Eco - Activities
Are you travelling but not sure what company matches your standards regarding sustainability? Check the list before with tours and activities I personally tested that are vegan friendly with a focus on eco-travel!
Mexico
Mexico is a huge country, and the capital an enormous city. On a limited time budget? Want a tour guide who knows everything about the history of the places you visit? Simply prefer to have a driver, are solo or with multiple people? Don't look further,Vibe Adventures got you covered. They offer tours all over Mexico with several in Mexico City and surroundings, their guides all speak English perfectly and are packed with facts you would never find by simply doing your own research.If you want to visit the famous pyramids of Teotihuacan and try some traditional pulque, make sure to check out their tour. They are rather inexpensive, even if you go on your own, organise everything for you and you even get the chance to visit a rarely visit 500 year old Viaduct a short drive from the pyramids. I usually visit places on my own, but I was really thankful to have a guide like Sal from Vibe Adventures with me who made it so much easier to explore the huge area and even had pictures with him of the places that were closed due to Covid. I cannot recommend them highly enough, no matter what tour you choose you won't be disappointed!
South Africa
This tour provider picks you up in Cape Town for a total of 1150 rand or Stellenbosch for 850 rand. The groups are rather small: we were only three people, which is actually really nice as you got the chance to visit smaller vineyards and boutique places that aren't available for larger groups. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and gave us constant insight information about the wine making process, the landscape and the different vineyards we passed by. We were the only guests at most tastings which was pretty cool, and the first stop included a cheese tasting, while the last one came with a big wheel of cheese and crackers. Be aware, you will taste A LOT of wine during the day and I could feel it already after the first round (and I can drink a lot). But it’s the same for everyone and you can spit it out if you don't want to swallow every single glass as there are around 4-5 at each stop. I really enjoyed this tour, mainly because of our guide who knew the owners of all the places we visited and who made it possible for us to try some special wine that isn't available all the time. Lunch isn't included with this one, but the place they take you is affordable and with the high level of service they offer, that's completely fine. If you're looking for a small, intimate tour with very well-trained staff on smaller boutique vineyards, Tsiba Tsiba is the tour to go with!
The second wine tour I had the pleasure to join was with Wine Tour ZA. I took part of their Easy Rider Group tour which takes you to four wine estates and costs 950 rand for pick up in Cape Town, 850 rand for Stellenbosch. You will be driven around in a minibus and the tour guides are all really funny, easy going and chill people who are able to entertain the whole group. Our group was mixed with people of all ages and origins and was packed into two separate vans as we were that many. The wine estates are bigger and more commercial, but you also get a cellar tour which is really interesting and cool to see. There is a cheese tasting, a chocolate tasting, biltong and crackers at one vineyard and lunch is included with a glass of wine, both in really high quality. We had a lot of fun and it’s the perfect tour to meet people as a solo traveller. Maybe you won't learn that much about wine or see passion projects, but you will leave with new friends and the driver was so kind that he even dropped us off at a bar instead of our starting point.
Something very close to my heart and a way to really help the homeless of Cape Town: Join a soup kitchen or more specific, volunteer at the Obs Pasta Kitchen organised by the owners of Ferdinandos Pizza! Every Wednesday they feed the homeless of Observatory with a fresh bowl of pizza and you are welcome to just pop by and volunteer, they are happy about every helping hand that comes by. It’s not only a good way to support the community but also gives you an insight into the lifes of the people you see roaming the streets. While listening to their stories and learn a bit about that part of society you learn who they really are.
The Oranjezicht Market is based at Granger Bay, next to the Waterfront. It is open every weekend until the afternoon and during summer also on Wednesday between 4pm and 8pm. Unlike a traditional African market, this place is really hip and cool, very clean and offers baked goods, trend food and healthy junk food in a beautiful location next to the sea. Definitely worth to stop by. If it’s for breakfast on the weekend or dinner during the week, prices are also fine and they even have an ATM! There are loads of vegan options and a heavy focus on local resources which of course is really great.
The island lies 12km in front of Cape Town and has been used as a prison island for centuries. It got tragic fame as the place where Nelson Mandela and several other black activists where imprisoned, as that it was also where they started studying and where Mandela wrote his famous book. It is a weird place and the moody sky on the day I went definitely made it even more impressive. But you can feel the strange feeling between pain and hope still lingering in the air. The old prison buildings are cold and mostly empty with info plates all over. The island itself is green with beautiful sceneries and a lighthouse which creates a unique contrast. You can only visit by joining the official tour where you take a boat at the Nelson Mandela Gateway and enter one of the buses they put you on as soon as you arrive. There is a tour guide who will tell you all you need to know about the places you pass by and you can get out at several stops. The prison tour itself is held by a former inmate which I think is really cool. They answer all the questions you might have and in the end the bus will pick you up again for a tour to the natural side of the island where you have a stunning view over the city and the mountains.
In the east lies the iSamngaliso Wetland Park which has the biggest lake in South Africa and the second highest forest dune in the world! You can spot all kind of deers, zebras, sometimes an elephant from afar and water buffalos in here. The hippos tend to be in the water, but these can be spotted in the village anyway. It’s a pretty straight drive that ends in Cape Vidal where you can go for a swim. But be careful of the monkeys as they are pretty reckless here and will try everything to steal your food.
