The problem with so called eco-tourism is that the carbon emissions of flights kind of negate the point of an eco-holiday. Putting this aside, there are many positive aspects of eco-tourism, such as the preservation of nature. You can always try and find an eco-camp close to home but this article looks at three great camps from around the world. If you’re the sort of person who thinks a holiday lying on a beach towel is boring and you long for the great outdoors, the sounds of the forest and the scent of the campfire, then these 3 back-to-nature style retreats are for you. I’ve tried them all and can personally recommend each one for different reasons. The atmosphere in each forest in unique and surviving in different forests around the world requires totally different skill sets. These eco-friendly camping trips also involve learning about bush craft, wildlife, survival and getting in touch with your hunter-gatherer roots. Bush Craft and Yurts in English woodland Surrey and Sussex are the most heavily wooded counties in Britain and they happen to be right on London’s doorstep. If you are visiting England then it’s worth going off the tourist trail and seeing the real English countryside. There is an eco-camp close to the Surrey/ Sussex border in Shadow Woods near Billingshurst. You can take a train directly to Billingshurst from London if you don’t have access to a car. You can learn bush craft and survival techniques from the Woodland Skills company in this beautiful old forest. They offer yurts for sleeping and run seasonal courses for foraging, coppicing (making fences from living hazel), nature awareness, charcoal burning and making fire by friction. It’s fascinating to learn these ancient skills before they are lost to mankind. The forest is still managed in the traditional way, just as it was by medieval peasants and Anglo-Saxon tribes long before. You are likely to see several species of deer in these woods, as well as a variety of birds. www.woodlandskills.com   Woodland Cabins in Sweden   These traditional charcoal burners’ forest huts are even more rustic and adventurous. I visited in summer so it was hot every day, but it a very different experience during the freezing Swedish winter. You may be surprised to learn that Swedish forests are plagued by huge mosquitoes and other biting insects during the summer months. Fortunately though, Kolarbyn is relatively free from their irritating presence. The Kolarbyn lodge is near a large lake in which you can take a refreshing dip and there are also many pleasant walks in the area. There’s even a floating, wood fire sauna on the lake! There are fresh blueberries growing all over these peaceful woods in which moose, wolves and even bears are said to frequent. The only animals that visit the camp itself are small birds and squirrels but you can pay extra for a safari if you want to see beavers, moose, wolves or bears. It’s a [...]

The problem with so called eco-tourism is that the carbon emissions of flights kind of negate the point of an eco-holiday. Putting this aside, there are many positive aspects of eco-tourism, such as the preservation of nature. You can always try and find an eco-camp close to home but this article looks at three great camps from around the world. If you’re the sort of person who thinks a holiday lying on a beach towel is boring and you long for the great outdoors, the sounds of the forest and the scent of the campfire, then these 3 back-to-nature style retreats are for you. I’ve tried them all and can personally recommend each one for different reasons. The atmosphere in each forest in unique and surviving in different forests around the world requires totally different skill sets. These eco-friendly camping trips also involve learning about bush craft, wildlife, survival and getting in touch with your hunter-gatherer roots. Bush Craft and Yurts in English woodland Surrey and Sussex are the most heavily wooded counties in Britain and they happen to be right on London’s doorstep. If you are visiting England then it’s worth going off the tourist trail and seeing the real English countryside. There is an eco-camp close to the Surrey/ Sussex border in Shadow Woods near Billingshurst. You can take a train directly to Billingshurst from London if you don’t have access to a car. You can learn bush craft and survival techniques from the Woodland Skills company in this beautiful old forest. They offer yurts for sleeping and run seasonal courses for foraging, coppicing (making fences from living hazel), nature awareness, charcoal burning and making fire by friction. It’s fascinating to learn these ancient skills before they are lost to mankind. The forest is still managed in the traditional way, just as it was by medieval peasants and Anglo-Saxon tribes long before. You are likely to see several species of deer in these woods, as well as a variety of birds. www.woodlandskills.com   Woodland Cabins in Sweden   These traditional charcoal burners’ forest huts are even more rustic and adventurous. I visited in summer so it was hot every day, but it a very different experience during the freezing Swedish winter. You may be surprised to learn that Swedish forests are plagued by huge mosquitoes and other biting insects during the summer months. Fortunately though, Kolarbyn is relatively free from their irritating presence. The Kolarbyn lodge is near a large lake in which you can take a refreshing dip and there are also many pleasant walks in the area. There’s even a floating, wood fire sauna on the lake! There are fresh blueberries growing all over these peaceful woods in which moose, wolves and even bears are said to frequent. The only animals that visit the camp itself are small birds and squirrels but you can pay extra for a safari if you want to see beavers, moose, wolves or bears. It’s a [...]