Eastern Europe in particular is a great place to check out the growing markets – try those in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania – while farther in the west of the continent, the funky holiday Christmas stirred up in Amsterdam each year is not to be missed.

Riga, Latvia, site of the very first decorated Christmas tree, has not forgotten its heritage. Don't miss the annual Yule-log lighting ceremony meant to burn away the previous year's sins. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Jani.Halinen

Riga, Latvia

Nestled in the snowy enclave of Dome Square of Riga, Latvia, the two-month-long Christmas Market pays homage to the place where the world’s first Christmas tree was decorated! It was apparently adorned with flowers to honour the birth of Christ. Today, as we know, the practice has evolved and spread to all corners of the world. Still approximately 350,000 people visit the Riga market each year.

In addition to Christmas trees, visitors can peruse a variety of handmade wooden toys and woollen sweaters, sample freshly made gingerbread and sauerkraut (not together!) and, of course, imbibe some of Riga’s famous piping-hot mulled wine.

Be sure to book a hotel in Riga for the night of December 22, when the famous winter solstice celebration marks the decoration of the central Christmas tree in Riga and the lighting of the Yule log to burn away the sins of the previous year.

WHEN: The Christmas Market in Riga is usually from around the last week in November through the first week in January, and opens daily at 10am.

With its dramatic air aerobatics, numerous music concerts and Old Town charm, the Christmas Market in Vilnius, Lithuania, is quickly rivalling larger showings elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Photo courtesy of Evaldas

Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius’ Christmas Market is a newcomer to the Eastern Europe festival scene, but has quickly grown to rival its bigger brothers in Prague and Poland.

Music is the highlight of this celebration, with music halls and cafes enlivened by classical concerts and carols. Vilnius’ surrounding Old Town is set aglow with soft twinkling lights and rollicks with events in the city’s 50 churches.

WHEN: The Christmas Market in Vilnius takes place on Odminiu Square and runs from mid-December through early January with nightly fireworks displays and singing in the streets.

Home to 26 separate Christmas markets, from the funky to the aromatic, Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, can liven up any holiday, even at the Christmas Flower Market (seen above). Photo courtesy of Flickr/Northcountry Boy

Amsterdam, Netherlands

It should come as no surprise that Amsterdam is home to not one, but 26 Christmas markets! One of the more unusual of the bunch, though, is the Funky Christmas market, where craft stalls offer a variety of aromatic and handmade crafts. The Winterland Christmas market is much more traditional, complete with an ice-skating rink, snowmen and too-numerous-to-count Christmas trees between stalls of hot cocoa and mulled wine.

While choosing a hotel in Amsterdam can be a bit dizzying, all markets in the city are as unique as the districts in which they are held. The Flower District’s market, for example, is filled with the fragrance of pine and mistletoe.

Not to be missed is the mid-November Saint Nicholas Parade and the Christmas tree at Dam Square.

WHEN: The Amsterdam holiday markets are generally held throughout the month of December.

The Christmas Market of Tallinn, Estonia, may be off the beaten track, but travellers would be hard pressed to find a more fairytale-like display away from the usual crowds. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Katja Maasing

Tallinn, Estonia

In Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, the Christmas Market is legendary, hailed as one of the 10 best Christmas markets in Europe. It regularly draws tens of thousands of visitors to this picturesque town that, with its usually timely blanket of snow, resembles a picture-perfect Christmas card.

Although the temperature at Christmas in Estonia is customarily well below zero, it doesn’t stop revellers from bundling up and taking in the lights and wooden stalls of felted hats and holiday wreathes made from the finest artisans from all over the world. Also not to missed is the fairytale-like Christmas Village, where children can feed and pet rabbits and lambs, while dancers from Estonia’s ethnic groups take the stage. Kids also love to mail a handmade Christmas card home from the aptly named Reindeer Express located in Santa’s Cabin.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the food and Tallinn doesn’t disappoint. Wooden barrels are filled with mulled wine and long platters display spiced gingerbread, blood sausage, cookies and marzipan, while locally made honey and piping hot soups abound.

WHEN: The Tallinn Christmas market is held on Rotermann Square (not Town Hall Square) from the end of November until early January, every day between 10am and 7pm

How is biodiversity measured? Conservation International, an organisation that “empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity” has established a way to identify the world’s biodiversity hotspots, or areas that have especially high numbers of endemic (native) species, based largely on two factors: the number of plant species endemic to the area (must be greater than 1,500 species) and the acute need to protect the area from habitat loss beyond an already measured 70 percent of the original.

In these fragile areas, the acute priority placed on conservation means that visitors and travellers must handle with care. Unchecked tourism is part of the rampant human encroachment on nature that threatens the planets’ bio-diverse ecosystems and its health. When practiced responsibly, however, tourism can be a driving force behind conservation efforts.

