Have you decided to go on an eco tour for a change? If you have, then check out this website. It offers you details about several tour operators who specialize in these kinds of tours as well as identifies particular tours that you may want to try out.

For a website that specializes in eco tourism click here. This website offers tours to places that are remote and full of wild charm.

An eco tour is an opportunity to indulge your wild side. So take a trip to the frozen plains of Alaska to do a bit of river rafting or go on a trek in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont. An eco tour is an adventure of a lifetime that you don't want to miss out on.

If you're environmentally and socially conscious and choose to visit places where you get a chance to volunteer and learn new ways to live on the planet then you are probably an eco tourist.
Destinations with a diverse flora and fauna and a rich cultural heritage are primarily what attract an eco tourist. Several sources define eco tourism as a concept, an experience that enriches the lives of those who make it a point to delve into researching and understanding the environment around them. Eco tourism gives us insights into our impact on our environment as well as inculcates a deep appreciation of natural habitats around the world.
At it's best, eco tourism minimises the negative impact of conventional tourism on the environment and also reinforces the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an important part of ecotourism is to encourage recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and to create economic opportunities for local communities.
To read about Eco Tourism in detail click here.

I hope I have captured your imagination with the wild allure of the Galapagos islands. Since I have already talked about package tours I thought I should say a little about the kinds of accommodation you are expected to find there.

Galapagos is well prepared for travellers of any kind. From villas, cottages and beach houses to condos and homestays, your stay on the islands will be comfortable and memorable (for all the right reasons of course!)

For a complete step by step guide of the things you must do from the time you take your flight visit this website.   

If you want specific information about a vacation home or villa you can check out this site. For a luxury vacation stay visit this website that also offers its patrons, tours of the islands.

To go on a special familt wildlife tour check out this link.

Everybody doesn't have a positive experience when they go on a vacation. When they do have a good time, they have extremely amusing stories to tell. To read one such story check out this website.

The vibrant biodiversity of the Galapagos holds immense allure for the nature enthusiast. Darwin's enchanted islands offer several options to have a good time for the travel buff from nature trails and scuba diving to whale watching and cruises. If you want to go on a tour or cruise click on this site as it offers you discounts.

If you want to know more about the conservation programmes and charities associated with the island or if you just want to know the latest news updates from the island you can visit this site.

For luxury tours and cruises visit this site.

Pic courtesy Marshdude/ Peter Marshman from flickr.com

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands west of Ecuador in South America, in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are a province of Ecuador and are a part of its national park system. Famous for the numerous endemic species found on them, the Galápagos Islands also offered inspiration to Charles Darwin whose studies of the islands contributed to his famous 'evolution by natural selection' theory.
Famous for its natural beauty and biodiversity, the archipelago was named after one of the most unique animals found on it, the Galápagos Tortoise. 'Galápago' is an old Spanish word which means saddle and the shell of the tortoise resembles an old Spanish saddle, hence the name.
The group consists of thirteen islands many of which are still being formed from volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean. This is taking place because the archipelago lies atop the Galápagos hotspot, a place where the earth's crust is being melted from below by a mantle plume. In May this year, the island of Isabela saw volcanic activity after a period of ten years.
The biodiversity in all the islands is so rich that you might spot animals that don't exist anywhere else on the planet. For instance the vampire finch which feeds on the blood of red- footed boobies and the Galápagos tortoises can be found only on these islands. If you visit Wolf Island you will get to see fur seals, marine iguanas, sharks, whales and dolphins while Santa Cruz Island is the headquarters of the Galápagos National Park Service and also houses the Charles Darwin Research Institute. Both these organisations operate a tortoise breeding center here. The Highlands of Santa Cruz have a vibrant vegetation and are famous for their lava tunnels. Large tortoise populations are found here. Black Turtle Cove is a site on the island that is surrounded by mangroves frequented by sea turtles, rays and small sharks that sometimes use it as a mating area. Cerro Dragón is another such site on the island, known for its flamingo lagoon.
For a complete understanding of the unique qualities of each island click here.

Pic courtesy Richard Pluck from flickr.com

The city of Arequipa has several beautiful hotels to suit your particular needs. If you're a student then you could stay at a youth hostel at half the price of a three star hotel. For a website that gives you several options for your stay in the city and also click here.
To read entertaining blog entries of the adventures and misadventures people have had in Arequipa on travelpod.com click here.
If you want an authentic experience, you could book your room in hotels that claim to have been occupied by colonial authorities in the past. One such hotel is the El Conquistador. If the images of the hotel on the website are an indicator then your stay there is guaranteed to be interesting. You can see their website here.

