Top ecotourism destinations and sustainable travel hubs
Top ecotourism destinations and sustainable travel hubs
Sustainable travel hubs and low-impact nature resorts
Travel and conservation do not always go hand in hand, but eco tourism is built on the idea that a trip can truly support the places it visits rather than just pass through them.
Some travelers want hands on experiences, like helping with a conservation project or staying at a lodge that funds local wildlife protection. Others simply want a low impact trip, choosing accommodation and activities that leave a lighter footprint without much extra effort on their part. Wildlife lovers often chase rare or endangered species, while others are just as happy exploring a well managed forest or coastline close to home. Certification and transparency vary a lot, so it pays to look past marketing and check what a destination actually does.
The destinations on our list have been chosen with that in mind, favoring places where tourism truly supports the environment rather than working against it.
Lists by region
Worldwide (162)
Africa (15)
Asia (24)
Europe (36)
North America (34)
Oceania (14)
South America (10)
Island in Japan
Yakushima
Ancient cedars, mossy forest and waterfalls
Jomon Sugi is a giant cedar tree that may be thousands of years old. Cedars here older than 1,000 years are called yakusugi. A moss covered forest called Shiratani Unsuikyo helped inspire the film Princess Mononoke. The trail to Jomon Sugi follows old logging rail tracks through the forest.
National Park in Japan
Kamikochi
Clear river valley beneath the Hotaka Range
Private cars are banned from this Japanese Alps valley. The Azusa River runs clear past Taisho Pond, which an eruption of Mount Yakedake created in 1915. Hikers can cross Kappa Bridge and follow flat trails toward the Hotaka peaks. Wild Japanese macaques often wander along the paths.
National Park in Japan
Chūbu-Sangaku National Park
Northern Alps peaks, snow walls and onsen
The Yuki no Otani Snow Corridor has walls of snow up to 20 meters high. Buses drive on the road between the walls from mid April to June. Electric trolley buses carry passengers through a tunnel under the mountains. Kurobe Dam nearby has a large arch and wide water spray in summer.
National Park in Germany
Harz National Park
Brocken peak, steam trains and wild forests
A steam train puffs up to Brocken, the Harz's highest peak at 1,141 meters. Fog often wraps the bare summit, which is tied to old witch legends. Each April 30 people dress as witches for Walpurgis Night festivals in Harz towns. Lynx roam the forests after a return program that began in 2000.
Country
Bhutan
Himalayan monasteries, dzongs and trekking trails
Bhutan runs on a constitutional mandate to keep at least 60 percent of its land forested. The country charges a daily sustainable development fee that funds conservation and healthcare. Visitors can trek through protected valleys closed to unrestricted mass tourism. Bhutan measures national progress through a Gross National Happiness index rather than GDP.
National Park in Japan
Shiretoko National Park
Brown bears and drift ice in Hokkaido
Sea ice from the Sea of Okhotsk reaches this Hokkaido peninsula each winter. The ice feeds plankton that supports one of the richest marine food chains. Boat tours from Rausu offer a view of brown bears along the coast. UNESCO listed the peninsula as a World Heritage Site in 2005.
Town in Japan
Nikko
Tokugawa shrines, waterfalls and hot springs
Kegon Falls plunges about 97 meters from Lake Chuzenji. The falls sit inside Nikko National Park in the mountains north of Tokyo. Visitors can walk the boardwalk across the Senjogahara marsh in early autumn. Toshogu Shrine, a UNESCO site, is covered in gold leaf and detailed carvings.
National Park in Japan
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park, in Hokkaido
Daisetsuzan National Park protects Hokkaido's tallest peaks, ranking as Japan's largest national park. Autumn color arrives here earlier than almost anywhere else in the country, drawing hikers each September. Visitors can soak in remote hot springs reached only after a multi-day trek. Brown bears roam the backcountry, requiring hikers to carry bear bells on trails.
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