โป๏ธ Winners of low impact tourism + Inspirational first solo trips
Published 16 days agoย โขย 7 min read
Hi Reader,
As we enter the last days of August, I can't help but start feeling a bit nostalgic for my favorite time of the year that seems to be winding down.
I plan to make the most of the last days of the month, before my travels start again at the beginning of September with our tour to Georgia. PS: We have a couple of spots left on the second trip in September.
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๐ฉ On this week's email:
The champions of low-impact tourism, the destinations that favor small numbers instead of mass tourism.
How did you get the courage to take your first solo trip? Inspirational stories from our community.
We have lost touch with nature, and that is not good for its preservation.
Destinations that prioritise low-impact tourism
At a time when overtourism fills headlines, it's good to remember that there are also some destinations out there that are prioritising small numbers and low impact tourism.
Bhutan
Bhutan's Tigers Nest
The Kingdom in the Skies is a tiny country located in the Himalayas, sandwiched between India and Nepal. With just under 800,000 citizens, this traditional Buddhist country is focused on preserving its natural resources and it is famously known for being carbon positive.
When it comes to tourism, the King decided to charge high daily fees for every visitor and limiting tourism development across the country.
To visit, most travelers will need to get a visa and pay a Sustainable Development Fee of $100 per day until 31st August 2027, when this fee will go back to the regular $200 a day.
This fee helps pay for all the infrastructure, to maintain the country's natural resources, the impact tourists have, as well as provide free education and healthcare to the Bhutanese.
The country aims to keep the annual number of visitors to 300,000. Of these, around half will pay the $100 fee whereas the other half come from countries with lower fees (Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Maldives).
I visited Bhutan when the fee was $65 and visitors were expected to spend a minimum of $200 per day that included the fee as well as accommodation, a guide and driver.
To date, it remains one of my most favorite places to visit and one that is in my top-3.
Rwanda
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Rwanda's tourism developed much later than for its neighbours and only after the genocide, in the mid-90s.
With the experience of many other destinations very much present, the government decided to adopt a strategy of high-end / low-volume tourism, favoring the development of ultra-luxury lodges and resorts instead of more affordable options.
Gorilla permits at Volcanoes National Park are $1,500 instead of the $750 that Uganda charges just across the border, and the country is known for the many fabulous and exclusive accommodation options that opened in the last 10 years.
Looking at Volcanoes Nat Park from Bisate's luxury villa
From Wilderness Bisate's luxury nest villas to One&Only's two properties or Singita's luxury lodge, Rwanda has the highest concentration of bucket list lodges of any other African country and its parks have been recently repopulated with strict conservation and development measures put into place.
Despite its very high prices and luxury experiences, Rwanda welcomed 1.4 million visitors in 2024, three times more than in 2021. Of those, less than 150,000 visited its national parks. For comparison, 1.5 million people visit Tanzania's national parks every year.
โCheck out this interview with the Chief Tourism Officer of Rwanda to learn more about the country's tourism strategy.
Galapagos Islands
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The Galapagos are focused on protecting its fragile eco-system like a hawk and ensuring that tourism benefits locals, over mainland Ecuadorians and other nationalities.
Firstly, the islands can only be accessed by plane, so arrivals can easily be controlled by the number of flights landing every day.
Every visitor to the Galapagos needs to pay a $200 National Park fee and a $20 transit fee, the proceeds of which are used in conservation.
The number of accommodation options on the islands is limited and only locals can own a business or a boat.
The best way to explore the islands is on a small boat, the number of which is also controlled with a system of permits. Every time a new boat is added, an older one needs to be decommissioned as boat permits are constant to only 69 for multi-day cruises and 11 for day trip boats.
This means that only a maximum of 1,660 people sleeping on a cruise and 180 people on day trip boats can explore the various national park sites.
Boats need to have a naturalist guide for every 16 guests onboard, and this guide will accompany guests at all times in their excursions on land or at sea. Guests cannot explore the national park protected areas on their own, they need to be accompanied by a guide at all times.