Pic courtesy wanderingz/ Zach Anthony from flickr.com

Peru, a country rich in heritage, has so many wonderful places to visit besides the Incan ruins of Macchu Pichu, which are what its famous for. Another city of Peru that should be of particular interest to the avid traveller is that of Arequipa. Also known as 'Ciudad Blanca' or white city, Arequipa is famous for the exquisite architecture of temples, convents, big houses and palaces in white ashlar, sculpted as filigree.
Not only is the city picturesque, but Arequipa also has perfect weather around the year. Everywhere you look, all you see is sublime beauty. The countryside surrounding the city is also very beautiful with such sights as the Colca Canyon, Colca Valley and the volcanic Misti, Chachani and Pichupichu mountains at drivable distance.
The city itself has been declared a cultural World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is one of the best architectural treasures of Peru during the colonial times. Its temples, houses and other structures have been constructed in colonial-mestizo architecture.
For more details about the various places to visit in Arequipa visit this site.

Pic courtesy martintoy/ Martin Garcia from flickr.com

The city of Cusco is quite a hotspot for tourism so finding a place to stay that suits your particular needs is easy to find. Most of the accommodation available in the city is quite reasonable. If you find it uncomfortable to live in a hotel room you can even experience the rich culture of Peru firsthand by staying with a Peruvian family. To find out more details about homestays check out this website that arranges homestays in Cusco for tourists from all over the world.
If you want to avoid the tiresome task of doing everything on your own, from booking a hotel room to trying to identifying the right tour, then you should look at the several package tour options that are available. Click here for a comprehensive guide to the tours available in Peru.
If you want your tour to be full of adventure then you can choose a package tour that specializes in nature trails and treks through the breathtaking Urubamba valley also known as 'The Sacred Valley of The Incas' or through the Andes Mountains leading up to Macchu Pichu. For such a package tour click here or here.
There are so many accommodations to chose from. How do you know which ones the best? If you want to read tourist reviews or see what rating other tourists have given different places of accommodation in the city click here or here.
Like in all other South American countries, you may see a lot of poverty around you in the city of Cusco. If you are the kind of person who cannot have fun when you see so many people suffer then maybe you should choose to stay at the Ninos Hotel. All profits made at the hotel are spent in providing for the meals, education, and medical care of Peruvian street kids. 
Ian Hsu, whose picture of the Ninos hotel from flickr.com has been displayed above, has this to say about the hotel.

A wonderful place to stay, it echos with the sound of children's laughter during the day.

To read more about this novel and beautiful hotel and about the Dutch couple behind the idea of creating such a place click here.

Ruins of the palace of the Incas, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun can still be found in the city of Cusco even though it was ransacked by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro in 1535. There are still Inca building remains, which in some cases have proved to be stronger than the foundations of modern-day structures in Peru. Among the places you must visit in Cusco is the cathedra of Santo Domingo.
You can also travel to what is presumed to be Sapa Inca Pachacuti's winter home, Machu Picchu, which can be reached on foot by an Inca trail or by train. Other major Inca sites nearby are the fortress at Ollantaytambo and the fortress of Sacsayhuaman.
If you want to avoid the usual crowd of travellers you can visit lesser-visited ruins such as the Inca Wasi, the highest of all Inca sites, Old Vilcabamba the capital of the Inca after the capture of Cusco or the sculpture garden at Chulquipalta as well as Huillca Raccay, Patallacta, Choquequirao, Moray and several others.
Cusco's main stadium, Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega, is home to one of the country's most successful soccer clubs, Cienciano. Cusco's local team has made a name for itself in the world of club soccer, and has won several international competitions in South America.
To travel to Cusco you must book a ticket to the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport.

Pic courtesy koala.like.rock from flickr.com

Visit the historic capital of the Inca Empire and discover a lost city after travelling through the jungles of the sacred Urubamba valley. Cusco, a city on the south- eastern side of Peru is very near the Andes mountain range and was the capital of the Inca Empire during the reign of Sapa Inca Pachacuti. It is a vibrant city where your stay is guaranteed to be anything but boring.
Steeped in history, Cusco was home to the Killke culture prior to the arrival of the Incas. This year archeologists have even discovered the ruins of an ancient temple with a roadway and irrigation system at Sacsayhuaman a famed fortress overlooking the Inca capital that carbon dating techniques have revealed, was built by people of the Killke culture in the 1100s.
Cusco is also the closest city to Macchu Pichu, often referred to as 'The Lost City of The Incas' which is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba valley.
The influence of different cultures on Cusco from the Killkes, the Incas and later the Spaniards has left a deep impression on the city from its architecture, its festivals and food to its traditions and customs. This undoubtedly adds to the sheer richness of your experience in the city.

Pic courtesy Luke Redmond from flickr.com