Looking for a break from the winter blues? Start planning your next vacation with a wild twist by going on an exotic adventure in to the natural world. Imagine yourself at the base of a tremendous cascading waterfall, or in a lush tropical rain forest alive with brightly-colored parrots and agile monkeys or within feet of a majestic whale gliding through the water. World Wildlife Fund has chosen 10 nature-based travel destinations that can give you these rare opportunities while promoting conservation and education with little impact on the environment.
Hike in Hawaii
Experience the Haleakala Crater, an enormous bowl-shaped crater on Maui Island. The crater is situated 10,000 feet above sea level, and when standing on the upper ridges of the crater, hikers can look down at the island-hopping jets in flight! The bowl is 7 miles long, 3 miles wide, and 2,000 feet deep. Venture into Haleakala through rare sliding sand trails and rockscapes, lava tubes, and plummeting volcanic pits. Sparse vegetation survives within the crater including the rare balloon-shaped silversword plant. Look for birds like the mooing nene goose. While hiking Halemau’u Trail, the challenging vertical climb, look for copper, rust, and deep green-colored rock formations. Continue deep into Haleakala and find Ko’olau Gap, a crack in the crater which eventually meets with the Pacific Ocean. In addition to conquering this impressive land formation, enjoy the splendor of Hawaiian foliage and natural traditions.
You won’t believe Belize
Belize is home to the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, stretching 185 miles along the coast. Remarkable snorkel and dive opportunities are available. Preservation is a cultural tradition in Belize and there are numerous opportunities to explore Mayan ruins. Visit the Jaguar Preserve at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and if adventurous, scale Victoria Peak, the pinnacle of the preserve. Another point of interest is the Community Baboon Sanctuary, a black howler monkey habitat that WWF has helped to maintain. Whether hiking through the splendid rain forests alive with howler and spider monkeys, brilliant butterflies and extraordinary birds, or searching the many lagoons for elusive manatees and the endangered Morelet’s crocodile, you will find that natural beauty is abound in this Central American destination.
Spend a fortnight in the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys, a chain of islands south of the mainland peninsula, is a major attraction for scuba divers. You will find North America’s only coral barrier reef teeming with sea life. The nation’s first underwater preserve, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, is located here as well as many other conservation sites. The newest scuba attraction is the Spiegel Grove wreck, which is the largest vessel ever sunk (June 2002) to facilitate algae, sponge, and coral growth. Explore this underwater world by day, and enjoy the island flora by night.
Marvel at Mozambique
Visit Mozambique, Africa’s hidden jewel that is a paradise of crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches, palm trees and coral reefs. Visit newly expanded Bazarutto Archipelago National Park, where world-class snorkeling and scuba diving mean close encounters with dolphins, whales, sea turtles and hundreds of tropical fish species. You may even run into a massive whale shark or an endangered dugong (cousin of Florida’s manatees and a distant relative of the elephant) munching on the region’s extensive seagrass beds. Travel six miles from the coast to Bazarutto Archipelago’s islands in traditional Arabic sailing dhow and experience giant sand dunes, freshwater lakes, Nile crocodiles, monkeys and flamingoes.
Speed to Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is known as red rock country with its towering red mesas and canyons in central Arizona. Hike, climb, and marvel at these natural structures carved out of weathered earth some 300 million years old. Sendona peaks are multi-colored, and multi-layered. Set against blue skies and sun, few sites are as picturesque. Some famous geographic structures include Bell Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Cathedral Rock. Horseback ride along trails, and camp under the stars. Wade through waterslides near canyon peaks, and learn Native American plant uses and remedies. Explore two national monuments nearby, Tuzigoot pueblo and Montezuma’s Castle. Both structures built by Sinagua Indians utilize natural compounds, adhering to the longstanding Southwest tradition of respect for the Earth.
Slowdown in the South Pacific Islands
Explore paradise! The islands of the South Pacific are the perfect spot for experiencing beautiful scenery and peaceful surroundings. Six hundred species of coral dot the waters forming reefs throughout the island chain, perfect for snorkel and dive opportunities. You will find rare tropical fish, spinning dolphins, sea turtles, and pilot whales in these waters. On shore, enjoy deserted white sand beaches, private atolls, and sea swept lagoons. In the rainforests you will find exotic butterflies, cascading waterfalls, and lush foliage. Make sure to include Easter Island in your journey, where mysterious ancient stone statues gaze outward towards the sea.
Bask in Baja, California
Each winter gray whales make the longest migration of any mammal, south from their Arctic feeding grounds to breed and rear their young in Baja California’s sheltered lagoons. Venture into the breeding lagoons of Bahia Magdalena, to experience a water-level perspective that is a rare privilege in the natural world. Also enjoy uninhabited desert islands, swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking adventures in the Sea of Cortez. Whales, dolphins, sea lions, birds such as blue-footed boobies and red-billed tropicbirds, huge cardon cacti, mangroves and sand dunes are among the wonders you’ll experience.
Get going to Greenland
Explore Greenland, a destination defined by icebergs and seascapes. By boat, hover among extraordinary blue icebergs at Illulissat Icefjord, the fastest moving glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. Coastal Greenland meets the sea in towering cliffs, walls of glacial ice, and ancient rock. On land find caribou, foxes, polar bears, countless seabirds, and other fascinating wildlife that has adapted to some of nature’s most extreme conditions. Offshore look for humpback, minke, and fin whales. Travel into the fjordcut coast of Canada’s Baffin Island, keeping close watch for narwhals, belugas, and seal colonies. Visiting this northern latitude during the summer months is suggested-perhaps the only season when a brief explosion of color exists as wildflowers blossom amid moss-covered slopes.
Call on China
China offers the rare opportunity to experience giant pandas in their natural habitat. The WWF-supported Wolong Giant Panda Reserves in the western region of the Sichuan province are home to these rare creatures, as well as Golden Monkeys, Red Pandas, Leopards, and thousands of plant and animal species. Experience mountain climbing, trekking through gorges and Chinese holy lands, white water rafting along the rivers in the Yunnan Province and biking throughout the area. Try birding in the wetlands of Shangri-la, or a lazy cruise down the Yangzi River where you will find misty landscapes and lush foliage. Meet China’s ancient tribal people, the Baima, and learn Eastern traditions of respect for the environment.
Discover Denali National Park, Alaska
Denali National Park is home to North America’s highest mountain, Mt. McKinley, towering more than 20,000 feet above the preserve. Mountain climbing is a major attraction, as well as less physically challenging adventures like hiking through the tundra or glacial terrain. Experience grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, and moose in this sub-arctic ecosystem from the safety of a park-sanctioned tour bus, or venture off trail to explore rare frozen landscapes among the wildlife in this spectacular Alaskan setting. The park has resisted forming extensive trails, leaving exploration to chance and imagination. In conjunction with Alaska’s long-respected tradition of preservation, few national parks are as untouched and serene as Denali.
Each of these destinations will introduce travelers to the wonders of the wild and the importance of preserving these natural attractions. For more information about visiting these places and the concept of using tourism to support conservation visit:
