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Imagine staying at a hotel surrounded by the most delicious fruit trees and plants--where every trail you explore offers a sweet, natural snack. This is what you'll find at Fond Doux Holiday Plantation, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, which features a delicious "edible landscape."

Oranges, bananas, starfruit, coconut, coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, and giant pods of cocoa grow all over this 19th century colonial plantation. In this picture, you can see their home grown cocoa beans drying in the sun after the fermentation process. These are used as the main ingredient for many delicious recipes, like their famous cocoa tea!

This entry was posted on January 24, 2014 at 1:39 PM and has received 320 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Who doesn't love watching the setting sun after a fun-filled day of travel, disappearing below the horizon and turning the sky into a beautiful canvas of red and orange hues?

Today we want to share some amazing photos of sunsets from the sustainable hotels listed on our website:

Baja California Peninsula, México

Baja California offers a unique contrast between intense ocean-blue water beaches and arid desert landscapes. Photo by RED Sustainable Travel.

Arenal Volcano, La Fortuna, Costa Rica

The Arenal Volcano is well known for providing tourists with magical eruptions in the night. But this photo proves that the views are just as great right before dark. Photo by Catarata Eco Lodge.

Cancún, México

Cancún has amazing beaches and a great weather, but its romantic sunsets may be what has made it one of the top destinations for couples getaways and weddings. Photo by Dreams Riviera Cancún Resort & Spa.

Yacuma Protected Amazon Rainforest Reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Imagine experiencing a sunset right in the heart of the Amazon jungle! Photo by Yacuma Ecolodge.

Lago Atitlán, Guatemala

Lake Atitlán, also known as the "mirror of the sky," has been called the most beautiful lake in the world. So you can expect exceptional views behind its three impressive volcanoes. Photo by Hotel y Centro de Convenciones Jardines del Lago.

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Most of us like to sit, relax, and enjoy a sunset. But zip lining in the amazing cloud forest is another option to enjoy this magic moment! Photo by Hotel El Establo .

This entry was posted on January 21, 2014 at 5:36 PM and has received 720 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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The magnificent Iguazu Falls, located about where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina join borders, are ranked as the second largest waterfalls in the world. This UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site is a collection of 275 falls that extend over 1.7 miles in total, reaching anywhere from 197 to 269 feet in height. The Iguazu Falls were discovered in 1542 by Spanish commander Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. They were created by a geological fault about 200,000 years ago, but ancient myths have a different explanation:

It is said that many years ago, there was a big and monstrous serpent god who lived in the Iguazú River, and its name was Boi. Once a year, the Guaraní people had to sacrifice a beautiful maid as an offer to Boi by throwing her to the river. All of the tribes, including the ones that lived far away, were invited for this ceremony. One year, a young warrior named Tarobá found out that the beautiful maid Naipí was chosen for the sacrifice. He rebelled to elderly members of the tribe, trying in vain to convince them not to offer her.

To save his beloved Naipí, he decided to escape with her on the night before the sacrifice. They stole a canoe and fled down the river. But Boi caught them and became furious. He drove his serpent body into the ground, which split the river and formed the falls, engulfing Naipí and Tarobá in their canoe.

Tarobá became the trees on the cliffs above the falls, and the beautiful Naipí was transformed into a rock. Their punishment is to always see each other but never be together again.

Boi retreated into a cave, where he watches Naipí and Tarobá be forever separated. However, on sunny days, a rainbow surpasses Boi's power and joins the trees to the rock, symbolizing Naipí and Tarobá's eternal love.

Photo courtesy of Yacutinga Lodge.

This entry was posted on January 10, 2014 at 2:10 PM and has received 365 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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By Thomas Enderlin

As the Costa Rican tourism industry continues to take off, one of the biggest challenges rural communities face is finding a balance between the conservation of traditional ways of life and the need for economic growth. A visionary new agrotourism project in the Dota region of Costa Rica--developed by a group of community leaders and Vancouver Island University--helps rural communities establish financial security, protect the environment and conserve their traditions.

