Breaking away from the common aspiration to travel in a warm and tropical destination can be difficult – but Patagonia makes it EASY. Mixing immense natural beauty, rich wildlife and satisfying activities makes Patagonia a must for active travellers. Traveling throughout Patagonia results in boundless vantage points of ice-tipped mountains, granite cliffs, and icebergs. Turquoise tinted glaciers, river valleys, tangled pine forests, and spongy grassland plains reward all who visit.

On July 29, 2012, The Squaxin Island Tribe will host the Paddle to Squaxin 24th Annual Canoe Journey, an inter-tribal celebration of Pacific Northwest canoe culture and tradition. More than 100 canoes will land at the Port of Olympia, in Washington state, with thousands of people joining together to welcome each arrival. For centuries, Pacific Northwest tribal people navigated the waterways in intricately carved dugout canoes. The Salish Sea, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia in Canada, were the central force that connected canoe cultures for inter-tribal communication and trade.

By Amy McLoughlin

The quiet village of Thrikkaipetta is a beacon for community spirit and an inspiration for ethical tourism. Thrikkaipetta’s Bamboo Village was initiated by local people, passionate about improving life for the community. It is a community led bamboo nursery, using the materials to create traditional crafts, food products, for environmental protection and as a tourism attraction.

By Piero Ponce

Ayacucho is a region located in the central Peruvian Andes and encompasses the province of Puquio, an extensive area with historical archeological sites and home of a living culture that mainly speaks the Inca language Runasimi. Through a visit to that area, I could experience a close touch with the rural world and Andean nature. Puquio can only be reached by bus, thus it offers the chance to see marvelous landscapes among the route.

EcoCamp Patagonia is located at the very tip of South America, in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, with a unique view of the majestic granite towers. The region’s first fully sustainable accommodation south of the Amazon and the first of its kind in the Patagonian wilderness, EcoCamp offers upscale camping in geodesic domes inspired by the region’s ancient nomadic inhabitants. Guests enjoy guided treks and wildlife excursions by day and Chilean food and wine at night.

Ali Dempsey

Global Basecamps and Maasai Wanderings strive to make education easily accessible and free to the Maasai children of Ilkurot, with the hope that educated Maasai will be better equipped to aid in retaining their ancient culture. In addition to providing valuable educational opportunities to children, Ilkurot Nursery School also supports teachers and cooks by offering employment, and promotes additional cultural tourism throughout the village.

Association “Neni E” (meaning “Neni, Yes!”) was founded in 2004 by two French brothers, who had lived with an African family for four months and observed the tourist flow passing by the village of Neni. The Association aims to provide a different way to discover the Dogon Country: in a humane, ecologically responsible and ethical manner, giving the travelers a real insight into the life in an African village.

El Remanso Lodge (Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica) has been awarded with the “Level 5″ of the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), a rigorous certification program by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) that evaluates tourism companies’ sustainability practices in natural, cultural and social resource management. El Remanso Lodge implements various sustainability practices such as: utilizing local and sustainable construction materials; progressive waste management to avoid excess waste; banning bottled water; and using fully biodegradable cleaning supplies.

Tourism activities under the Sápmi Experience Quality Label are based on the common heritage of the Sámi. Sámi tourism must be sustainable over the long term. This means that tourism must be accepted and established, culturally and socially, in Sámi society, and the host must be able to communicate Sámi values and way of life. Sápmi Experience operators strive for social, cultural, ecological and commercial sustainability. They are companies that respect the integrity of the Sámi culture and work to prevent its objectification.

Basecamp Foundation Kenya and Mara Naboisho Conservancy, in collaboration with The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), will celebrate the World Tourism Day (September 27th, 2011) in Maasai Mara, a national game reserve in Southwestern Kenya. The celebration will be hosted at Koiyaki Guiding School, at the heart of the Conservancy and will focus on this year’s WTD theme, “Tourism Linking Cultures” and tourism’s role in bringing the cultures of the world together and promoting global understanding.