New Go Green Tours: Sustainability-Focused Excursions Around the Globe

Delve into St. Lucia’s fascinating beekeeping practices, explore biodynamic wineries in South Africa, meet a Nordic designer that upcycles to create eco-conscious clothing, enjoy a delicious organic lunch on a regenerative farm in Yangon – these experiences are just a snapshot of the adventures and opportunities that await on our exciting lineup of new Go Green tours.

Our new Go Green tours create fascinating educational jaunts that illuminate the unique ways in which local residences and businesses are working to conserve and sustain their surroundings. Spanning the globe from Asia and Africa to Europe, South America and the Caribbean, nearly 200 Go Green tours have been introduced. The experiences are rich and varied, and these sustainability-focused excursions highlight the range of thoughtful and creative solutions that have been developed to address complex environmental challenges such as climate change. With that, let’s tour the world through the lens of sustainability, innovative green practices and inspiring conservation experiences.

The Caribbean
Honeybees: Enhancing Biodiversity | Castries, St. Lucia
Gain insight into how honeybees contribute to St. Lucia’s biodiversity while browsing the Iyanola Apiculture Collective, an organization that supports beekeeping throughout the Caribbean. From the on-site observation room, you will watch beekeepers in protective suits as they check on the hives and honey production. You will also learn a bit about the history of beekeeping over the past 4,500 years, the importance of bees with regard to pollinating many of the world’s food sources and why bees are becoming endangered perhaps due to environmental factors. Bees are fascinating creatures, as they have five eyes, fly up to 15 miles an hour and are the only insect that produces food that humans eat. You will be offered a taste of the black mangrove honey produced at the collective and have the chance to make a scented candle from natural beeswax.

South America
An Eco-Farm Experience at the End of the World | Ushuaia, Argentina
See how fresh produce can be grown in a sustainable way in one of the world’s most remote areas. While driving to the farm, you will pass through an extraordinarily pristine landscape and soon understand why the locals are so passionate about protecting it. At Ruca Kelleñ, a farm whose name means “strawberry home” in the aboriginal Mapuche language, the owner will show you how produce is grown in eco-friendly greenhouses to shelter it from Tierra del Fuego’s harsh weather. A sampling that may include just-picked berries and garden-fresh rhubarb will follow so you can see how tasty the artisanal produce is. A short drive will bring you to the fishing village of Puerto Almanza, from which you will hike through the woods to Cascada de los Duendes, a wonderfully picturesque waterfall. You will have time to enjoy the setting before returning to the village for lunch on your own.

Africa
Go Green in the Winelands | Cape Town, South Africa
Embark on an enlightening tour of two wineries that follow sustainable practices and enjoy a healthy lunch and wine tasting afterwards. At Avondale, you will discover how the organic winery practices self-sustaining, biodynamic methods that improve the quality of the land to produce better tasting, more eco-friendly wines. Fertilizers are natural, chemicals and pesticides are forbidden, and the pruning and harvesting are done in accordance to the cycles of nature. While traveling through the vineyards on a tractor, you may also learn how ducks are used to get rid of destructive snails and about the benefits of keeping the native fynbos vegetation. Nearby Backsberg winery is just as dedicated to sustainability. As South Africa’s first certified carbon-neutral winery, it has a long history of being environmentally conscious. Besides seeing how the wine is produced, you will enjoy lunch and a tasting at Backsberg. Some of the wines may be single varietals, while others may be thoughtful blends.

Northern Europe
Green Consumerism & Nordic Design | Tallinn, Estonia
Meet a Nordic designer and discover how she upcycles discarded waste materials to create green fashions. The venue for this enlightening experience will be the Telliskivi Creative City, a former industrial complex that has been converted into the largest creative center in Estonia. Of all the studios and galleries, the one that Reet Aus owns may be the most inspiring. She is committed to ending the fashion industry’s throwaway culture by creating clothing with excess textiles that would otherwise end up in a landfill. By upcycling or turning old garments into higher-quality sustainable ones, she helps to reduce Estonia’s carbon footprint. You will find a similar environmentally conscious atmosphere at the photography museum Fotografiska. After browsing the exhibits, you will enjoy lunch at a zero-waste restaurant, where the dishes are as creative as the photography. Views of Tallinn’s World Heritage site Old Town will enhance the dining experience.

