What is ecotourism? To most people, it’s a confusing and only vaguely familiar term. Some ask “Does ecotourism mean staying in ecolodges?” Yes, it does, but that’s not all. Ecotourism is an approach to travel that embraces all the principles of responsible tourism, not just choice of accommodation. Still, if you’re new to eco-travel, ecolodges are a great place to start.

“Load up quick, bad weather, come very quick!” These are the last words you ever want to hear when you are a passenger in a tiny 20-seater plane flying into the rainforest. As the engines whirred into life, I wondered for a split second whether or not I’d bought enough supplies to last a trek to the nearest village should the plane crash. Risky or not, the flight into the interior of Sarawak only served to highlight the nature of the trip that was to come – remote and, at this point, reckless.