With more ways than ever to access Earth’s most beautiful locations, the next question on your mind might be how to do so while minimizing impact. Green travel is becoming more popular than ever, giving adventurers a multitude of opportunities to explore responsibly. At Classic Journeys, we have many tours designed specifically with this in mind, so our guests can get up close and personal with nature in comfort and without leaving footprints behind.

Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador are the epitome of eco-friendly travel. Classic Journeys’ tours to the Galapagos steers clear of the most common way to visit the islands, by cruise. Instead, we offer an island-based itinerary anchored by boutique eco-lodges (including one built out of lava rock) and opportunities to support local businesses while visiting. Whether scaling volcanoes on Isabela Island, kayaking among sea lions or visiting with giant tortoises, all of Classic Journeys’ Galapagos activities come with plenty of education to ensure guests not only know what they’re experiencing but how to leave the stunning scenery the way they found it.

Sea Lion in the Galapagos islands

Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon

In North America, there are few natural experiences finer than exploring Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks. Discover the sense of awe and wonder America’s early pioneers must have felt when happening upon these majestic landforms by visiting the three parks on a single Classic Journeys tour. On the Grand Canyon’s northern rim, you’ll happen upon the red crevasses where Butch Cassidy’s gang holed up. Trekking through Bryce Canyon will reveal Anasazi ruins and red rock arches. In Zion, take the other-worldly trail through the famous Zion Canyon Narrows before discovering a natural desert oasis. All along the way, Classic Journeys will provide natural guides well-versed in natural knowledge of all three parks. 

Group in a canyon in Zion National Park

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country that built its tourism reputation largely on eco-tourism, a business that Classic Journeys is proud to support. Three nights of our tour are spent at Manuel Antonio Park, a nature reserve that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and includes green experiences from cloud forests to coral reefs. We stay in private villas that are set in a rainforest and contoured into the jungle hillside, making guests’ most difficult choice choosing whether to look at the park’s jungle terraces or the views of the Pacific Ocean. While at the park, naturalist guides lead the way, pointing out native birds, iguanas, monkeys and other wildlife–184 kinds of birds and 109 mammals, to be specific.

Group on a hanging bridge in Costa Rica

Alaska

Another eco-friendly destination Classic Journeys travels to is Alaska. Our Kenai Peninsula Walking Adventure follows our Galapagos model in that we get travelers off the boat and onto land, where they can explore nature and the area’s culture more deeply. Our tours bed down in historic lodges and include walkabouts with marine biologists who give guests a behind-the-curtains look at Alaska’s famous SeaLife Center before jetting through the Kenjai Fjords. A trip to Homer will have us looking out for moose, bears, and caribou in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. And we’ll spend a night at the breathtaking Mt. Aleyska, where we’ll see views that can never be seen from the decks of a cruise ship.

Family Kayaking in Alaska