We encourage travellers to explore these biological treasure troves, but to do so responsibly. Some of the best ways to do this are on guided tours with local tourism professionals committed to conservation principles and making as little impact as possible. These guided tours also deliver high levels of learning, adventure and fun!

We are pleased to offer our five favourite ways to experience biodiversity hotspots around the globe.

A mirror image of the healthy corals of the Solomon Islands. Keep them healthy with a scuba dive tour that cares. Photo courtesy of Tina Aydon

Scuba Diving the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands enjoy healthy reefs that represent a small part of the Coral Triangle biodiversity hotspot in the southwest Pacific. Divers visiting the town of Gizo on Ghizo Island, which is famous for its submarine seascapes, discover a variety of healthy, warm-water reefs teeming with fish that have not been loved to death. At Njari Island, off Gizo, as many as 279 fish species have been counted on a single dive. With Dive Gizo, the whl.travel local connection in the Solomon Islands, daily dive tours are limited to eight passengers at each site to ensure there is no great impact on the marine life. The dives, including some wrecks, suit both novices and masters, and promise great photo ops.

As part of a biodiversity conservation initiative in the area, a partnership between WWF-SI (World Wildlife Fund for Nature Solomon Islands) and Dive Gizo was launched in 2003 to protect eight reef sites around Gizo from careless anchorage; the easy solution was to deploy marine buoys. Dive Gizo is also a member of the Gizo Marine Conservation Area (GMCA) Management Committee, which has established nine marine protected areas covering an area of approximately 43 square kilometres. As well, the Dive Gizo diving staff belongs to the marine biological team that collects baseline and ongoing coral monitoring data for the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

The Amazon Tree Climb in Manaus Brazil will get your own limbs working and your adrenaline pumping all way up to the canopy layer. Photo credit Government of the state of Amazon, Brazil

Amazon Tree Climbing in Manaus, Brazil

As the largest tropical rainforest system in the world, the Amazon is a place of unparalleled biodiversity. In fact, more than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest. Where is one of the best places to get a sense of this almost preternatural environment? The city of Manaus, in the north region of Brazil serves a magical gateway into a unique world.

Given the surroundings, Manaus is headquarters to a number of rainforest tour activities, from kayaking and river cruises to canopy tours. Now, even Amazon tree-climbing is an option! Outfitted with climbing gear, visitors can hoist themselves up through the branches and up to the jungle canopy the way researchers do to collect data. Even better, with Selenetur Travel, the whl.travel local connection in Manaus, concern for the rainforest is top priority. Tours groups can be no larger than six so no harm befalls the trees, and bilingual instructors inform about the ecosystem and the surrounding wildlife. This blissful encounter with nature leaves climbers with a renewed impulse to conserve it!

Carlos Augusto, one of the trip coordinators, says, “Our trees are previously inspected and the climb sites are carefully chosen. We opt for primary forest areas, which gives us a better chance of observing the wildlife in its natural habitat. Our wish is to share the magic and beauty of the Amazon forest with our guests, so that they may understand and respect this fragile ecosystem.”

In Luang Namtha's Nam Ha National Protected Area in Laos, award-winning conservation-minded ecotourism projects are underway. See it through the mists of the area's refreshing waterfalls. Photo courtesy of Stanislas Fradelizi

Waterfall Trekking in Luang Namtha, Laos

Luang Namtha Province lies in the northwest of Laos, sharing borders with both China and Myanmar. Around 85 percent of its 9,325 square kilometres is mountainous and approximately 50 percent is covered by forests, making for landscape with high levels of biodiversity. Home to more than 20 ethnic minority groups, 37 large animal species, 297 bird species and 60 fish species, Luang Namtha has been recognised as having enormous potential for ecotourism.

The 2,230-square-kilometre Nam Ha National Protected Area (NPA) is a primary tourism attraction in Luang Namtha. Lying at the intersection of the Indochina and Himalayan bioregions, the bio-diverse area is a protected area of international significance. The importance of the Nam Ha NPA is in relation to tourism in Luang Namtha – primarily as a result of a major ecotourism project undertaken by UNESCO and the Lao National Tourism Authority called the UNESCO-NTA Lao Nam Ha Ecotourism Project.

Designed to create an economically viable national model for locally managed community-based culture and nature tourism, the project has demonstrated that properly planned ecotourism can be used as a tool for heritage conservation and rural development, involve local communities in tourism management and operations, and raise substantial public sector revenue. In 2001, the UNESCO-NTA Lao Nam Ha Ecotourism Project won a United Nations Development Programme Award in 2001 in addition to a British Airways’ Tourism for Tomorrow commendation.

