Top Ten Eco-friendly Honeymoon Locations

Lately we are all concerned about the carbon footprint that we are leaving behind. As a result of global warming we are all doing our best to recycle, reduce carbon emissions and generally try to live greener. But is it possible to take this idea of being “green” into the planning of your honeymoon? Can your honeymoon be green without giving up on the luxury or the overall fairytale?

Absolutely!  It is called sustainable tourism, sometimes known as eco-friendly tourism. Sustainable tourism is tourism that tries to have the least amount of impact on the environment and culture while also providing employment and income for that community.

There are many places that say they are “green” resorts, but that aren’t actually applying sustainable tourism to their industry. What you need to look for are places that pay their employees fair wages, respect the area and environment around them instead of leveling everything to build more hotel rooms, and make use of the local businesses and vendors.

Simple things that you can do wherever you honeymoon in order to make it eco-friendly is to buy at the local shops, get a local tour guide, use the local transportation and stay at local B&Bs or hotels dedicated to eco-friendly tourism. But if you are looking for the all out green experience there are several places that fit. From small mountain villages to extravagant, luxury resorts, these are places you can honeymoon and still feel good, knowing that you aren’t damaging the environment you are visiting. Just take a look at the list below. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised about how many places you can choose from and still be green!

Isle of Skye, Scotland

A place of passion where the wild North Sea meets dramatic mountains, this island was recently voted the 4th best island by National Geographic. Here you can walk through villages and mountain sides, getting to know a local culture that is dedicated to preserving their Gaelic heritage as well as their island’s environment.

Costal Fjords, Norway

With such beautiful scenery in their country such as the Fjords, the people of Norway have been dedicated to preserving their countryside for awhile now. It used to be expensive to have the full Norwegian experience, but now there is a company called Norway Green Tours that combines the use of local transportation, local businesses and local hostels to keep your trip into this natural wonder as green as possible. The best part? It is totally flexible. Just catch the bus when you want to make your way to the next beautiful destination!

Six Senses Spa and Resorts

Voted the Most Environmentally Friendly Traveling Company winning The 18th TTG Travel Award in 2007, this is a company that is dedicated solely to sustainable tourism. With several luxury resorts along southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and Six Senses is sure to have a right fit for you.

Yacutinga Lodge, Argentina

The Yacutinga Lodge is proud of the fact that it used rocks and fallen tree logs from the surrounding forest in order to build its lodge. Here you can not only enjoy being in the middle of native Argentina, but can give learn about the community by taking wildlife observation hikes and planting native trees. There are several different experiences to choose from and there is certain to be one especially for you.

Bora Bora, Tahiti

This “Pearl of the Pacific” has all the luxury you could possibly ask to have for your honeymoon all the while preserving the beauty of the island. Along with the resort huts that are handmade out of local hardwood, Bora Bora is also dedicated to their tours of the island being eco-friendly. Here you can feed sharks and eels, go parasailing or horseback riding, hiking or climbing, all without worrying that it is having negative impact on this breathtaking island.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Savusavu

One of the most renowned vacation spots in the South Pacific this resort won the 2008 World Traveler’s Award as Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel as well as Fiji’s Leading Resort. This resort offers a beautiful place to relax from post-wedding stress as well as an array of eco-friendly activities such as reef flats walks, rain forest hikes to waterfalls, kava ceremonies, sailing or scuba diving.

Hotel Eco Paraiso, Yucatan, Mexico

Fifteen private, specious bungalows each furnished with large beds, luxurious bathrooms, huge private terraces equipped with hammocks and personal views of the ocean…sound enticing? You get all this and more at the Hotel Eco Paraiso. Along with the romantic bungalows this hotels also boasts a Biosphere Reserve with sea turtles, flamingos and hundreds of natural fauna. If you get tired of taking lazy walks along the preserved beach, the activities provided include cooking lessons of local cuisine, bird watching, sailing or a massage.

Uno Lodge at Copper Canyon, Chihuahua, Mexico

If you and your fiancee are more mountain people than beach people you should look into the Uno Lodge in Mexico. It is an environmentally friendly lodge that over looks the Copper Canyon. It is miles away from the hoards of tourists that flock to Mexico every year and offers instead seclusion to enjoy the mountain environment and wildlife. But it isn’t just about bird watching here, the lodge also has local, bilingual residents as hiking guides who can take you through the canyon to not only see the wildlife and beauty, but also to observe cultural dance and music ceremonies, buy handcrafted pottery or taste the local food.

Maho Bay Camps, St. John, Virgin Islands

Maho Bay Camps is one of the most highly praised eco-tourism sights. Surrounded by the Virgin Islands National Park, they built their cottages by hand in order to not disturb the surrounding environment. The walking platforms are raised in order to avoid soil erosion which would eventually harm the beach and sensitive coral fauna. It is the perfect, tranquil, beautiful place to relax with your new spouse.

Your Hometown.

Remember that even if you go some where else you can still be ecofriendly by being as “local” as possible.   Visiting the tourist attractions near to where you live can be surprisingly fun and give you a whole new appreciation for the area where you are about to start your new life.  Pretend to be a tourist in your own backyard, and you will be saving the energy and carbon otherwise spent jetting off to somewhere further away.

If you didn’t find something in this list that is right for you ask your local travel agent about other places that adhere to sustainable tourism.