Naturalist guides must be born in the Galapagos or have married into a local person. Ecuadorians from mainland cannot work as naturalist guides unless married to a local.
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No boat can carry more than 100 passengers are the majority are in the 16-32 people range. Only a couple of boats are large enough to carry 96.
The itineraries that boats can follow are pre-established and operators need to pick the ones they will offer. All itineraries run on a 2-week basis and the number of boats at each stop is limited to 3.
Only 16 guest can be at each specific location at one time which means that you are likely going to be alone.
Naturalist guides all know each other and make sure that the 3 boats at each location coordinate to ensure each group is alone.
Protecting wildlife is a main priority for the local authorities and there are several rules to minimise impact.
Visitors need to maintain a safe distance from all wildlife, cannot feed or touch any animal, and can only walk on pre-set trails that are clearly marked.
Fragile parts of the islands are beyond tourist reach and naturalists are trained to make sure wildlife is always safe. Nothing can be brought into or taken from the islands.
As you can imagine, the many regulations and rules in place have maintained prices really high and numbers low to around 350,000 a year, with almost all benefits from tourism going to local hands.
We offer a luxury sailing trip to the Galapagos in December 2026, the best time to visit. We have selected a female owned local boat that is also carbon-zero certified. C ome join us!
"When I realized tomorrow isn't guaranteed. When I wanted experiences not things. When I needed to see more then my own space"
"Realizing I cannot rely on anyone else to experience life with me."
"Got divorced after 40 years and then retired. We had always planned to travel and I had been looking forward to this stage of life. It took a bit of pulling myself up by my bootstraps but once I took that first trip there's been no stopping me."
"Poor impulse control and lack of patience."
"I was determined to take the trip my husband had always wanted to take, he passed away before we could go. So I went to the UK for him and had Irish whiskey in Ireland and scotch whiskey in Scotland. My daughter said mom you will get lost! Lol! I said we'll we all speak the same language and I don't care if I get lost, because I am lost without Ray."
"So, I have been single for 26yrs and after my daughter move out, it was a case of โIf you want to see and do cool stuff, then I have to do it on my own or miss out!โ Wasnโt about to miss out "
Last spots left on our 2025 tours
Still on time to travel with us this year:
๐ 3 SPOTS left on our Georgia tour 20 to 28 September => BOOK GEORGIAโ
๐ 1 SPOT opened up on our Morocco tour 6 to 16 November => BOOK MOROCCOโโ
๐ 1 SPOT left on our Australia tour 12 to 23 October => BOOK AUSTRALIAโ
๐ 3 SPOTS left on our Oaxaca 12 to 18 October tour (๐ธ photographer onboard) and 3 SPOTS left on our 9 to 15 November tour => BOOK OAXACAโ
๐ 2 SPOTS left on our Xmas markets tour 22 to 29 November => BOOK XMAS MARKETSโ
๐ 4 SPOTS left on our Cuba tour for New Year's Eve, the celebration you needed! => BOOK CUBA
This is the famous landmark building in Auroville, an alternative community in the south of India focused on human unity. Auroville can be visited as a day trip from Chennai and it is a fascinating place.
The landscapes below are very characteristic - can you guess where this was taken?
In case you missed it
Travel news, community discussions and other important things to know:
Vintage commercial photos of flying through the decades. See here.
The most turbulent flight routes in each continent. Read here.
Here is what you could be fined for in many European cities and countries. Hint, it's mostly bad behavior you shouldn't be doing anyway. Read more.
How Helsinki achieved an entire year without a traffic death. Read here.
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Our connection to nature has decreased by 60% since 1800 according to a new study.
We don't spend as much time in it, we don't talk about it, we don't feel it. We can't love or protect something we don't understand or haven't been close to, but travel gives us the chance to reconnect if we don't live near it.
I favor nature destinations over city breaks and that's why we offer so many tours that spend time outdoors.
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