Travellers looking to explore the world in a more sustainable way may want to consider visiting a penguin colony or dropping in on some giraffes.
Growing awareness about the climate impact of flying and the potential damage over-tourism can do has led to the rise of sustainable travelling.
According to Booking.com’s 2022 Sustainable Travel Report, 71% of travellers asked want to make more effort to travel more sustainably in the coming year, while 59% are willing to spend more for a sustainable trip as found by Expedia Group’s Traveller Value Index: 2022 Outlook.
Those looking for a planet friendly way to see the world could do worse than embarking on a holiday with environmental concerns at its core.
To support those looking for greener ways of traveling the world, Craft Travel has rounded up six stunning holidays with green aspirations.
1. Meet and greet Antarctic penguins at a carbon-neutral residence
Founded by actual polar explorers, you can view the world’s largest penguin species - the Emperor - up close with White Desert.
As well as seeing the recently classified endangered species, guests can enjoy mountaineering, ice-climbing, 4x4 truck driving, skiing and biking expeditions through the mysterious Antarctic landscape by an expert guide.
The tour guides attempts to mitigate all emissions generated by flights and activities using accredited carbon offset themes and has proudly been declared Carbon Neutral since 2007.
2. Stroll with giraffes in a Tanzanian wildlife corridor
Chem Chem Safaris have three safari camps and lodges throughout their vast private estate, which is tucked away between the Tarangire and the flamingo-lined shores of Lake Manyara National Parks in Tanzania.
The area is migratory corridor where sizeable beasts regularly wander.
Guests are invited to embrace “slow safari” life by taking walks with giraffes, taking a look at ancient baobabs and learning about the culture of the Maasai people.
You will also have the chance to visit a local school, play in community football match and go on a morning run alongside a Maasai warrior guide.
The safari organisers say that payments are reinvested into local community development and conservation initiatives.
3. Hike across valleys to crystalline lakes and ice fields in Patagonia
Patagonia is as close to pure wilderness as it's possible to get, outside of the Antarctic and therefore the perfect place for those who really want to get away from it all to build a lodge
With Explora Patagonia and Rewilding Chile you can spend some time doing just that in the Patagonia National Park, where you can construct using stones from local quarries, recycled wood, and copper for the roof.
Guests can hike and bike around the 640,000 acres of the parkland through northern ice fields, steppes, rolling valleys and mountains which have stunning views and great tracts of underexplored landscape.
In terms of wildlife, the area is brimming with an exceptional variety of native species including pumas, guanacos and huemul.
4. Track lowland gorillas in the Congo Basin
The Congo Conservation Company (CCC) is a non-profit initiative operating in remote parts of central and West Africa where the magestic lowland gorillas still live.
The organisation aims to create trips that fund the protection of the landscape and protect it from other potentially damaging commercial enterprises, while not damaging the environment.
Guests can go gorilla trekking in the Congo Basin in a bid to glimpse of the western lowland gorillas, one of human's closest primate relatives.
When it comes to resting your head for the night, you can stay in camps overlooking the forest canopy that serve as hubs for wildlife researchers and conservationists.
5. Sleep among secret waterfalls in Costa Rica
Pacuare Lodge was built in a way to inflict minimal impact on the surrounding forest and river - not a single tree was cut down from the local area in its creation.
Instead, lumber was sourced from a reforestation project run by small farmers, a method designed to be less destructive for the environment, while electricity is sourced from hydroelectric turbines and solar panels.
This is not to say you won’t be comfortable in your lodgings.
The Jaguar Villa is a lavish suite hidden within the tropical rainforest where you’ll wake to the sound of birdsong as you rise surrounded by the forest.
The spa and main buildings of the villas and suites offer natural ventilation and illumination along with private pools and spacious master bedrooms.
Guests can also enjoy a spring-fed pool, a waterfront terrace complete with a hammock and spacious rooms with hardwood floors.
The company also supports wildlife projects in the Pacuare Protected Zone including a Jaguar Program that works to preserve the local ecosystem and aims to create a safe habitat for felines and other endangered animals.
6. Explore the biodiversity of Southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert
Tswalu Kalahari is a safari lodge located in the vast landscapes of the Kalahari region in northwest Africa.
The lodge works towards restoring the natural environment by re-establishing and protecting the land’s biodiversity and ecological processes.
Each booking includes a private guide, tracker and safari vehicle that gives you the freedom to investigate the unique ecosystems of the region at your own pace.
You can spend an afternoon skirting through the magnificent landscape, gazing over at some of the 80 species of mammals that call the desert their home.
Residents include the black-maned Kalahari lion, desert black rhino and cheetah.
Tswalu is also one of the best places in Africa to see five shy and nocturnal species that often prove elusive - the brown hyena, meerkat, aardwolf, aardvark, bat-eared fox and ground pangolin.
The lodge's charitable branch, the Tswalu Foundation, has supported numerous studies playing a role in restoring the Kalahari ecosystem.
