10 amazing trips that make a difference to local communities and wildlife
Whether visiting a new conservation project or lightening your footprint, these amazing trips catch the eye and give something back
Here at Wanderlust, we have long believed in travel as a force for good – one that can benefit residents in the country you’re visiting just as much as it can enrich our lives.
Feel the same way? Here are 10 amazing trips to book now that give something back, whether you’re visiting a new conservation project or helping support jobs in local communities.
Lessen your impact on an island walking escape in Australia
Despite its diminutive size, Flinders Island, off the coast of Tasmania, has a huge array of ecosystems, ranging from dunes and lagoons to woodlands and mountainous granite ridges. Walking across the island is the only way to truly appreciate the sheer breadth of landscapes that you’ll find here. Tasmanian Expeditions’ Flinders Island Walking Adventure – In Comfort is a small group tour with a chance to see some unique wildlife and birdlife. Nights are spent in safari-style tents at the beachside Eco Comfort Camp, a semi-permanent construction on conservation land, which has solar power and waste recycling programmes. Guests also learn about the responsibility of bushwalkers to minimise harm.
More information: Tasmanian Expeditions. Selected dates from Oct 2025–May 2026; 6 days from £1,885pp (excluding international flights).
Help fund an eco-stove project while on safari in Zambia
In partnership with the Zambian charity Project Luangwa, Expert Africa’s eco-stove initiative installs fuel-efficient cooking stoves in remote communities across Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. Designed to burn small twigs, these reduce the need for firewood, saving women countless hours of labour; lower household smoke levels (which cause respiratory illnesses); and reduce deforestation. Booking on Expert Africa’s tailor-made Perekani Walking Trail tour through South Luangwa National Park not only means nights in bush camps with drinks around the fire pit and days spent on walking safaris following game trails, you can also request to visit the local villages outside the park, near Tafika camp, to see how this initiative has changed lives.
More information: Expert Africa. Flexible dates from Jun–Oct 2025; 11 days from £7,190pp (excluding international flights).
Read next: Bumping into big cats on a walking safari in Zambia
Witness conservation in action in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands
The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world, spanning Brazil, eastern Bolivia and Paraguay, and it is home to wildlife similar to that found in the nearby Amazon basin – though arguably easier to spot due to the lack of dense jungle. Audley Travel’s tailor-made In search of the Jaguar in Brazil’s Pantanal trip includes a stay at the remarkable Caiman property, home to multiple conservation programmes, including initiatives focusing on the local population of hyacinth macaws, tapirs and blue-fronted parrots. But what excites visitors the most is surely the Onçafari initiative helping to preserve the region’s jaguars, with guests able to join trips to try and spot them in the wild with the conservation team. Education is a central part of Onçafari’s mission, and its goal goes beyond basic tourism, using travel as a tool to promote the preservation of these magnificent creatures. The itinerary also includes visits to the spectacular Iguaçu Falls and Rio de Janeiro.
More information: Audley. Year-round; 11 days from £8,310pp (including international flights).
Read next: Queen of the Pantanal: On the trail of jaguars in Brazil
Summit Kilimanjaro and support female guides in Tanzania
Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Africa’s highest mountain, is an incredible journey. It is also a slow one, taking days just to adjust to the altitude on the way up, as you pass through terrain that ranges from forest to moorlands to icy summit. This allows you to truly soak in your surroundings and get to know the people you travel with. The mountain is a lifeline for many of the communities in the area, which provide porters and guides for hiking trips. Money from Exodus Adventure Travels’ Kilimanjaro Climb: Lemosho Route small group tour, which follows one of the most scenic of the seven trail routes up the mountain, helps to support the operator’s Mountain Lioness scholarship. This has been set up to train women – who for many years weren’t even accepted as porters – as expedition guides. So far, 30 women have graduated from the training programme, which fully equips them with all the skills and knowledge they need to guide hikers.
More information: Exodus Adventure Travels. Selected dates from Jun–Oct 2025; 10 days from £3,095pp (excluding international flights).
Read next: Climbing Kilimanjaro: A practical guide
Explore Ecuador’s forests and help to preserve them
In collaboration with the World Land Trust and Ecuadorian partner Fundación EcoMinga, wildlife-specialist tour operator Naturetrek has bought more than 850 hectares of critically endangered Ecuadorian montane cloudforest. The Naturetrek Candelaria Reserve provides a vital wildlife corridor between Los Llanganates and Sangay National Parks, and its preservation has helped with scientific research, including the discovery of two new species of frog, as well as job creation for rangers and ecotourism opportunities with community homestays in villages. You can explore this fascinating ecosystem on Naturetrek’s The Reptiles and Amphibians of Ecuador trip, roaming the reserve to spy rare birds such as the plate-billed mountain-toucan or Andean cock-of-the-rock, as well as other wildlife, including the three-toed sloth and the diablito poison frog. It’s a chance to see an incredible work of conservation and the creatures it has helped to preserve.
