Green Honeymoons: The Hottest Trend in Eco-Tourism

For many, green travel may still conjure images of taking a tepid rainwater shower in a grass outhouse while swatting swarms of hungry mosquitoes. But green travel is no longer just for the eccentric and rugged few.

A new cohort of luxury destinations around the world is revolutionizing green travel with a focus on social, environmental, and economic community causes. They make the ideal honeymoon destinations, offering all the luxury and none of the worry.

For example, honeymooners at Samara Private Game Reserve, a luxury safari retreat in South Africa, relish in "delectable candle-lit meals, sparkling wine, romantic locations and game drives, luxurious en-suite accommodation with endless views over plains and mountains, romantic turn-downs, spa treatments, and silence that seeps into your soul," describes reservations manager Jenny McFadyen. And guests can rest easy knowing that the company encourages guests to bring supplies for local schools and directly supports a safe haven for children removed from their homes.

The honeymoon package at Table Rock Jungle Lodge, Belize, includes "a bottle of wine, local organic chocolate and body soap, flower petals on the bed upon arrival, private candle-lit dinners, and guided jungle tours," explain owners Alan and Colleen Spring. While guests at Table Rock enjoy exquisite furnishings and WiFi in their jungle view cabanas, they can feel good knowing that their travel money directly supports the lodge's Mahogany Reforestation Project and local environmental education projects.

Couples getting married anytime in 2012 or 2013 can win a 4-day honeymoon stay at Samara or Table Rock, or one of seven other breathtaking socially green destinations in Africa, Nepal, or Borneo. Couples enter by uploading a homemade 4-minute video and receiving the most likes. Kutoa's Socially Green Honeymoon Contest runs now through August 1, 2012, and the winning couple can schedule travel through December 2013.

About Kutoa

Kutoa, which means "to give" in Swahili, is an innovative online hub that promotes hotels, eco-lodges, and adventure companies around the world that directly support important social causes in their local area. KutoaTravel.com is a perfect starting point to find trips that make a difference.