The project is centered on a multi-day trail, known informally as the Los Santos EcoTrail. Descending through the Dota region before arriving at the Pacific Ocean in the city of Quepos, the trail links a handful of small coffee farming communities and homestays. Currently, five Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms are directly involved in the Los Santos EcoTrail project, with many others indirectly benefiting from the gradual growth of community-based ecotourism in the area.

The Dota region is world famous for its top quality coffee production. Here, Rainforest Alliance certification is helping to improve farming practices while reducing environmental impacts and providing economic and social benefits. But volatile coffee market swings and erratic climate patterns make economic diversification an important attribute in the region--and local communities are achieving this critical diversification through small-scale tourism enterprises connected to the Los Santos EcoTrail.

"We really believe in this project, and we are doing this for the future of our children," one community representative explained. "We love our rural way of life, and don't want to see that disappear."

With increasing demands for adventure and culinary tourism and an upswing of consumers interested in purchasing products featuring the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, projects like the Los Santos EcoTrail will provide opportunities for travelers to take their commitments one step further. These immersive vacations can provide a more direct connection to the origins of certified ingredients while demonstrating how farm and forestry certification benefits local rural communities and biodiversity.

On the trail, visitors also learn how local communities have survived off the land for generations. The people of Providencia still grind their shade grown coffee by hand. The people of Naranjillo let guests test their skills processing sugar cane into juice and crude molasses. Elsewhere along the journey, visitors are invited to make tortillas, learn traditional dances, and make artisanal crafts.

This model of diversified local economics is the future of sustainability. The Rainforest Alliance is currently exploring other agriculture and forestry landscapes that could benefit from small-scale sustainable agrotourism projects so that consumers can have an opportunity to travel to the places where their coffee, tea, and chocolate originate.

For more information on unique agrotourism opportunities, visit the Heart of Gold website.

Thomas Enderlin has a background in conservation, sustainable tourism, commodity trading and agriculture. He is currently based in San José, Costa Rica, where he divides his time as a project consultant, adventure travel guide, photographer, writer and cactus cultivator.

This entry was posted on January 7, 2014 at 1:03 PM and has received 1073 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Guanacaste, a province located in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, showcases some of the most beautiful sites in the country – and the beautiful Catarata Oropéndola is one of them! This waterfall spills an impressive 82 feet (25 meters) in a natural shower to a sparkling turquoise pool below. It is placed in a beautiful vegetated canyon of Río Blanco (White River), close to the Rincón de la Vieja volcano, making a picturesque tropical oasis that is inviting for a refreshing swim.

Hotel Hacienda Guachipelín organizes horseback riding and hiking tours to Oropéndula waterfall. Visitors can go by horseback 45 minutes on a scenic trail and then have a short walk to get to the waterfall canyon. There are two options available for those who prefer to enjoy a hike. One departs from the hacienda by minibus to the parking lot of the national park (10 minutes); from there, they walk 15 minutes to the waterfall. The second option is hiking a scenic forest trail from the hotel to the waterfall – approximately 1.5 hours each way.

This entry was posted on November 29, 2013 at 5:33 PM and has received 424 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Machu Picchu is perhaps Peru's main attraction, but this country has many more impressive architectural gems worth visiting. One prime example is an Incan fortress located two kilometers north of Cuzco called Sacsayhuamán, a Quechua word meaning "place where the hawk is satisfied." The fort, which offers an impressive view of Cuzco, is so named because it was seen as a ferocious bird that guarded the empire's capital. Some archeologists theorize that Sacsayhuamán was not a fortress, but the Royal House of the Sun, created to worship the great sun god Inti.

Sacsayhuamán features murals more than 29 feet high on exterior walls made of stone blocks that weigh more than 350 tons. The complex has underground tunnels, amphitheaters, terraces, aqueducts, and spaces for performing rituals. It is estimated that its construction took about 50 years and required the labor of approximately 20,000 men.

This photo is courtesy of the sustainable tour operator Andean Adventure Tours.

