Donald Reid, owner of Ande Turismo Ltda. and tour operator Andetur Brasil Ltda., and author of the project HOTEL-FAZENDA SERNATIVO and his oldest son Chuck Reid discussing Chuck´s visit to Brazil and Donald´s proposed project on the banks of the açude (lake) Gargalheiras. Donald and Chuck visited another son, Richard (Ricky), in Belem during the trip. Donald's wife and daughter are in Texas where Gaby is a student at Texas A & M. Three more sons live in the states..
Donald has been looking for a partner or partners to invest with him in the following pre-projects in Acari, Rio Grande do Norte, immediately.
OBS: The NGO/ONG Associação ABTC-BRASIL directors have suggested the possibility that some club members considering smaller investments in Brazil create an Investment Fund with several investors to generate 'seed capital' to start.
The ONG has made an offer for purchasing the ranch by assuming approximately R$ 90,000.00 existing mortgage debt owed to the Banco Nordeste by the current residents, members of the rural association Poet José Gonçalves consisting of presently 7 families presently living in a small area between the two sections of the reserve RPPN Sernativo. This purchase is supported by the government agencies IBAMA, MDA, INCRA and SEARA.
Andetur and ONG office in Natal, RN
Since the directors of the ONG Associação ABTC-BRASIL (Andetur Brazilian Travel Club) have agreed to invest and participate in the main project - the ecological reserve Sernativo and the guest ranch, the pre-project listed, other than the mandallas relates more to the proposed tour operations. Therefore the pre-project described has been modified a bit.
Various steps of the projects:
1. Open the tourist center in Acari as a Reservation Center for the Seridó, a region located in the semi-arid sertão region of Rio Grande do Norte ... the Reservation Center would handle reservations for all of the current pousadas, B & Bs, and hotels for the 7 cities that are part of the government project Roteiro Seridó and coordinate the local guides in these cities. The government proposes to add 10 more cities in the sertão to this project this next year. Acari is the logical center of the entire project.
This building was built five years ago and has never really been used. The building is air-conditioned and offers 5 small stores, an auditorium, and a resturant completely with completely equipped kitchen facility.
Capt. Donald, guide Túlio Gabriel Cortez, and Donald´s grandson Tim, are shown above looking at the tourism center. The center would include the Andetur reservation center office, five small handicraft stores, a resturarant / bar offering local cuisine, an auditorium for events and meetings and has parking space for four tourist buses and cars. Gargalheiras soon will be developing as a resort center with more pousadas and rental house.
The project is also supported by SEBRAE, a government agency which helps small agencies and companies located throughout Brazil.
The Roteiro Seridó project presently includes 7 cities in the sertão of Rio Grande do Norte (shown above in green with Acari in the center); 10 more communities (shown in blue) will be added in 2008.
The present 7 cities are for the Roteiro Seridó project are: Acari (as reservations and accomodation center)
Currais Novas (portal to the Seridó region)
Cerro Corá
Carnaúba dos Dantes - with 65 archelogical sites, 18 km from Acari,
Parelhas
Jardim do Seridó
Caico
The additional 10 cities to be added this next year (2009): Jucurutu
Special trips to Paraíba (next state south) Special Trips Rio Grande do Norte - 'Bate e Voltar'
Other Special Trips in the Northeast
2. Purchase a van or tour car in order to start our local tours .... this van would be operated by the tour agency Ande Turismo Ltda. Donald has offered to accept a partner in the agency in order to purchase the van. This is an excellent investment for a non-resident wishing to obtain residency in Brazil.
OR
Ultimate vans - 16 passenger Jumper or Kia Grande Besta
OBS: (Note: The Kia Grande Besta is used and in excellent shape ... this vehicle was offered to us at R$ 40.000,00 ... would enable us to start the special special tours immediately.
3. Purchase at least 5 tour bikes and 3 small motorcycles to rent from the tour center reservations center. We would increase this fleet as the business increases..
