Eco tourism in California, Guest Post

CALIFORNIA, America’s leading state on Green Destinations

California possesses some of the most innovative green destinations and eco-conservation programs in the United States, as well as the chance to be an eco-friendly visitor. As we all know, probably the biggest favor we can do to the environment is keeping our driving to a bare minimum, and California offers numerous car-free adventures to select from.

Touring the state via Amtrak while traveling along the California coast, stopping in coastal cities such as San Luis Obispo, San Juan Capistrano, Los Angeles and San Diego, it is considered to have the most stunning train routes in the U.S. Besides the option of taking the Amtrak train or driving a hybrid vehicle, you may want to consider a sustainable bicycle tour through the Pacific Coast, Redwoods, and Mountain parts of California or think about a self-guided but entirely supported 3-day biking tour through Wine Country, or from San Francisco, you can catch a bus to Yosemite National Park and join any of the many biking, hiking, or horseback riding trips available and explore the park. Remember that recycling plays a very important role in the safe keeping of our environment.

Joshua Tree National Park offers a diversity of ecosystems exposing many species of plants, birds, and desert animals; it is definitely a banquet for the senses. It offers volunteer programs and many other activities including guided ranch tours, bird watching, horseback riding, nature walks and rock climbing. There are also campsites such as Black Rock and Indian Cove. These two offer the possibility of planning and reserving your space, while most other campgrounds are on a first-come, first-served basis.

San Diego offers remarkable options for eco travel and tours. Eco tourism activities such as snorkeling with Sharks; Kayaking at the La Jolla Ecological preserve Sea Caves, Dolphin excursions, Gray Whale watching, scuba in La Jolla Cove, hiking the Torrey Pines State Park and bird watching are among many other eco choices for our full enjoyment, even a free ride to the La Jolla Children’s Pool where we can witness Harbor Seals relaxing under the warm California sun!

Aside from beautiful beaches and other great vacationer attractions, San Diego geography stimulates the explorer in us, with mountains such as Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, the Palomar Mountain State Park, the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area and California’s first desert park: “Anza Borrego Desert State Park”. The County of San Diego is one of the most diverse ecological regions in the US, with one of the largest urban park systems of any city in the world and miles of biking and hiking trails to make our experience an unforgettable one. Balboa Park, Mission Bay Park, Mission Trails Regional Park and Los Peñasquitos canyon offer hiking and biking trails all within the city limits.

The majority of tours include lodging, dining, local sightseeing, luggage transfer and the most remarkable scenery you can take in along the way. Eco-Certified lodging such as “Strawberry Creek Inn B&B” near Idyllwild, California, the Historic “Sand Rock Farm B&B” near Aptos, California, or “Tamarack Lodge” near Mammoth, offer aside of organically grown breakfasts and meals, activities such as hang-gliding over the desert and zip-lining through the mountain forest. These are environmentally responsible hotels that composts; minimizing waste and avoiding the use of chemical cleaning products. Close to the Sand Rock B&B is the “Monterey Bay Aquarium”, which offers a full day of sailing adventures and the astonishing mountains of Big Sur.