May 28th, 2009 at 9:00AM: One of the biggest buzzwords in travel in recent years has been "ecotourism". The term is generally used to describe a type of travel that is designed to minimize the impact on the environments we are visiting and is often used in reference to fragile or seldom visited destinations. It was my experience during my journey through the Amazon that ecotourism wasn't a buzzword at all, but actually an ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
ecotourism posts
Adventures in the Amazon: Ecotourism in the Rainforest
May 28th, 2009 at 9:00AM: One of the biggest buzzwords in travel in recent years has been "ecotourism". The term is generally used to describe a type of travel that is designed to minimize the impact on the environments we are visiting and is often used in reference to fragile or seldom visited destinations. It was my experience during my journey through the Amazon that ecotourism wasn't a buzzword at all, but actually an ...Adventures in the Amazon: Dolphins at the Confluence
May 25th, 2009 at 9:00AM: The Amazon is a river of epic proportions. It stretches 4345 miles in length, making it the second longest in the world behind the Nile, but it is by far the largest in terms of volume, pushing more water than the next ten rivers combined. During the high water season, the Amazon can reach 25 miles in width at certain points, and more than 100 feet in depth as well. The Amazon is formed by the ...7 Eco-adventures that may be hazardous to your health
May 23rd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Many adventure travelers like to mix a sense of danger into their travels. It's not enough to just go somewhere and experience the culture and explore the landscapes. For some, they have to feel the rush of adrenaline while they risk life and limb for their next great thrill. Fortunately, Treehugger has just the list of travel experiences for them, offering up 7 eco-adventures that could get you ...Adventures in the Amazon: A Birdwatcher's Paradise!
May 21st, 2009 at 9:00AM: Cruising the Amazon aboard a beautiful, 19th century styled, river boat is a fantastic experience. The passengers aboard La Turmalina, the ship that was my home while I explored the river, spent a lot of time up on deck, watching the world around us drift by. But there was a lot more to our journey than just sitting on deck drinking Pisco Sours and admiring the scenery. La Turmalina was outfitted ...Saving Endangered Species Through Tourism
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:00AM: One of the real successes in ecotourism over the past decade or so has been the use of tourist dollars to aid in wildlife conservation. Many countries have discovered that travelers are willing to pay a good deal of money for the opportunity to observe wildlife in its natural habitat, and those funds can go a long way to not only protecting that wildlife, but building an economy as well. With ...World's Top Eco-Lodges
Apr 25th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Outside Magazine has put together a great list of the top eco-lodges from around the world, with seven amazing escapes that not only offer plenty of luxury, but do so in an eco-friendly way. Each of the resorts is given a rating on the "Green-O-Meter" and for its accessibility, and the selection of locations spans the globe, offering a destination no matter which direction you're headed. For ...Cuba Libre: Baracoa
Are We in a Golden Age of Green Travel?
Apr 3rd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Clearly the entire travel industry has been undergoing some dramatic changes over the past few years. There was a time when the thought of "green" travel was relegated to a relatively small, niche market that included some eco-conscious tour operators. But in the past few years there has been an inceased effort to be more green in all area of our lives thanks to an increased awareness of global ...Seven Endangered Species You Can Still See in the Wild
Mar 30th, 2009 at 8:00AM: There is no doubt that we are fascinated with wildlife. We love to watch diverse and interesting animals, preferably in their natural habitats, and we're often willing to travel to remote places, sometimes at great expense, to see them. If you enjoy the kind of travel that allows for these kinds of animal encounters, they you'll want to check out BootsnAll's list of the Seven Endangered Species ...Tourism's Impact on the Amazon
Mar 29th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Ecotourism has become quite a buzz word over the past few years, and with an increased awareness of global climate change, many of us are more acutely aware of the impact of our travels then ever before. This is especially true when we journey to remote, fragile ecosystems, such as Antarctica or the Amazon, the latter of which is the subject of an article in the The Guardian today. In the story, ...The Best Places To View Penguins!
Mar 11th, 2009 at 8:00AM: There is something about penguins that seem to capture our imaginations. Perhaps it's the fact that these funny looking birds are flightless, and a bit awkward while moving on land, and yet so beautiful and graceful when floating through the water. Maybe it's the fact that they've been the subject of so many Hollywood films over the past few years, but there is no doubt about it, we're fascinated ...Five Places To See Before Climate Change Ruins Them Forever
Feb 18th, 2009 at 8:00AM: CNN.com has an interesting article naming the five places that everyone should see before they are forever altered by climate change, which is already having an indelible effect on our planet. This list was compiled by Bob Henson, the author of The Rough Guide To Climate Change, who wants to give travelers a heads up on the best places to visit in the near future, as they are also the most likely ...Antarctic Tourism Down
Feb 13th, 2009 at 8:30AM: The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators or IAATO is reporting that the number of tourists visiting Antarctica dropped dramatically in 2008 according to a report from Outside Online. According to the preliminary numbers from 2008, 36,000 people visited the frozen continent, that's down from the record high of 46,000 the year before. The reason for the sharp drop? Like all things ...Chasing A Solar Eclipse in Mongolia
Jan 21st, 2009 at 10:30AM: The Washington Post has published an interesting article on the lengths that some people will go to to experience a total solar eclipse. In this case, the author of the story traveled all the way to Mongolia, venturing far into the countryside for the two minute and four second long experience of watching the moon pass over the sun, casting it's shadow on the Earth below. Writer Pamela West ...Clean living in Stockholm
Jan 21st, 2009 at 9:00AM: Scandinavians are recognized as being on the cutting edge of environmentally-friendly innovation. Nowhere is this clearer than at Hammarby Sjöstad, a community of apartments in Stockholm designed to reduce carbon footprint and generally enable clean living. Large windows make the most of sunlight, especially in the summer, and carefully planned logistics – down to trash pickup schedules ...The Changing Face of Trekking in Nepal
Jan 19th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Australian newspaper The Age has taken a good look at how adventure tourism is changing in Nepal as the country undergoes political change and modernization. In this story, published over the weekend, they discuss how one of the worlds most famous treks, the Annapurna Circuit, has been altered forever by the opening of road in the region early last year. Tourism has always been an essential part ...Zipline canopy tour from the comfort of home
Dispatch from China: Tracking and playing with pandas (part 2 of 2)
May 20th, 2008 at 9:30AM: Read part 1 of this story here. The excited cry of a park ranger pierces the stillness of a bamboo forest high in the Min Mountains. Zhan Xiangjiang, an ecologist who I'm hanging out with for the day, bounds through waist-deep snowdrifts to investigate. Catching up with the ranger, he kneels down and points at a small, round object that, at first glance, looks like a greenish yam. "Smell this!" ...Dispatch from China: Tracking and playing with pandas (part 1 of 2)
May 19th, 2008 at 9:00AM: On a single-lane dirt road wending between misty crags deep in Sichuan Province, traffic has slowed to a crawl. Hundreds of dump trucks and steamrollers are expanding the only road to Wolong Nature Reserve into a modern freeway. Conservation biologist George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City was the first Westerner to study giant pandas in China when he came to ...Dispatch from China: The time I got drunk off tiger wine (part 2 of 2)
May 15th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Read part 1 of this story here. The automated gates chug and clatter open as a jeep, its windows ribbed with steel, noisily announces its arrival in the tiger park. Without the usual gaggle of tourists to impress, the occupants of a neighbouring jeep toss out a skinny pheasant as the driver shouts obscenities at a dozen lounging Siberian tigers. One tiger finally takes notice and lunges at the ...
