matches with the poachers who would always get away with the scallops overland.” Their friend Graciela Olachea designed a new approach. “We could tell where the poachers were accessing the banks by land” continues Araceli, “So me, Graciela, Martha, and several other women started patrolling the land around the banks and scaring off the poachers that way.” The women achieved in 3 months what the men had failed to achieve in 3 years. The poachers were gone. Liliana sighs ruefully, “We should have started with the women.”
Las Guardianas take turns telling some of their story. “The mangrove area at Conchalito where we ran off the poachers was a disastrous eyesore that served as a drive-through hotel, a drug dealers’ office, and a neighborhood dump” notes Daniela Bareño. “We reclaimed that land for the neighborhood.” Her colleague Claudia Reyes continued. “The first thing we did was push huge stones across the entryway to stop vehicles from entering, then we organized massive trash cleanups in which we got all segments of the neighborhood engaged. We were taking out 3 tons of trash at a time.” Daniela continued, “While we were cleaning the area, a woman came running in who was being pursued by some scary men. Araceli, Marta and I chased those men away. That incident made us realize that women come here because they know that we are women creating a safe space for women.” El Conchalito is now a beautiful public space for the people of La Paz where people come to walk their dogs, go bird watching, and enjoy the mangroves. Rosa Hale, who tracks usage of the area is particularly proud of one statistic, “The number of women using the space has increased by 70% since we started.”
Liliana nominated Las Guardianas for a National Geographic grant. They won and received training in birdwatching to further their dream of guiding people on birding trips through the mangroves. Inspired, Araceli pondered why the women never dove, only the men. They all sent letters to the Women Divers Hall of Fame in the US which awarded a scholarship to each Guardiana who wanted to learn to dive. The photo of Araceli, Martha and Claudia diving with the National Geographic flag is now the stuff of legend.
And this is how Las Guardianas get things done. They support each other to pursue their own passions, and they inform the NGOs about what support is most beneficial to them. While there’s scarcely a high school diploma amongst them, Araceli is now the “biologist” and is the first woman oyster farmer in La Paz; Daniela is the “engineer” who is working on restoring the Conchalito mangroves in conjunction with WildCoast; Claudia is the “Professor” who teaches people about El Conchalito and takes courses on sustainable business initiatives; Rosa is the “Secretary” who generates use statistics for the estuary; and Martha is the “lawyer” who negotiates deals and recently got Las Guardianas incorporated as their own legal entity. More importantly, she negotiated the permit for the group to restore the Conchalito mangroves, the first time such a permit has ever been issued in La Paz.
As a traveler, you have the unique opportunity to enjoy unforgettable experiences while making a positive impact on the world. Sometimes the question is just, “how?”