Luxury travel denotes well-appointed hotel suites, fine dining, and massages at an on-site full-service day spa. To the uninitiated, ecotourism conjures up images of pup tents, manual labor, and, if you're lucky, hot water for your shower. Where the two meet are often exotic, remote or tropical locales. Fans of upscale vacations may feel the pull to give something back to lovely places that have provided great trips for them, but fear that green travel means no running water. And I know that's not much fun - but it's also an exaggeration. While ecotourism may be lacking in high-end amenities, no one actually suffers (of course), and you only work as hard as you want to. And, of course, luxury travel buffs who decide to make the foray into eco travel, choose their destination, as tropical as they wish.
Luxury ecotourism destinations
- Madagascar, a unique island nation off the coast of eastern Africa, is geographically separate enough from the rest of the world that many of its plants and animals are unlike any others on the planet. Unique, otherworldly geologic formations are also fascinating to see, and local Malagasy people are happy to provide tours of their island. No heavy lifting need be involved during a vacation here; Madagascar benefits from green travel dollars. This includes providing jobs for the Malagasy, and heightened local awareness of the importance of ecological sustainability.
- St. John, the US Virgin Island which is 2/3 National Park land, offers ecotravel lodgings and campgrounds, and service trips at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) through the Sierra Club. St. John is one of my favorite vacation spots in the Caribbean, and a trip there is a luxury even if you're clearing trails for a few hours in the morning. The afternoon can be spent enjoying what's considered the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean, right off the beautiful, soft sandy beaches of St. John!
- St. Croix is the largest US Virgin Island, and there is a growing movement to protect this more populous Caribbean isles' coral reefs and land ecology. The St. Croix Environmental Association is 20 years old and gaining recognition: The S.E.A. worked, and still works, to restore and maintain the Salt River Bay National Park and Ecological Preserve, which lost much of it's mangrove estuary system from Hurricane Hugo. Guided walking tours of the Salt River Bay National Park and Ecological Preserve fund its continued upkeep.
- Hawaii is an island group that has some of the world's best upscale resorts. I've loved my stays at the Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons and Maui Prince Hotel, all of which are at the apex of luxury tropical resorts. But if, like me, you sometimes yearn for more than another day of poolside tiki bars and touristy, on-site luaus, Hawaiian ecotravel might sate that need for a more fulfilling vacation experience. The Hawaiian Ecotourism Association (HEA) focuses on conservation and reducing public impact on terrain like coral reefs, by providing kayaking, hiking, and other ecotour opportunities to get to know the islands better.
- Australia has a strong ecotourism industry, at the forefront of which is Ecotourism Australia. While I haven't taken a vacation with Ecotourism Australia, it has an internationally respected reputation. Its commitment to helping the tourism industry reducing people's impact on the environment, respecting local indigenous groups, and adapting sustainable tour programs is commendable. Any trip to Australia that implements Ecotourism Australia's programs, is a vote with your travel dollars for the ecotourism industry.
Ecotourism provides travelers with a way to see the world in sustainable ways. You can see the planet, and help save it too!
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Jennifer W. Miner - Jennifer has years of travel writing experience, spoken at several national conferences, and more. See Jendeavor.com for more details.