4. The tour center would also offer short term rental houses in the program - Progama CAMA, CAFE, e REDE ......
Donald has leased an apartment in the Pousada Bistro and with the owner Christian Feroel, also a director of the NGO/ONG Associação ABTC-BRASIL will offer a school at the pousada as part of their franchise agreement with Agencia Mandalla DHSA. Christian is constructing a mandalla at his farm located across the lake.
The mandalla will be used to supply vegetables and fresh chickens for the guests at the pousada and the school, but also to demonstrate the mandalla project for the area.
Park in the center of the villa near our guest house - Pousada Bistro. Part of the Gargalheiras complex.
5. Franchise Mandalla DHSA - Our ONG has obtaining a franchise to operate a school at the pousada as an UNI-CENTER school to teach local farmers in the seridó benefits of establish mandallas to grow organic vegetables on their own properties.
6. Start construction on the first of two proposed tour boats for the lake. The first boat during the week would be used to transport laborers and materials to the construction areas on the other side of the lake. Weekends and on-call during the week, the boat would transport guests for eco-tours on the lake, trekking tours in the mountains, and service two existing facilities on the other side, including the Pousada Pé da Serra. The second boat, to be built later, will be part of the proposed Hotel-Fazenda project described below.
As part of Brazilian Travel Club´s Acari project, Capt. Donald Reid, president of both the USA division of the club (NGO) and the Brazilian division (ONG - Associação ABTC-Brasil) is starting construction of two shallow draft catamarans scheduled to provide ecotours on the açude Gargalheiras.
7. Immediately we are offeringcamping, bicycle, motorcycle, horse back, kayak and trekking tours near the ecological reserve RPPN Sernativo.
The partner selected for this phase can either be active in operation or an inactive partner in the operating agency Ande Turismo Ltda. (created in 1987 - 20 years) depending on the investment. Minimum investment suggested from as private partner for the pre-project is US$ 40,000.00 .... but the ONG is attempting to raise US$ 10,000.00 from members of our Investment Fund as 'seed capital' to get started with the mandalla projects. Equipment needed!
FINAL PHASE - RPPN Sernativo
The second phase, or main project, the actual Hotel-fazenda (or guest ranch) on lake front property adjoining the Ecological Reserve SERNATIVO (RPPN created in 1996) was initially approved for basic financing by the Banco Nordeste (BNB) for 12 years at 5.65% annual interest, with a four year grace period during construction, but this plan has been modified. The present plan is to work with the mandallas and the school first, and to use profits to actually build the guest ranch-hotel instead of borrowing more money.
Construction is calculated for a period of three years, more or less once we purchase the property.
Buiding construction plans the use of local materials and adobe bricks.
HOTEL FAZENDA RPPN SERNATIVO - One of the main attractions in the Acari community (since 1996) was the ecological reserve RPPN Sernativo which is one of our main interests at our NGO/ONG - Associação ABTC-BRASIL - Brazilian Travel Club, as it would provide a base for many more activities in the community. The ecological reserve presently consists of 154 hectares (385 acres) of dedicated 'caatinga' reserve, protected by IBAMA under Federal Law, and the additional area adjoining where we propose to build the hotel-fazenda. More mandallas will be installed and operated on an 18 hectare piece of land between the two sections of the reserve. Below is a picture of the actual location where the hotel would be built.
THIS RESERVE WAS SOLD TO MDA / INCRA / SEARA WHO RESOLD CERTAIN AREAS OF THE LAND TO A GROUP OF LANDLESS RURAL WORKERS ADMINISTERED BY SEARA .................................
THIS SALE WAS INVESTIGATED BY IBAMA AS IT WAS AN ILLEGAL TRANSACTION. A DEDICATED RESERVE CAN NOT BE USED FOR AGRICULTURE, ONLY FOR ECO-TOURISM AND SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES.
OBS: The Mandallas would not be in the reserve area but on an 18 hectare strip between the two sections of the reserve.
