Green Travel with Asia Transpacific Journeys

Green Travel with Asia Transpacific Journeys
For the ecologically minded, the countries we choose to explore and the ways in which we do so globe are paramount. Asia Transpacific Journeys recognizes that their love of travel and cultural discovery must be intertwined with a commitment to preserving the world's beauty and resources. Without lush landscapes, a variety of wildlife and unique geography, there would be nothing to discover.

Sri Lanka is one of Asia's hidden gems and one of the world's most bio-diverse locales. For lovers of wildlife, Sri Lanka offers some of the best encounters in Asia. Asia Transpacific Journeys can help you gain a deeper appreciation for all things fauna with private, naturalist-run, wildlife safaris in one of the island's many national parks. Observe wild leopards on the prowl at Yala National Park, watch vibrantly colorful birds at Sinharaja Forest Reserve and, most unexpectedly, watch elephants swim between islands at Gal Oya National Park.

Your eco-experience doesn't end with a trek into the wild, but continues throughout your stay with the inclusion of luxurious, eco-conscious accommodations. Asia Transpacific Journeys favors properties like the Jetwing Vil Uyana, recognized as one of the world's best eco-hotels. Set in a private, manmade nature reserve of wetland lakes and reed beds, guestrooms are set within these paddy fields to provide a truly immerse wilderness experience. Transportation between the resort's thatched-roof bungalows is provided by zero-emission electric buggies.

For those drawn to a tropical eco-adventure, look no further than Indonesia. Bali is overflowing with unique experience to offer eco-friendly travelers. Walk through stunning rice fields outside of Ubud to chat with friendly farmers about the impact of traditional, organic rice versus government-subsidized hybrid rice cultivation on Bali. Stop for a breakfast picnic of rice porridge served from a banana-leaf cone and eaten with a bio-degradable spoon fashioned from a palm frond.

Visit the bamboo-built campus of The Green School, a super-progressive private, K-12 focused on holistic, eco-conscious education. (The entire school is virtually zero waste–banana leaves are used to wrap snacks instead of Tupperware, old truck windshields are upcycled into white boards and students learn aquaponic agriculture and composting techniques alongside their academic subjects).

Then hop a short flight to the nearby island of Borneo, home to wild orangutans and a profusion of other endemic wildlife. Sadly, recent fires (to clear land for palm oil plantations) have devastated large swathes of land, further imperiling the endangered orangutans and other wildlife that call the island home. For this reason, now is the time to see these creatures for yourself and invest your tourism dollars in eco-conscious initiatives that support these animals' protection. One option is a visit to Camp Leakey, located in Tanjung Puting National Park and accessible only by river. This renowned orangutan research station reintroduces formerly captive orangutans to the wild and provides the rare opportunity to observe these intelligent creatures up close in their natural habitat.

Asia Transpacific Journeys has been crafting private Custom Journeys and Small Group Trips to Asia and the Pacific since 1987. Our highly decorated staff is committed to providing exceptional service and deeply insightful cultural interpretation based on firsthand experience. Asia Transpacific Journeys has been honored with the designation of World's Best Tour Operator by Travel + Leisure, received a Travel + Leisure's Global Vision Award and was highlighted in National Geographic Traveler's Best Trips feature.

For more information about a Custom Journey to Asia or the Pacific, please visit www.AsiaTranspacific.com or call (toll-free) 800-642-2742.