The Mediterranean
Through the Footsteps of an Alchemist | Málaga, Spain
Discover the relevance of ancient alchemy as it applies to present-day life at Al-Huerta, a farm that promotes healthy habits and environmental education. The farmers recognize how classic symbols of alchemy such as air, water, fire and earth affect human life and agriculture. They rely on these influences to grow organic citrus, teach visitors how to make natural remedies, and strive to improve the environment and achieve a healthier, more balanced life. While walking through Al-Huerta’s orchards and gardens, which were designed to reflect Andalusian alchemy, you will learn about the plants’ medicinal and culinary uses. You will also gain insight into the ways that organic farming increases biodiversity and enriches the environment. During the laboratory workshop that follows, you too will practice a bit of alchemy by extracting essential oils that are often found in perfumes and cosmetics.

Asia
Regenerative Farming in Yangon | Yangon, Myanmar
See how green farming initiatives have taken root in Yangon by touring an organic farm and joining a gardening workshop that promotes eco-friendly practices. Regenerative farming is somewhat new to the area, but the concept has taken hold as the number of chemical-free farms continues to grow. In essence, it involves revitalizing the soil, which leads to more productive farms and healthier communities. Regenerative farming also includes rotating crops, not tilling the soil and following agricultural practices that return carbon to the ground. While walking the fields, you will see firsthand how one Yangon farmer has embraced the regenerative concept to sustainably grow organic produce and herbs such as kale, butterfly peas, basil and mustard. The gardening workshop that follows will explain even more about Yangon’s farm-to-table commitment. As proof that organic produce tastes better, you will enjoy a lunch made with fresh ingredients from the farm.

Australia & New Zealand
Sanctuary Mountain & Sustainable Farm | Rotorua (Tauranga), New Zealand
Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of a working dairy farm before visiting New Zealand’s largest mainland sanctuary, an oasis for indigenous flora and fauna. The Red Barn farm showcases what rural life was like in this region centuries ago. Days start early, and the work continues pretty much nonstop. Before sitting down to a hearty country-style lunch at the farm, you will watch a demonstration of traditional butter-churning. A drive across the volcanically formed Kaimai Mountains will bring you to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. One of the world’s longest pest-free fences surrounds the ancient forest that blankets the mountain to keep out invasive species. As you wander along the forest trails, the naturalist guide will point out indigenous species that may include endangered birds, tuatara reptiles and giant wetas, a type of massive insect whose name means “god of ugly things” in the Maori language. You may also climb a tower to observe animals living in the tree canopy.

Alaska
Sitka’s Ocean Laboratory | Sitka, Alaska
Paddle a kayak through scenic Sitka Sound while looking for wildlife and then delve deeper into the natural world at the city’s science center. As you kayak along at a comfortable pace, it will be apparent that Sitka revolves around the sea. Chances are, you will see fishing vessels, tugboats and Coast Guard ships cruising in and out of the harbor, not to mention marine life such as tufted puffins, Stellar sea lions and sea otters. You might even spot a humpback whale breaching the water’s surface. Despite the beauty of island-dotted Sitka Sound, environmental threats such as marine debris, microplastics and ocean acidification jeopardize its future. Your host at the science center will describe some of the research and educational programs that are addressing the challenges, such as how marine biologists are combating the effects of climate change. You will also spend time at the center’s aquarium for a glimpse of the remarkable biodiversity in the surrounding waters.

Browse the full collection of Go Green tours here under the shore excursion search by selecting “Go Green” under Excursion Types. Which Go Green tours are you planning to try first? Share your top choices with us on Facebook.