Sri Lanka
Selfdrive - Rent a TukTuk!
If you really want to experience Sri Lanka, get close to its people, and do a once in a lifetime road trip - there is only one real way to do it: Rent a TukTuk with TukTuk Rental!Yes you heard right, you can rent a three-wheeler and drive around the island at your own pace. As much as I love exploring places with public transport, my number 1 recommendation for Sri Lanka will always be to drive yourself.You may think no way that it's possible to drive in that scary and dangerous traffic! And how do you even drive one of those things? First of all, the traffic in Sri Lanka is not as crazy as it may seem. They describe it as a waterfall and that's exactly how it works: once you`re in, it magically all fits together and is way easier than it seems from the outside. Driving the TukTuk is also not that difficult if you got the hang; TukTuk Rental will give you a driving lesson before you take off! But let`s summarise it to make it easier:- the TukTuks are owned by local drivers and the rental company does pay them very fairly so they can feed their families when they can`t use it- they also compensate for the CO2 of your drive, which is pretty awesome and makes it a bit more environmentally friendly!- you can either get the license yourself or let the rental handle it as you need your international driver license converted into a local one- you will get a driver license and instruction what to do if it breaks down before you hit the road- they offer all kind of accessories, so no matter if you need a child seat, a surf rack or a speaker, you can just rent it on top- you are fully insured with your TukTuk and don`t have to worry about anything during your journey- unlimited kilometers, which means you can go as far as it takes you- you can pick it up and drop it off wherever you want, and if you want to take the famous train ride, they offer a special service for that too!- a TukTuk gives you the chance to stop wherever you want and explore rural villages and to interact with locals - a unique experience that even taking the train or bus could never give you
Selfdrive - Rent a TukTuk!
There are many tea tours available, but none will take you to wild tea plantations except Forest Hill! A small local tea factory, a 10-minute drive from the Omega residence, offers tours that include a hike to wild tea trees where they get the leaves for their rare wild tea. This plantation has been abandoned hundreds of years ago, so the plants were not cut back and they grew into trees and are now handpicked by workers that have to hike up the hill to even get there. This means that the eco-system is preserved the way it is and is way more environmentally friendly than a classic tea production. It’s the only place in Sri Lanka where you can experience this. After the hike, you get a tour through the factory and a tasting of all the blendings they offer. If you`ve ever done a wine tasting - it's pretty similar but way healthier and you for sure leave without being intoxicated! You can even make your own tea and get it the next day. Forest Hill is the perfect example of sustainable tourism that supports the people who live there and provides a raw experience.
Right at the main road in Dikwella with beach access on the other side, Amor Wellness will make you feel like a new-born baby. All their products, except the nail polish, are organic and locally sourced. Whatever you`re looking for, you can get here: massages, peelings, manicures, and pedicures. The people working here are very professional and well trained, everything is cleaned and it’s owned by Australians. I would go as far and say that it's the best spa on the whole south coast. And what's better than a walk at the beach right after your treatment with a fresh coconut in your hand? Not much.
Slovenia
Did you know that Slovenia is the home of countless cave systems? There are two big touristic ones, and several smaller ones you can visit! One of them is the Krizna Jama, a cave in the Loz valley. They offer three different kinds of tours: the one-hour one takes you to the first underground lake and can be booked on arrival, while the other two are limited to a certain amount of visitors per year for the safety of the cave and its inhabitants. Those take you way further underground, through several smaller caves and even bigger ones to emerald green lakes. If you`re looking for an explorer experience, this is the cave to go to as there are no big lights, but you go in wearing a spotlight that guides you the way. All guides are very knowledgeable and speak English; the tours are held in Slovenian and English. Highly recommend, especially if you´re looking to see caves but want to avoid big tours and see it in its natural beauty in a place where they really take care of the environment!
Right around the corner of the Skocjan, there is a place with a huge historic value that you may didn`t even know has its roots in Slovenia: The stud farm of Lipica! You may already hear of the famous Lipizzan horses, the white majestic ones we all know from Disney movies and the Hofreitschule Vienna. But you may not know that they actually come from a place in southern Slovenia, where up to this day their heritage line is being bred on a beautiful historic property. They even got a hotel in a place where they try to focus on more sustainable possibilities, which is always more of a challenge in old structures. And you can take part in a tour or just stroll around yourself. The horses can roam freely and are held on very high standards; the same goes for the training they undergo. The breeding is via inseminating which I don`t support but used as a safe method to breed in every major stud farm. The whole place is incredible, if you`re into shows, they also have one that focuses on the connection between humans and animals -so make sure to check in advance if there is one on the date of your visit!
France
If you want to escape the bustling world of these coast towns, a tour on the water may be exactly what you need. There are many companies that offer tours along the Côte d’Azur; SeaYouSun is one of them and they take you on the water with small speed boats. The groups are a decent size and drinks are included, sadly offered in plastic cups though so make sure to take your own! They will take you to a little cove where you can go swimming and snorkelling, which is really cool and a place you couldn`t reach without a boat. The tours are primarily in French, so if you don`t speak it, make sure to let them know!
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