‘Instead of scuba diving on shrinking reefs, we helped regrow them’: readers’ best conservation tourism experiences

From a sea turtle rescue centre in Italy to rewilding in the Scottish Highlands, here are some of your favourite trips that give a little back

The Ropes of Hope works for coral reef restoration in the Mafia Island marine park, off Tanzania. Instead of scuba diving to see shrinking reefs, we got involved with a project regrowing them. It’s the brainchild of Jean de Villiers, a South African molecular biologist who talked my teenagers through the underwater coral gene bank research and community involvement. Our ocean-view tree house accommodation didn’t hurt, with hot chocolate and cake hoisted up fresh each morning. In an educational U-turn, our eldest now studies sustainable development – Jean is doing something right.
Claire