More information: Naturetrek. 3 Feb 2026; 17 days from £7,495pp (including international flights).
More information: Trip Planner: How you can explore the best of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
Travel flight-free to the lakes of Italy and Switzerland
Byway has built a reputation for its flight-free trips, creating itineraries by land and sea across Europe and beyond, using local transport and stays in locally owned accommodation. Its Italian and Swiss Lakes trip starts in London and travels by Eurostar to Paris, and then on by rail to Switzerland and Italy, with stops including cultured Basel, historic Lugano and scenic Lake Como. The trip includes train tickets and accommodation, plus activity recommendations and WhatsApp support. Best of all, you’re limiting your personal carbon footprint by staying firmly on the ground.
More information: Byway. Year-round; 8 nights from £1,475pp (transport included).
Read next: A short break guide to Ticino, Switzerland
Support local villages on a walk through Spain’s Aracena Hills
Although they are not far from Seville, the tree-lined hills of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park in south-western Spain are little visited by outsiders. Known for their cork oak forests, cobbled livestock trails and white-painted villages, this area is ideal for a walking escape and offers a chance to immerse yourself in Andalucían culture that has changed little over the years. The park was created with a vision of bringing sustainable tourism to village communities and reversing the trend of depopulation to urban centres. The Walks, Villages and Flavours of Spain’s Aracena Hills self-guided walking trip with Pura Aventura – which was the first specialist tour operator in the UK to certify as a B Corp – places local people and communities at the heart of the experience. You’ll walk in the footsteps of shepherds, enjoy gastronomic treats like air-cured Ibérico ham and stay at local inns, knowing you are contributing to small, family-owned businesses along the way. This trip includes walking notes and GPS, all breakfasts, some meals and luggage transfers.
More information: Pura Aventura. Flexible dates from Sep 2025–Jun 2026; 8 days from £1,400pp (excluding international flights).
Explore a new deer sanctuary on a road trip through Chile
Chile’s huemul deer live in the high reaches of Patagonia. They’re also endangered, with populations decreasing as a result of mining, quarrying and habitat destruction. Thanks to contributions from Journey Latin America (JLA), Rewilding Chile was able to open the first Huemul Rescue Center in Cerro Castillo National Park. Now travellers on JLA’s Chile: Off the Beaten Track self-drive tour can opt to tour the centre, which cares for sick and injured huemul deer and monitors them for research. Combine a visit with exploring the vineyards around capital Santiago, cruising the Chilean Lake District and driving the dramatic Aysén region on the Carretera Austral highway.
More information: Journey Latin America. Year-round; 14 days from £4,600pp (excluding international flights).
Read next: Chilean Tierra del Fuego: A journey to the end of the world
Help fund cleaner water while on safari in Kenya
Abercrombie & Kent’s (A&K) LifeStraw safe-water initiative offers access to clean drinking water for schools across Kenya’s Mara region, funded by the income from trips. A&K’s Kenya Safari in Style 2025 small group tour not only serves up grasslands and the Big Five on bush walks and game drives in the Masai Mara Reserve, but you can also visit a school in a Maasai village to meet those benefitting from the LifeStraw project.
More information: Abercrombie & Kent. Selected dates from Jul–Oct & Dec 2025; 8 days from £9,230pp (excluding
international fights).
Read next: Five ways to experience Indigenous culture in Kenya
Visit a community ceramics project in Peru’s Sacred Valley
The community of Cuyo Chico in Peru’s Sacred Valley was once known for its ceramic handicrafts, but the rise of plastic and cheaper materials threatened this tradition and the livelihoods of local artisans. As demand declined, many struggled to sustain their families, forcing some to seek work outside the community. To combat this, 12 families have formed an association aimed at reviving the craft, providing a sustainable income to local women, who previously had to travel far to work. G Adventures’ Express Peru with Machu Picchu by Train small group tour isn’t just an opportunity to take in the iconic Inca citadel and the ruins of the Sacred Valley. Visitors can also engage with the Cuyo Chico community, learning about the ceramics process, before visiting the spectacular nearby Inca complex of Pisac.
More information: G Adventures. Year-round; 6 days from £729pp (excluding international flights).
Read next: 7 incredible Peru trips to book now
