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What do you look for when you're choosing a vacation destination? Have you ever noticed that most popular tourism destinations are located near a body of water? Whether it's a vast blue ocean, a serene lake, or a bubbling river teeming with wildlife, water is a huge part of tourism. Not to mention the water that travelers use for drinking, showering, and other basic needs.

It's extremely important to consider the impact of your vacation on local water resources. The following tours showcase stunning waterways and ensure a light water footprint, and all of them are led by members of Tour Operators Promoting Sustainability (TOPS), a Rainforest Alliance network of Earth-friendly, local tour operators.

Costa Rica:

Costa Rica Sun Tours has a "Turtles, Whales & Dolphins" tour for marine wildlife lovers.

Nicaragua:

Gray Line offers a "Water & Tourism to Protect Our Future" tour on the legendary Lake Nicaragua.

VaPues Tours offers a "Rainforest Alliance Green Itinerary" that showcases the diverse and beautiful regions of Nicaragua.

DeTour, Viajes y Cultura has a "Land Surrounded by Water" tour that features cloud forests, volcanoes, and environmental education.

Peru:

Condor Travel's "Volunteer Program: Misminay Water Project" gives travelers the opportunity to meet and work with a rural community.

Mexico:

Explora, Ecoturismo y Aventura offers a "Highlands to the Lacandon Jungle" tour that visits indigenous rainforest communities.

This entry was posted on September 24, 2013 at 12:36 PM and has received 1553 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

The island of Ometepe is quite a unique place: formed by two twin volcanoes joined by a low isthmus, giving it the shape of an hourglass, it is the largest volcanic island in a freshwater lake in the world.

There are many activities to enjoy in Ometepe: hiking the steep volcanoes, riding motorbikes, visiting waterfalls and eco-farms, swimming in the massive blue lake, and going kayaking along the Istian River– one of the most popular tourist attractions!

Istian is a sanctuary for resident and migratory birds. The river and the swamp are not large, but there are a few different canals to paddle down where you can enjoy being surrounded by rich vegetation and spotting birds, monkeys, turtles, and caimans. During the relaxing ride, you will also be treated to some of the most amazing views of the Maderas and Concepcion volcanos.

This photo is from Totoco Eco Lodge, which helps guests arrange tours on the Istian River.

This entry was posted on September 20, 2013 at 12:24 PM and has received 650 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

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Chiloé Island in southern Chile has a tourist attraction that many consider surreal: a sunken forest of dead trees. In 1960, a strong earthquake caused a tsunami that flooded the valley Chepu, leaving behind hundreds of dead trees.

Today you can tour the Chepu River wetlands in a kayak. This photograph from Chepu Adventures Ecolodge shows a dawn excursion amid the the famous dead trunks.

This entry was posted on April 19, 2013 at 2:24 PM and has received 1040 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

There are a few places in the world that promise unique experiences for lovers of diving, snorkeling, and marine life, and one of them is on the Caribbean coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras: the magnificent Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.

The Mesoamerican Reef is the second largest reef in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia) and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, extending approximately 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico to the Bay Islands on the northern coast of Honduras.

Throughout this reef system are vast expanses of coastal wetlands, seagrass pastures, lagoons, mangrove forests, beaches, and dunes. These ecosystems are home to a rich biodiversity that includes 65 species of stony corals, 350 species of mollusks, more than 500 species of fish, and one of the largest manatee populations in the world. In addition, on the reef and in its surroundings live many endangered species such as leatherback sea turtles, West Indian manatees, black coral, and marine crocodiles, and seasonally it is also home to the largest aggregation of whale sharks worldwide.

This rich biodiversity and the beauty of the landscapes created by the reef's ecosystems make it a great tourist attraction. An estimated one in five people living on Caribbean coastlines is employed in tourism, an industry that is among the primary sources of income in these countries.

For starters, travelers can enjoy beautiful, fine white sand beaches that are products of the disintegrated remains of corals, calcareous algae, and other reef organisms. Tourists can also explore the coastal wetlands and mangroves of this reef, which serve as the nursery for many species of fish and provide an excellent opportunity to observe wildlife on canoeing and kayaking excursions.

However, scuba diving is the way that tourists can best experience the reef in all of its splendor. The warm, shallow, crystal clear waters of the coast bordering the Mesoamerican Reef offer impressive visibility of the hundreds of multicolored fish, turtles, manatees, and other marine species, as well as many types of coral.

