The eco-tourist will find Bermuda a rich stamping ground with its bird watching, nature trails, and tours.
Some of these chief attractions include the following:
- Bermuda Railway Trail, West End. Totaling 21 miles, this trail provides a scenic route from East to West. It is used by walkers and birders alike.
- Blue Hole Park, Hamilton Parish. An abundance of wildlife exists in 12 acres, with a natural small pond and caves close by.
- The Arboretum, Middle Road in Devonshire Parish, is 19 pristine acres close to the City of Hamilton, with a large expanse of open space and a small woodland.
- Hog Bay Park, Sandys Parish. On 38 acres, this park has well-maintained trails, vegetable gardens, and wooded hillsides with native and endemic vegetation.
- Spittal Pond Nature Reserve, Smith's Parish. At South Road, 34 acres of nature form the largest and most accessible nature reserve on the island. There are excellent trails plus bird watching at several observation points, where you can see a large variety of wildlife.
Some of the best eco-tours are offered by Bermuda Lectures & Tours, 6 Leacraft Hill Rd., Southampton Parish tel. 441/234-4082). Lasting 1 1/2 hours and costing $15 per person, this outfit's tours are filled with information about the history and ecology of Bermuda and its parks, railway trails, and local hideaways.
The Nonsuch Island Field Trip (tel. 441/297-1980) offers 4 1/2-hour tours on Thursday only, costing $75 per person. These tours begin at 9:15am at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research Dock. A pristine 15-acre island, Nonsuch is called a living museum of nature. It offers a glimpse of Bermuda as it was 400 years ago. A picnic lunch is part of the deal.
A local eco-heritage group, Rock Ramblers, Somerset Bridge, Sandys Parish (tel. 241/234-3438), offers walkabouts through parklands, nature reserves, beaches, forts, trails, and back country lanes. Commentary includes local history, ecology, and culture.
Among hotels, 9 Beaches is the most eco-sensitive. The Spartan resort sprawls across 7.3 waterfront hectares (18 acres), and makes a valiant attempt to recycle re-useable materials.
General Resources for Green Travel
In addition to the resources for Bermuda, the following websites provide valuable wide-ranging information on sustainable travel. For a list of even more sustainable resources, as well as tips and explanations on how to travel greener, visit www.frommers.com/planning.
- Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com) is a great source of sustainable travel ideas; the site is run by a spokesperson for ethical tourism in the travel industry. Sustainable Travel International (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) promotes ethical tourism practices, and manages an extensive directory of sustainable properties and tour operators around the world.
- In the U.K., Tourism Concern (www.tourismconcern.org.uk) works to reduce social and environmental problems connected to tourism. The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) (www.aito.co.uk) is a group of specialist operators leading the field in making holidays sustainable.
- In Canada, www.greenlivingonline.com offers extensive content on how to travel sustainably, including a travel and transport section and profiles of the best green shops and services in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary.
- In Australia, the national body which sets guidelines and standards for ecotourism is Ecotourism Australia (www.ecotourism.org.au). The Green Directory (www.thegreendirectory.com.au), Green Pages (www.thegreenpages.com.au), and Eco Directory (www.ecodirectory.com.au) offer sustainable travel tips and directories of green businesses.
- Carbonfund (www.carbonfund.org), TerraPass (www.terrapass.org), and Carbon Neutral (www.carbonneutral.org) provide info on "carbon offsetting," or offsetting the greenhouse gas emitted during flights.
- Greenhotels (www.greenhotels.com) recommends green-rated member hotels around the world that fulfill the company's stringent environmental requirements. Environmentally Friendly Hotels (www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com) offers more green accommodation ratings. The Hotel Association of Canada (www.hacgreenhotels.com) has a Green Key Eco-Rating Program, which audits the environmental performance of Canadian hotels, motels, and resorts.
- Sustain Lane (www.sustainlane.com) lists sustainable eating and drinking choices around the U.S.; also visit www.eatwellguide.org for tips on eating sustainably in the U.S. and Canada.
- For information on animal-friendly issues throughout the world, visit Tread Lightly (www.treadlightly.org). For information about the ethics of swimming with dolphins, visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (www.wdcs.org).
- Volunteer International (www.volunteerinternational.org) has a list of questions to help you determine the intentions and the nature of a volunteer program. For general info on volunteer travel, visit www.volunteerabroad.org and www.idealist.org.
