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-project in Acari, Rio Grande do Norte, immediately.
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 relates more to the proposed tour operations. Therefore the pre-project described has been modified a bit.
1. Open the tourist center in Acari as a Reservation Center for the Seridó ... the Reservation Center will 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 next year. Acari is the logical center of the entire project.
Capt. Donald, guide Túlio Gabriel Cortez, and Donald´s grandson Tim, 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 meetings and has parking space for four tourist buses and cars.
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 our project are: Acari (as reservations and accomodation center)
Currais Novas (portal to the Seridó region)
Cerro Corá
Parelhas
Jardim do Seridó
Caico
The additional 10 cities to be added: Jucurutu
Special trips to Paraíba (next state south) Special Trips Rio Grande do Norte - 'Bate e Voltar'
Other Special Trips in the Northeast
Donald's Tour Bike - Suzuki Savage 650
2. Purchase a van or tour car in order to start our local tours ....
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 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. Lease/purchase a house in Gargalheiras to be used as a small pousada - Progama CAMA, CAFE, e REDE ......
Existing houses in Gargalheiras for CAMA, CAFE e REDE
This picture illustrates the type of decoration proposed for our reception house
This is the house that Donald proposes leasing to operate as a small bed and breakfast while the hotel is being built. The above pictures indicate the type of decor proposed. Across from the house is a garden area where Donald plans to make a small mandalla (garden). The mandalla will be used to supply vegetables and fresh chickens for the guest house, but also to demonstrate the mandalla project for the area close to the guest ranch.
Park on the corner near our proposed guest house. Part of the Gargalheiras complex.
5. 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 area 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 main Hotel-Fazenda project described below.
As part of Andetur 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.
6. Start camping, 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 for the pre-project is US$ 25,000.00 ....
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) has been 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.
Construction is calculated for a period of three years, more or less.
Buiding construction plans on the use of local material 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 - Andetur Brazilian Travel Club, as it would provide a base for many more activities in the community. The ecological reserve presently consists of 157 hectares of dedicated 'caatinga' reserve, protected by IBAMA under Federal Law, and the additional area where we propose to build the hotel-fazenda.
THIS RESERVE WAS SOLD TO 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.
THE RANCH CONTAINING THE RESERVE ITSELF MAY BE AVAILABLE AGAIN .... 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 THE AREA OF THE PROPOSED HOTEL-FAZENDA.
SEARA HAS OFFERED A COUNTER PROPOSAL FOR US TO PURCHASE THE ENTIRE RANCH INCLUDING THE RESERVE! THIS IS THE LATEST NEWS!
THE PRESENT RESIDENTS (7 FAMILIES) PRESENTLY DO NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO PAY THE BANK, AND THE NGO/ONG IS TRYING TO RENEGOCIATE THE LOAN.
Capt. Donald is registered with IBAMA – Ministério do Meio Ambiente – as 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 640 Hectare reserve.
The Banco Nordeste has valued (real value) the lakeside property where the Hotel-Fazenda would be built at R$ 200.000 (US$ 100,000), but the outstanding debt is only R$ 75.000,00 (or US$ 45,000) and is presently financed for 10 years at very low interest rate.
INVESTMENT REQUIRED FROM THE ONG ASSOCIAÇÂO ABTC-BRAZIL: (minimum) - purchase ownership for the property for the Hotel-Fazenda ... required would be a minimum of US$ 45,000 cash. Management would be responsible also for supervising the actual reserve (157 hectares - approximately 470 acres and an additional 33 hectares ... 28 of which would be resold back to the present residents in 4 hectare plots) .
We would be able to obtain under the Roteiro Seridó program a loan of up to R$ 300,000 for the project at 6.5% per year (FNE-BANCO DO NORDESTE), with a 4 year grace period during construction of the hotel and recreational facilities.
We are presently attending a school in Paraiba and are applying for a franchise for the Mandalla agency for Rio Grande do Norte. This would allow us to assist the present residents to install mandallas on their properties and work together with them to obtain a reasonable monthly income. (Up to R$ 5.000,00 when in full operation). We would install a Uni-Center on the 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 in Cuite, Paraiba, reports an income of R$ 50.000 on five hectares per month just selling their production and equipment. The mandalla founder suggests that our project being located on the lake could feasibly reach R$ 175.000 per month year around not including tourism income projected for the hotel.
With this income the 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 55 84 3086-4366 até 18:00 (Seg a Sab) (Natal) and cell 55 84 9952-0658
Email: acari@andetur.com.br
Updated April 30, 2008
