Feature Destination
FEATURE DESTINATION – Journeys With Purpose: The True Meaning of Life
‘We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people’s happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life”

It is day 5 of my journey in Ladakh and I am standing at the entrance gate of Thiksey Monastery in Ladakh and reading these beautiful words by the H.H 14th Dalai Lama and they sink in more than they would have done 5 days previously. I have experienced a real shift within me that I hadn’t totally prepared for, nor predicted. My work over the last 3 years has been in purposeful travel and I have experienced some extraordinary countries and met incredible pioneers in conservation and yet here, in Ladakh, something clicks, and I truly understand on a level I had not previously, how impactful a journey can be.
High in the trans Himalayas, amidst the jagged peaks and prayer-flag-strewn passes of Ladakh, lies a world that feels like it belongs to a different time. The crisp mountain air carries the whispers of ancient prayers as it sweeps across vast, untouched valleys. Here, where snow leopards move like ghosts, wolves howl to each other across snowy tundra passes and golden eagles soar and dive effortlessly through azure skies, I discovered something far greater than just the thrill of spotting a rare predator. This journey became a profound connection – not only to nature but to the resilient communities that thrive in this harsh, beautiful land and how my presence here impacts them.

How This Journey Will Transform You
Our journey started in Leh, a vibrant yet humble city ringed by mountains where the streets are adorned in colourful prayer flags representing earth, wind, fire and water and the smell of baked Indian flat bread permeates the air. After ambling along cobbled streets, our group, led by Behzad J Larry, circumnavigated a Buddhist temple in a clockwise motion, turning the prayer wheels as we went, sending silent wishes into the wind and hoping for a glimpse of the elusive snow leopard. Little did I know that these wishes would soon be answered in the most extraordinary ways.

By the second day, we were deep in the wilderness, settled in an exclusive Lungmār snow leopard camp south of Leh, surrounded by vast, rugged and unforgiving terrain. I’ll never forget the thrill of my first sight of a breeding pair of snow leopards curled up against each other and basking in the morning sun only 200 or so metres from where we stood. The following day, we tracked the female as she began a hunt, only to see her pause, sidetracked by a cow carcass that would sustain her for days. Moments like this are the kind that leave you in awe, a reminder of just how raw and untamed this environment truly is.
Evenings were spent in the warmth of camp, sipping hot ginger, lemon and honey beverages and sharing stories with fellow travellers, guides and trackers. We marveled at the precision of the snow leopard trackers, their intimate knowledge of the land a testament to years of living alongside this apex predator. Their excitement was infectious – each sighting felt like a collective triumph.
This journey doesn’t just immerse you in the natural world; it transforms you. It challenges you to slow down, to listen, watch and wait, to let go of the noise of daily life and to disconnect in order to reconnect. It invites you to witness not only the power of nature but the delicate balance that sustains it, as well as your own purpose in this world.
How You Will Create an Impact
What makes this journey truly special, though, is how your presence here ripples outwards, leaving a tangible legacy. By joining this expedition, you become part of a movement that sustains both the snow leopard and the communities that share its home.
The price of the journey does more than fund your stay – it actively supports conservation and the livelihoods of local families. Ten percent of the journey cost goes directly toward building predator-proof corals for shepherds, protecting their pashmina goats from snow leopards and wolves. This simple yet effective solution safeguards the shepherding families’ economic wellbeing while reducing human- wildlife conflict. Knowing that the same shepherds who benefit from these efforts are the ones tipping off our trackers about snow leopard sightings added a deeply meaningful layer to each encounter.
Beyond the corals, your journey helps train members of the local community as expert snow leopard trackers. These individuals, many of whom have grown up in the mountains, now have a sustainable source of income through eco-tourism. Their skills ensure that visitors like us can witness these incredible animals while fostering a sense of pride and stewardship in their heritage.

