Yachana Lodge

The Ecuadorian Amazon is disappearing at a mind-boggling and terrifying rate as illegal loggers

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and oil companies continue to destroy vast swathes of the forest. As a tourist, one of the best places to learn about the scale of the problem and what is being done about it is Yachana Lodge on the banks of the Napo river. As well as being a fantastic base for visitors to experience the forest and its wildlife, it also serves as a teaching base for the Yachana Foundation, which educates young people of the region. The foundation supports students from remote tribal communities on a three-year sponsored programme, the aim of which is to empower the next generation to protect their forest and livelihoods through sustainable tourism. "It's a drop in the ocean when you think of the scale of devastation being wrought and the might of the businesses responsible," according to Yachana sales director Hugh Yarbrough, but an important drop nonetheless, and one you can contribute to. Most of the five million people who visit the Grand Canyon each year see it from the South Rim, the most accessible part of the park, but there are numerous ways to go beyond the main viewpoints and explore this astonishing feat of nature. The most traditional is by mule. Join an overnight ride along Bright Angel Trail and across the Colorado river, staying overnight at Phantom Ranch, the only lodge below the canyon ridge. KE Adventure has two action-packed itineraries that include a dip in the world famous sea, the lowest point on the planet. A new week-long adventure begins with a walk through forest and farmland near Ajloun, north of Amman, where you overnight at a homestay, and visit the nearby Roman ruins at Jerash; traverses the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea; and includes canyoning in Wadi Mukheries, cycling between farming villages, and a hike to Petra. KE's Dead 2 Red tour is a nine-day biking adventure from the spiritual site of Mount Nebo, down to the Dead Sea and taking in Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Both tours cost £995 land only or £1,445 with flights. But for many the Dead Sea is a place for rest and recuperation, famed for its oxygen-rich air and mineral-rich water. Wallow in luxury at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar resort which has nine fresh water swimming pools should you tire of basking in seawater.