One refreshing way to explore the Nam Ha NPA rainforest is a one-day waterfall trek that leaves from the small town of Vieng Phouka, located two hours by car south of Luang Namtha town.

On an early morning in the first week of April, a solitary canoe makes its way along what is normally a forest road in Soomaa National Park, Estonia. Photo courtesy of Aivar Ruukel.

Canoeing the Fifth Season Floods in Estonia

Soomaa National Park, which surrounds the Estonian ‘summer capital’ of Pärnu is a naturally quirky place, principally because it protects some of the world’s rarest ecosystems – peat bogs and wetlands (the word soomaa means ‘land of bogs’). Estonia is a wet country with almost 25 percent of the territory consisting of different kinds of wetlands, arguably the most important of which are the ancient and disappearing peat bogs. Their ecological importance has been distinguished as, among other accolades, a CORINE biotope area and one of Europe’s most valuable wilderness areas certified by PAN Parks, and turned it into an European ecotourism hotspot.

Another quirk about the Soomaa region is its ‘fifth-season’ spring floods. Each year, usually in April, spring melt-off raises water levels by about five metres, submerging everything – forest floors, meadows, fields, roads and even village houses – for two to three weeks during which a boat is just about the only way to get around. This is not a catastrophe but a much-anticipated season and a popular time for canoe trips into the national park. Some tours navigate the swamped forests – even right up to the doors of houses – using haabjas, or traditional hand-carved dugout canoes made from huge aspen logs.

From the relaxing rhythm of a canoe, Fifth Season observers can take a good look at some of the wetlands flora and fauna. Although not officially designated as a ‘biodiversity hotspot’ by Conservation International, the Kuresoo bog is ranked particularly high in species diversity. Soomaa is also a natural home for eagles, black storks and other rare birds, as well for carnivores such as wolf, lynx and brown bear.

Sri Lanka's Sinharaja Forest Reserve boasts the highest concentration of endemic species in a country fabled for its endemism. Photo courtesy of Ethan Gelber

Hiking Through Primary Rainforests in Sri Lanka

The gorgeous rainforests of Sri Lanka are on the list of the planet’s top 10 biodiversity hotspots most at risk of destruction. Sadly, at the top of the list of Sri Lankan rainforests most at risk is Sinharaja (meaning ‘lion king’) Forest Reserve, the largest Gondwanan rainforest in South Asia. It is relatively small – barely more than 110 square kilometres – but if taken with contiguous forest reserves, it represents the largest single block (about 475 square kilometres) of wet-zone primary forest in the country. Naturally, it is the green heart of Sri Lanka’s unique and enormously important biodiversity, boasting the highest concentration of endemic species in a country fabled for its endemism.

Preserved from loggers by virtue of its difficult terrain and finally put beyond their axes in only 1977, Sinharaja is now also one of Sri Lanka’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, the greatest threat to Sinharaja is the unchecked devastation of the ecosystem it shares with surrounding woodlands, some officially counted in a semi-protected forest buffer zone. Bewilderingly, in the 15 years from 1990 to 2005, despite legal protections, 900 square kilometres, or approximately 35%, of the 1990 total forest coverage within 20 kilometres of the park was destroyed. Along with them went who-knows-what in the way of biodiversity.

The best way to appreciate what’s left and continue to call attention to its irreplaceable bounty is simply to visit. Paths within the protected area can only be covered on foot and in the company of a guide. While tours can be arranged in advance, qualified and knowledgeable guides are available for hire (for an affordable fixed price) at the Kudawa and Deniyaya entry points.

Sri Lanka is peppered liberally with other brilliant ecotourism indulgences across a wide variety of ecosystems. For example, why not try a boat ride on the mangrove-fringed Madu River, home to at least 60 species of bird?

Over the past two weeks, in honour of this annual stock-taking, we’ve shared some of the fourth-quarter stirrings from a few places around the world: Sikh pilgrimages in Pakistan, Orthodox Christmas in Athens, Eid in the Maldives and a little bit of everything in multicultural Tanzania. We’ve offered our top five picks of other places where you can tap into a mystical vibe to help bring out your own if you’re not already adept at just finding the spiritual experience in all travel.

Free Christmas expression at its best during SantaCon, here celebrated in New York City. Photo courtesy of Flickr/ÐIÐËO

Even after all that, we still had a few items on our list that we wanted to share.

Funny Edge

Some of what we learned about simply caught our silly fancy, like SantaCon, “where guys and girls of legal age dress up like Santa and go cavorting around town for no better reason than that it’s huge fun.” What better way to get ho-ho-ho jolly?!

