San Blas Islands are part of Panama and it is an archipelago with around 370 islands and small sandy islands part of coral reefs. Only 49 of them are inhabited and mostly by the local Kuna Indians.
It is easy to get to.
The San Blas Islands are located in the Northwest of Panama, which borders Colombia in the East and Costa Rica in the West. You can fly from Panama straight into the San Blas Islands or you can take a boat from either Cartagena or Capurganá.
The San Blas Islands are remote but don’t feel overwhelmed by getting here.
If you don’t want to cross the jungle or open waters of the Caribbean Sea you can use a plane to get to San Blas. You can book flights at Air Panama or Aeroperlas, but make sure you book in advance.
Discover the pristine and untouched archipelagos in the world
Most of these impressively pristine islands have few roads and even fewer people. Here you can discover many new species that are unknown to the science in some of those uninhabited islands. If you are searching for that desert island feel, San Blas is the perfect destination.
San Blas is also known to have some of the best spots for snorkeling in the Caribbean of Central America. Many of the islands are ringed by healthy coral reefs and gorgeous water. The coral reef attracts many stunning species. The best time to go snorkeling is from June to October because the water visibility is better and there are fewer currents.
Photo credit: Markus Leupold-Löwenthal / Wikipedia
The Kuna People
The real name of San Blas is Kuna Yala – Land of the Kuna. The Cuna are famous for their bright molas, a colorful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué.
About 50.000 Kuna’s live on the 49 major islands of San Blas and are controlled by their own community leader called a Sahila.
The island is picture-perfect with lapping waves, swaying palm trees, and gentle breezes and no Wi-Fi or TVs. Evenings are leisurely, with everyone relaxing and enjoying the slow Caribbean pace.
San Blas is an indigenous territory located northeast of Panama. Discover the San Blas Islands and relax in a typical rustic bungalow over water, hosted by a native Guna family. The San Blas Islands are popular with eco-tourists due to their pristine natural state.
Featured image photo credit: Marc Veraart / Flickr
Costa Rica is a beacon for sustainability and environmentally friendly tourism. Sustainable tourism, eco-friendly travel, green hotels, responsible tourism – you can find it all in Costa Rica.
The country has become an example for the world with nearly 30% of its land protected. Visiting national parks is a great way to enjoy some of Costa Rica’s beauty while being sure your money is going to support something like the national park system.
Ecotourism in Costa Rica is one of the key activities of the tourism industry in the country. Ecotourism draws many tourists to visit the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism, and the country is recognized as one of the few with true ecotourism.
Almost half of all international visitors participate in ecotourism, according to The Costa Rican Tourism Institute. Ecotourism tours in Costa Rica usually are focus on great outdoors epic adventures and wildlife observation.
Here are the best vacation packages highlighting the prime locations in Costa Rica.
Arenas del Mar Beach & Nature Resort is bringing the two concepts closer together — Sustainability and Luxury. This a 38-room resort with a beachfront is located within an 11-acre private nature reserve overlooking Manuel Antonio National Park. This was the first luxury hotel to receive the Five Sustainability Leaf Award in Costa Rica. Arenas del Mar has led the way in the area of using sustainability and is a carbon-neutral practice.
Some of the sustainable practices at Arenas Del Mar include chlorine-free pool water, solar-heated water, underground electricity systems that do not affect nearby wildlife, use of electric cars, low-flow toilets, energy-efficient lighting, recycling and composting, and the use of recycled materials and soap produced at the hotel from leftover cooking oil from the kitchen. Other eco-friendly amenities include in the resort routine are the use of organic and biodegradable personal care products, complimentary reusable water bottles, and organic coffee.
At Arenas Del Mar get rid of all plastic water bottles from our resort. You’ll have access to two beautiful beaches, Playitas Beach and Espadilla Beach.
It’s within walking distance from the most renowned national reserve, Manuel Antonio National Reserve. You can check their Sustainability Tours at any one of their hotels and lodges and explore the wildlife and jungle that surrounds this ocean property will take you on an exotic tropical journey.
Costa Rica is world-renowned for its canopy tours, also known as zip-lines. Ziplining is one of the best ways to experience the country’s lush and thriving forests. these tours offer travelers a unique chance to experience the rainforest as never before.
Many of Costa Rica’s national parks offer canopy tours, among the most popular, are in Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio.
Imagine sailing through the treetops hundreds of meters in the air with a chance to spot some of the country’s diverse wildlife. Don’t worry, safety is a top priority. With nearly a quarter of the land covered with rainforests, there are dozens of family-friendly locations and companies to take you on this thrilling adventure.
Costa Rica nation’s environmental services payment program established in 1997 to support property owners who leave the forest untouched.
It isn’t hard to find a hotel or lodge with zip line activities available on-site!
Explore Local Farms
The National Program of Organic Agriculture (PNAO) promotes the development of organic agriculture in Costa Rica. In 2000, more than 3,500 organic producers were registered with certification agencies, and in 2003 that number increased 13% to nearly 4,000.
A tour around Costa Rica’s organic farms is one of the best ways to enjoy local fare and learn about how the nation produces its fresh ingredients and best practices from local farmers. These tours provide a chance to learn about organic farming and make visitors think twice about where their food comes from. There are many eco-lodges and resorts that have their own organic farms where guests can volunteer. This is a perfect opportunity for adventurers who want to learn more about local farming while enjoying their stay in Costa Rica
Take the El Trapiche Sugar Mill Day Tour and explore the plantations in Monteverde.