During our stay, I learned about another initiative the journey supports: a dog sterilisation program. Without it, wild packs of dogs would harass snow leopards, chasing them from their kills and disrupting the fragile ecosystem. Seeing the direct results of this work reinforced how interconnected every aspect of this region truly is.
The camp itself is a model of thoughtful, community-driven eco-tourism. Employment is shared among neighboring villages, with roles like drivers, housekeeping staff, and cooks rotating every few years to ensure economic opportunities reach as many families as possible. The vibrant and confident group of young women working at the camp were eager to share their culture with us and their hospitality went far and beyond. Their presence was a testament to how tourism, when done right, can uplift entire communities.
Perhaps most moving was hearing how, at the end of each summer trekking season, the local community comes together to clean the valleys, removing truckloads of waste to preserve this pristine wilderness. These efforts are part of a larger ethos that runs through every aspect of life in Ladakh: a deep respect for the land and its inhabitants, human and animal alike.

An Invitation to Join Us
This is more than just a trip to see snow leopards. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in a raw, breathtakingly remote environment, to connect with inspiring people, and to leave an impact on yourself and on the environment that will be felt long after you return home. I came away from this journey with the feeling that I was rewarded ten fold for just being involved – I walked around a prayer wheel at Thiksey monastery wishing for a wolf sighting and later that afternoon we saw 3 wolves and a Eurasian lynx. I wished to see 1 snow leopard during my trip and because of the brilliant shepherds and talented spotters working together, we saw 14. I wanted to have a chance to meet interesting people and I came away with friends. Ladakh gave and gave and gave.
If you’re ready to experience the beauty, challenges, and rewards of Ladakh for yourself, I invite you to join Journeys With Purpose on this transformative journey. Together, we can contribute towards the protection of the snow leopard’s kingdom and uplift the incredible communities who call this land home.
This article was written by Katya Payne
Journeys With Purpose offers immersive conservation and ethical travel experiences. Through private and hosted trips with pioneering conservationists, guests experience rewilding and restoring biodiversity in the wildest corners of the world. Our “Seven Worlds, One Planet” approach is a global curriculum focused on recovering and conserving vibrant landscapes, biodiversity, wildlife and livelihoods across all seven continents.
Feature Destination
Feature Destination: A Conservationist’s Reflection on Family, Biodiversity, and Restoration in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the few countries I’ve returned to repeatedly over the last twenty or so years. Each visit has reinforced why this small Central American nation continues to hold a special place in my heart. As a conservationist, I’ve long admired its bold environmental policies, its ability to restore vast areas of degraded land, and the extraordinary biodiversity that thrives here. But what draws me back just as strongly is the feeling that Costa Rica gives you: the quiet assurance that another world is possible, one where people and nature can coexist with purpose and respect.
I had the chance to experience Costa Rica in a new way, traveling with three generations of my family. My husband, my sister and her family, and our aging parents all came together for what we knew would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. My sister chose Costa Rica not only because of its beauty, but also because it felt manageable for a multigenerational vacation. It’s safe, accessible, and well set up for travelers of all ages. We also understood it would be expensive, but for the chance to travel together as a full family, the investment was worth it.
We started our journey in San José, where my husband and I stayed in a homestay with a Costa Rican grandmother. She greeted us with warmth, fed us incredible meals, and gave us our first taste, quite literally, of the hospitality this country is known for. From there, we headed to Quepos on the Pacific coast, where my sister had rented an Airbnb home. It was the perfect setup with a space for all of us to gather, cook, relax, and look out over a small deck that faced what appeared to be pure jungle. The view was mesmerizing. We later learned that only a few decades ago, the entire landscape had been logged and used for farmland or extraction. But thanks to Costa Rica’s climate and commitment to restoration, nature had returned with full force. You’d never know it had once been stripped bare.
Every morning, we gathered on that deck before sunrise with coffee in hand to watch the forest awaken. Birds darted through the trees: tanagers, flycatchers, motmots, flickering colors between the leaves. For a family of nature lovers, those quiet hours became some of the most meaningful and memorable moments of the entire trip.