Others had a hilarious edge of tradition gone amiss, as in when you’re sure that a present-day custom is based on some slight misunderstanding of past acts. Take, for instance, the Norwegian tradition of hiding brooms on Christmas Eve night (thus denying marauding evil spirits their means of transport).

Or ponder the practice in the Czech Republic of single women throwing a shoe over a shoulder on December 24 to determine if they will marry in the coming year. If you’re a single handsome prince, it might be the best time for a stroll and welcome risk of getting knocked unconscious by flying footwear (only to be awakened by a beautiful, penitent and eligible princess).

And how about the Christmas pastime in Latvia of ‘mumming’? This involves parading around in animal or corpse masks and costumes, and then visiting houses to help drive away evil spirits. There’s song and dance involved and an invitation to snack – a good gig for hungry bellies on Christmas Eve.

At a Posada in Mexico, blindfolded children and adults line up to hit the piñata with a wooden stick in an attempt to release the traditional candies hidden within

A Mixture of Mirth and Meaning

There was also some mirthful stuff underpinned by religion.

If you’re visiting Los Cabos, Mexico, during December, you are likely to hear a traditional song connected to the celebration of ‘Las Posadas,’ which lasts for nine days (December 16-24). ‘Posadas’ are reminders of the journey of Joseph and Mary just before the birth of Jesus as they moved from place to place in search of somewhere to stay. The practice today is for guests to gather in the main entrance of selected house (uniting family and friends), light small candles and then sing the traditional song (Entren santos peregrinos, peregrinos/Reciban este rincón/Que aunque es pobre la morada, la morada/Os la doy de corazón). When the song is over, the host opens the door and all the guests enter while singing the last part of the song. Guests then kneel and pray at the house’s nativity scene, after which a piñata filled with traditional candies makes its appearance. There are also public Posadas held usually on the main plaza of every town and open to visitors.

In Estonia, where pre-Christian traditions are still observed and the cycle of nature treated with due reverence, celebration of the winter solstice, called jõulud, is arguably just as important as commemoration of Christ’s birth. Different people give different weights to secular and religious significance, but many first celebrate nature in ways that involve water (a sauna) or a fire in a forest (see the video below), followed by conventional holiday meals taken in a family circle.

Getting Serious

Of course, the season also comes with a serious message, one taken to heart in many places across the planet.

In the Seychelles, for over 200 year a British colony, most of the year-end practices follow British custom, although the local Seychellois place a greater emphasis on the New Year festivities than Yuletide pomp. Perhaps it has to do with the ritual significance of Christmas, a time for midnight mass, gift exchanges and family togetherness. By contrast, starting on the evening of December 31, everyone is out for street parties in Victoria, the capital. After midnight, everybody hits the discos until late in the morning of January 1st. January 2nd is then a time of family reunion, an occasion for brothers and sisters to gather at their parents’ house and get reacquainted. Note that fire crackers are illegal in the Seychelles.

Finally, in places around the world, like Medjugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina, people gather to remember miracles and apparitions. In Medjugorje, in the summer of 1981, six children saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Since then, regardless of age, nationality, color, education and even religious belief, millions of people have made the pilgrimage to this visit this small village to find peace and renewed sense of purpose in life. Each year, a special call goes out to young people to make the journey to Medjugorje on December 31. This year (2010), beginning at 7pm, children from the Cenacolo Community (former drug addicts) turn the area around the Church of St James into Bethlehem for a few hours. This is followed by prayer and Holy Mass.

“The European Ecotourism Conference brings together great experts and speakers on different aspects of ecotourism, including certification, web-marketing, climate change, innovative product development and green travel,” commented Aivar Ruukel, representing the Estonian Ecotourism Association, one of the event organisers, along with The International Ecotourism Society and the Pärnu Convention Bureau, with support from the Estonian Tourist Board, Estonian University of Life Sciences and Estonian Ecotourism Cluster.

“While there will be great presentations to listen to,” continued Ruukel, “the conference will also give EVERY participant a voice to give voice to his/her hottest topic and discuss it with like-minded colleagues through Open Space and World Cafe workshops.”

Following two days of pre-conference ecotourism experiences, discussions over two days will cover multiple themes from the global perspective on ecotourism in Europe and green travel marketing to biodiversity conservation, community-based initiatives, certification programs and new communications innovations that help spread the word. Considerable time has been made available for open-forum discussions during which all participants are free to interact.

WHL Group Represented

The WHL Group will be represented, among others, by Luke H. Ford, CEO of Gunyah, who is also on the event’s advisory committee. Ford will speak on Tuesday 28 September at 2:30pm about the momentum growing behind the notion of local travel, as exemplified by WHL Group companies and the Local Travel Movement.

