The Top Eco Travel Ideas for 2024
Content and CRM Executive
Book sustainably and responsibly with these fun, eco-friendly Culture Trip adventures around the globe.
Make this the year you see the natural wonders of the world without abandoning your sustainability principles. Trade pavement pounding for walks in nature, allowing your soles to traverse Thailand’s jungles, Costa Rica’s volcanoes and the African savannah. Soak up the vibrancy that only tropical plants, volcanic cones and rushing rivers can create. Collect some of this year’s top eco travel ideas and trek across our planet responsibly with these environmentally conscious Culture Trips, and read our Commitment to Responsible Travel to find out more about how we keep our trips good for the planet.
Traverse the mystical cloud forests of Costa Rica
Immerse yourself in nature on this eco travel jungle safari through Costa Rica. We’ll start in the surrounds of Arenal Volcano, where you’ll sip on locally produced coffee and soak in the soothing waters of the sustainably minded Eco Termales Hot Springs, as well as spotting sloths on a wildlife tour of the jungle. In the cloud forests of Monteverde, we’ll stay at an eco-friendly country lodge and take an authentic local cooking class, as well as looking out for howler monkeys and pumas on a nighttime trek. The trip ends in the laid-back Pacific surf town of Tamarindo, where you can take a yoga class, a surf lesson or simply chill on the beach.
From US$2099
Next available from 9th Dec 2023
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
San Jose, Costa Rica
ENDS AT
Tamarindo, Provincia De Guanacaste
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
17
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Discover the tea plantations and national parks of Sri Lanka
This beautiful South Asian island is testament to the beauty of our planet, and our 10-day Rail Trip relies on eco-friendly train travel to whizz you around the country. In the central heartlands of the island you’ll take an authentic cooking class at a local family’s home, as well as visiting a local brass cutting factory to learn about the regional economy. The highlight of the trip is a stunning afternoon train ride from Kandy to Ella, which winds along splendid tea plantations, rural villages and epic stone bridges. After basking in the extraordinary natural surrounds of Ella, we’ll spend a day spotting leopards, elephants and crocodiles in Udawalawe National Park, followed by a visit to Elephant Transit Home, a sanctuary that rehabilitates orphaned or abandoned baby elephants before releasing them back into the wild.
From US$1259
Next available from 13th Jan 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Colombo, Sri Lanka
ENDS AT
Colombo, Sri Lanka
DURATION
10
GROUP SIZE
12
PHYSICAL RATING
Moderate
STYLE
Discovery
Animal encounters and tribal experiences in rural Kenya
Our eight-day Immersive Kenya trip ensures that you get an authentic experience in the wilds of East Africa, which treats the environment – as well as the people and animals who populate it – with care and respect. We’ll start with authentic cultural experiences around Nairobi and a visit to a conservational giraffe centre. From there we’ll visit a local market and coffee farm en route to the Aberdare National Park, where a scenic country lodge awaits. Next up is Lake Nakuru, where we’ll spot pink flamingo and black rhino wading in the shallow waters. The trip ends in the spectacular Maasai Mara savannah, at an eco-friendly luxury campsite. We’ll spend a full day learning about tribal life at a rural Maasai village, and another spotting the Big Five on game drives around the Mara. You’ll also get a chance to visit a local school, for which you are more than welcome to bring supplies for donation!
From US$2811
Next available from 11th Feb 2024
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Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Nairobi, Kenya
ENDS AT
Nairobi, Kenya
DURATION
8
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Explore Thailand and Laos by train
Crossing borders shouldn’t always have to mean catching flights, certainly not when the distance is so short. Our trips are focused on overland travel and our Rail Trips can often cross multiple borders without ever having to board a plane. This two-week epic only crosses the one as we focus on two of Southeast Asia’s most beautiful countries, Thailand and Laos. In Northern Thailand we’ll take an authentic Thai cooking class, visit an ethical elephant sanctuary and glamp out in the jungle. Meanwhile in Laos we’ll visit whisky-making locals in rural villages along the Mekong, hike to the spectacular Kuang Si Falls and kayak along the Nam Song river, before catching the overnight sleeper train back to Bangkok.
From US$1957
Next available from 2nd Dec 2023
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
ENDS AT
Bangkok, Thailand
DURATION
14
GROUP SIZE
16
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
Cycle alongside rice paddies in Vietnam
Dodge scooters in horn-honking Hanoi before escaping to the tranquil Lan Ha Bay – Halong Bay’s lesser-known neighbour – on a 12-day trip through Vietnam. Continue your eco travels by bicycle as you ride past lush rice paddies, stopping to feed buffalo as you go. Learn how to weave bamboo baskets with Mai Chau’s White Thai locals before hopping on a sleeper train to the ancient capital, Hue. Hop on a rickshaw-style cyclo for an atmospheric way to explore the lantern-lit canals and sizzling street food stalls of the Imperial City.
From US$1204
Next available from 5th Dec 2023
Secure your spot with a low deposit
Trip highlights and details
STARTS AT
Hanoi, Vietnam
ENDS AT
Hoi An, Vietnam
DURATION
12
GROUP SIZE
18
PHYSICAL RATING
Light
STYLE
Discovery
This is an updated version of an article originally contributed to by Nick Dauk, Lorna Turnbull, Chloe Thrussell and Louis Rabinowitz.
Volcanic Iceland Epic Trip
meet our Local Insider
Hanna
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A GUIDE?
2 years.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
It's the personal contact, the personal experiences. I love meeting people from all over the world... I really like getting to know everyone and feeling like I'm traveling with a group of friends.
WHAT DESTINATION IS ON YOUR TRAVEL BUCKET-LIST?
I have so many places on my list, but I would really lobe to go to Africa. I consider myself an “adventure girl” and Africa feels like the ULTIMATE adventure!
Every CULTURE TRIP Small-group adventure is led by a Local Insider just like Hanna.
KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?
Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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