Top Tropical Rainforest Adventures-costa rica

Visiting a rainforest is a unique nature experience. During the day, these unique biomes burst with a busy buzz and bright flashes of colour. At night, the air comes alive with the shrieks and calls of the forest's many nocturnal creatures. Cicadas drone, bats flap beneath the canopy, a monkey howls in the distance.

Amidst all this natural beauty, it's important to tread lightly. Remember that rainforests today cover just six percent of the earth, yet they are home to an estimated 40 to 75 percent of all the world's plants and animals, including many still just being discovered. Sadly, despite efforts to protect them, many habitats are continue to be endangered by logging and over development.

Well-planned ecotourism is one key to rainforests' continued survival. It places value on preservation of nature as a commercial resource. Reputable tour outfits offer employment opportunities for locals as leaders and wildlife guides, enabling them to earn their money through sustainable and environmentally responsible forms of income. Travellers' passion for traditional culture encourages locals to continue ancient forest-friendly practices.

Before your next escape to the rainforest, do some research in advance. The right tour operator and a great local guide can help you spot wildlife and make the most of any adventure.

Get Up Close to the Real Rainforest in Corcovado, Costa Rica

Away from the crowds of much-visited Monteverde, another sort of park awaits visitors in Costa Rica. National Geographic once labelled Corcovado National Park as "the most biologically intense place on earth," and you'd be hard pressed to prove them wrong. Accessible via Puerto Jimenez along the Osa Penninsula, the 425-square-kilometre park is one of the last places to spot jaguars in Central America. It is also home to endangered species such as the Baird's tapir, Harpy eagle, ocelots and more. Staying overnight in the park is strongly recommended, possible in a basic, budget and rustic eco-lodge or one of several ranger stations.

Climb High in the Champasak Province of Laos

Well known for its collection of ancient Khmer ruins, Champasak Province of southern Laos contains a wealth of natural thrills in the form of beautiful jungles and raging waterfalls. Wildlife enthusiasts can try to spot rare and endangered species like yellow-cheeked gibbons, Asian elephants and Irrawaddy dolphins, while other adventures await thrill seekers who head high above the treetops. Two- and three-day zip line treks allow travellers to unleash their inner Tarzan in the canopy of this semi-evergreen forest.

Become Better Acquainted with the Jungle in Borneo

The tropical island of Borneo is home to some of the world's oldest rainforest. As a nature lover's paradise, it is also one of the last natural habitats for endangered animals such as the Bornean orangutan, Clouded leopard and several native bat species. Guided trips can be booked from cities such as Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan on the Malaysian side, or Banjarmasin on the Indonesia side. In addition to being thrilling, night-time jungle treks are probably the best way to spot nocturnal wildlife.

Encounter a City Lost in the Jungles of Colombia

The dense jungles that constitute Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains are the historic domain of the early Tayrona civilisation. Among the ancient chiefdom's best known archaeological sites is Ciudad Perdida (the "Lost City"), accessible via a six-day guided trek through a dense tropical forest. Hikers depart from Santa Marta, the city along Colombia's Caribbean coast. The trek includes lots of opportunities to learn about the area's indigenous people - descendants of the Tayrona - and plenty of time for spotting wildlife such as tapirs, deer and endemic hummingbirds.

Observe Life in the Amazing Amazon of Brazil

Capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, the city of Manaus is a popular point of departure for ecotourists visiting the Amazon region. From this gateway city, visitors can easily arrange regional cruises that visit remote communities along the Amazon River or schedule boat transfers to jungle lodges and resorts with river-view bungalows. The Brazilian Amazon famously encompasses 33 percent of all the world's surviving tropical rainforests and its biodiversity is unparalleled. One in five of the world's fish species is found in its waters, while the jungle itself boasts 2.5 million recorded insect species and is home to a wide collection of endangered animals like spider monkeys, jaguars and poison dart frogs. Enjoy the best of the river and the surrounding rainforest.

Revel in the Natural Beauty of Rwanda's Nyungwe Forest

Extending for over 1,000 kilometres, Rwanda's Nyungwe National Park is the largest protected area of high-altitude montane rainforest in Africa. Nestled in the heart of one of the continent's most biodiverse regions - the Albertine Rift - Nyungwe boasts an exotic collection of rare orchids and endemic birds, as well as a large concentration of primates. Anyone looking to track chimps, however, will need to spend some time here. For the best chance at sighting mankind's closest relative, consider booking a guided trip in the forests of Nyungwe.

To learn more about about jungle adventures on The Travel Word, read about travellers' hiking and trekking experiences in some of the planet's most exciting jungles.

Learn How the Amazon Rainforest Natural Medicines Can Change Your Life

Pretty much everyone's heard about the Amazon rainforest, it's the largest eco system of it's kind on the planet and arguably the most important. The plants of the Amazon rainforest are also arguably some of the most important on Earth for a variety of reasons.

Do You Like to Breath Fresh Air?

The Amazon rainforest is often referred to as the lungs of the planet. Something like a quarter of the worlds fresh air or oxygen is produced as a result of the massive proliferation of plants in the Amazon rainforest. The rainforest is a continuous recycler of carbon dioxide into oxygen. So with out all of the plants growing in the Amazon we would all be reaching a whole lot deeper for a good breath of fresh air, if fact we might be choking from a lack of good air.

How About Having Enough Fresh Water?

I'd say another all important commodity we need right up there next to fresh air is fresh water. Turns out that the Amazon rainforest supplies the world with up to a third of the fresh water in the form of rain. Rain makes for more plant growth, that's obvious. There are now statistical studies of satellite images that show more plants also make for more rain. The plants of the Amazon rainforest are very important for all us humans.

Don't Forget About the Incredible Benefits of the Medicine and Nutrition

The plants in the Amazon are responsible for a lot of the life saving natural plant medicines today as well as the key ingredients in a good 25% or more of the pharmaceutic drugs being marketed in the world. There are thousands of species of plants in the rainforest and only as little as three percent have been studied for their medicinal value. There is a treasure trove of potential beneficial medicines for humanity yet to be discovered. The nutrition for health available from the Amazon is also a vast potential that is barely been taped. There are plants species that have properties that can make a huge difference with everything from cancer to diabetes to depression.

The Biggest Shame on Humanity Would be Letting This Eco System be Destroyed

Many scientist claim that if the Amazon reaches 40% deforestation it will reach the tipping point and become to dry to support the eco system. 20 % has already been deforested. We just can't let this valuable world resource for sustainability be trashed for short term profit by short sided thinkers. It is up to the wealthy people and countries to make a stand. Getting the awareness of the importance of taking some kind of action on an individual level is key. If people consciously chose to only buy products sustainably harvested and produced from the Amazon that would go a long way toward slowing down the destruction. Contribute to organizations that are actively working toward preservation and companies that support the sustainable use of this resource.

Saving the plants of the Amazon Rainforest should be of concern to every living human whether you live in the Amazon or not.