More people are looking for green tourism destinations than ever before. According to Responsible Tourism, a growing number of tourists are doing their research to find hotels, airlines and destinations that pride themselves on their green business practices. Bruce Poon Tip, Founder and CEO, G Adventures, said that these practices are particularly common among Americans and Canadians.

“Canadian travelers are looking to extend their green lifestyles while traveling, not wanting to abandon organic food or caring about the environment when around the globe,” Tip states.

But what are the best places for ecotourists? You may be surprised to find out that Brazil is one of the top countries on the list of green travel destinations.

Brazil is a Leading Destination for Green Tourism

Brazil didn’t used to be known for its commitment to sustainability. Back in the 1990s, many countries chastised the country for decimating the rainforests and causing lots of pollution. However, the country has recently changed its focus towards sustainability.

The Rio Times published a post in 2012 that said this change has been welcomed by tourists and natives alike. Their new commitment to green living is going to lead to more tourists as sustainability becomes a greater factor in travel destination preferences.

The journeys in Brazil, for most, begin within the outstretched arms of Corcovado the Christ Redeemer. And for those who stay in Rio de Janeiro, the city where the famous monument overlooks from a mountain hugging Western side of the city, the activities to take part in are so overly abundant that they will never regret leaving. Those who do venture outside of Rio may way a different, equally unparalleled, side of Brazil’s natural beauty.

Brazil Makes it Easy for Green Tourism

Traveling to Brazil is relatively easy, as well. Brazil does require that passport holders from countries outside of the EU must obtain a tourist visa to enter the country, as well as a prescheduled return date. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia must obtain a tourist visa. However, the Brazil eVisa online application form takes only a few minutes to fill out. If approved, a visa will be granted in about 5 days and mailed to the applicant. Visas can be a huge obstacle to the ability to travel freely in certain countries, and sometimes obtaining them can be a treacherous process. Luckily, with Brazil this is not the case, which gives travelers more time and energy to focus on the important things when visiting Brazil.

The Urban Landscape

Rio De Janeiro’s nightlife is internationally renowned because of its vibrance. Streets packed with multi-story nightclubs is only one aspect of this nightlife. Rio is also known for its abundance of live local music, particularly samba. These places can be heard from blocks away, with dancers shouting along to the beats. The intensity of the dance clubs and the nightclubs are evenly matched by the intensity of the daily live local music events, which is rarely the case in other cities known for their nightlife. Of course, all of this is complemented by one of the lushest beaches on the planet right beside it, so for every nightclub or dance hall there is also a beach bar where anyone can relax while they drink deep into the night. Some of the most popular areas of Rio nightlife include Copacabana, Lapa, Leblon and Estádio do Maracanã.

The Environmental Landscape

Towards the center of the country lies the biome responsible for millions of children growing up wanting to be a biologist—the rain forest. From a distance, the concept of actually going to a tropical rain forest seems unmanageable, but in Brazil they encourage visitors to experience its beauty firsthand. Tens of thousands of tourists make their journey into the Amazon each year and do so with the benefit of the presence of a guide. The guide keeps them safe, and teaches them how to leave a responsible impact on the ecosystem upon coming and going. Despite some efforts of deforestation, Brazilians regionally tied to the rain forest express a great pride in their ecosystem. It has the most diverse range of plant species on Earth, with more types of trees species than in the entire continent of Europe. Despite the unforgiving reputation that precludes the expectations when visiting a rainforest, many emerge from the journey unscratched, and enjoyed every minute of surviving its harsh climate.

The Landmarks in Between

Of course, Brazil is not a country that is packed with solely these two extremes. These polarities only further prove that Brazil could be one of the most vivacious countries in the people and in the landmass. Lying between these peaks of some of the best nightlife and plant life in the world: mountains, cathedrals, sporting events, other major cities, and even tundra. Only Brazilian cultural richness can make complete use of the country’s size. For all these reasons, it’s a great destination for green tourism.