Top 10 ecotourist hotspots

Botswana
Take a walk on the wild side, eco-style, with a trip to Africa’s backcountry. With the wide open Savannah plains stretching to the horizon, sprawling deserts, riverine forests, transient lakes, salt pans, and a captivating display of wildlife, Botswana offers timeless natural beauty and rightly deserves its reputation as the "jewel of Africa." Safaris take you into the northern region, where unspoiled wilderness protects the land’s spectacular range of wildlife: Elephant herds, leopards, lions, zebras, hippos, white rhinos, and chacma baboons are just some of the glorious creatures you will encounter here. A plethora of environment-friendly resorts have sprouted up along the Savannah, should you fancy a true eco-fantasy stay.

Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s renowned back-to-nature ethos has helped make the country virtually synonymous with the concept of ecotourism. Adroitly leveraging the extraordinary natural and cultural wealth it packs into its small swath of Central American territory, it’s more than held true to the moniker Christopher Columbus gave it – Costa Rica meaning "Rich Coast." Said riches include four active (but not dangerous) volcanoes; an abundance of fecund rainforests (with some so high up they’re actually wreathed in clouds); thermal hot springs; more than 750 miles of fetching and often-uncrowded beaches; the Amazon-like Tortuguero preserve complete with jungle lodges; and abundant wildlife from monkeys to sea tortoises. Plenty of adventure outfitters will take you whitewater rafting, hiking, scuba diving, rock-climbing, and lots more – with choices like these, you'll need to harness your natural energies, too.

Dominica
Set between Martinique and Guadeloupe, the lush island of Dominica aka "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" is easily our top Caribbean eco pick. The island’s ecotourism efforts kicked off in 1997, when it participated in Green Globe, and its recent title of "Whale Watching Capital of the Caribbean" only adds heft to its vaunted eco status. Indeed, the island is often visited by 40-ton whales, who like to socialize, mate, and play off its shores. Major draws such as this, combined with some of the Caribbean's best diving, and some of its most pristine rainforests – where superb hiking trails lead to a eerie boiling lake, gorgeous waterfalls, and more – are what make the island such an ecotourist haven. It's especially easy being green here since, at the end of the day, you can ease your tired muscles in the island's natural hot springs and stay in secluded rainforest lodges, suffused by the sounds of the jungle.

Galapagos Islands
Visiting the Galapagos is the eco-traveler equivalent of making a pilgrimage to Mecca. When Darwin visited these unspoiled islands 620 miles off the coast of Ecuador in 1835, he was so struck by the variation in life-forms he saw here that he went on to posit his theory of evolution. Even two centuries later, this incredible archipelago remains home to some of the planet’s most unique creatures – no wonder, then, that the chain was declared the world’s first Natural World Heritage Site in 1978 (it went on to become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1984).

Himalayas
The spectacular Himalayas comprise the highest mountains on earth and boast a surreal terrain of snow-covered peaks shadowed by a myriad of rich cultural and natural landscapes sure to leave a powerful impression. The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, situated between India and China, offers some of the best access to these sublime mountain peaks, where landscapes vary from subtropical valleys (complete with banana trees) to alpine forests (home to grazing yaks). Rustic trail lodges give independent trekkers the option to hike and rest at their own pace; for a truly enriched experience, join one of the popular 5- to 25-day camping treks modeled after the first Nepalese mountaineering expeditions – you’ll share your mountain time with an entourage of guides, cooks, and porters.

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