Quepos gave us easy access to both the coast and the rainforest. We hiked in the nearby parks, explored waterfalls, we stumbled on eco-tours of chocolate-making, coffee farming, and sustainable agriculture. The excursions were varied and accessible. Canopy walks, guided nature trails, and small boat rides. Costa Rica’s dynamic geography from the mountains, coasts, volcanoes, and rainforests means you don’t have to travel far to experience completely different ecosystems.
Although my husband and I skipped diving this time to stay together as a family, we did take a longer boat ride to a more remote patch of primary forest. I believe we were on the edge of the Osa Peninsula or near Corcovado National Park, which is known as one of the most biologically intense places on Earth. The experience reminded me again how rare it is to be able to witness truly untouched rainforest.
Every meal we ate was exceptional. With such a strong agricultural foundation, the food was consistently fresh, flavorful, and locally grown. Pineapple, avocado, coffee, papaya, rice, and beans, all vibrant and prepared with pride. Costa Rica’s commitment to sustainable agriculture shows in the taste of what ends up on your plate.
Beyond the beauty and comfort, what continues to impress me most is Costa Rica’s national commitment to conservation. Despite being only about 51,000 square kilometers in size, Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species, about 5% of the world’s biodiversity, thanks to its location at the intersection of North and South America. The diversity includes iconic species like the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), jaguars (Panthera onca), and endangered sea turtles like the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), which nests on the Caribbean coast in places like Tortuguero National Park.
Costa Rica has not only preserved what it has, it has reversed damage from generations of less sustainable development. In the 1980s, deforestation was rampant, with forest cover reduced to about 21%. But thanks to a range of government policies, including the 1997 launch of the Payment for Environmental Services (PES) program, forest cover has increased to over 50% as of the 2010s, and as of 2022 forests covered approximately 60.1% of the country’s land area, according to the World Bank. The PES program rewards landowners for keeping forests intact, recognizing the economic value of ecosystem services such as carbon capture, water filtration, and biodiversity protection. Much of this work is administered through MINAE (the Ministry of Environment and Energy), and its subsidiary agencies like SINAC, FONAFIFO, and CONAGEBIO.
The country has also turned its attention toward marine conservation, with over 30% of its territorial waters now designated as marine protected areas (MPAs). These include coral reefs, mangroves, and marine corridors vital for species like sharks, whales, and sea turtles. Organizations like the MarViva Foundation have been instrumental in managing these MPAs, particularly around the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Folks from Costa Rica, also called Ticos, have the reputation of being affectionately warm, proud, and deeply connected to the land. You quickly learn the phrase “Pura Vida” is more than a slogan. It’s a mindset, an expression of gratitude, resilience, and appreciation for life’s simple gifts. It’s said as a greeting, a farewell, a thank-you, and always with a smile.
Traveling here, you’ll find that Costa Rica is not only logistically easy, but emotionally and intellectually enriching. Whether you’re a solo traveler, a couple, or a multigenerational family like us, there’s something for everyone. The country is incredibly welcoming to people of all backgrounds, and it’s one of the safest places in Central America to visit.
If you’re planning a trip, the best advice is to decide what kind of experience you’re looking for. Do you want to immerse yourself in the jungle? Lounge on the beach? Explore volcanoes? Stay in a city and do day trips? Or do a bit of everything? There’s no single way to “do” Costa Rica. You can rent a car or rely on shuttle services. Stay in a city hotel, a remote eco-lodge, or a beachside Airbnb. It’s all possible.
Here are a few key regions to consider:
-
Central Valley (San José and surroundings): Cultural sites, museums, and access to volcanoes and cloud forests.
-
Pacific Coast (including Quepos and Manuel Antonio): National parks, beaches, and adventure tourism.
-
Caribbean Coast (like Puerto Viejo and Tortuguero): Afro-Caribbean culture, nesting turtles, and rich biodiversity.
-
Northern Plains (Arenal and La Fortuna): Hot springs, waterfalls, and volcanoes.
