100 Discoveries: Nature's Tales

Nature is more than just a backdrop to our travels. Spending time in the wild helps us feel happier, healthier, and more connected to ourselves and the planet. Our properties are designed to exist in harmony with their surroundings, from rainforest retreats that preserve ancient trees to beach resorts that help fragile coastal ecosystems thrive. Through our 100 Discoveries, you can experience this relationship with nature firsthand: observing wildlife with expert guides, joining local communities in conservation projects, or simply pausing to reflect on your place in the natural world.

Explore 100 Discoveries through the spirit of our brands: Banyan Tree, Angsana, Cassia, Dhawa, Folio, Garrya, and Homm, and discover nature’s tales.

Encounter the wild

Across our destinations, you can connect with incredible wildlife and the ecosystems that sustain them, guided by people who know the land and waters best. At Banyan Tree Bintan, Indonesia, endangered green and hawksbill turtles come ashore to nest twice a year. The resort’s conservation team carefully nurture the eggs in the on-site hatchery, and you can help them release the hatchlings into the open sea once they are ready to begin their journey home. Witnessing the tiny turtles take their first steps toward the ocean feels nothing short of magical.

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Angsana Velavaru is surrounded by the clear lagoons and vibrant coral reefs of Dhaalu Atoll in the Maldives. From here, guided tours head out to South Ari Atoll – nicknamed the “whale shark highway” – where these gentle giants swim year-round. Slip on a mask and snorkel, and you can glide through the water alongside them, an incredible experience that highlights the importance of keeping these oceans alive and thriving.

Tucked into a bamboo forest in eastern China, Banyan Tree Anji is a perfect jumping-off point for communing with nature. While staying here, you can visit Anji Bamboo Expo Park, the world’s largest and most complete bamboo plantation, home to an incredible 400 species. But it’s the resident giant pandas that steal the show. Watching these gentle creatures at home in their natural habitat is a moment of wonder you are unlikely to forget.

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Give back to the Earth

The most rewarding travel experiences often come from giving back. You can join local farmers in Bali’s central highlands for a hands-on rice planting experience, part of our Stay for Good programme at HOMM Saranam Baturiti. You will step into the fields to learn about the island’s ancient Subak irrigation system, a communal approach to farming that sustains both the land and the Balinese way of life. It’s honest, muddy work, and a meaningful way to feel the deep connection between nature, community, and daily life.

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Cassia Bintan in Indonesia is perfectly placed for enjoying the waters of the South China Sea. It’s also helping to nurture the next generation of mangroves: vital ecosystems that protect coastlines and marine life. You can visit a mangrove nursery in a nearby village, plant young saplings, and hear firsthand from locals how these tangled roots safeguard livelihoods, protect shorelines from erosion, and act as a habitat for thousands of species.

Singapore’s Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree is a tranquil wilderness retreat where you can immerse yourself in the magic of the rainforest while learning how to help protect it. Join a hands-on biodiversity workshop and meet the conservationists working to preserve native species and support nearby communities. It’s an inspiring glimpse into the efforts shaping Singapore’s natural heritage for generations to come.

Soak up the scenery

From volcanic wetlands to underwater ecosystems, we showcase experiences that celebrate the beauty of the natural world. Stay at Banyan Tree Tengchong in China, and you can spend a day drifting quietly across the Beihai Wetland, a volcanic lake surrounded by ancient hot springs. With a local boatman as your guide, you will weave between floating grass islands shaped over millennia, each supporting a rich diversity of birdlife and flora. As you move across the still waters, a deep sense of calm and connection to nature unfolds.

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A short distance from the island of Dhawa Ihuru in the Maldives lies the Rannamaari, a sunken shipwreck encrusted with coral and teeming with marine life. Dive beneath the surface and you can watch schools of colourful fish dart through its shadowy corridors while reef sharks patrol nearby. Once a working dredger, the Rannamaari is both a slice of local history and a living reminder of how nature reclaims and renews.

At low tide, locals head to the mud flats next to Angsana Quan Lan, Vietnam. Here, they harvest shellfish in a simple practice that creates valuable income and bonds them to the rhythms of the sea. Grab a rake and a basket and feel your bare feet against the sand as you dig for clams alongside them, immersing yourself in the landscape and the rhythms of rural coastal life. 

Read more about how nature inspires us in our stories on rewilding, marine heritage,  firefly conservation, and retreating to nature. Or find out about more the cultural connections, culinary journeys and joyful wellbeing that await you when you stay with us.