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Costa Rica Eco Travel – Top Eco-Friendly Travel Packages

January 22, 2020
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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
Photo credit: Arenas del Mar / Facebook

Arenas Del Mar

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.

Zipline Rainforests
Photo credit: Pattaya Unlimited / Flickr

Zipline Through the Rainforests

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.

Arenal Volcano

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.

Parador Resort and Spa
Photo credit: S. Rae / WikiPedia

Parador Resort and Spa

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.

Research Adventure Park
Photo credit: Geoff Gallice / WikiPedia

Veragua Rainforest Research & Adventure Park

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

Want to learn more about Costa Rica? Check our other posts:
Sustainable Tourism in Costa Rica
The 10 Best Costa Rica Eco Tours

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Top 8 Things to Do in Haarlem

June 17, 2019
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Haarlem is a small city located just 27 minutes with a train outside of Amsterdam. Its abundance of historical sights, cultural attractions and hidden gems crammed into a relatively small city, a visit to Haarlem makes for a brilliant day trip from Amsterdam. There are many attractions to keep you busy – including river cruises, flower markets and more.

A day trip to Haarlem center and surroundings

historic Grote Kerk
Photo credit: garzhia / Flickr

Grote Markt

The square is located at the historic heart of Haarlem, underneath the imposing Grote Kerk, and is the image of the city that many people will recognize. Hosting regular festivals, concerts and markets, the Grote Markt is the hub of daily life in Haarlem.

St Bavokerk
Photo credit: Wikimedia

The Grote Kerk: St.-Bavokerk

The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Reformed Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square in the Dutch city of Haarlem. This Late Gothic cruciform basilica, now reaching 140 meters in length with its slender 40-meter tower, was started in the 14th century. The cathedral’s famous Müller Organ is considered one of the greatest such instruments in the world for its tone and decoration.
The beautiful giant towers high above Haarlem’s rooftops and the gothic interior is nothing but breathtaking.

Frans Hals Museum
Photo credit: Wikimedia

The Frans Hals Museum

The Frans Hals Museum is one of the leading art galleries in the Netherlands. The museum has the world’s largest collection of works by Hals, including five of his large civic guard pieces.
It was founded in 1862 in the newly renovated former Dominican church cloisters located in the back of the Haarlem city hall.

The museum is specialized in restoration and research on the works of Haarlem painters in the 17th century and of the painters of the 16th century who taught them to paint, most notably Jan van Scorel, Maerten van Heemskerck, Hendrick Goltzius and Cornelis van Haarlem.

The museum includes a collection of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and graphic art by artists from Haarlem and the surrounding area.

Stadhuis Haarlem Netherlands
Photo credit: Janusz Sliwinski Flickr

The Old City Hall

The City Hall in Haarlem is the seat of the city’s government. The oldest parts of the City Hall date back to 1250. The north wing, and the Neoclassical façade were added in the 1600s. The interior is also of interest and includes numerous fine paintings, relics, and mementos.

Teyler Museum Haarlem
Photo credit: Frans de Wit Flickr

Teylers Museum

Teylers Museum, the oldest museum in the Netherlands, was founded in 1778. The museum is in the former home of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst. He was a wealthy cloth merchant and Amsterdam banker of Scottish descent, who bequeathed his fortune for the advancement of religion, art and science. Nearby the museum is the Teylers Hofje, a hofje which was also founded in Teyler’s name.

Teyler’s Museum displays an eclectic collection of fossils, minerals, scientific instruments, medals, coins, and paintings. It is most famous for its extensive collection of old master’s prints and drawings, including several works by Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

In the 19th century, the museum was expanded with two painting galleries.

Amsterdamse Poort
Photo credit: Marcelo Campi Flickr

Amsterdamse Poort

Bakenessergracht is home to some of the city’s oldest and most spectacular buildings. At the end of the Bakenessergracht is the River Binnen Spaarne, crossed here via an attractive old drawbridge, and from which you get a great view of the Amsterdamse Poort. Haarlem’s city gate, built in the early 1400s and a national monument has two octagonal towers and two round towers.

In the 1960s the gate was declared a national monument. In 1985 a complete renovation of the gate took place.

Courtyard of the Proveniershof
Photo credit: wikipedia

Proveniershuis

The Proveniershuis is a hofje and former schutterij on the Grote Houtstraat in Haarlem, Netherlands. The complex of buildings surrounds a rectangular garden taking up a city block that is on the Haarlem hofje route. The homes around this courtyard are much larger, and the garden itself is about twice the normal size.

This home for Haarlem proveniers was founded in 1707 by the city council to house elderly men. The main buildings are much older than that.

Cathedral of St Bavo
Photo credit: Guilhem Vellut / Flickr

The Cathedral of St. Bavo

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Bavo is a relatively recent three-aisle cruciform basilica built between 1895 and 1906. Some 100 meters long, 42 meters wide, and 60 meters high
That church was itself a replacement for the Sint-Bavokerk, that had been converted to Protestantism from Catholicism in 1578.

Haarlem has been voted as the Netherlands’ best shopping destination. You can find a unique combination of big brands to independent labels, as well as charming antique and curiosity shops. The best-known streets in Haarlem are the Grote Houtstraat, the Barteljorisstraat, and the Zijlstraat. But you’ll find many interesting shops if you explore the smaller streets such as the Schagchelstraat, Kleine Houtstraat, Anegang, Warmoesstraat, Koningstraat and Gierstraat.

