With the COVID-19 pandemic putting travel on hold nationally and internationally, 2020 has brought challenging and unpredictable times for the tourism industry. However, as a creative, resilient and optimistic community of ecotourism businesses, we believe we can come through this challenge even stronger – and maybe even help chart a new, more sustainable path for…
Owen Watson, a guest of birding, conservation and wildlife tour company Inglorious Bustards, describes his adventures on an 8-day trip with RSPB Leeds local group (UK nature conservation charity) to experience the spectacle of avian migration across the Strait of Gibraltar, and explore stunning habitats and conservation initiatives on the Moroccan and Spanish sides of the…
Imagine, for a second, that you’re visiting a place you’ve always wanted to see – living an adventure that lays deep inside your heart and captivates your curiosity. Maybe you’re setting foot in a rainforest for the first time, breathing in the sweet scent of life, glimpsing the flittering blue of a Morpho butterfly’s wings,…
‘Don’t give up’ is the message that Kathleen Retourne wanted to share when she took a chance on entering Travel Blogger of the Year. Having won Second Runner Up in the Judges’ Choice competition for her story ‘Where the sky meets the earth’, it’s clear that her message of hope hit home. On the surface,…
A courageous story about the power of nature travel to ease the trials of pregnancy won judges’ hearts in Travel Blogger of the Year. Conservationist and National Geographic Kids contributor Kate Stephenson of Kate On Conservation took a risk when she wrote candidly about her experience of pregnancy while visiting Saint Lucia. But her honesty…
On 31 January 2020, a story about discovering your own road, rather than chasing a destination, won travel writer Erik Gauger the title of Travel Blogger of the Year. At first glance, it might seem that Gauger’s story, ‘The Places Between’, is an unusual choice for the competition’s theme ‘Your favourite place on Earth’. But…
A story about finding your own road, rather than chasing a destination, won travel writer Erik Gauger the title of Travel Blogger of the Year. Travel Blogger of the Year is run by Terra Incognita, a social enterprise that seeks to promote the best examples of ethical ecotourism worldwide, and sponsored by SWAROVSKI OPTIK, Tranquilo…
In 2018 we set out to find, recognise and promote examples of ethical ecotourism. We believe strongly in tourism that creates a positive impact by supporting conservation and local communities, and educating all involved. But we also know that many authentic tourism operators struggle to have their voices heard amidst greenwashing – and that even…
Fourteen kilometres of sea and sky are all that separate two continents. At 9am, the Mediterranean sun is already warming the air and sparkling on the calm waters. It’s early autumn, and this narrow – but potentially deadly – stretch of sea is all that stands between countless millions of birds and the next leg…
“There’s a place I know that nobody knows, where the river flows and I call it home.” Deep in the jungles of Central America lies a place called Jalova—it’s waters warm, it’s forest thick and it’s creatures alive from morning to night. As we depart from the city on a 6-hour bus ride, sounds of…