THE RANCH CONTAINING THE RESERVE ITSELF IS AVAILABLE AGAIN AS THE ORIGINAL PURCHASERS DEFAULTED ON THE MORTGAGE LOAN .... THE NGO/ONG ASSOCIAÇÂO ABTC-BRASIL HAS OFFERED SEARA A PROPOSAL TO PURCHASE THE RANCH AND PERMANENTLY MANAGE THE RESERVE IN RETURN FOR TITLE TO BOTH THE RESERVE AND THE AREA OF THE PROPOSED HOTEL-FAZENDA. THIS OFFER HAS BEEN ACCEPTED AND THE PAPERWORK HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE BANK FOR FINAL APPROVAL.
THE PRESENT RESIDENTS (7 FAMILIES) PRESENTLY DID NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO PAY THE BANK, AND THE NGO/ONG IS RENEGOCIATING THE LOAN.
Capt. Donald is registered with IBAMA – Ministério do Meio Ambiente – as Projetista - Técnico Federal N° 235492 “Uso de Recursos Naturais / utilização do patrimônio natural; Turismo / complexos turísticos e de lazer, inclusive parques temáticos”. Because of this, Donald will manage the entire 400 acre reserve an ranch. PHOTOS OF THE PROPERTY!
The Banco Nordeste has valued (real value) the lakeside property where the Hotel-Fazenda would be built at R$ 200.000 (US$ 90,000), but the outstanding debt is only R$ 90.000,00 (or approximated US$ 38,300).
INVESTMENT REQUIRED FROM THE ONG ASSOCIAÇÂO ABTC-BRAZIL: (minimum) - purchase ownership of the property for the Hotel-Fazenda ... required would be a minimum of US$ 10,000 cash 'seed capital'. Management would be responsible also for supervising the actual reserve (154 hectares - approximately 385 acres and an additional 18 hectares ... 14 hectares of which could possibly be resold back to the present residents in 2 hectare plots) .
Donald and Christian recently graduated from the Mandalla school in Paraiba and have been approved for a franchise for the Mandalla DHSA agency for the NGO/ONG in Rio Grande do Norte. This would allow us (the ONG) to assist the present residents to install mandallas on the property and work together with them to obtain a reasonable monthly income. (Up to R$ 5.000,00 for each mandalla when in full operation). We would install a Uni-Center school on the Pousada Bistro property which would attract other rural workers and the center is also a tourist attraction.
We could presently permit camping and a few guests in the main house; and conduct day trips as described.
OTHER ACTIVITIES: The RPPN Sernativo for many years was the site of an ongoing biological research activity related to medicinal plants from the sertão, their benefits and use, developing commercialization processes, as well as reptile research.
We plan to also study benefits of hortas
(organic vegetable farming), production of 'mudas' (plant nursery), and production of composts using natural wastes. The center would also supply irrigation equipment, mudas, composts, and seeds for associated mandallas and assist them with marketing their production.
The Uni-center school in Cuite, Paraiba, reports an income of R$ 50.000 per month on five hectares just selling their production and equipment. The mandalla founder suggests that our project being located on the lake could feasibly reach R$ 105.000 per month year around not including tourism income projected for the hotel.
With this income the ranch hotel could be built within the projected 3 year period without needing to obtain the additional loan using local labor and the adobe system of construction.
A visit to a guest ranch on the island of Marajo, Para, in July 2007
This project has been elaborated by 'projetista' Donald Richard Reid – Director of Andetur Brasil Ltda., a licensed tour operator specializing in the northeast of Brazil, and personally registered with IBAMA – Ministério do Meio Ambiente – as Técnico Federal (Federal Technician) N° 235492 “Uso de Recursos Naturais / utilização do patrimônio natural; Turismo / complexos turísticos e de lazer, inclusive parques temáticos” and proposed manager of the Hotel Fazenda and the reserve RPPN Sernativo.
All tourism, reservations, and local tours will be operated by the agency Ande Turismo Ltda. and the local office proposed at the tourist center above.
Local phones (Natal) - cell 55 84 9952-0658
Email: andetur@yahoo.com
Updated February 23, 2009
