Eco-tourism is about enjoying the places we visit while also respecting the environment, wildlife and local communities that make those places special.
For years, I thought of eco-tourism mostly as visiting beautiful natural areas and learning about wildlife. But while filming Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine, I’ve had opportunities to experience eco-tourism in very different ways.
I’ve gone deep into a Florida swamp, watched scientists identify wild dolphins swimming beside our boat, and explored local waterways filled with dolphins, manatees and birds.
I’ve also learned that eco-tourism isn’t simply about going somewhere outdoors. How we experience a place matters, too.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned about eco-tourism and responsible wildlife travel, along with a few of my favorite experiences in Florida.
What Is Eco-Tourism?
Eco-tourism is responsible travel to natural areas with an emphasis on conservation, education and respect for the environment and local communities.
That can include visiting wildlife refuges, nature preserves, marine environments, forests, wetlands and other protected areas.
But simply taking a trip into nature doesn’t necessarily make something eco-tourism.
A good eco-tourism experience should help visitors better understand the place they’re visiting without harming the wildlife or environment they’ve come to see.
That might mean staying on designated trails and boardwalks, keeping your distance from wild animals, following the instructions of guides and naturalists, or learning about conservation efforts while you’re there.
Some of my favorite experiences have allowed me to get surprisingly close to nature while also teaching me why it needs to be protected.
Exploring Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida’s Paradise Coast
One of my most memorable eco-tourism experiences happened while filming Season 2 of Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine in Florida’s Paradise Coast.
We visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples, where thousands of acres protect an incredible wetland ecosystem and an old-growth bald cypress forest.
The regular visitor experience includes a 2.25-mile boardwalk through the sanctuary. It’s a wonderful way to experience the wetlands while staying on a designated path through this sensitive environment.
Our filming experience was a little different.
We were given special access to areas of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary that are not open to the public. We took a buggy deep into the sanctuary with our guides and were able to see parts of Corkscrew most visitors never experience.
And then I went into the swamp.
Yes, I Actually Walked Into the Swamp
This was also special access for our filming. Visitors should not leave the public boardwalk or enter restricted areas of the sanctuary.
With our guides, I actually walked into the swamp water.
I have to admit, I was really scared! I’m usually pretty adventurous, but walking through swamp water was another story.
Our guide assured me there were no alligators in the particular area where we were walking, but I was still nervous.
At one point, I slipped and sank deep into the muck.
And the insects loved me. Apparently, I was the most delicious thing in the swamp that day!
Even with all of that, Corkscrew was absolutely beautiful.
The huge, centuries-old bald cypress trees were breathtaking. It was incredibly quiet, and during our time in the sanctuary we saw lots of birds and many alligators.
We had two guides sharing their knowledge with us, and being able to experience the ecosystem with people who understood it made a huge difference.
Those Incredible Bald Cypress Trees
One of the things that impressed me most at Corkscrew was the age of the trees.
The sanctuary protects the largest remaining old-growth bald cypress forest in the world, and some of its trees are hundreds of years old.
Standing among trees that have been there for centuries really puts things into perspective.
It’s also a great example of why conservation matters. Places like this give us an opportunity to see what Florida looked like long before hotels, highways and neighborhoods covered so much of the state.
You don’t need the behind-the-scenes access our crew received to appreciate it, either. The public boardwalk takes visitors through several different habitats and provides opportunities to see birds, alligators and other wildlife along the way.
And after my adventure in the swamp water, I can tell you that the boardwalk has some definite advantages!
Explore Florida’s Paradise Coast with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Learning About Wild Dolphins on Dolphin Explorer
My next Paradise Coast eco-tourism experience was completely different.
This time, I was very happy to be sitting comfortably under cover on a boat!
During our Season 2 filming, I went aboard Dolphin Explorer to explore the waters around Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands.
The views were gorgeous, and we saw quite a few dolphins swimming in the wild.
But what made this experience especially interesting was the science happening aboard the boat.
Scientists Who Actually Know the Dolphins
Dolphin Explorer works with scientists who study the area’s wild bottlenose dolphins. I interviewed four of them during our filming, and their knowledge was incredible.
These aren’t simply guides pointing toward the water and saying, “There’s a dolphin.” They can actually identify individual dolphins by their dorsal fins and have photographs and records that help them follow particular animals over time.
I learned about dolphin behavior, mating, babies, family relationships and the ways individual dolphins interact with one another. One of the things that surprised me most was learning about the teenage dolphins. I especially remember hearing about two young males who had remained friends for a long time. I had never really thought about dolphins having relationships like that before.
Suddenly, we weren’t just watching random dolphins swimming past the boat. We were learning about individual animals with histories and social relationships that the scientists had been following.
That’s what made this experience different from simply taking a sightseeing cruise and hoping to spot a dolphin.
Watching Wildlife Without Disturbing It
One of the things I particularly liked about Dolphin Explorer was that the dolphins were wild. We were entering their environment and observing what they were already doing. The scientists could teach us about the animals without needing the dolphins to perform for us.
