June 21st, 2017 | Updated on March 1st, 2024
Sustainable, spectacular, and engaged with local communities, these lodges are tucked into some of the planet’s wildest places. It’s since had a somewhat glamorous overhaul, with lavish and diverse lodges popping up in destinations near and far, from the northernmost snowy reaches of Sweden to the forests of Madagascar. To that end, National Geographic has announced its 21 Places to Stay if You Care About the Planet list, highlighting the eco escapes that are leading the way in terms of sustainability – without scrimping on luxury.
Here, we has rounded up ten of the collection’s most wanderlust-worthy lodges from every corner of the planet.
1. Crystal rivers, deep gorges, and soaring peaks combine with Greek village life at Aristi Mountain Resort & Villas
2. North of Hanoi in Sa Pa, Vietnam, the breathtaking Topas Ecolodge organises treks into Hoang Lien National Park, a global biodiversity hotspot
3. Reindeer herders share their wisdom about the Sami indigenous way of life with guests here at northern Sweden’s Sapmi Nature Camp
4. Families flock to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat on Australia’s Gold Coast for activities such as hiking to one of 500 nearby waterfalls, complete with a pre-packed picnic, or visiting the Glow Worm grotto
5. The Brando, in French Polynesia, is late actor Marlon Brando’s eco-dream brought to life. The private island is run on 100 per cent renewable energy sources, including solar power and coconut oil.
6. The Lodge at Valle Chacabuco, in Chile, sits in the heart of Patagonia Park, a conservation initiative protecting nearly 200,000 acres of land
7. Rasta vibes thrive at Jakes, a family-owned retreat in Jamaica that has welcomed guests including Johnny Depp, Kate Moss and Jade Jagger
8. Maasai warriors are your hosts here at Il Ngwesi, a community-owned safari lodge on the edge of Kenya’s Northern Frontier district
9. On a hilltop overlooking New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, Manawa Ridge merges eco-living with adventure outings
10. Director Francis Ford Coppola opened Coral Caye last year in Belize. It’s surrounded by a rainbow of sea life. The June/July issue of National Geographic Traveler is on newsstands now
11. At the new Six Senses Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles, guests can kayak to Ile Cocos Marine National Park.
12. Costa Rica’s Lapa Rios has long been a conservation icon in this lowland tropical rainforest where you are sure to spot plenty of local wildlife.
13. The new Duba Expedition Camp, a partnership between Great Plains Conservation and the Okavango Community Trust in Botswana, offers a front-row seat to Africa’s majestic wildlife.
14. Nature reigns at Jetwing Vil Uyana in Sri Lanka’s famed Cultural Triangle, home to the gray slender loris, among the world’s tiniest primates.
15. Madagascar’s Tsara Komba Lodge is prime for spotting lemurs and chameleons.
16. Hear wolves howl at night, while staying at the Prince of Wales’s Guesthouse in rural Transylvania.
17. In South Africa’s Cape Floral Region, nature trails connect Fynbos Retreat’s three bush cottages.
18. At Estancia Los Potreros in Argentina, gauchos lead horseback trips to hidden waterfalls.
19. Concordia’s canvas solar cabins on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, were one of the early ecotourism landmarks.
20. Deep in Bolivia’s Madidi National Park, indigenous guides welcome intrepid travelers to Chalalan Ecolodge, an ideal base camp for jungle exploration.
21. Ted Turner’s Sierra Grande Lodge in New Mexico provides access to over half a million acres of private wilderness, part of the conservation crusader’s efforts to rewild America.
source : dailymail.co.uk, nationalgeographic.com