Cancun, the Riviera Maya, and Costa Maya are some of Mexico's most popular sites for diving. In Belize, the biggest attraction is the Blue Hole; considered one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, it is located in Lighthouse Atoll and consists of a system of underwater caves and passages with stalactite formations dating to the last ice age. On the Caribbean side of Guatemala, the port of Livingston is popular for diving directly offshore and in the nearby Belize Cays. Finally, Honduras boasts sites such as Tela, Cayos Cochinos, Puerto Cortes and the Bay Islands (Roatán, Guanaja and Utila).

Sadly, the Mesoamerican Reef faces major threats caused by pollution, over exploitation of resources, and uncontrolled coastal development, among others. For this reason, and because of its immense importance for wildlife and the economy, the countries near the reef have created several national parks and protected areas to help conserve it. Some of these are Cozumel Reefs National Park, the Belize Barrier Reef, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, and the Cayos Cochinos Marine Park.

Similarly, initiatives such as the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) and several community projects aim to implement best sustainable tourism practices to reduce the negative impact of tourism activities on the wonderful Mesoamerican Reef.

If you want to experience the reef responsibly, search our listing for sustainable hotels and tour operators on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.

This entry was posted on November 13, 2012 at 12:28 PM and has received 1058 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

Wetlands are among the most complex, biodiverse, and productive ecosystems in nature. They have an essential role in filtering water, connecting aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and their waters are rich in nutrients, fish, and vegetation, making them a key habitat for many migratory birds. All of these features also make them wonderful ecotourism destinations.

There are several types of wetlands - freshwater and salt, such as lakes, ponds, streams, canals, swamps, estuaries, and deltas. In them, you can see plants and animals unique to these ecosystems and, of course, they are excellent places to go birdwatching. In some wetlands, you can also enjoy activities such as sustainable fishing, boat tours, and appreciating the impressive – and increasingly rare - mangrove forests.

Wetlands also offer an opportunity to delve into the cultural, historical, and even archaeological and paleontological treasures in the areas where they are located. For example, in Mexico's Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, you can take a canoe tour through canals that were once ancient Maya trade routes.

Indeed, this year the RAMSAR Secretariat and the World Tourism Organization (WTO) came together to celebrate World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2012 with the theme "Wetlands and tourism, opportunities and benefits to discover." The goal was not just to increase the number of tourists visiting wetlands, but to promote sustainable tourism that supports the conservation of these sites. The WTO published a report based on 14 case studies covering different types of wetlands from around the world, demonstrating that sustainable tourism practices in and around wetlands can contribute to conservation, economic growth, and poverty reduction.

Latin America is rich in wetlands to enjoy; Central America alone is known as a "giant wetland", since it is bordered by two coasts and has hundreds of inland lakes, canals, rivers and streams. An estimated 8% of the Central American territory is occupied by wetlands and 7% of its natural forests are mangroves.

The most important wetlands of Central America include the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Belize, which is 137 miles long and has a huge coastal lagoon system; the Gulf of Fonseca, shared by Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador; Lake Izabal and Laguna del Tigre in Guatemala; Jiquilisco Bay in El Salvador; the San Juan River in Nicaragua; the Gulf of Montijo in Panama; and Térraba-Sierpe and Caño Negro in Costa Rica. In fact, Térraba-Sierpe is the largest wetland in Costa Rica and on the Pacific coast of the continent, and has some of the largest mangrove forests in the world, about 74,131 acres (30,000 ha), which contains an impressive diversity of plants and animals.

Continuing down to South America, we find the high Andean wetlands called páramo or jalca and puna. These natural gems are highly important for micro-basin dynamics in the high mountains and other hydrographic systems. They also have many species of plants and animals not found anywhere else in the world, and are a temporary home for overwintering migratory birds.

South America is also home to the world's largest wetland: the Pantanal. Its 772-square miles are primarily located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. Argentina holds the world's second-largest wetland, the Iberá estuaries.

Other South American wetlands include the Chaco wetlands in Argentina, the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela, the Pastaza River wetland complex in the Peruvian Amazon, Salar de Tara in Chile, the Estrella Fluvial del Inírida wetlands in Colombia, and the Farrapos estuaries and Santa Lucía River wetlands in Uruguay.

Be a sustainable traveler - visit these wonderful ecosystems and support their conservation! In Sustainabletrip.org, you can find sustainable hotels and tour operators in and around wetlands in Central America and South America.

This entry was posted on September 18, 2012 at 11:14 AM and has received 1154 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.