“We as a group have realised that a traveller’s experience (for the most part) isn’t just about the bed he or she is booking; it’s all about the things around the hotel – the meals, the transport, the conversations with the locals, the chance to experience everyday life as it should be in the destination, the local travel experience,” shared Ford. “We are bringing the responsible and local tourism concept to the mass market.”

A Wide Circle of Participation

Other presentations by WHL Group friends and partners include “How to Market to Green Traveller?” by Richard Hammond, the “Parks Tourism Model as a tool to protect Europe’s Wilderness” by a representative from the PAN Parks Foundation and “How to integrate Web 2.0 tools in promoting Ecotourism” by Ron Mader of Planeta.com, who has issued a call for photos of ecotourism and responsible travel in Europe.

“We would like to see photos of national parks, city parks, recycling, environmental education, good signage, local wildlife and quality guiding in Europe,” said Ron Mader. “Ecotourism Europe is a great ‘show and tell’ that connects visitors and locals.”

For anyone unable to attend, but interested in both the topic and what will be shared at the conference, there are several online platforms for discussions, images and reactions. These include LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook.

In addition, in anticipation of the conference, a free Ecotourism in Europe webinar has been planned for Thursday 23 September from 1-2pm GMT with Ruukel as lead speaker and other guests including Zoltan Kun (Executive Director of PAN Parks) and Ben Colclough (Co-founder of Tourdust.com).

“For me the success of conference can be only measured by the satisfaction of participants,” concluded Ruukel. “I hope that the methods that we chose and the way we have organised this event will help to achieve it.”

A traditional dugout canoe, known as a haabja in the local lingo, is the best way to explore the wilderness of Soomaa National Park. When the floods come in late March, a haabja is often the only way to get around!

Ecotourism: A Natural Evolution

While Ruukel’s interest in nature and the environment dates to his youth, his passion for ecotourism was kindled 15 years ago, when the cranberry bogs and capercaillie forests in his backyard were designated a national park. This shrewd move by the Estonian Fund for Nature not only allowed this great area of wilderness to be preserved and protected for posterity, it also ushered in new era of opportunity for tourism.

Soon after Soomaa National Park came into being, Estonia’s Rural Development Programme began a countrywide campaign to promote ecotourism as an alternative source of income for the former-Soviet collective agricultural communities of Estonia. Ruukel was selected as the lucky candidate to coordinate the project. He worked on it for two years, simultaneously running his own burgeoning eco-business that organised wilderness experience tours in and around Soomaa National Park.

His fruitful time as project coordinator made a deep impression on him. “It was a great combination of learning about ecotourism concepts and methodology, and developing my own small business at the same time, hand in hand,” Ruukel happily reflected. “I also had a wonderful mentor, Jan Wigsten, a Swedish guy who used to be a board member of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) at that time and was owner and manager of an ecotravel company in Mongolia.”

Ruukel’s dedication to the ecotourism movement is unabated, as he currently sits on the national committee of the Estonian Ecotourism Association (ESTECAS), a nongovernmental and non-profit organisation established in 1996 that he describes as “a club of passionate ecotourism activists and one of the oldest national ecotourism associations.” Additionally, he is a member of the Estonian Ecotourism Cluster, a group of local responsible travel operators who work together to develop and promote quality ecotourism products in Estonia.

Ruukel hopes one day to channel his passion and expertise in nature tourism into fulltime teaching, although for now he makes do with some lecturing at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, while pursuing a Masters degree and sharing the marvels of his home through his travel company, Karuskose Ltd, which operates the aptly-named Soomaa.com.

Aivar Ruukel relaxes with a cup of coffee near the Karuskose Base Camp, his company headquarters in Soomaa National Park, during what's known locally as the 'fifth season' or season of floods

A Tour for All Seasons

Karuskose organises trips to the woods, meadows, rivers and 8000-year-old peat bogs throughout the year, but activities vary according to the time of year. Soomaa has five distinct seasons instead of the usual four, and as each provides its own unique experience, there’s much to enjoy!

The wetlands are best explored by canoe, especially in late March during the so-called ‘fifth season,’ when more than 100 square kilometres of meadows and woodland becomes flooded and impassable by anything that doesn’t float. Exploring the beauty of Soomaa by canoe is a big hit with tourists, which rather perversely makes flood season the most popular time of year for visitors. Many locals still travel using traditional dugouts, called habjaas, carved from aspen trees. For those wishing to try their hand at the traditional skill of canoe building, Ruukel has been fashioning his own habjaas for many years and offers workshops that teach novices the tricks of the trade.

Of course, those wanting to see the place under their own steam can tackle the drier areas with the help of a couple of racquet-like appendages affixed to their feet. Bog shoeing and bog walking are popular all year round, a fun way to explore the wetlands and a unique way to work up a little sweat.

