Multiple Regions Countryside, Flying, Safari, Sustainable Tourism
The sustainable travel experiences shaping where we go next
Barahi Jungle Lodge Sundowner
From conservation-led stays to design-driven eco retreats, these experiences reflect a more considered direction for luxury travel – where impact, place and purpose are increasingly intertwined
Australian desert dreaming
Tasmanian Walking Company’s new ‘Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Signature Walk’ isn’t just another hike – it’s the first time visitors can stay overnight inside Uluṟu-Kata Tjuta National Park, in eco-sensitive camps and an exclusive private lodge shaped around the desert’s rhythms and hues. Across five days in the Northern Territory, small groups trek 54 kilometres from the soaring domes of Kata Tjuta through red dunes and mulga woodlands to the base of Uluru – all while soaking up Indigenous knowledge from guides steeped in Aṉangu culture. Camp One and Two are nestled discreetly in the desert, with spacious canvas tents, hot showers and stargazing spaces that tread lightly on Country. Nights three and four are spent at a sustainably crafted private lodge with wellness sanctuary offerings to rejuvenate after each day’s walk. More than an adventure, this is cultural sustainability in motion – a walk that supports traditional land-care practices, celebrates living stories and reveals the deep bonds between people and place that have endured for more than 65,000 years.
Tiny lizard, big comeback
Conservation just got a luxury-resort glow-up. Six Senses Fiji has helped return the critically endangered Fijian crested iguana to nearby Qalito Island for the first time in more than four decades – a milestone that blends high-end hospitality with hands-on environmental care. The resort’s own forest on Malolo Island has quietly become one of the species’ safest strongholds, thanks to years of habitat regeneration, invasive-species control and the planting of more than 800 native trees. Iguana numbers there have jumped by 65 per cent since 2022, creating a rare opportunity to establish a second wild population. Under the guidance of conservation biologist Peter Harlow, 12 adult iguanas have now been translocated and are being closely monitored as they settle into their new island home. It’s a powerful example of the Six Senses sustainability ethos in action: where restoring ecosystems, supporting biodiversity and protecting cultural and natural heritage are woven into the guest experience, not treated as an afterthought.
Ride for the last tigers
Luxury meets frontline conservation on the 2026 ‘Tiger Express’, a rail-and-resort journey across Malaysia supporting the survival of the critically endangered Malayan tiger. Led by The Datai Langkawi in partnership with Save Wild Tigers, Eastern & Oriental Express and Raffles Singapore, the week-long itinerary blends cultural immersion with hands-on conservation learning. After a glamorous start in Singapore, guests travel by rail through Malaysia to Taman Negara National Park, where rainforest explorations reveal the fragile habitat of one of the world’s rarest big cats. The journey continues via heritage-rich Penang before ending at The Datai Langkawi, set within ancient rainforest on Datai Bay. Proceeds support vital tiger protection work at a time when fewer than 150 Malayan tigers are thought to remain in the wild.
Eat slow, travel deep
The Philippines has just served up its first official ‘Slow Food Travel’ destination – and it is deliciously different. On Negros Island in the central Philippines, part of the Visayas region between Cebu and Panay, Slow Food and the Department of Tourism Philippines are championing a new kind of culinary tourism rooted in biodiversity, heritage and community.
Often called the country’s organic capital, Negros invites travellers to swap restaurant-hopping for real connection. Think planting mangroves, harvesting cacao, learning coffee cupping with local growers and tasting heirloom ingredients like batuan, adlai and Criollo cacao at their source. Visits to fishing communities, organic farms and artisan producers reveal how food traditions and ecosystems are deeply intertwined. Every experience is designed to directly benefit farmers, fisherfolk and cooks, ensuring tourism supports livelihoods while protecting fragile environments.
Sleep with Giants
In the calm, sheltered waters off Hervey Bay – the world’s first Whale Heritage Site – humpbacks linger, rest and play on their annual migration. Now, Fraser Island Boat Charters offers a rare way to experience this spectacle: aboard Australia’s only overnight whale-watching adventure. Sail into the heart of the Great Sandy Strait on a private yacht, skippered and tailored to your pace. Choose a two- or three-night journey, and trade crowds for calm as you drift alongside breaching giants and listen to whale song under the stars. With intimate group sizes and no fixed schedule, there’s time to absorb it all – the splash of a tail, the glow of sunrise over Fraser Island, the quiet joy of being completely present. Anchored in sustainability and marine education, this immersive experience blends conservation with wonder – a chance to witness nature at its most majestic, and most meaningful.
fraserislandboatcharters.com.au
The buzz at Sequoia
At Sequoia Lodge in the Adelaide Hills, luxury meets nature in the most unexpected way – through bees. In partnership with local apiarist Brad Whittaker of The Humble Apiarist, the adults-only retreat has introduced an immersive bee experience that’s as grounding as it is fascinating. Twice a week, guests suit up in beekeeper gear and spend an hour learning the rhythms of the hive. Surrounded by the abundant flora of Mount Lofty Estate, they explore the healing frequencies of bees, hold a frame pulsing with life, and taste honey straight from the Flow Hive. It’s mindfulness in motion – part education, part sensory therapy and part protecting the planet. The lodge’s executive chef is already preparing for the first honey harvest, set to appear in breakfasts, sauces and a signature honey ice-cream.
