Ecotourism Accommodation

Green Places to Visit in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland, a green getaway in the colourful sense of the word, is turning out to be something of an eco destination with travellers keen to discover the sunnier side of the once troubled province.

Yes, Northern Ireland has had problems and there’s still a little fine tuning going on but now that the peace process has been sorted and an independent government is in state the region is safer than ever before for travellers. In fact, it was voted as the safest region in the UK and the second safest country in the world by the United Nations.

Now visitors are heading to the North in their droves, curious to see what’s on offer. Trust me; it’s not all red-bricked housing and murals.

Date: January 16th, 2008 | No Comments

Eco Friendly Accommodation in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, or FVG as it’s affectionately known by locals, is a region in the north east of Italy which is often overlooked by travellers, regardless of its proximity to the frequently visited Venice.

History
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the smallest region in Italy and was once ruled by the Austrian Hapsburgs and, for a short time, old Yugoslavia. Its diverse background has influenced the food, architecture and lifestyle of the Friuliari, making it a really exciting and interesting place to visit.

What’s so exciting about FVG?
Sitting on the borders of Austria and Slovenia to the north and east and hugged by the Veneto region of Italy to the west, Friuli-Venezia Giulia has a wealth of activities, sights and tours for travellers. There are forests with endless hiking and walking trails, alpine villages crammed with ski lodges and coastal towns in Trieste for those with a penchant for fishing or sunbathing. For the eco traveller, there are Albergo Diffuso.

Albergo Diffuso
Albergo Diffuso is the collective name given to a number of renovated alpine chalets dotted around seven different locations between Carnia and the highlands of Monet Prât. They aren’t found anywhere else in Italy.

Date: January 3rd, 2008 | No Comments

Summer Ice to Disappear from Arctic in 5 years

Is a trip to the Arctic in your future summer travel plans? Well you better get a move on because it’s not going to be there in 5 years.

In April this year the BBC reported that Arctic ice was melting faster than originally calculated by computer models. They demonstrated the Arctic was loosing summer ice at a rate of 9% per decade since 1979 which meant the summer artic ice would be gone by the second half of this century.

Now, at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, scientists reveal their original estimates to be too conservative and that the Arctic may be ice free by 2013. They’re querying whether it can actually be saved at all.

Date: December 18th, 2007 | No Comments

Manu National Park and Machu Picchu, Peru

The Amazon is on most people’s travel wish list. It’s an area of unspoilt natural beauty and offers a rich and diverse eco-system.

Manu National Park, on the eastern slopes of the Andes and in the Peruvian Amazon, is brimming with more species of animals and plants than in anywhere else in the world. Over 1,000 species of birds, 13 species of monkeys and rarely seen animals like the elusive Jaguar and endangered Giant Otter roam wild in the park.

It is also home to many indigenous Amazonian tribes, some who have yet to have contact with the outside world. The Park has been on the World Heritage List since 1987 and is an internationally recognised UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Few travel companies are allowed access to the area, and rightly so; visitors unintentionally introduce western-style illnesses to the indigenous people. Their natural medicines cannot treat viruses like flu and measles and so some of the tribe are killed off because of traveller’s intrusions.

Inkanatura is one such company that is allowed into Manu National Park and concentrates on investigating the wildlife and environment rather than the people. A leader in eco tourism in Peru, Inkanatura provides great packages for those interested in nature, culture and archaeology.

Date: December 6th, 2007 | No Comments

Best Eco Lodges in the World

No two eco lodges are alike. One person’s idea of eco-friendly accommodation can be entirely different from another’s but what marries the two is their conscience decision to make a difference. Every so often, here at Eco Travel Logue, I’ll highlight a few eco-friendly stopovers that stand out from the crowd. If you know of any that have impressed you, get in contact giving reasons why you think they can cut it with the best of them.

This week we travel to northern Queensland, Australia.

About 10 years ago I had the chance to go to Port Douglas but never did and always regretted it. A friend and I had been travelling for a few months around Oz and completed a dive course on the Great Barrier Reef. At the time, diving had been the only reason I cared to visit Australia.

Date: November 20th, 2007 | 3 comments