“People won’t protect what they don’t know and love,” is a popular saying in conservation circles. Getting out and seeing the world can inspire a sense of awe for nature.
But this July saw the hottest day on record on Earth, and the world is grappling with how to mitigate the effects of climate change while travel is increasingly being made aware of its carbon emissions.
As the travel industry looks for comprehensive solutions – from using sustainable aviation fuels to making operations carbon neutral – travelers can do their part by planning more environmentally conscious trips. These six trips offer awe-inspiring wildlife encounters and dramatic landscapes – while protecting the ecosystem and supporting local communities.
Embark on a regenerative journey through Zambia and Zimbabwe, Few and far
Experience adventure in Zambia and Zimbabwe with Few & Far, a new sustainable travel company founded by the minds behind popular US glamping company Under Canvas. Travellers traverse forests on foot, paddle down the famous Zambezi River and speed across the golden savannah on game drives.
The trip takes place in partnership with community-focused initiatives founded or supported by African Bush Camps (ABC). For example, after an exciting white rhino trek in Livingstone, Zambia, travelers visit a health center and a primary school. In Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, where ABC set up an anti-poaching unit in 2021, travelers embark on a walking safari and a game drive.
At a time when some travelers are debating whether visiting the fragile polar regions is a responsible decision, it is important to consider carefully how these areas are explored. Boutique company Hinoki Travels’ new Interdependence voyage offers an immersive, climate-smart way to explore the wild landscapes of Arctic East Greenland.
Beginning with two nights in the small island settlement of Kulusuk, focusing on Inuit culture and how it is changing due to climate change, travelers set off on five nights to traverse the tundra and icy waters on foot and by kayak, foregoing all emission-producing modes of transport. Led by an Inuit guide, the journey winds through dazzling ice caves and over glaciers and blue fjords. Five percent of the proceeds benefit a community-led conservation project.
Learn more about the monarch butterfly migration in the central highlands of Mexico, Adventure in the natural habitat
Natural Habitat Adventures’ Kingdom of the Monarchs voyage offers travelers a glimpse into a small species of epic proportions. Climate change and habitat loss threaten the monarch butterflies, which were placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s endangered species list in 2022 – just two steps away from extinction.
On foot and on horseback, guests traverse Mexico’s central highlands, where forested hills are surrounded by snow-capped mountains, staying overnight in idyllic eco-lodges along the way. While experiencing the magical natural phenomenon of millions of butterflies covering the trees and fluttering through the blue sky in fire-colored clouds, visitors learn how Natural Habitat Adventures partners with the World Wildlife Fund to monitor the species and protect important habitats.
Escape to a remote island in Indonesia, Bawah Reserve
Bawah Reserve’s location on the far-flung Anambas Islands is worth the extra trip. Guests check into one of the sustainable resort’s overwater bungalows or new private residence before exploring the crystal-clear waters and colorful coral reefs on snorkeling and sailing expeditions. On another day, travelers can tag turtles as part of the Anambas Foundation’s turtle conservation project or go on a conservation dive to help with reef restoration.
The resort is a pioneer in sustainability. Bawah has Indonesia’s largest solar energy farm and follows a strict zero-waste policy that includes food waste, water and garbage.
Discover Brazil through a conservation lens, Travel forge
On this trip designed by British travel company Journeysmiths, travelers mount horses and ride through grasslands as they explore two of Brazil’s vital but threatened natural areas. The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, is a haven for wildlife, including the highest density of jaguars in the world. Guests explore a UNESCO biosphere reserve that preserves biodiversity while staying on a ranch focused on regenerative agriculture. (Unfortunately, only 5 percent of the Pantanal region is currently protected.)
In eastern Brazil, the Cerrado savanna acts as a powerful carbon store, but deforestation continues to threaten the biome. Here, travelers stay at a lodge that works with the Onçafari Association, a conservation organization working to protect local wildlife. Since the organization arrived in the region in 2018, jaguar sightings have increased sharply.
Experience the indigenous culture in Western Canada, The lodge has 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom.
Off the coast of British Columbia in the Great Bear Rainforest, the turquoise fjords teem with life: silver herring dart beneath the water’s surface and whales roam the shadowy depths. At the ocean’s edge on Swindle Island lies Spirit Bear Lodge, a wilderness lodge owned and operated by the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation. The property invites travelers to experience the rugged landscape and wildlife of the coast from an Indigenous perspective.
On daily boat and shore excursions – one of which includes a search for the elusive spirit bear, a rare white-furred black bear native to the area – lodge guests learn why protecting the region is so important from both an ecological and cultural perspective. Visitors learn how the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation is driving much of the marine conservation here, including the establishment of the world’s first Indigenous-led blue park.
