When you combine the physical health benefits of taking a vacation with the emotional benefits of spending time with nature, you’re probably aching for eco-vacations that enjoy the theme of adventure by day and comfort by night. Taking an eco-vacation means you’ll be spending time in nature, spending money with local businesses, and dining on locally-sourced foods.
Turks and Caicos, St. Barths, and Anguilla are some of the best locations to plan eco-vacations in the Caribbean.
More than a third of Turks and Caicos are preserved, including the largest biodiversity wetland reserve you’ll find in the world. Plan eco-vacations that include a visit to the unspoiled island of Pine Cay. Water sports in Grace Bay are notoriously lively, and if you’re staying nearby, you can add snorkeling, kayaking, and diving to your itinerary.
St. Barths is considered as one of the most enlightened Caribbean islands when it comes to being eco-friendly and welcoming eco-vacations. Because bringing goods to and from the island isn’t exactly eco-friendly, the islanders have been recycling grocery bags longer than your local Whole Foods, and because there is no fresh water on the isle, they even collect rain water in cisterns. The food you eat will almost always be local and sustainable because that is the only way most chefs know how to cook, due to the high cost of importing ingredients. To embed nature into your eco-vacation, lay among the shells on Shell Beach, surf at Anse des Cayes, or explore Colombier Beach by hiking a scenic path lined with Lantier palms near Flamands Beach. You can also go catamaran sailing, and enjoy a mix of sunbathing, sailing, and snorkeling.
Anguilla isn’t known (yet) for eco-tourism, but we’ve never met a resort more eco-friendly than the CuisinArt Resort and Spa on the island, which has a hydroponic farm used to grow 90% of the vegetables, greens, and herbs served inside. The water from these gardens is recycled for irrigation in outdoor landscapes. The resort invites guests to help with harvesting the produce and to attend cooking classes using the fruits and vegetables they pick. Eco-awareness is becoming abundant on the island, as even the chefs all around the island have stopped importing fish and have begun to embrace recipes with local catches instead, like grouper, mahi-mahi, and red snapper.
You can walk outside the resort, too. Eco-vacations on Anguilla can include exploring the bat/iguana caves near Katouche Bay, bird watching on Dog Island, or snorkeling in the reefs of Shoal Bay East. If someone comes up to you and offers to take you out into the deeper reefs, take them up on it. Ask about the underwater snorkeling trail while you’re out there. You can also go diving to any of the eight significant shipwrecks, including The Sarah near Sandy Ground, Anguilla’s largest shipwreck, thanks to Hurricane Klaus.
Other interesting ideas for your eco-vacation:
Try the hidden paradise of Loterie Farm, an all-age jungle obstacle course on the French side of Saint Martin.
In March, take a specialty whale watch between the coast of Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic to swim with the whales during their mating season. (Get in touch with Oasis Divers Grand Turk or Aggressor Fleet for details.)
Hike the hand-built trail of Mt. Scenery, a dormant volcano on the island of Saba.
Book your next eco-vacations with WIMCO St. Barth Properties.
The Villa Olive in St. Barths is built into volcanic rock and uses natural materials to create teak walkways, sculptural walls, desert gardens, and grand pavilions.
