The 5 top eco holidays

Ecotourism is the ultimate way to holiday. Not only will you doubtless have an amazing time in some of the most luxurious and beautiful places on earth, but you'll be doing it with a clean conscience and giving back to the community. The International Ecotourism Society describes a green vacation as ‘responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people'. Here is our pick of five global destinations that deserve the ecotourism badge. 1. Song Saa, Cambodia Song Saa is a brand new private island hideaway in Cambodia's untouched Koh Rong Archipelago and is setting a new standard in environmentally sensitive, luxurious accommodation. In the Khmer language, ‘Song Saa' means ‘the sweethearts', as the resort spans the two tropical islands of Koh Ouen and Koh Bong, with just a footbridge connecting the two. The property features 27 luxury pool villas situated in the lush rainforest, on the golden beaches and perched over the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand, each with state-of-the art facilities, designed to work in harmony with the environment. For underwater enthusiasts, Song Saa is paradise, as it sits amidst a pristine marine reserve (one million square metres), home to an abundance of incredible marine life, including dugongs, seahorses and exotic species of tropical fish. Guests can explore this amazing underwater world from the PADI dive centre, or take to the ocean and enjoy windsurfing, catamaran sailing, canoeing and big game fishing. Song Saa also houses a wonderful spa and wellness centre in lush rainforest surroundings on its own private island. With the strapline ‘luxury that treads lightly', the owners passionately believe that, with the right mind-set, tourism is good for communities and for the environment. The Song Saa conservation and community programme forms an integral part of the resort and is dedicated to conserving the natural surroundings and the unique land animals, protecting the marine reserve's coral life and vibrant fish, while also fulfilling the needs of local communities in order to ensure a sustainable future for the island. It is developing the island's first hospitality-training centre, offering the local community courses in ecotourism, English language and hospitality and training the local people on organic farming methods. Need to know: Fly to Siem Reap via Bangkok or Singapore. It is then 30 minutes by speedboat from the port city of Sihanoukville. Cambodia is hot all year round and the best time to visit is during the dry season, which runs from November to April. It starts to get wetter in May and the wettest months are September and October. November is a fantastic month to visit Cambodia as it is very green after the rainy season and the lakes and rivers are full of water. Prices start from $1,336 (Dh4,907) per villa per night, including all meals, house beverages and speed boat transfers. Visit www.songsaa.com.   2. Heritage Le Telfair, Mauritius Nestled in the tropical Domaine de Bel Ombre on the unspoilt south coast of Mauritius, Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort is a nature lover's paradise. A charming five-star resort inspired by Mauritian colonial architecture, the hotel was named after a famous Irish naturalist, Charles Telfair, who lived in the area in the 19th century, and has been lovingly designed in the style of its colonial-sugar-plantation past. The rooms and villas are set in lush gardens with beautiful sea views, and the hotel offers an incredible choice of water sports and activities, including the 18-hole ‘Golf du Château', and guided excursions by foot, mountain bike, horseback or quad bike around the 2,500 hectares of the surrounding Frédérica nature reserve, which is home to unique flora and fauna. Heritage Resorts is committed to giving back to the community and supports a number of projects including the Bel Ombre Foundation, which has funded the first community recycling plant on Mauritius, the Safire NGO for the aid of street children, and the Reef Conservation NGO, which is active in protecting the Mauritian lagoons. The hotels and resorts use environmentally friendly lighting and 100 per cent recycled water for irrigation of the gardens and golf course. Need to know: Mauritius is a five-hour flight from Dubai on Emirates or Air Mauritius, and the resort is a 45-minute road transfer from the airport. Mauritius enjoys a typically tropical climate with year-round heat. The best months to visit Mauritius are May to early December. January and February, the peak cyclone months, are best avoided by water-sports enthusiasts and divers. From 385 Euros per room per night (Dh1,872), including daily breakfast and unlimited complimentary green fees at Golf du Château. Visit www.heritageresorts.mu. 3. Solio Lodge, Mount Kenya Tucked away in between the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains, Solio Lodge offers the exclusivity of a private ranch and an unrivalled wildlife experience. This stylish lodge is located on the Solio Game Reserve, home to the endangered black and white rhino, which live in harmony alongside other African wildlife such as leopards, lions and a wide variety of birds. The ranch spreads over 45,000 acres with a 17,000 acre game conservancy, and with just six cottages at Solio