Breathe deep, live longer
In the heart of Finnish Lapland, Octola Private Wilderness is redefining what it means to travel well. The ultra-luxury Arctic retreat – set across 700 hectares of private wilderness –has become the first high-end destination in the world to monitor ultrafine air particles using research-grade technology. It’s a scientific first, and a quiet revelation for guests who’ve long described Octola’s pristine air as otherworldly. Now, there’s proof to back the feeling.
Guests breathe some of the cleanest air on Earth here: so pure, studies suggest spending just one week in Lapland could add hours to your lifespan. That insight forms the foundation of ‘Respiro Octola’, a new wellness program alongside the freshly minted Octola II lodge. Think guided breathwork, yoga, ice swimming and traditional sauna rituals, all designed to align body, mind and environment in this rarest of settings. Octola already operates with a carbon negative footprint and continues to set new standards in regenerative luxury. With glass-walled aurora viewing rooms, five-star dining and deep collaboration with Arctic researchers, this is a stay that goes far beyond the surface.
Art in its element
On the edge of Victoria’s Gariwerd/Grampians National Park, freshly minted WAMA –Where Art Meets Nature – redefines what a gallery can be. More than a building, it’s a living, breathing cultural destination where native botanic gardens, sculpture trails and contemporary art converge. Years in the making, WAMA blurs the boundaries between creativity, ecology and Country, offering visitors an immersive experience rooted in place. Guided nature walks reveal the biodiversity of the landscape, while exhibitions and outdoor installations reflect the rich stories and shifting rhythms of the region.
Hike in Japan
Hiking is not only one of most sustainable ways of seeing the world, but it’s also one of the most pleasurable, particularly when you’re getting back to nature in a country like Japan. The fully guided ‘Kyoto: Mountains to the Sea’ eight-day itinerary by Walk Japan takes you around the city’s bucolic countryside, following ancient trails that weave their way through valleys and over high passes until culminating on the rugged Sea of Japan coast at Amanohashidate, rightly considered one of Japan’s three classic vistas. En route, it passes through little-known villages and aside historic temples and shrines, some grand and some rustic. Accommodation each night is in Japanese inns, where soul-reviving meals make the most of local produce like Kyoyasai heirloom vegetables, Miyama ayu sweetfish, Tanba buri yellowtail and saba mackerel.
Follow in a zoologist’s footsteps
G Adventures, a pioneer of community tourism, has five wildlife-focused trips to its ‘Jane Goodall Collection’ in celebration of Dr. Jane Goodall’s 90th birthday. The collection, which is endorsed by Dr. Goodall herself, aims to promote responsible wildlife tourism and support conservation efforts across the globe. The update will see travellers embark on life-changing adventures to Tanzania, the Amazon, Galápagos Islands, Costa Rica and the USA, including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe chimpanzees in the wild in Gombe Stream National Park, the place Dr. Goodall began her trailblazing research in 1960 at the age of 26.
The new additions build upon the success of the existing ‘Jane Goodall Collection’, which launched in 2016 and has empowered nearly 30,000 travellers to make a positive impact on the planet, just by having the time of their lives.
Be a marine biologist for a day
Beneath the turquoise waters surrounding Kokomo Private Island, more than 390 coral types and 1,000 species of marine life thrive – a vivid reminder of Fiji’s extraordinary biodiversity. Long committed to conservation, the resort has expanded its Life of a Marine Biologist program, inviting guests to do more than simply admire the view. You’ll join the resort’s all-female marine team to monitor manta ray migrations, help regenerate coral reefs and rehabilitate vital mangrove ecosystems – the lifeblood of Fiji’s coasts. It’s immersive, hands-on and deeply rewarding. And while the luxury is effortless, the impact is lasting.
Silence on the sea
A game-changing new experience is making waves on Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. Ocean Eco Adventures has unveiled Wirraji – the country’s first electric seagoing charter vessel. Named after the Baiyungu word for ‘Storm Bird’, Wirraji is as sleek and graceful as its namesake – gliding silently across the water with zero emissions and minimal impact. Wirraji carries just a handful of guests at a time, delivering a luxurious, low-impact way to explore the pristine Ningaloo Reef, one of the world’s last great underwater frontiers. Manta rays, turtles and vibrant coral gardens await in these UNESCO-listed waters, best experienced from the serenity of an engine-free vessel. On board, guests are treated to professional crew, premium service and top-tier snorkelling gear. But the real luxury is the quiet – the hum of nature uninterrupted.
Visit a Dark Sky Sanctuary
A one-million hectare area of southeastern Oregon in the US has been certified as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary by DarkSky International, making it the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary to date. Located within an area commonly referred to as the Oregon Outback, the reserve has committed to protect its starry night skies for the benefit of residents, visitors and wildlife. The area is located within the largest, contiguous, pristine dark sky zone in the Lower 48 US states, and this certification helps to protect a large portion of the designated zone. The sanctuary is very remote and sparsely populated, providing stargazing opportunities and other adventures for budding astro-tourists.
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