Top 5 Eco Accommodation in South America

Sustainable tourism is on the rise and where better to experience it than South America?

Wake up on the rainforest floor or sunbathe in the Atacama Desert, South America is bursting with undisturbed nature and great initiatives for preserving it.

Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, Chile

Tierra Atacama is a beautiful hotel that really does provide a room with a view. This hotel is leading the way for sustainable tourism in South America by producing its solar-powered electricity to meet its daily demand! The hotel has also managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 320-350 tons of CO2 every year by avoiding burning over 110,000 litres of diesel as a result of their solar plant. Tierra Atacama extracts all their water from their well (yes, it’s in the desert) as to avoid tapping into the local’s supply. As well as supplying themselves, they reuse the grey water to revive the previously abandoned land in their surroundings into green and flourishing space with native species! If that wasn’t enough, the hotel also takes on young local apprentices in the fields of tourism, electricity and agriculture. Doesn’t it look quite the place?

Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, Chile

Tierra Patagonia is hidden amongst the undisturbed natural paradise that is Patagonia making the setting second to none for sustainable accommodation. This Tierra hotel is committed to preserving the surrounding flora and fauna, so much so that while building the hotel all vegetation was temporarily moved and then re-planted in the area once completed. There is evidence of this success in the native wildlife who use it as their habitat. Even the architecture of this hotel is an imitation of the scenery and is designed to look as if it were shaped by the wind itself. The result is beautiful and fits in wonderfully with the surrounding landscape. The greatness doesn’t stop there- the hotel is filled with local artefacts and design as a homage to local history. What a remarkable effort and in such a wonderful place to top it off.

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, Peru

Arrive by boat to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, an eco-friendly luxury lodge inspired by the Ese’Eja culture deep in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Within the hotel grounds, you can find 540 bird species, so if it’s a real encounter with nature you’re after this is the place to go! Adventurers can make use of the Inkaterra Canopy Walk and bridge that’s 30 metres above the ground and enjoy the incredible rainforest atmosphere.

Yacutinga, Argentina

By the magnificent Igazu Falls in Argentina, the Yacutinga Lodge sits quietly amongst the undisturbed rainforest. Sustainable Tourism is crucial to the lodge. It even has its own Sustainable Development Policy that states its main aims are to benefit the environment and encourage biodiversity; provide social and economic benefits to the local community; minimise negative impacts of tourism and raise sensitivity to political, environmental and social climate on local and international levels.

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Experience the forest in Ecuador’s Mashpi Reserve, be wowed by flora and fauna you never knew existed and breathe in the steaminess of the rainforest. This reserve works very closely with the local community by providing professional training and employment which leaves them with tip-top knowledge of the area’s land and wildlife. Local communities are also the primary providers of agriculture, food and supplies to the lodge. 950 metres above sea level, you’ll be up in the clouds at the Mashpi Lodge.

If you’ve not gathered, South America is the place to go if you’re in search of some eco-friendly, sustainable travel so why not do something good while enjoying the sheer beauty of this breath-taking continent!