People around the world are struck with wanderlust and with that there is a growing preference for sustainability and eco-friendly vacations. With the booming consciousness towards the environment, travellers are now looking to integrate green practices while travelling. People are now making more informed decisions and are looking to explore meaningful experiences keeping in mind the climate crisis that we are now facing. A faction of the consumers are now also looking at the environmental practices of the property before making their call.
On the event of the World Earth Day on the 22nd April, 2025, here are a few properties who cater to nature as well as to the wanderlust of the travellers.
RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX SUJÁN JAWAI
At Relais & Châteaux SUJÁN JAWAI, Jawai, India, Jaisal & Anjali Singh have personally designed & created each of the exclusive destination experiences out of sheer passion and an overwhelming commitment to protecting and preserving India’s wildlife, heritage and culture for future generations. Together along with the team they have built around them, Jaisal and Anjali Singh, are hugely passionate about implementing well-regulated eco-tourism practices to protect India’s wildernesses.
SUJÁN raises awareness among their suppliers about using natural, traditional and organic farming methods and a ‘no plastic’ policy. Indigenous plants are nurtured and grown throughout the grounds. Prolific afforestation, particularly pre–monsoon, the use of local materials in low impact construction such as mud walls and grass banks, and a careful use of fuel are just some of the ways in which they help reduce the carbon footprint around JAWAI. The organic farm and dairy help preserve gene strains of indigenous poultry and cattle while providing homegrown produce, tended by their team of gardeners and farmers.
Over 102 acres of agricultural land has been returned to wildlife and ecological use at JAWAI by land-lease and other agreements with local farmers which ensures they are financially protected while land is simultaneously returned to wildlife, allowing biodiversity and space.
By staying at SUJÁN you are making a direct contribution that allows them to continue on a truly sustainable journey, committing profits to securing conservation integrity for future generations. A conservation contribution is added to each stay, per person, per night, as a contribution to their foundation. Through this contribution, every guest who stays with SUJÁN is not only helping to conserve and expand natural habitats, but also contributes to their conservation and community development projects in the area.
RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX SUJÁN SHER BAGH
Jaisal and Anjali Singh, are hugely passionate about implementing well-regulated eco-tourism practices to protect India’s wildernesses. The SUJÁN Family has been working with tigers through filming, monitoring, researching and creating awareness about these majestic cats in Ranthambhore for generations.
They put Ranthambhore on the map through their pioneering filming of tigers in the wild and in 1988, established The Ranthambhore Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), working closely with the development of villages around the park boundaries. Jaisal and Anjali have since continued the family’s legacy of conservation through the creation of SUJÁN by introducing proven sustainable tourism models by opening ethically sound, luxury boutique experiences in unique areas of pristine wilderness, which benefit local communities as well as play a role in preserving indigenous wildlife. Together along with the team they have built around them, Jaisal and Anjali Singh, are hugely passionate about implementing well-regulated eco-tourism practices to protect India’s wildernesses.
For every guest who visits a SUJÁN property a conservation contribution is directly fed into a fund with which SUJÁN provides financial support and resources to their own projects and local conservation partners.
RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX WILD COAST TENTED LODGE
Wild Coast Tented Lodge stands amidst the wilderness contiguous with the Yala National Park. Located adjacent to the Yala National Park, was built on the principles of being one with nature. This region is home to several different species, such as leopard, elephant, sloth bear and more.
Wild Coast Lodge’s on-site desalination plant together with accompanying reverse osmosis ensures that water is pumped into on-site ponds which provide wild animals respite during the dry seasons. The resort’s keystone project is the Leopard Research and Climate Change Centre, which opened in 2023, while there is ongoing activity to ensure an ethical wildlife experience in the Yala National Park, under the stewardship of their rangers.
The resort hosted the eminent Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya (Former Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and an Elephant Behaviour Specialist) to speak to the jeep drivers who work with them, to inform them about the impacts of irresponsible wildlife viewing on animal behaviour and their well-being.
RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX CAPE WELIGAMA
Resplendent Ceylon’s ambition towards zero waste across their properties extends to the communities as well believe collaboration and partnerships are the way forward to achieving our goals. As such, Resplendent Ceylon’s Cape Weligama partnered with Eco Spindles, to address the growing impacts of marine plastic pollution.
The mounting production of plastics, owing to its cost-effective and convenient nature, together with irresponsible waste management practices, continues to exacerbate the environmental, social and economic impacts of marine pollution.
Cape Weligama, together with Eco Spindles, collaborated on establishing plastic waste collection points along the Weligama coast in an effort to prevent plastic waste from ending in our oceans. These units are made entirely of repurposed materials including discarded sunbeds, further easing our impact on landfills.
The plastic waste collected is processed by Eco Spindles via innovative recycling technology to produce monofilaments and yarn which is upcycled into cleaning brushes and clothing, respectively.
As part of their ongoing ambition towards zero waste, they hope to continue educating the communities they operate within on the environmental impacts of single use plastics.
