gatherer existence. Prostitution was a desperate last-
resort attempt by mothers to make ends meet.
Last summer I returned to the Virungas, expecting to
witness the same situation. Instead, upon checking into
Volcanoes Safaris’ Mount Gahinga Lodge, I found a pos-
itive narrative taking root. Through his nonprofit Vol-
canoes Safaris Partnership Trust, lodge owner Praveen
Moman had opened a new Gahinga Batwa village in
2018: 18 homes and a community center constructed on
a 10-acre plot. The Batwa were being visited weekly by
a nurse and had access to a rainwater tank. Four Batwa
worked at Moman’s lodge, and a full-time Batwa coor-
dinator had also been employed. The majority of guests
were now visiting the village as part of their stay, and
regular guest donations were ensuring the continuation
of vital initiatives.
This idea that a lodge can help uplift a community
isn’t new, but it’s gaining importance in how we travel,
says Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell, co-owner of luxury tour
operator Cazenove + Loyd: “There’s a shift in conscious-
ness taking place. Our clients almost expect us to recom-
mend lodges that contribute to local communities—and
will hold us to account if we pay lip service only.” He cites
his favorites: Shakti, in the Indian Himalayas, a network
of spruced-up homes that are leased directly from owners;
Sol y Luna, in Peru’s Sacred Valley, which started as a
means to support local education initiatives; and Comuna
do Ibitipoca in Brazil, which uses homestays and walking
routes to connect guests with those who live there.
“Africa has been finessing the community-based model
for years,” says Nigel Winser, former deputy director of
London’s Royal Geographical Society. For myself, I’ve
experienced firsthand the success of this model a number
of times: Odzala Discovery Camps, in the Republic of
Congo; Kasbah du Toubkal, in the High Atlas Mountains
of Morocco; and Sundy Praia and Roça Sundy, two lodges
on the tiny island of Príncipe, off the west coast of Africa.
Winser’s gold standard is Il Ngwesi, in Kenya, owned
and run by Maasai. In 1996 the locals set aside land and
built a lodge. The tourism income—divided up by the
residents—pays for health, education, and conservation.
But there are challenges. “Il Ngwesi is not for everyone,”
Winser says. “The closer you get to a true community lodge, the more authentic
it becomes. I remember how challenging it was to produce ice. They’ve cracked it,
but the pampering needs of customers isn’t always in line with the culture of a true
community-run operation.”
I encountered this on the Yamal Peninsula, in Arctic Russia, when I stayed
in a tented camp run by a novelist and indigenous-rights leader named Anna
Nerkagi, who is a member of the Russian Arctic’s Nenets people. The frozen
fish and reindeer stews took me way out of my gastronomic comfort zone, but
to be among the Nenets and live in the tundra on their terms—ice fishing, rein-
deer herding—was among the most precious travel experiences of my life. I was
reminded that compromise isn’t necessarily a bad thing in travel; it edges us one
step closer to the authenticity the zeitgeist is hungering for in an increasingly
fake world. –sophy roberts
At Katamama Suites at Desa Potato
Head in Seminyak, Bali, a whopping
1.5 million hand-crafted bricks fired in a
coconut-husk-fueled kiln were used to build
the minimalist brutalist-style hotel, reviving
the island’s dying masonry industry. Almost
everything in the guest rooms is custom-
crafted by regional artisans, from baskets
woven out of Balinese orchid vines to
botanically tinted tapestries.
Doubles from about $560; potatohead.coWanting to infuse its Arizona property
with a true sense of place, Andaz
Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows looked to
its neighbor Cattle Track Arts Compound,
which has provided studio space and
acres of Sonoran Desert landscape to local
artists since the 1920s. The hotel now
gets gorgeous earth-hued ceramics, playful
felted textile pieces, and letterpress
prints from Cattle Track artists.
Doubles from $179; andazscottsdale.comWhen it came time for Jaya House Angkor
Park in Siem Reap to decorate, the hotel
tapped a handful of artists who had trained
at the Small Art School (an NGO that pro-
vides free classes to local kids) to create
portraits of ’60s Khmer music legends, high-
lighting the swinging scene of Cambodia’s
Golden Era, a period overshadowed by the
subsequent Khmer Rouge regime.
Doubles from $179; jayahousehotels.comOne of Mountain Lodges of Peru’s most
successful initiatives has been to foster
economic independence for women by
conserving local traditions. It found its
emissary in Maria Valentina Quispe,
who, with its support, travels the Sacred
Valley hosting workshops. Guests at
the minimal, earth-toned Huacahuasi
Lodge, which is decorated with textiles
by local artisans, can meet Maria and visit
the weaving town of Choquecancha.
From $1,990 for five days; mountainlodges
ofperu.com –rebecca misnerCreativity at the Center
These hotels have made it their
mission to reinvigorate traditional
crafts and support local artists