Want to find more sustainable destinations? Check our other posts.

Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef vs Ningaloo Reef

December 4, 2019
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Australia is home to not one, but two stunning coral reef systems – Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef. Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services for tourism, fisheries and shoreline protection. Barrier reefs are separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep channel or lagoon. A fringing reef also called a shore reef.

Scientists have only just begun to understand how reefs can contribute to medicine, already coral reef organisms are being used in treatments for diseases like cancer and HIV.
The zooxanthellae algae which live symbiotically inside the coral polyp give the corals their amazing colors.
In recent years scientists have discovered cold-water coral reefs off the coast of Norway and deep underwater in the Mediterranean Sea.

Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef. The reef contains over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and hundreds of tropical islands with some of the world’s most beautiful golden beaches. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and the only living thing on earth visible from space.

Activities at Great Barrier Reef:
  • Explore the Daintree Rainforest – Daintree Rainforest located north of Cairns and Port Douglas provides visitors to the region with a chance to explore a unique tropical area.
  • Hot Air Balloonin­g – experience the beauty of North Queensland by taking an exhilarating Hot Air Balloon trip over the Atherton Tablelands with spectacular views to the ocean.
  • Island Day Trips – explore the reef and rainforest on Green Island Reef island, discover the uninhabited Frankland Island or visit any of the other islands.
  • Low Isles Sailing Cruise – A variety of vessels are on offer including the Santa Maria, Coral Princess and Coral Sea Dreaming
  • Great Barrier Reef Scenic Helicopter Flight – Enjoy amazing aerial views flying over the Daintree Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and surrounding islands.
  • Visit Whitehaven Beach – Located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, Whitehaven Beach is one of the world’s most unspoiled and beautiful beaches.
  • White Water Rafting – Looking for something new and adventurous and see parts of this region that you might normally not be able to see – try white water rafting in tropical Queensland.

The problem with the Great Barrier Reef is that it could be pretty expensive if you’re traveling on a budget.

You must go on a boat tour to get out to the reef, which most people will only make it out one time during their trip. If the weather or water conditions aren’t great for going out then you are missing the time of your trip. The conditions often aren’t very good, for example for snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and less visibility.

But for people who want to explore coral reefs there is another, better option – the Ningaloo Reef.

Activities at Ningaloo Reef:

Ningaloo Reef marine life
Photo credit: Michael Sale / Flickr

Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo is home to the world’s largest fringing reef and it is located just a few feet away from the northwest coastal region of Western Australia. This makes the Ningaloo Reef Australia’s easiest access coral reef experience. It is famous for its whale sharks which feed there from March to June and the reef, which is also rich in coral and other marine life. During the winter months, the reef is part of the migratory routes for dolphins, dugongs, manta rays and humpback whales.

The World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef is one of the longest fringing coral reefs in the world with almost 300 kilometers of unspoiled underwater paradise.

In 1987, the Ningaloo Reef has declared a marine park in order to protect the unique environment and its inhabitants and in 2011, the Ningaloo Reef and Ningaloo Coast received UNESCO World Heritage listing. This Reef is one of the most biologically diverse marine environments on the planet with more than 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish.

Ningaloo’s hub town of Exmouth is a 1250-kilometer (777-mile) drive north of Perth or you can fly to Learmonth Airport and then rent a car. Alternative you can use Integrity Coach Lines which also travels from Perth to Exmouth.

Rare sea turtle species such as the loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles hatch here in late January and February.
You can swim with Whale Sharks, snorkel and dive the reefs, or just wander along the shoreline exploring the crystal clear waters for an appreciation and close up view of the aquatic world and nature at its premium.

Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, the diving and snorkeling sites of the Ningaloo are right along the coast and the Navy Pier, near the town of Exmouth, is considered one of the best shore dives in the world.

Activities at Ningaloo Reef:

There are many ways you can experience the Ningaloo Reef from above or below the waterline.

  • Whale shark swim – Swim with the enormous whale sharks who arrive between March and July. These massive creatures are not harmful to people. They are the world’s largest fish with spans up to 40 feet long.
  • Whale watching or humpback whale swim tours Between June and November, watch humpback whales or join them for a swim.
  • Watch sea turtle – Between January and February, watch sea turtle species hatch on guided, eco-interactive trails.
  • Scuba diving trips, snorkelling tours – Grab your snorkel and swim through coral lagoons and gardens in a calm and protected coral bay.
  • Explore sand dunes and outback wilderness as well as the reef.
  • Glass bottom boat cruises, underwater scooter tours, sail cruises.
  • Eco & wildlife tours.
  • Manta ray swim tours, sea kayaking tours.
  • Scenic or microlight flights.

Coral reefs around the world are under increasing stress due to a combination of local and global factors.

Coral reefs are highly sensitive to environmental change. Multiple stressors, in isolation or in combination, may lead to dramatic deterioration that can result in loss of reefs.

Want to learn more about other sustainable destination? Check out section sustainable travel destinations.

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    ExoRank says: Log in to Reply
    January 23rd 2020, 9:37 pm

    Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂

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San Blas Islands Panama San Blas Panama - Essential Things to Know Before Visitingby padmin / January 7, 2020

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