Top Emerging Eco Travel Destinations for 2012!

Greenloons Founder, Irene Lane, discusses top emerging eco travel destinations including Jordan, Belize, Philippines, Borneo, and Jordan. This 7 minute radio show segment for the Azumano Travel Show (Portland, Oregon) was broadcast on October 15, 2011.

1. Jordan's eco-lodges combine local heritage and educational experiences while exploring a mix of modernity, ancient wonders and nature. Think horse or camel safaris, Bedouins, the endangered Arabia oryx, Petra, the Dead Sea and trekking through Dana Nature Reserve.

2. Borneo's jungles, beaches, caves, exotic wildlife and more than 5,000 diverse and endemic plant species are revealed by, among others, trekking the relatively untouched Mt. Kinabalu and exploring the Kinabatangang River, home to wild boar, orangutans, elephants, king fishers, macaque and proboscis monkeys. Award-winning eco-lodges harvest rainwater, use solar power and manage wildlife rehabilitation.

3. The Philippines is among National Geographic's 20 Best Destinations for 2011 and Palawan Island its top eco-destination. Among 7,000 islands guests swim with whale sharks, discover endangered sea turtles, spy on the rare Philippine eagle and discover the mountain-to-sea ecosystem of the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Eco-lodges serve locally sourced food and wildlife education.

4. Belize offers more than 87 distinct types of ecosystems, making ecotourism the lifeblood of its economy. Along with 150 identified species of mammals are rainforests, Mayan temples, the world's second longest barrier reef and an abundance of eco-lodges educating travelers about the fragility of its ecosystem.

5. Botswana favors low volume, high quality, environmentally conscious safari travel into the Okavango Delta and Kalahari Desert, the savannahs of the Moremi Reserve and the forests of Chobe and Linyanta Game Reserves. Guests enjoy game drives, walking, elephant/horseback/bicycle safaris and boating, plus youth explorer programs emphasizing conservation and bush survival skills. Tented bush camps are environmentally friendly.

Octopus Caught While Kayak Fishing!

Bryce hooked into a octopus which he originally thought was a snag. I was able to get some pretty sweet underwater shots while it was next to his kayak. The octopus was kept and enjoyed. It swallowed a pretty large hook so its survival was unlikely. I used a Kodak Playsport (Zx3) to film this.

Further info. from the videgrapher:

For the record, I didn't kill it, or eat it. I just filmed it. Also, it was not wasted. Its sacrifice was well respected among those that did eat it. I'm not a biologist of any kind, but a simple search on the internet shows that octopuses are not a rare animal. In fact, there is evidence that suggests they are overpopulated in their range. They have a life-span of 3 to 5 years so I'm guessing because of its size that this one was nearing the end of that span. So, I would rather it be killed quickly and not wasted than it be set free to suffer and starve for the last year or so of its life with a six inch hook in its mouth.