Visits the Volcanoes
Costa Rica has over 60 volcanoes but only six of them are active. The Arenal volcano has been considered as one of the best places to explore in Costa Rica. It is Costa Rica’s largest and most recognized volcano with its natural volcanic-fed thermal springs, waterfalls, Lake Arenal – Costa Rica’s largest lake, and a rich ecosystem of exotic wildlife.
Some tours combine several activities into one action-packed, fun-filled day like canopy tours, waterfall rappelling, mountain bike rides, rafting trips.
You can join an offer private luxury SUV with a private tour guide/driver and explore some of the areas around volcanoes.
Costa Rica volcano tours is an amazing destination for adventure vacations that include climbing, exploring and just marveling at the sight of volcanoes.
The resort offers plenty of activities, pools, spas and restaurants on-site and it is close to nature trails, beaches and the ocean.
It is spread on 12 acres of rainforest just minutes from the country’s best beaches and the little, lovely Manuel Antonio National Park. Parador Resort & Spa is an award-winning full-service resort that proudly is offering responsible luxury.
It takes big participation in reforestation and beach clean-up programs, composting and recycling, energy and water saver programs, use of rainwater and biodegradable soaps and detergents.
The Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park is a worldwide model for tourist attractions in terms of conservation, research, and sustainability.
The province of Limón provides amazing national parks, whitewater rafting and pristine beaches with nice surf. The Research & Adventure Park is located only 40 minutes from the Caribbean town of Limón. The park includes among other attractions, the largest indoor nocturnal frog exhibit in the world, butterfly garden, reptile vivarium, hummingbird garden.
How to travel eco-sustainably
Avoid bottled water Travel with sustainable, eco-friendly or fairtrade travel agencies Reduce consumption of meat Use eco-friendly products Book eco-friendly accommodations Support local economies
Questions to ask when booking ecotourism tours
One of the first things you can check to be sure you are supporting local community is if the majority of employees are local?
Ask the tour guides and operators what sort of training or licenses do they have?
How does the tour operator reduce its impact of plastic waste?
Do they guarantee animal sightings? This should never be done as we can’t promise when wild animals will come out and say hello.
What kind of accommodations are you staying in? Are you staying at eco-friendly hotels and going on true ecotours?
Featured image photo credit: Mario André Cordero Alfaro / Flickr
New Zealand is a “clean, green” adventure-playground with some tourist destinations being nature areas such as Milford Sound, Abel Tasman National Park and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and activities such as bungee jumping or whale watching. Read our post about Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in New Zealand to learn more about what you can see.
From glaciers to beaches, whale-watching to wine-tasting, New Zealand has so much to offer.
Trying to See Too Much
New Zealand is a big country – don’t try to see it all on your first trip. Most people make the mistake of trying to see too much due to their limit timing and instead of enjoying the trip they get really tired at the end.
Driving Over the Speed Limit in New Zealand
The speed limits in the country are set by the New Zealand government. The speed limit in each location is indicated on a nearby traffic sign or by the presence of street lighting. The default urban limit is 50km/h. in some of these areas, there are speed cameras that issue speeding tickets by mail. Police also use handheld laser speed guns.
While the speed limit in freeway-like is 100km/h, the conditions are more dangerous than freeways as there is no barrier separating you from oncoming traffic.
Buying Wine in a Restaurant
You can Bring Your Own Wine into a restaurant and pay a corkage fee! This way you can take a wine of your choice instead of only tasting what a particular restaurant may serve.
BYOB or BYO is an initialism and acronym concerning alcohol that means “bring your own bottle” or “bring your own booze”. In Australia and New Zealand, the term “BYO” (Bring Your Own) emerged to describe business establishments that offered corkage.
Traveling in High Season
The High season in New Zealand is during the summer from December to February. During that period the weather and prices are higher during this time. One of the main misconceptions is that traveling off-season in New Zealand is not a good option. Actually, you can still get warm weather and you’ll save money and avoid the crowd.
Campsites and areas on and around lakes and beaches tend to become very crowded when Kiwis are on holiday.
Some parts of the country such as Central Otago do experience extreme temperatures during summer and winter. During the Christmas and New Year period, almost all businesses shut down for a couple of weeks.
May and early June can be seen as the low season. Northern Hemisphere you’ll get cooler temperatures the more north you go.
Time
A big mistake is not using your time in the country wisely, or not spending enough time in New Zealand. It’s a big country and there is a lot to see.
Not being friendly
People in the country are very friendly. New Zealand along with Denmark are number one in the world of having the lowest corruption rates. Racism levels are very very low in New Zealand.
They are open people and have an open mind to new people, new cultures.
The sun isn’t that strong
It’s a misconception that the sun isn’t that strong in New Zealand. Make sure you wear eco-friendly suncream at all times when you’re outside!
Not keeping the nature safe
While enjoying the outdoors is suggested to don’t remove any plants or other natural resources and always pick up your garbage.
Not going off the beaten path
Off the beaten track you will discover some of the most beautiful, untouched and rugged areas and hidden treasures. If you want autonomy in your trip, you can’t go wrong with New Zealand.
Explore New Zealand and see parts that you don’t see in the guidebooks.
Sights
New Zealand is renowned as a beautiful country, but you don’t realize just how beautiful until you get there! You will be down away by its beauty.