Spring is arguably the most beautiful of the seasons, with wild flowers in full bloom on the meadows and wildlife just beginning to shake off the winter torpor. It’s an ideal time for bird watching as well as for beaver safaris – a popular activity during the warmer months. Summer offers much the same, but with the added benefits of bog swimming and nighttime canoe tours for the brave.

Autumn is of particular interest to gourmets, with plenty of food-oriented activities throughout the region, such as mushrooming, berry picking and cooking with locals from the surrounding villages. Typical local specialties include blood sausage and black rye bread.

It may come as a surprise to some, but orchids thrive in Estonia's cooler climes and the Lady Slipper is one of 36 orchid species that grow around the bogs and wooded meadows. The country may be small, but it packs in an incredibly diverse variety of plant and animal life.

Winter treats involve active pursuits like snowshoeing, kick sledding on the frozen waterways, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. After all that exertion, visitors would do well to ease any aches and pains inside the ever-popular smoke sauna. Those wishing to try out the legendary floating sauna on the Raudna River must unfortunately wait a few months until the ice has melted!

Leading by Example

While the capital, Tallinn, and the seaside town of Pärnu regularly receive top billing, Estonia has many more surprising attractions – far more, in fact, than its small size would suggest. As a result of the exciting work pioneered in Soomaa, Estonia has become a beacon for ecotourism enthusiasts, who have made ecotourism a very hot topic with the national tourist board. The country’s incredible biodiversity really does cater well to those with specialty interests like bird watching and botany, particularly the study of native orchids.

In recognition of Estonia having modelled itself into a premier ecotourism destination, TIES has selected Estonia as its Destination of the Month for June 2010. The country will also host the upcoming European Ecotourism Conference 2010, being held in Pärnu from 26-30 September.

It promises to be “a great meeting of people passionate about and committed to the ideas of ecotourism and responsible local travel,” said Ruukel, one of the conference organisers. Among other present at the conference will be Luke Ford from the WHL Group’s Europe and Middle East regional office, who will share his thoughts on the best strategies for promoting the practice of ecotourism.

Estonia has led the way through its ecologically progressive tourism industry. Let’s hope other countries follow suit!

For inspiration, we turned to the Adventure Tourism Development Index (ATDI), a ranking system designed to spotlight and encourage adventure travel markets that are sensitive to the needs of communities and the environment. The admirable result of the combined efforts of our friends at the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Xola Consulting, as well as The George Washington University’s International Institute of Tourism Studies, the ATDI emphasises what most mainstream ranking systems overlook; it awards high marks for community and environmental development as much as hard infrastructure, all in keeping with 10 pillars of adventure tourism market competitiveness based on principles of sustainable adventure tourism.

From the popular resort town of Nida, Lithuania, hikers can access some of Europe's tallest moving sand dunes – some reaching up to 60 metres in height – on the Curonian Spit, a UNESCO-ranked Heritage Site. Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/Lee Fenner

Given the WHL Group’s commitment to working in off-the-beaten-path destinations, we were most interested in the 10 developing countries ranked highest for adventure travel competitiveness. The ATDI recommendations may surprise you, but we believe you should keep the winners on your radar.

#10 – Lithuania

Numerous conservation areas and abundant hiking trails make Lithuania an excellent choice for nature lovers. One particularly unique site is the Curonian Spit, a long thin peninsula stretching south from Klaipeda in western Lithuania to Russia and separating the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Curonian Spit is renowned for its white-sand beaches, picturesque dunes and secluded pine forests. Near the Russian border, the quaint settlement of Nida has attracted artists and creative types for centuries. With onshore and offshore sports opportunities made possible by The Beautiful Land of Nevermind, the whl.travel local connection, the area makes a great retreat from hectic city life.

#9 – Botswana

The vast sands of the Kalahari cover roughly 85 percent of Botswana, and the country’s wildlife reserves are some of the world’s premier safari destinations. To the north, at the Okavango Delta, the Moremi Game Reserve is best toured during dry season, with game watching at its peak from July through October. Nearby Chobe National Park has superb birding in the Savuti Marsh. In the east, the Tuli Game Reserve promises abundant wildlife, plus ruins of ancient Rhodesian settlements. Cube Safaris, the whl.travel local connection in Botswana, offers a range of tours to wilderness areas, including mokoro boat rides through the flood plains of the Okavango, elephant-back safaris and more.

The white storks of Latvia are also known as Svetelis, which signifies the thought of stork as the saints. Locals believe that farmsteads or meadows frequented by storks are blessed.