That’s an important thing to consider when choosing a wildlife experience while traveling. Seeing an animal isn’t the only goal. We should also think about how we’re seeing it.
Does the experience respect the animal’s natural behavior? Are knowledgeable guides or scientists involved? Are visitors learning something about the wildlife and its habitat?
Those are the kinds of questions that can help us make better choices.
And yes, seeing dolphins swimming around the boat against those beautiful Marco Island and Ten Thousand Islands views certainly didn’t hurt!
Explore Florida’s Paradise Coast with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Wildlife Watching Close to Home in SouthShore, Florida
You don’t always have to travel far to discover a great nature experience.
My husband and I first discovered Latitudes Tours in Ruskin, Florida, when we went out on one of their boats for Valentine’s Day. It turned out to be a wonderful Valentine’s Day experience. We traveled by pontoon boat through the local waterways, enjoying beautiful views while watching dolphins, manatees and birds.
What really stood out to us were the guides. They were extremely knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife, which made the experience much more interesting than simply going for a boat ride.
We enjoyed it so much that a couple of years later, we returned with the Love Eat Travel cameras and filmed there. That segment didn’t ultimately make it into our SouthShore episode, but it’s an experience I’d love to revisit for a future story.
It’s also a reminder that eco-tourism doesn’t have to mean flying across the world to an exotic destination. Sometimes there are incredible wildlife experiences surprisingly close to home.
Explore SouthShore, Florida with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Different Types of Eco-Tourism
Eco-tourism can take many forms, depending on the destination and what you’re interested in experiencing.
Sustainable Wildlife Tourism
Wildlife tourism gives travelers opportunities to observe animals in their natural environments while learning about their behavior and conservation.
Dolphin Explorer is a great example from my own travels because the experience combines seeing wild dolphins with education and ongoing scientific observation.
Responsible wildlife tourism can also include birdwatching, whale watching and guided wildlife tours.
The important part is respecting the animals and their habitat.
Conservation Tourism
Conservation tourism focuses more directly on protecting natural environments and helping visitors understand why those environments matter.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a perfect example.
Visitors can experience an extraordinary Florida ecosystem while the sanctuary protects important wetlands, wildlife habitat and old-growth bald cypress forest.
Educational Eco-Tourism
Some of the best eco-tourism experiences are also outdoor classrooms.
I learned more about dolphin behavior during a few hours aboard Dolphin Explorer than I ever would have learned simply watching dolphins from a beach.
At Corkscrew, our guides helped us understand the ecosystem we were exploring rather than simply walking us through it.
Good guides can completely change an experience because they help you understand what you’re actually looking at.
Community-Based Tourism
Eco-tourism can also support the people who live in a destination.
Locally operated tours, guides and nature experiences can create jobs while giving visitors a more personal understanding of the area.
Choosing local experiences can help tourism dollars remain in the communities we’re visiting.
Green Travel
Green travel is about reducing the environmental impact of the trip itself.
That can include using public transportation when practical, walking or biking, reducing disposable plastics, conserving water and energy at hotels, and supporting businesses that make sustainability part of their operations.
You don’t have to travel perfectly to make better choices.
Small decisions can add up.
Responsible Adventure Tourism
Hiking, kayaking, biking and other outdoor adventures can also be part of eco-tourism when they’re done responsibly.
The basic idea is simple: enjoy the environment without damaging the reason you came to see it.
Stay on designated trails, follow local rules, don’t remove plants or natural objects, don’t feed wildlife and leave the area as you found it.
How to Choose a Responsible Wildlife Experience
Before booking a wildlife or nature experience, I think it’s worth doing a little research.
Look for experiences that focus on observing wildlife in its natural habitat rather than forcing interaction.
See whether trained guides, naturalists, researchers or scientists are involved.
Pay attention to how close boats or visitors are allowed to get to animals and whether the company talks about responsible wildlife viewing.
And once you’re there, listen to the guides.
They’re the ones who know the environment and understand what visitors should and shouldn’t do.
Leave What You Find
One of the simplest rules of responsible travel is also one of the most important: leave natural places the way you found them.
Don’t remove plants, disturb wildlife or take something simply because it would make a good souvenir.
Even something that seems insignificant to us can have a role in the ecosystem we’re visiting.
Read my tips about leaving natural treasures where you find them.
A photograph usually makes a much better souvenir anyway.
And judging by the number of photographs I bring home from my travels, I’m certainly practicing that part!
Eco-Tourism Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
You don’t need to travel halfway around the world or spend a fortune to become a more responsible traveler.
Sometimes it simply means choosing a knowledgeable local guide instead of exploring a sensitive environment on your own.
It can mean watching wild dolphins rather than expecting them to entertain you, staying on a boardwalk through a protected swamp, or learning why a centuries-old tree deserves to still be standing centuries from now.
My experiences at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, aboard Dolphin Explorer and with Latitudes Tours were all very different, but they had something important in common.
I came away knowing more about the places and wildlife I’d experienced than I knew when I arrived.
To me, that’s one of the best things travel can do.
It gives us a chance to enjoy an incredible place while also understanding why it’s worth protecting.
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