Sri Lanka Holidays Turtles

Sea turtle viewing, cave swimming on green list Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- With more travellers expected to go green on their vacations next year, online travel community IgoUgo, owned by Travelocity, has come up with its top 10 eco-friendly destinations. The list is based on recommendations from IgoUgo editors who reviewed the journals by some of its 350,000 members.

1. Buck Island Reef National Monument - St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

The reef surrounding Buck Island was named first underwater national U.S. monument in 1961, which has resulted in an ecosystem so thriving that 30,000 visitors a year flock to see it.

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It's isn't easy being green. Just ask the leaf frogs in Costa Rica.

2. Sea Turtle Watching in Rekawa - Rekawa, Sri Lanka

Rekawa, is Sri Lanka's most popular beach for nesting sea turtles. Five of the seven species of sea turtle come to nest here.

3. Napo Wildlife Centre - Ecuador

Located inside Yasuni National Park, the new Napo Wildlife Centre is a co-operative venture with the local Indians.

4. Artisans D'Angkor Silk Farm - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Artisans D'Angkor is a state-run organization that promotes fair trade and sustainable development for Cambodians.

5. Celestun Biosphere Reserve - Yucatan, Mexico

Flat-bottomed boats take visitors into the lagoon where cormorants, egrets and herons can be seen along the way.

6. Rainforest Hike to Middleham Falls and Ti Tou Gorge with Ken's Hinterland Adventure Tours - Dominica

The Ti Tou Gorge, a cave-like river with a waterfall at one end, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; there's nothing like swimming upstream in a dark cave.

7. Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge - Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska

Owner Keith Iverson has built wood cabins along the shore of Sadie Cove with a wharf over the water.

8. Volcano Trekking at Gunung Batur - Gunung Batur, Bali

Gunung Batur is revered as the second holiest mountain in Bali. The volcano is still active and smoke can be seen seeping from its main crater.

9. Strokkur Geyser - Geysir Centre, Iceland

This is the setting for Strokkur, the most active geyser at Geysir. It oozes up into a turquoise dome, before bursting into life as a 10-metre high jet of water.

10. Canopy Tour - Quepos, Costa Rica

A forest-canopy tour that can include up-close views of orchids in bloom and toucans sitting in the trees.

© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007

The Vancouver Sun, Canada 8th January 2008