Sustainable and Ecotourism

South Australia is already a leader in the field of ecologically sustainable tourism development, with around 15% of Australia's Eco Certified tourism operators based here. Our 76 Eco Certified tourism experiences range from swimming with dolphins and cave diving to wine tasting and camel safaris through the Outback.

Just what is eco tourism? Eco tourism is about minimising our impact on the environment, building environmental awareness and respect, providing financial benefits for conservation and more. You can read about these principles (and find products) at the Australian ecotourism website.

So when you visit eco tourism sites in South Australia or travel with an eco tourism accredited operator, it means they're committed to nature management.

In South Australia, there are more than 20 eco tourism operators keen to share their experiences with you.

Just 15 minutes from the heart of Adelaide you can swim with bottlenose dolphins at Glenelg, and just north of the city you can walk the 1.7 kilometre St Kilda Mangrove Trail that meanders through a tidal mangrove forest supporting more than 200 bird species, dolphins and fish. And that's just the start of the extraordinary blend of wildlife experiences awaiting you in South Australia.

You'll find koalas snoozing among the eucalypts, and potoroos pottering about at Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills. You can swim with sea lions and dolphins in waters near Baird Bay on the Eyre Peninsula; or spot kangaroos bounding through the bush in the Outback (and almost everywhere else). Other ecotourism experiences include meeting the 1000 fairy penguins on Granite Island off the Fleurieu Peninsula coast; counting 240 species of birds in the 145-kilometre tapestry of lagoons that make up Coorong National Park; or head to the Riverland and view more feathered friends at Banrock Station Wine & Wetland Centre or Birds Australia Gluepot Reserve.

At the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves on the Limestone Coast, you can meet the megafauna that roamed the ancient continent of Gondwana. And if you just want to get out into nature, we've got plenty of space to do it: more than a fifth of South Australia is devoted to 330 national, conservation and recreation parks and regional reserves.

Find out more in our Ecotourism Experiences brochure