#8 – Latvia

Dynamic Latvia is rich in natural wonders, with forests covering more than 40 percent of the country. Just north of the capital, Riga, hikers can explore the caves, rivers and dense woodlands within Gauja National Park. Elsewhere, the sprawling Kemeri National Park contains 427 square kilometres of preserved forests, bogs and lakes, in addition to a well-maintained network of nature trails. The whl.travel local connection in Riga, Blueberry Travel, offers guided excursions to historic towns and medieval castles and other longer trips exploring the scenic beauty of the countryside, the local culture and many other extraordinary architectural gems and palaces.

#7 – Bulgaria

Beyond the stunning landmarks and red army monuments of Sofia, the wide open terrain of mountainous Bulgaria will give even the most avid hikers a serious run for their money. In the heart of the country, Central Balkan National Park has excellent hiking trails and native residents that include bears, wild goats, wolves and over 200 species of birds. The popular ski area of Bankso makes a great base for outdoor pursuits in summer as well for hiking, cycling, horseback riding and even fishing in Pirin National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At night, head out to the local mehanas (traditional taverns) for live folk music and good local wine.

Located in southern Chilean Patagonia, the spectacular 181,000-hectare Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO-rated Biosphere Reserve and an unequalled destination for nature lovers, backpackers and mountaineers. Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/ground.zero

#6 – Chile

Chile has long been regarded as a must-see destination for adventure travellers. It’s no wonder why. From pristine Patagonia to the unearthly Valley of the Moon and harsh environment of the Atacama, this 4,300-kilometre-long country covers an extraordinary variety of climates and ecosystems. Torres del Paine is a solid choice for hikers and trekkers, while Pucón in the scenic Lakes District has both great winter skiing on Volcán Villarrica and an endless range of warm-weather activities like hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing and white-water rafting. Meanwhile, Chiloé Island is renowned for its birding, paddling and wildlife like Magellanic penguins, Chilote fox and rare pudú miniature deer.

#5 – Slovenia

From lush vineyards to remote forests and alpine peaks, the landscape of Slovenia is tailor-made for nature lovers and outdoor entusiasts of all abilities. For a serious trek, the 30-day Slovenian Mountain Trail is the oldest traverse in the country, crossing directly over the Julian Alps and ascending Triglav, Slovenia’s highest peak (2,864 metres). You can also catch a glimpse of the traditional herdsman’s life on a two-day countryside trek to the Alpine dairy settlement of Velika Planina or tour the Pokljuka plateau. After a long hike, unwind while sampling local vintages on a wine-tasting tour in cosmopolitan Ljubljana.

In Estonia's Soomaa National Park, when there are no raised paths, special bogshoes aid with trekking through a watery fairytale landscapes. Here, travellers study plant species.

#4 – Estonia

It’s easy to escape the crowds in Estonia, with just 1.3 million people one of the least populous countries in the European Union. Natural wetlands cover more than one fifth of the country – and the parks are prime territory for canoeing, kayaking and bog-shoeing. For glorious outdoor indulgence, head to Soomaa National Park – its name translates literally to “land of the bogs.” From a base nearby, on the banks of the River Navesti, at Ritsu Talu Farm (cosy camping huts, saunas and rental canoes), explore the park on your own or venture off on a nighttime beaver safari for close encounters with the area’s infamous flat-tailed inhabitants.

#3 – Czech Republic

The culture-filled capital of Prague is reason alone to travel to the Czech Republic, but we strongly suggest veering off into the wilds of Bohemia’s natural forests, historic villages and scenic national parks. From the medieval town of Český Krumlov opportunities abound for kayaking along the Vltava – the upper reaches of the river near the Lipno Dam are best suited to white-water rafting. For heart-pounding downhill winter action, head to the snowcapped peaks of Rokytnice nad Jizerou, an ancient mining town in the western part of the Krkonoše – also known as the “Giant Mountains.” In summer, gorgeous waterfalls, caves, and forests make the area heaven for hikers.

Dominated by a castle built during the 13th Century, the medieval town of Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic has maintained its historic character and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/Midweekpost

#2 – Israel

Despite its small size, Israel boasts a spectacularly varied landscape that includes arid desert, towering cliffs and stunning coastline – terrain perfect for all sorts of outdoor pursuits. Underwater enthusiasts should head straight to Eilat on the Red Sea, where dives feature shallow coral gardens, wrecks and abundant fish life. By the Dead Sea, the 2,500-hectare Ein Gedi Nature Reserve has posted hiking trails and animals like ibex, hyrax and Egyptian vultures. Further north, Metzoke Dragot makes a great base for rock climbing, hiking and mountain biking. The village has guides for desert excursions – canyon hikes, abseiling courses, camel rides and more – just one hour’s drive east of Jerusalem.

