Ecotourism Best of
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 |
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Top 10 Eco-friendly Destinations
If you’re keen on going green this year and are thinking of booking an eco-friendly holiday, check out this list recommended by online travel community IgoUgo, (owned by Travelocity).
Editors of IgoUgo painstakingly reviewed journals posted by some of their 350,000 members. The comments listed are the traveller’s own.
Now where’s that bank I can rob?
1. Buck Island Reef National Monument – St Croix, US Virgin Islands
“The reef surrounding was named America’s first-ever underwater national monument in 1961 which, naturally, has resulted in an ecosystem so thriving and well-preserved that 30,000 visitors a year flock to see it, making it the single most popular attraction on St Croix. This was the highlight of our vacation!”
2. Sea Turtle Watching in Rekawa – Rekawa, Sri Lanka
“The reason we picked Tangalla in the first place was that a nearby beach, Rekawa, is Sri Lanka’s most popular beach for nesting sea turtles. At Rekawa, five of the seven species of sea turtle come to nest, with the most popular being the green turtle. We arrived at the beach at about 8:30 and by about 9:30, one of the staff had spotted a turtle.”
Date: January 10th, 2008 |
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Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Home to Africa’s Mountain Gorillas
In a desperate attempt to save Africa’s dwindling wildlife from poachers, ranger John Kahekwa of the Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park set up a community-based conservation programme in the hope of encouraging ecotourism.
Originally a tracker at the park, Kahekwa was responsible for taming lowland gorillas, in a way. He would ‘habituate’ them to the presence of humans so tourists could visit and became so successful that he could eventually pick out and name around 155 animals. He now looks after 600,000 hectares of prime mountain forest on the east side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1980 and more unfortunately as a World Heritage Site in Danger since 1997.
As local populations grew the fine line between people and animals became less distinct. Traps laid for game sometimes trapped gorillas and other animals and poaching was rife. ‘Keep Out’ signs were ignored and when, in 1993, Maheshe, the adult silverback depicted in blockbuster movie Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey, was killed there was wide-spread agreement that Kahuzi-Biega was just not working as a wildlife reserve.
Date: January 2nd, 2008 |
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Whale Sharks Thrive in Western Australia
Thanks to a very successful ecotourism program whale sharks – the world’s largest fish – are positively thriving in WA’s Ningaloo Reef, reports Ecological Applications Journal.
Scientists are able to identify the whale shark’s ‘fingerprints’, or the unique white lines and spots on the flanks of the shark, through pattern recognition software developed by Australian marine scientist Brad Norman, computer programmer Jason Holmberg and astronomer Zaven Arzoumanian.
The software, which was adapted from software originally designed for the Hubble space telescope, has allowed the researchers to keep track of individual sharks since 1995 and has helped determine which sharks return to the reef every year.
Date: December 30th, 2007 |
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Santa Claus Finds New Home in Kyrgyzstan
A little something for the festive season (OK, it may not be eco but it is travel)…
Krazy Kyrgyzstan, the former Soviet republic with mountains named after communist and Russian leaders has decided to add another famous name to its peaks.
Since a Swedish logistics company decided a mountain in Kyrgyzstan was the most central position in the world for Santa Claus to base himself for deliveries, Kyrgyz authorities in the predominantly Muslim country jumped at the chance for a spot of publicity and decided to name one of their snow-capped mountains ‘Mount Santa Claus’.
Date: December 24th, 2007 |
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Travel Like Royalty, Take The Train
It’s not every day you see the Queen of England taking the train but last week, for an official engagement, Queenie and Prince Philip took the morning train to work, like everyone else.
Every year the Royal Family spends winter at Sandringham, their country retreat in Norfolk, England, and would ordinarily attend public engagements by chauffeur driven car or by helicopter, a mode of transport popular with celebrities and politicians.
But now, with all the commotion about climate change and pollution, it seems that even those on the throne are keen make an example and are travelling more frequently by train; and with commoners too if you please.
Date: January 14th, 2008 |
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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 |
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Happy Roo Year!
Happy 2008!
I thought I’d bring in the New Year with a fart. Oh, excuse me, an eco fart - that makes it alright.
No I’ve not had one too many celebratory champers (although I wish I had). I’m imparting some very useful information I discovered just recently.
You may have once thought that the only exciting thing to come out of the kangaroo world was Skippy, the bush kangaroo, well think again. Thanks to four gruelling years of research in Queensland, Australia, scientists have found that roos produce eco farts. Yep, that’s right; they let off (‘scuse the pun) environmentally friendly farts.
Researchers have found that kangaroo farts don’t contain methane, a greenhouse gas more damaging than carbon dioxide. They believe roos could teach cows a thing or two – cows produce bucket loads of methane – and are talking off adding the bacteria they isolated in the kangaroos stomach to cattle feed in an attempt to make cows more eco friendly and I guess, socially acceptable.
Date: January 1st, 2008 |
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Best Eco Travel Guidebooks for 2008
If you want to travel responsibly but aren’t quite sure how to go about it or where to go, check out Eco Travel’s choice of guidebooks for the coming year.
Green Places to Stay, Alastair Sawday
This holiday handbook lists ‘inspiring places striving to be environmentally and socially responsible’. Including tree houses in rainforests, Fairtrade tented camps, eco chic hotels and down-to-earth B&Bs, the illustrated guide covers 160 places in 50 countries making it a great guide for planning trips at home and abroad.
$21.95, Globe Pequot Press; £13.99, Alastair Sawday Publishing
100 Animals to See Before They Die, Nick Garbutt
Bradt Travel publishes some stonker books and this one is no exception; 100 Animals to See Before They Die should be on everyone’s bookshelf. No, stroke that, it should be in everyone’s backpack in preparation for their next big animal adventure abroad, before it’s too late.
£16.99, Bradt Travel
Green Travel: The World’s Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels, Fodor’s
Oh, to have been a researcher on this book. This eco guide features 100 green getaways around the world that work to support local communities. It discusses some of the ethics behind eco travel and everything from budget beds to sumptuous stopovers are listed, along with their green credentials, so it’s a great all-round guide.
$25.00, Random House (Not available until April 2008)
Date: December 30th, 2007 |
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Cheap flights to London and Jamble Mag’s Green Guide
StudentUniverse.com, a website popular with American college students, has just released its list of international and domestic destinations for Spring Break 2008.
Top of the lists are the ever-popular London and Miami and to mark the occasion Student Universe are offering student-only discounts, which means a return trip from New York to London costs $156 ($506 including taxes and surcharges).
If you’re lucky enough to get a cheap(ish) flight but care even a tiny bit about the environment, don’t forget to add on a few extra bucks to cover those pesky carbon emissions.
And if you are heading Europe way you should check out Jamble Magazine’s Green City Guide to London; it’s ace. Other guides include New York, Chicago, Hong Kong and Christchurch, NZ.
Read rest of article for Top 10 lists.
Date: December 18th, 2007 |
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