What are we going to do for the tenth year on the honeymoon? We’re on the hunt for the most romantic and sustainable destinations in the world! Places that are not just trying to be green, but those who have made it their compass. Tourism that actively makes the surrounding environment and communities stronger, all while inspiring their guests to do the same. We know romance and sustainability are the perfect couple and we can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes us. See our highly sought after destinations so far… Tetiaroa, French Polynesia First in our year-long quest to find the world’s most romantic and sustainable destinations… Tetiaroa, French Polynesia! For centuries, this gorgeous atoll north of Tahiti was a sacred meeting place for Polynesian kings. In the 1960s, Marlon Brando came to these atolls to shoot Mutiny on the Bounty, fell in love with his leading lady, and made Tetiaroa their home. They had a dream of using tourism, science and the local community to preserve the island. Decades later, this was achieved by The Brando Resort & the non-profit environmental and cultural Tetiaroa Society. The Society’s projects, from green sea turtle conservation to the Blue Climate Initiative (UN Decade of the Oceans project), are 70% funded by the resort and supported by visiting researchers from around the world. Leo DiCaprio stayed here. It’s a private island and one of the most luxurious resorts in the world, with oceanfront villas, personal infinity pools, a luxurious spa, gourmet cuisine, and five-star service. And all of this decadence is powered by solar power, seawater air conditioning, a permaculture garden, extensive recycling, and the first LEED-Platinum building in French Polynesia. To understand the two sides of this gold coin, we spent two days working alongside researchers at the Tetiaroa Society and two others living the luxury life at The Brando. Both were equally inspiring and the combination took our breath away. Watch this video to see how exciting sustainability can be. Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica The country itself is a boot in its progressive environmental policies, with 25% of their land protected as nature reserves, 53% of the country covered in forests (after decades-long reforestation efforts) and 99% renewable energy. Costa Rica is full of gorgeous beaches, volcanoes, rainforests, and luxury resorts that could fit the bill for a sustainable honeymoon destination, but none more so than the Osa Peninsula. National Geographic ranked it among the top five romantic destinations in the world, and with 2.5% of Earth’s biodiversity (at less than one percent of its total surface area), they also called it “the most biologically dense place on Earth.” It’s the most important wetland and mangrove ecosystem in Central America and the largest remaining area of lowland rainforest in Central America’s Pacific Ocean, not to mention the gorgeous beaches… count us in! We spent a week in this charming corner of southwest Costa Rica…hiking, birding, kayaking, swimming, meeting the judges helped make Osa a dream destination. Read on for a sustainable travel guide to the Osa Peninsula and planning your vacation. Watch Osa’s video to see this magical place come to life. A Himalayan kingdom that has been open only to the outside world since 1974, Bhutan is a country that measures success by gross national happiness, Bhutan has always fascinated us. Adding to the intrigue of the Land of Thunder Dragon, they had taken precautions against the pandemic to a new level and had closed their borders for the past 2.5 years. The country was finally opened to visitors on September 23, 2022…but through a series of government hoops and a magic whammy, we were invited in early on to help show that Bhutan is back and better than ever. Going through 916 days without visitors, the kingdom took that quiet time to polish every aspect of the tourism sector, including renovating hotels across the country, improving transportation, and training staff. They have also reinforced their commitment to being a carbon negative country with a slew of new sustainability initiatives – from a fleet of electric taxis to the Million Trees Project. It was an incredible honor to be among the first travelers to experience ‘New Bhutan’ and cover the Travel & Leisure story, and now (in even more engaging detail) for our HoneyTrek fans. From trekking to the famous tiger’s nest to flying in a cockpit over Mount Everest, joining a mask dance festival, climbing 12,000 feet, river rafting through 17th century forts, sleeping in Buddhist temples, planting trees and sharing tea with nomadic cowboys. We have a lot to share in our Bhutan travel guide. For visual highlights see IG Reel. This is an ever-growing list of the world’s most romantic and sustainable destinations… Stay tuned for what’s next on HoneyTrek’s Instagram. Do you have a really green area, hotel, tour operator or outfitter come to mind? We love to hear about them!