#1 – Slovak Republic

Long viewed as a junior partner to the Czech Republic, Slovakia has emerged as a leading destination for adventure travellers, complete with plenty of well-marked mountain trails, challenging cycling routes, and numerous glacial lakes and rivers well suited to canoeing, rafting and fishing. Although prices have gone up slightly since the euro was adopted, the Tatras Mountains along the border with Poland still boast plenty of affordable hotels and quaint mountain huts. One popular trek is the Tatranska Magistrala, a red-blazed trail crossing the Tatras from east to west between Velke Biele pleso to the town of Podbanske. The hike takes about 16 hours, although trailside huts are available for multi-day undertakings.

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Aivar Ruukel (@ruukel and @soomaa_parnu) – the former whl.travel local connection in Pärnu and Soomaa National Park, Estonia

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Slavica Vukcevic (@slavicaMA) – the whl.travel local connection in Montenegro (Budva, Bay of Kotor and Podgorica & Central Montenegro)

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Guilherme Mendes Thomaz (@guimendesthomaz, @CURITIBAtravel and @ILHADOMELtravel) – the whl.travel local connection in Curitiba and Paranaguá & Ilha do Mel, Brazil

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Paula Ferreira (@WHLmadeira) – the whl.travel local connection and Urban Adventures partner in Madeira, Portugal

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Ng Sebastian (@basINCITO) – the whl.travel local connection in Komodo & Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia

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Lee Sheridan (@Lee_Sheridan) – the whl.travel local connection in Laos (Champasak, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Vang Vieng), Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Sukhothai) and Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville)

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André Franchini (@andrefranchini) – the WHL Group’s Hotel Link Solutions

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Wallace Faria (@wallacefaria) – the WHL Group’s Central and South America Regional Office

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Stephen Chapman (@maketravelfair) – Make Travel Fair

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Luke Ford (@gunyahtravel) – Gunyah

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All of these #whltravel tweeps, plus those presented on Make Travel Fair as well as all the rest, can be found on the WHL Group Twitter list.

No matter the season - even frozen and blanketed in snow - the bogs of Estonia's Soomaa National Park are a magical landscape begging for exploration

To Estonian and Finnish tourists, the small town of Pärnu is known primarily for spa resorts and sandy white beaches along the Gulf of Riga, benefits not lost on the many famous people who live there, including Estonians and people from neighbouring countries, like Russian classical violinist David Oistrakh. The town’s appeal is further boosted by its thriving arts and culture scene, just one locus of which is the Pärnu City Gallery, which has organised more than 300 exhibitions since its doors opened in 1995. Further support for the arts comes through Pärnu Artists’ House, the Museum of New Art, Endla Theatre and numerous music and film festivals held throughout the year.

In contrast to Pärnu are the stillness and austerity of Soomaa National Park, a 390-square-kilometre network of rivers, bogs, wetlands, dunes, flooded meadows and swamp forests in western Estonia. The best time of year to visit Soomaa (meaning ‘land of bogs’ in Estonian) is during what locals call the ‘fifth season’, a springtime phenomenon during which water levels can rise up to five meters higher than normal and flood an area of 175 square kilometres. Villagers from nearby Tõramaa and Riisa look forward to this Soomaa signature event with great anticipation, navigating the flooded landscape by modern boat and by haabjas, traditional dugout Estonian canoes.

During Soomaa's 'fifth season', when the area is flooded, waterways are alive with haabjas, traditional Estonian dugout canoes used by locals for everyday navigation

Making a haabja is no simple feat. After harvesting the right tree – typically an aspen free of decay – its centre is hollowed out using a handheld adze. This is followed by a shaping process that bends the water-soaked sides of the dugout into shape and then holds them in place with support sticks. Lastly, a coat of pine tar is applied. Two or three weeks are required even for the most skilled craftsmen to complete a haabja.

During the fifth season, visitors can engage in a number of unique activities made possible by this fleeting and truly Estonian season, including learning how to build a haabja and paddling one through the swamplands to observe bears, lynx and several varieties of near-extinct migratory birds, as well as unique flora that prefers Soomaa’s boggy and alluvial soil. Anyone who thought wildlife viewing was only possible in Africa can even set out on an Estonian beaver safari for a glimpse of the Sõber Kober, or European beaver, in its native habitat.

To create a haabja's desired shape, the hewn wood is moistened and manipulated into proper form. Heat from fire, combined with supportive arches and braces, stabilises everything

If haabjas and beavers don’t satisfy, maybe a trek through Soomaa’s bogs will. First everyone straps on special bog shoes, which resemble snowshoes (or a tennis racket). Their special shape keeps hikers from sinking into the soft peat and moss of Soomaa’s swampy fairytale landscape. Normally inaccessible areas, like Kuresoo, a lake filled over centuries by accumulating marsh material, suddenly become  prime destination. Real snowshoes are also ideal footwear for winter treks across the frozen wetlands.