Top 5 Eco Tour Destinations

By Michelle Salater

Spending your vacation surrounded by the calls of nature, in a remote corner of the world high on a mountain summit, or rafting over white-capped rapids doesn't mean you have to rough it. From glacial trekking in Alaska to bird watching in Costa Rica, there's an eco tour to accommodate anyone's taste, lifestyle, and skill level.

1. Key West, Florida
   Quietly paddle through the shallow, crystal waters in the enchanting mangroves of the Florida Key's backcountry. Stingrays, Queen Conch, and colorful coral are only inches away from your kayak, and your camera lens. Blue Planet Kayak Eco Tours offers excellent tours through the Key's exotic red mangroves, providing tourists a chance to see a variety of tropical fish and nesting osprey. Take a starlight tour that sets out before sunset for a chance to view the nocturnal critters: octopus, moray eels, squid, and lobster. Owned and operated by an environmental scientist dedicated to protecting the fragile mangrove waters, all tours are led by guides with marine science and eco tour experience.
   
   
2. Alaska
   Alaska's unspoiled wilderness is a nature lover's playground. Watch in awe as grizzlies bathe in the river and wrestle on the shoreline. Picnic under the Northern Lights. Or trek the Davidson Glacier. For the truly adventurous, sea kayak among humpback whales, orcas, and sea otters at Point Adolphus.
   
   
3. The Grand Canyon, Arizona
   The Grand Canyon: more than grand, more than a canyon. It's a place like no other, and, a river runs through the records of the millennia as its shadows reflect across the magnificent walls along the shores. Floating the Colorado River is a gift from the past, an exhilarating adventure through time. The park contains five of the seven life zones and three of the four desert types found in North America. Watch souring eagles, gaze at majestic Big Horn sheep, and hear the call of the canyon wren. There are plenty of companies that offer rafting tours down the Colorado, no matter your level of experience.
   
   
4. Belize
   Experience life in the lush Belize jungle without getting bit by it. Sleep among the toucans in ecological cabins with rustic thatch and colonial tile-roofs. Ride a horse over jungle trails and delight in the spider monkeys swinging through the trees above. Canoe through mangrove canopies while watching Jesus lizards prance on top of the water or cool off under a waterfall in a tranquil pool among the remains of the Maya. After a long day of riding and hiking, kick back and relax in a hammock overlooking this tropical paradise.
   
   
5. Monteverde, Costa Rica
   Interested in experiencing cloud nine? A Mecca for bird and plant lovers, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a cloud forest with 24 kilometers of trails to explore. Home to 420 different orchids, and over 400 species of birds, including 30 kinds of hummingbirds, it's possible to spend all day exploring and never see the same species twice. If you look close enough, it's possible to catch a glimpse of the elusive and brilliantly colored Resplendent Quetzal-the God of the birds. The best way to see them along other wildlife and plant life is to hire a nature guide.

Michelle Salater is an award-winning freelance travel writer and owner of Michelle Salater Writing & Editorial, a copywriting company specializing in travel and small business marketing.

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