Lodge, guests enjoy a very private and exclusive safari experience, where they can get up close with the wildlife without hoards of other tourists. Activities include horseback riding, walking, mountain biking, night and day game drives and fishing trips to Mount Kenya. Solio Game Reserve is recognised internationally as the most successful private rhinoceros-breeding reserve in Kenya and is responsible for having relocated over 100 black and 60 white rhinoceros to other parts of Kenya over the years, including six to Uganda. The main purpose of the game reserve is to provide a refuge for wildlife that would otherwise be deprived of suitable habitat and, as such, it is an immensely important contribution to the conservation of wildlife in Kenya. There has been a long-standing relationship between Solio and the Carr-Hartley family, as the conservancy was originally stocked with rhino and other wild animals by Mikey Carr-Hartley's family to create the reserve. Need to know: It is a four-hour flight from Dubai to Nairobi and from there it's a 20-minute schedule flight to Nanyuki or a charter-flight direct into Solio Airstrip. By road, it is a three-hour drive from Nairobi airport. Prices start from $545 (Dh2,001) per person per night including full board, all house beverages and all safari activities, excluding park entry fees. Visit www.thesafaricollection.com. 4. Sira Beach House, Lombok, Bali For the perfect island eco escape, the newly opened Sira Beach House is a fully staffed beach front villa set on Lombok's unspoilt Sira peninsula, overlooking the idyllic Gilli Islands and with views over neighbouring Bali's Mount Agung. The owners are committed to preserving the natural beauty and balance of Lombok and its tranquil pace of life, and the house has been specifically designed with the environment in mind. Pristine beaches and clear warm waters a few short steps away from the house offer guests snorkelling and diving, while the property boasts its own salt-water swimming pool, tennis court and backs onto the beautiful Kosaido golf course. Great care was taken to maintain the existing mature palm grove, with the buildings carefully positioned between the trees. The materials employed, including bamboo shingle and palm thatch for the roofs, river stone walls and coconut columns, were sourced locally where possible, and the hand-woven bamboo screens were made by local artisans. Furthermore, the house infrastructure is state-of-the-art ecologically - the hot water is solar-heated and the waste-water is organically treated and recycled for the lawns and the organic vegetable garden. The swimming pool, too, was designed according to the best environmental practices: salt water, with a chlorination back up to maintain the highest standards. Sira Beach is a keen supporter of the local villages and provides the local school with donations to buy writing materials and books. All guests of the villa are welcome to have a tour of the school and get involved if they so wish. All of the staff members come from the neighbouring villages and at Lebaran (the annual festival) the villa makes a general donation to the village for good causes. Sira Beach is also actively involved with helping to reforest Lombok's Rinjani National Park with the WWF. It is a fun initiative whereby guests sponsor a tree and can give it their own name and then look it up on Google Maps. Need to know: Lombok's Mataram airport is a 40-minute drive from the villa. There are direct flights from Singapore operated by Silk Air three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flying time is just over two hours. From $925 (Dh3,397) per night for the entire villa, which sleeps 12-14 in six double bedrooms. Rates include breakfast and laundry. All rates are subject to 10 per cent tax and 5 per cent service charge. Visit www.sirabeachhouse.com. 5. Jnane Tamsna, Marrakech Jnane Tamsna is a beautiful country estate set in the heart of the peaceful Palmeraie, managed sustainably by a fascinating couple with a love of design and respect for the local Moroccan culture, traditions and the environment. The luxurious, stylish rooms are located in five villas built and designed by the owner Meryanne Loum-Martin in keeping with local traditions and the environment using works of art and fabrics sourced on her travels. The houses are nestled in a 15-acre walled organic garden filled with palm trees, olive groves, lemon trees and aromatic herbs and vegetable gardens that provide delicious fresh produce for the dinner table. The hotel also boasts five swimming pools, tennis courts and a spa, as well as spacious public lounges, indoor and outdoor dining areas and terraces throughout the gardens. A number of excursions are on offer, all designed by Meryanne's husband Gary, who is an ethnobotanist with a keen interest in conservation and ecological initiatives. Other activities include cookery classes, tennis lessons, mountain bike hire, picnics and treks to the Atlas Mountains. Need to know: It's a nine-hour flight from Dubai to Marrakech via Casablanca. Then it's 25 minutes from the airport, or 20 minutes' drive from the buzzing main square of Jemaa el Fna, with its snake charmers, story-tellers and medicine men. From 225 Euros (Dh1,094) per room per night including breakfast. Visit www.jnanetamsna.com.