-
Southern Zone (Osa Peninsula and Corcovado): Pristine rainforest, rare species, and incredible biodiversity.
VisitCostaRica.com is the official tourism website and a helpful starting point for researching regions, accommodations, and activities.
For us, this trip was a chance to reconnect, not just with each other, but with the natural world. Costa Rica has a way of doing that. When you’re surrounded by howler monkeys at dawn, or listening to rain fall onto leaves the size of couch cushions, or catching a glimpse of a toucan in flight, you remember what it feels like to be part of something ancient and alive.
And in a world where conservation so often feels like a losing battle, Costa Rica shows what can be achieved when a nation decides to prioritize nature, not just in words, but through action.
Feature Destination
Feature Destination: The Most Awe-Inspiring National Parks in Latin America
Feature Destination
Feature Destination – Journeys With Purpose: Restoring Island-Ocean Ecosystems in Palau
Visiting Palau has been one of the most remarkable and affirming experiences of my life. Spending hours in the ocean observing turtles, sharks, rays and a host of other marine species, including cuttlefish changing colour and form to their immediate environment, has proven to be one of the greatest joys and wonders in the world.
I grew up watching and entranced by the TV series ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau’. Such was the impression Cousteau’s series made on me, as a very young child my first pet was called ‘Calypso’, after his fabled research vessel. My experiences in Palau brought back these vivid memories directly. With a particular snorkelling experience on this journey, a fellow traveller commented that this must be “the day you fell in love with sharks” – and it truly was.

Throughout the course of the last 12+ months, Journeys With Purpose has worked alongside the world-class organisations of Island Conservation and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in association with Re:wild, on a ‘Restoring Island-Ocean Ecosystems’ journey to champion and support the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC).
The IOCC aims to restore at least 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems from ridge to reef by 2030 to benefit people, wildlife and our planet. This goal is delivering tangible action and successes, and signifying more widely the essential connection between island health and ocean health. Holistically restoring islands delivers outsized benefits for wildlife, oceans, people and climate impacts.
Key IOCC messages:
- Healthy oceans need healthy islands
- island and marine ecosystem elements cycle into one another, sharing nutrients vital to the plants and animals within them. Invasive species damage these fragile ecosystems and work to remove these in order to restore balance and endemic species such as the Megapode bird is vital.
- Everything is connected – Indigenous Peoples and local communities know this
- Indigenous Peoples and local communities have long understood and managed their natural resources in the context of island-to-sea connections. As Wayne Andrew, Micronesia Director of OneReef says “Community is not people alone. Community is a place, the reef. The respect of all that is so important”. This is rooted in their traditional knowledge and wisdom, including ancient oral stories such as the “Megapode Bird and Hawksbill Turtle”. It is essential to support local leadership and communities in the decisions they wish to make to protect these vital ecosystems.
- Collaboration is essential
- taking a collective approach to sustainable science and the importance of collaboration with local communities to achieve more holistic results.
- Emerging Science and Impact Monitoring
- global scalability of work informed by science. Emerging research shows people, wildlife and marine environments benefit when island-ocean connections are restored.
- Islands are on the frontline of environmental crises
- a staggering 41% of critically threatened species are found on islands
- 27% of all languages come from island communities
- surrounding coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life

We travelled with leadership from Palau’s local communities, Island Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and supporters of these organisations. The collective experience of our time with these communities, and snorkelling and diving, was quite remarkable – a true spirit of togetherness and bonding developed that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. And importantly to take forward into action.
My key takeaways are thus:
- People make Places
- this is never more true than in Palau. There are approximately 20,000 local inhabitants on Palau’s islands, and they demonstrate an incredible bond, cohesiveness and strength together. This is brilliantly encapsulated by the local Hatohobei community, who rejected sizeable bribes to thwart a significant illegal fishing operation – “… we’re doing it for our people, for the future generations.”
