Amazing Places πŸ—ΊβœˆοΈ for People Looking for Unforgettable Ethical Experience πŸ™ƒ ...

1 / 7

Dancing with Sea Turtles, Conservation Project, Mexico

Type of Experience: Volunteering Organizer: The Yepez Foundation Contact Details: tortugasfundacionyepez.com Family-run, non-profit organization Fundacion Yepez (the Yepez Foundation) provide turtle-loving gals with ethical travel experiences few other conservation projects can match. The Foundation has been protecting sea turtles along the deserted shores of Veracruz, Mexico, for 46 years, offering educational and environmental projects to hard-working volunteers so that these endangered reptiles will still be around to delight divers for generations to come. The Foundation's small team expects to see a hands-on approach to conservation work from its volunteers. Work can be anything from beach cleaning to tree planting for a few weeks to internships of up to 6 months that tell volunteers all they need to know about sea turtle conservation.
More ...

2 / 7

Growling with Tigers: Night Safari, Laos

Type of Experience: Ethical Travel Organizer: Nam Nern Night Safari & Ecolodge Contact Details: namet.org Immerse yourself for two glorious days in the magical world of Nam Et-Phou Louey, a protected area where tourists are safely tucked up in their recycled wood bungalows, while they record all the animals they spot. The more endangered the species, the more money the local villages receive, thus encouraging further eco and conservation projects. 90% of the tour revenue goes back to the community's coffers. Yay! Nam Nern Night Safari & Ecolodge has rightly been the winner at the World Responsible Tourism Awards twice. Spot tigers, Sambar deer and gaur, report it and everyone wins. The bungalows are built by locals, the food is locally grown and prepared. And authentic, delicious dishes like Soop pak (a traditional Laotian steamed veggie dish) and Khmu tempura are just what the jungle doctor ordered after a hard day's tiger spotting!
More ...

3 / 7

Planting Trees: Forest Conservation, Manu Region of Peru

Type of Experience: Volunteering Organizer: Crees Contact Details: crees-manu.org For a change, this is a conservation project where volunteers are permitted to hug the endangered species they're meant to protect. But only AFTER they've planted the tree. Volunteering projects on this 2.35 square mile/6 square kilometer wildlife haven in Amazonian Peru range from 2 to 24 weeks; volunteers work together with local communities. The Crees project may appear tiny compared to the vastness of the Amazon rainforest, but they have big ambitions. Crees aim to act as a role model for sustainable conservation projects in the region. Travel experiences include extensive research expeditions and community-led agro forestry; in other words, tree-planting and bio gardening until your hands bleed and your head swells with pride.
More ...

4 / 7

Wrestling with Vocabulary: Teaching English in Cambodia

Type of Experience: Volunteering Organizers: Conversations with Foreigners Contact Details: cwfcambodia.org Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, this remarkable organization has cracked the age-old conundrum of how one can make school-based placements both ethical and beneficial to all concerned. Let's face it, sending a gringo gap-year student to teach in a foreign country can do more harm than good! However, the weeks spent as a volunteer don't seem to have harmed anyone so far. Each day volunteers teach for five hours; classrooms contain students of all ages. The organization provides full school term placements of 12 weeks, redistributing the funds generated from English lessons to benefit rural development projects. Remarkably, skilled volunteers aren't charged a fee and have access to 24/7 living support, which includes cooking classes, wider social activities and Khmer language lessons to help volunteers integrate better. All of this is part of the wonderful Conversations with Foreigners ethos. Why aren't they running our planet, yet?
More ...

5 / 7

Tracking with Tigers: Sumatra Tiger Research Project, Indonesia

Type of Experience: Ethical Trip Organizer: Biosphere Expeditions Contact Details: biosphere-expeditions.org This 13-day adventure benefits not just humans, it protects critically endangered animals, too. Biosphere Expeditions have come up with a trip that takes ethical travelers to a base camp in the heart of the rainforest. Volunteers will search the landscape with their noses to the ground looking for elusive Sumatran tiger tracks. This magnificent beastie is one of the island's rarest and most endangered species, as Indonesia's ever-growing population encroaches further into rainforest habitats. Volunteers record the tracks, catty-kills and scats, which provide essential research into the lives of these wonderful big cats. This is life-or-death research that could spell the Sumatran tiger's survival.
More ...

6 / 7

Pedaling for Culture: Cycling Tour in Cambodia

Type of Experience: Ethical Trip Organizer: PEPY Tours Contact Details: pepytours.com This 15-day cycling tour is ideal for exploring the ancient culture and splendid landscapes of Cambodia, a land brimming with mysterious temples crumbling under the onslaught from untamed jungle vegetation. PEPY Tours takes its pedal-power volunteers for ca. 621 miles/1,000 km along dusty orange tracks into lush and verdant paddy fields, across winding rivers, past street vendors selling some of the most delicious Asian food. Accommodation is offered via home stays, where locals also get money by providing lunches. This tour enables visitors to experience Khmer customs and traditions and contribute to continuous community development projects that will continue to benefit people, plants and animals long after the last cyclist has huffed and puffed their way back to Western civilization and burger bars.
More ...

7 / 7

Swimming with Whale Sharks: Beach Stay in Tanzania

Type of Experience: Ethical Trip Organizer: Chole Mjini Island Contact Details: cholemjini.com For 6 amazing days, you get to laze about on a paradisiacal island that has no roads or electricity, but plenty of whale sharks basking submerged in the warm waters, obligingly staying within snorkeling distance. Chole Mjini Island justly won the Best for Beach category at the Responsible Tourism Awards 2014. The castaway island idyll is situated off the Tanzania coast and is blessed with resort founders who are deeply committed to help the local community help itself. Having already used generated income to build and fund schools, a hospital, women's center and library, they are not resting on their laurels. Guests of this ethically run resort can enjoy ethical travel experiences in hand-built tree houses, snooze under palm trees at the beach or grab underwater camera, snorkel and flippers and swim with whale sharks. Don’t they all sound fabulous? Any one of them promises to be a trip and experience of a lifetime. Which would be your preference?
More ...
Embed this story

More stories for you