This entry was posted on November 15, 2013 at 3:59 PM and has received 1123 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Dominica is a small island (only 750 km2) but it has a tremendous and unspoiled natural wealth – in fact, it has been nicknamed the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean"!

One of the most amazing places in Dominica is the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a luxuriant natural tropical forest and an UNESCO World Heritage Site centered on a 1,342-m-high volcano with the same name. The sights in the Morne Trois Pitons (which means "mountain of three peaks") include the Valley of Desolation, an area with about 50 fumaroles and hot springs; a flooded fumarole called the Boiling Lake; Titou Gorge ("little throat"), a small waterfall situated deep in a water-filled gorge; and Emerald Pool, located at the base of a 40 foot waterfall.

This is photo from Rosalie Bay Resort, a sustainable hotel that is located at the foothills of the Morne Trois Pitons.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2013 at 7:55 PM and has received 895 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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One of the best parts of travel is meeting and sharing experiences with local people. They are the guardians of your destination's and historical treasures; they are the voices of their country's rich culture and folklore; and they are the best dancers, chefs, and tour guides for those who want to experience a place authentically.

Today we want to share with you a series of wonderful photographs of the local people of Port Antonio, Jamaica. Port Antonio, on the northeastern coast, offers beautiful beaches, crystalline turquoise waters surrounded by densely forested mountains, and beautiful waterfalls. Here you'll also find the famous Blue Lagoon where they filmed the classic 1980s film of the same name.

The Mockingbird Hill Hotel invited talented photographer Sam Diephuis to visit attractions in Port Antonio and photograph its people. These are some of the results of that trip:

A beautiful local cook prepares lunch.

Who wants fresh coconut water?

The captain.

Fruits, vegetables, and a big smile.

A man making delicious jerk chicken on Winnifred Beach.

A talented hairdresser wows her client.

Kids making the most of Winnifred Beach.

Other children prefer to play football in the neighborhood square.

An artisan sells local crafts and souvenirs.

A fisherman and his colorful catch of the day.

A big thanks to Mockingbird Hill Hotel and Sam Diephuis for sharing these wonderful images with us so that we can showcase the beauty of the people of Porto Antonio to travelers all over the world!

This entry was posted on October 1, 2013 at 7:56 PM and has received 883 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Caracol, located in Belize's Chiquibul National Park, 4 miles from the Guatemalan border, is the largest Maya archaeological site in the country. Around 650 AD, during the peak of its development and expansion, the urban area of Caracol had a radius of approximately 10 km and covered an area much larger than the city of Belize today. In fact, this archaeological site is larger than the impressive ruins of Tikal in Guatemala, but most of it has not yet been restored.

So far, the three main plazas that have been discovered in Caracol are surrounded by pyramid-shaped temples and various sculptures. More than a hundred tombs and a huge number of hieroglyphic inscriptions have also been found. One of the main attractions in this refuge is the "Caana" complex, which in Maya means "place in the sky," since it rises more than forty meters above the plaza below.

This photograph is from the San Ignacio Hotel Resort, which organizes tours to Caracol and other archaeological sites in Belize.

This entry was posted on September 6, 2013 at 1:36 PM and has received 903 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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The beauty of the colorful and stunning scarlet macaws (Ara macao) is such that even the Maya and the Aztecs equated them with the deities of fire and sun. These ancient peoples used their image in various artistic works and adorned themselves with the macaw's striking feathers.

Unfortunately, the scarlet macaw's beauty has now put it in danger. They live in tropical rainforests from southeastern Mexico to central Bolivia, and in many countries they are endangered due to the loss of their habitat from deforestation and indiscriminate hunting for the illegal pet trade.

This photo is from a tour with Costa Rican Trails. Around 1,000 scarlet macaws live in Costa Rica today, and there are many protected areas and organizations dedicated to their protection. Be sure to always book your trips with sustainable tourism businesses so you can rest easy, knowing that you're contributing to the conservation of these and other beautiful wildlife species!

This entry was posted on July 26, 2013 at 1:37 PM and has received 837 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.