By Stefanie Baeker, Project Mayan Encounter – There is a lot to learn and explore in Riviera Maya, if one chooses to go beyond the tourist areas. Having lived in this region for six years, I have personally gained valuable insights in terms of downsizing my life. Simplifying our lives does not mean that we have to let go of quality. Knowledge and experience gained through travel lasts for a whole life and beyond; material gains are subject to the law of impermanence.

As a private 365-acre nature reserve set along the banks of the Macal River in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, The Lodge at Chaa Creek provides a unique adventure travel experience for thousands of people while maintaining an unspoiled ambiance. The story of Chaa Creek Cottages began in 1977 when two young travelers stumbled upon what would later become their adopted home – an overgrown 140 acre farm in the Cayo District. They soon moved out to the jungle property and within years the land was producing home grown vegetables.

The island’s steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rainforest preserves of St. Lucia’s mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean’s finest locales for hiking, bird-watching and canopy ride adventures. Fond Doux Holiday Plantation in St Lucia is a 19th century colonial plantation hotel set in nature amidst the lush, tropical foliage of St Lucia’s breadbasket, historical center and world heritage site, Soufriere. Luxurious, historical and architecturally intriguing the Fond Doux Holiday Plantation is a journey back in time and closer to nature.

In 2008, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill made significant steps towards achieving the goals of developing high quality responsible tourism experiences with minimal negative impact. A value-driven company, the hotel has always taken the long term view of the sustainability challenges. When it opened in 1993, the hotel focused on being an earth-friendly hotel, contributing to biodiversity conservation and environmental initiatives. With the new goals of becoming water and carbon neutral, the hotel addresses the critical issue of climate change.

An important aspect of Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge’s environment policy is to involve the local community in ecotourism projects. All the employees come from local villages, and are trained in sustainable living. Guests will have various opportunities to experience the local community first hand through community-based ecotourism activities showcasing environmentally sound practices, as well as providing options to get involved in various local community projects. Among the many sustainability initiatives by Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge is the Dominica International EcoFest

Excerpts from “SUN, SAND, AND SUSTAINABILITY: Corporate Environmental and Social Practice in Caribbean Coastal Tourism” (2006) by Emma Stewart, Ph.D., Research Manager at Business for Social Responsibility – the Caribbean is an important region in which to examine the patterns of corporate environmental and social practice in the tourism sector. And in fact, it also provides a sort of ‘natural experiment’, comparing two Caribbean island nations, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, that have similar tourism markets but greatly different approaches towards managing them.

“Luckily there are always people who put quality before quantity and operate on a small and green level, and they make a real change. In our region we have one eco adventure travel agency that grew extremely over the past years, and they use a lot of that income for improvements in the Mayan communities… They manage quite some numbers of tourists in the high season though, and although they provide income for communities, their vans make a large part of the daily traffic.” – Stefanie Baeker, Project Mayan Encounter

Daydreaming of the Caribbean typically leads to images of being enveloped in crystalline, azure waters, surrounded by blue skies, lush green forests, and a symphony of mingling accents, animal chatter, and island rhythms. Named after the Carib Indigenous people originating from the Lesser Antilles and South America, the Caribbean region consists of over 7000 islands, islets, reefs and cays framed by the Gulf of Mexico, North, South and Central America. A biodiversity hot-spot, the Caribbean supports a range of rich ecosystems, many of which are threatened.

Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast offers experiences completely unique from the Pacific Coast. Here you’ll encounter azure waters, blissful bike-rides through coconut groves and winding sea-side roads, spicier cuisine, melodic Patois (Patwa) mingling with English and Spanish, stronger Indigenous presence and an increasing community-wide commitment to greener living. While this may sound familiar, the Caribbean promises plenty of pleasant surprises and style of pura vida all its own.