At Aqua Wellness in the coastal Nicaraguan jungle, the focus is on healthy living: organic food, yoga, meditation – and surfing.

The safest country in Central America, Nicaragua is now starting to challenge neighbouring Costa Rica as the region’s leading ecotourism destination.

An excellent example of this new trend is Aqua Wellness, a luxury ecoresort in an off-the-beaten-path setting: the jungle which fringes the Pacific Coast. This place has serious eco credentials: the low-impact treetop villas, built from sustainably-grown hardwoods by Nicaraguan craftsmen, are integrated within the existing forest; in fact, the resort was carefully designed so that minimal trees had to be removed.

The resort offers a number of retreats and courses themed around yoga, meditation, raw food – and surfing. The yoga pavilion is stunningly located above the forest canopy with views to the sea.

Rooms are stylish, either treetop or beachfront villas (one, two or three-bedroom), with sea or rainforest views, based around wood and decorated in soothing colors. Suites have their own kitchens, some with decks and plunge pools; treehouses have outdoor Balinese showers.

The restaurant serves organic food – some home-grown on their own farm, the rest from the surrounding area (ceviche, fresh fruit, fish and beef curries), and they bake all their own bread. The yoga teacher, Grace, also gives raw vegan and chocolate-making classes. In the spa you can get a papaya and pineapple body polish or a coconut, honey and yogurt exfoliation.

The hotel has set up a foundation to help the local community (most employees are Nicaraguan) with education, transport and other facilities, and also offers volunteer programmes on sustainable development projects, from monitoring native species such as birds, sea turtles and howler monkeys, to organizing the organic farm.

Those wanting to experience the latest adrenalin sport will not want to miss climbing a volcano and then sandboarding back down its slopes. (That’s like snowboarding, except on sand.)

Rates from $155; surf and yoga retreats from $1700 (seven nights including all meals, two yoga practices a day, a class on Ayurvedic nutrition, surfing classes, and a sunset jungle hike; surfboard hire not included).

Photos: Aqua Wellness Resort

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Aqua Wellness, Nicaragua appeared first on EcoSalon.

In his Chronicles of Peru, Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de León marveled,” And to think that God should have permitted something so great to remain hidden from the world for so long in history, unknown to men, and then let it be found, discovered and won all in our own time!”

Latin America continues to inspire shock and awe in voyagers, though now they’re more of the backpacking than the stake-in-the-ground variety. Whether it’s rocky mountains, brilliant beaches, charming colonial towns, or rugged cowboys you’re after, you’re likely to find it in the countries of Central and South America.

(above) Volcan Arenal, Costa Rica

Valles Calchaquíes, Argentina

Soriano, Uruguay

Cartagena, Colombia

Salvador de Bahía, Brazil

Goff’s Caye, Belize

Pacific Coast, Costa Rica

Volcán Mombacho, Nicaragua

Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil

Ruta 40, Chile

Armero, Colombia

Machu Picchu, Peru

Lago Suchitlan, El Salvador

Antigua, Guatemala

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cordillera Province, Chile

Camino al Monte Roraima, Venezuela

Rio de la Plata, Argentina

Montevideo, Uruguay

Ica, Peru

La Paz, Bolivia

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Los Altares, Chubut, Argentina

Perito Moreno, El Calafate, Argentina

Laguna Hedionda, Bolivia

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Mt. Humboldt, Venezuela

Concón, Chile

Amazonas, Brazil

Tenorio National Park, Costa Rica

Gamboa, Panama

La Colmena, Paraguay

Caye Caulker, Belize

Canchis, Peru

Montevideo, Uruguay

Curitiba, Brazil

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Roatan, Honduras

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

SEE ALSO:

40 Gorgeous Photos of Europe

40 Gorgeous Photos of North America

25 Photos of Islands Threatened By Climate Change

40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia

The post 40 Gorgeous Photos of Latin America appeared first on EcoSalon.

Spend your days by the sea in the treetops, and playing with nature at Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge in Nicaragua.

Imagine if you could reset your day to the sunrises and the sunsets without the hassle of agendas, cell phones and meetings. For many of us, this would mean a complete readjustment of our clocks but for the owners of Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge outside of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, this is the norm and they invite all of their guests to “play with time” as well.

Located 15 miles north of the Costa Rican border, Morgan’s Rock is located within a 4,400-acre nature preserve and sustainable tree farm, which 1.5 million trees have been planted in over the past 10 years. The resort is said to be one of the country’s oldest high-end eco-resorts, and the land is rich with history as well.

The 15 well-appointed bungalows are set into the hillside of the jungle and outdoor queen-sized hanging beds allow for breathtaking views of the water (13 of which are accessible only by a 100-meter pedestrian suspension bridge). Inside, each of them are open and have fully screened walls so you can hear the sound of the ocean and nature at all times.

If you go: Morgan’s Rock has its own private beach (equipped with hammocks and loungers) and a hatchery for giant sea turtles. Rates start at $322 per night and are all-inclusive.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge, Nicaragua appeared first on EcoSalon.