RELAIS & CHÂTEAUX CEYLON TEA TRAILS
Ceylon Tea Trails consists of five bungalows perched above the Castlereagh Lake, a key watershed for Sri Lanka’s Western Province. Nestled amidst pristine tea plantations, a population of about 20 identified leopards, as well as other species including endemics, roam in the forest patches in and around the bungalows. The conservation work here includes the initiation of the Peak Ridge Forest Corridor to protect the leopard population, empowering workers on the tea estates and supporting their families, creation of model montane forests and more.
Ceylon Tea Trails and tea plantation companies along the Ridge collaborated in an effort to establish impactful, ‘landscape conservation’ with the technical expertise of the Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust. This effort focused on Protecting existing forest patches as well as replanting activities to protect against forest fragmentation; Engaging the communities on the estates to spread awareness among plantation families; Engaging school children and involve older children in active conservation and advocacy; Engaging tourism – Impact and conservation-tourism is a growing segment and a key source of funding for conservation outcomes.
HOUSE OF ROHET
House of Rohet is a generational family run chain of Boutique hotels consisting of 4 properties – Rohet Garh, Mihir Garh, Rohet House and The Rohet Wilderness Camp.
All the House of Rohet properties follow eco – friendly and sustainable practices. Each of them are single use plastic-free properties, from the use of glass bottles in the rooms to the toiletries. The bathroom amenities are all refillable dispensers, cutting down a lot of plastic waste.
All of the properties have a solar panel on the rooftops which is used for heating the water used in the rooms, kitchens. They also have their own sewage treatment plant as to not to contaminate the ground. Mihir Garh in particular invests in rainwater harvesting and was built using sustainable techniques.
The manure that is produced from the cows and the horses are reused in farming, in the fields and the gardens in and around Mihir Garh. House of Rohet aims at being self – sufficient by using the milk that is produced from their own cow shed in turn making it 100% organic.
SANGAM FARMS
On this World Earth Day, Sangam Farms reaffirms their commitment to preserving the planet and embracing sustainable practices that nurture both nature and humanity. The environmental initiatives taken at Sangam Farms uplifts local communities, reflects their dedication to creating a greener tomorrow.
Sustainable Farming at Sangam Farms have Hydroponics which is one of the most sustainable farming systems as it emphasis on water conservation, lack of harmful chemicals and soil damage. Crop Rotation method is used at the farms implies planting different crop types in a specific sequence, ensuring crop diversity in sustainable agriculture and being a more rational approach to farming than Monoculture. They believe in Organic farming, this strategy optimises the agricultural ecosystem’s energy and nutrient cycles. They promote efficient water management strategies, such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and water saving crop varieties. They have 7 Poly House out of which 1 is Temperature Controlled.
Vegetables are cultivated on Coco Peats which helps in holding water for a longer period of time.
Renewable Sources at Sangam Farms- Optimal use of energy is a part of their top priorities. Solar panels are installed at Sangam Farms which generates electricity and conserves the same. They use all the Bio wastes like Cow Dung, Leaves, etc in Bio composting, creates Biogas which act as a fuel for the boilers.
Stay and Dine at Sangam Farms- Tented Suites are built to reduce Infrastructural Wastages. Locally Sourced Stones are used inside the tents to reduce Carbon Footprints. Most of their key departments are paperless. Guests receive e-bills for dining and other services.
Plastic Wastes at Sangam Farms are Recycled and converted into Threads at a Subsidiary Unit. The collected plastics are cleaned, segregated, based on colour and quality and then cut into long strips. These strips are spun onto a bobbin and used in traditional pit and standing looms to create plastic textiles.
ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS
As part of its 25th anniversary, Ananda in the Himalayas is reinforcing its commitment to sustainable luxury—through initiatives that support both local communities and the surrounding natural ecosystem.
Ananda in the Himalayas has always embraced the philosophy that nature is not just a setting—it is central to the wellness journey. In keeping with this, birdwatching has been introduced as a new guest activity, inviting visitors to slow down and observe the rhythms of life in the Himalayan forest. To support native and migratory species, bamboo feeders and hanging water pots have been installed throughout the estate, enhancing biodiversity while preserving the quiet harmony of the landscape. These efforts are part of a broader commitment to low-impact, nature-aligned living. The retreat architecture itself is designed to blend seamlessly into the terrain—crafted with natural materials, open spaces, and views that honor the land rather than dominate it.
Additionally, Ananda’s honeybee project remains a noteworthy example of how wellness and environmental stewardship intersect. Created in alignment with Ananda’s ethos of coexistence, the initiative highlighted the critical role bees play in global food systems and ecosystem health—pollinating up to 70% of crops and contributing to the vitality of fruit and seed production. The retreat celebrated its first fresh honey harvest as a symbol of both nourishment and ecological balance. In the face of declining bee populations worldwide due to pesticides, urbanisation, and climate change, even small-scale projects like this one reflect Ananda’s belief in living harmoniously with the land and giving back to it. These efforts, alongside mindful infrastructure upgrades and nature-integrated guest experiences, reflect a philosophy where sustainability is not a separate initiative—but an essential part of the Ananda experience.
