The Italian Island of Tavolara, pictured here from across the waters of the Gulf of Olbia, is beautiful nature at its best. It lies off the coast of the town of Olbia on the northeast coast of Sardinia. Olbia is the main destination for ferries arriving from mainland Italy, so Tavolara is often among the first sights seen by visitors to Sardinia.

Mongolia’s long history owes much to a certain gentle beast of burden – the horse. Contemporary tourism has not been blind to the appeal of horses in Mongolia, which outnumber humans almost seven to one. Cultural activities such as overnight stays with nomadic herdsman are popular among travellers, while horse races capture the imagination of locals and foreigners alike. Of course, the pristine landscape of vast steppes, dunes and mountains is heaven on horseback for anyone looking to get away from it all.

These days, untouristed beaches are few and far between, so we can all see the appeal of a story like ‘The Beach,’ which follows a utopian community on a remote Thai island untouched by tourism. The real-life inspiration for Alex Garland’s best-selling book, however, was the undeveloped paradise of Ang Thong National Marine Park, a stunning 42-island archipelago off the east coast of southern Thailand and most easily reached from the laidback island of Koh Samui.

Every year, curious travellers journey throughout the globe to escape into the untouched wild. The goal: to witness incredible plant and animal life without human interference. The WHL Group presents here five of its favourite national parks, the kinds of places where nature comes first.

Aivar Ruukel has made quite a name for himself in ecotourism, particularly in his native Estonia, where he grew up in the midst of the country’s largest pristine wilderness: Soomaa. Roughly translated as ‘Land of Bogs,’ the area is now a leading destination for wildlife and nature enthusiasts.

Where will you head when the wild calls? Where should we look for tour operators eager to join forces to make a positive impact on their surroundings through community development and environmental conservation projects? For inspiration, we turned to the Adventure Tourism Development Index.

Found off the coast of southeast Brazil, Ilha do Mel, which means Honey Island, is about as far from life’s chaos as serene nature can get. Hikers, surfers, bird watchers, stargazers and nature lovers alike are in awe of all that this little Atlantic island has to offer. In fact, many agree that Brazil’s most…

THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND MALAY. Although known as the birthplace of Malaysia’s petroleum industry – and still reliant on oil as a leading source of income – the coastal town of Miri, in northern Sarawak on the island of Borneo, is today so much more than an oil and timber town and site of national monuments like the Grand Old Lady, or Oil Well No. 1, drilled way back in 1910.

In April 2001, John and Silvana Nicholls, today owners and operators of Vanuatu Hotels, arrived in Vanuatu to launch and manage the new White Grass Ocean Resort on the island of Tanna. It was their intention to ensure that it would operate according to strict environmental guidelines, so they immediately declared it a bird sanctuary,…