- Impact at Scale
- the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS), effective 1 January 2020 with support from the Palauan government and several NGOs, is one of the largest marine protected areas (MPA) in the world. It was the first MPA of its kind, protecting 80% of a country’s national waters in a fully protected no-take zone.
- the PNMS protects a vast array of marine life and unique geological features within its over 475,000 km2, an area larger than Germany, Japan, Iraq, Sweden, etc. Eight hundred marine vertebrate species call the PNMS home, including nearly 30 different marine mammals and 60 shark and ray species, though these numbers are likely underestimated, as the biodiversity of the PNMS remains understudied.
- all achieved with the spirit of just 20,000 Palauans.
- Be Brave
- as above, the Palauans have been incredibly brave in their approach with their communities, natural environment and ambition. Very sadly, this is not the norm around the world, but is, however, a lesson for us all – trust our hearts and do the right thing to help deliver today a viable future. We must turn the currency of hope into the currency of action.

I have observed these three takeaways in the great conservation and rewilding endeavours around the world. It can be done. I urge us all, in the strongest possible manner, to support the work of the people of Palau, Island Conservation and Scripps Institution of Oceanography – brilliant people, doing brilliant work, in brilliant places. My eternal gratitude to our partners and supporters on this journey, and in particular to the exceptional dedication, hospitality and warmth of our local Palauan partners at Island Conservation Palau, Ebiil Society, OneReef, Koror State DCLE (Department of Conservation and Law Enforcement), Ngarchelong State Rangers and many others. Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island nation in the Micronesia region of Oceania in the western Pacific, comprising an archipelago of over 350 islands. Little known to many of us, it is one of the most remarkable ecosystems and communities on Earth. Please connect here – connect@journeyswithpurpose.org – to understand how you can contribute, and visit Palau.
GET IN TOUCH TO START YOUR JOURNEY
A tribute to the people of Palau:- in memoriam to Prince LeeBoo of Palau, 1763 to 1784.
With the consent of his father King Ibedul of Koror, Prince LeeBoo departed Palau with Captain Henry Wilson and the crew of the Antelope to London, England on 12 November 1783. Whilst in London, Prince LeeBoo became Palau’s de facto ambassador of goodwill to England, and a scholar. However, LeeBoo’s plan of returning to Palau to spread knowledge and scientific discoveries to his people ended abruptly when the young prince succumbed to smallpox in the winter of 1784. The remains of Prince LeeBoo and his plans lay buried today in the courtyard of St. Mary’s church in Rotherhithe, London, England.
Despite the dilapidation of time, the spirit of Prince LeeBoo continues to live in the hearts of the people of Palau – their immense strength of community, positive impact and fortitude. His story, and purpose in life, remains widely told amongst the people of Palau today.
This article was retrived from Duncan’s Field Notes.
Journeys With Purpose offers immersive conservation and ethical travel experiences. Through private and hosted trips with pioneering conservationists, guests experience rewilding and restoring biodiversity in the wildest corners of the world. Our “Seven Worlds, One Planet” approach is a global curriculum focused on recovering and conserving vibrant landscapes, biodiversity, wildlife and livelihoods across all seven continents.
-
Voices2 weeks ago
Mass Death of Magellanic Penguins Observed at Reserva Provincial Cabo Vírgenes
-
Book Suggestion2 weeks ago
Wet and Salty. A Lifelong Journey Seeking Coral Conservation and Resilience.
-
News2 weeks ago
New Coral Gardens and Hydrothermal Vents Found in the Icy Depths of the Remote South Sandwich Islands
-
News22 hours ago
Wheaton Women in Ocean Science Award Now Accepting Applications for 2025
-
Art & Culture1 week ago
Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Science Without Borders® Challenge
-
Feature Destination3 weeks ago
Feature Destination: The Most Awe-Inspiring National Parks in Latin America
-
Aquacultures & Fisheries3 weeks ago
Breathe. Wheel. Flukes Up. Dive. Swim On, Whales!
-
Ocean Literacy1 month ago
Microplastics: From rubbish bins to your next meal