The vast waterlogged plains of the Pantanal stretch for over 50,000 square miles—some estimate much more—across Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay and host the largest concentration of flora and fauna in South America. Sadly, however, the world's largest freshwater wetland is threatened throughout by deforestation, hydropower projects, water pollution, overfishing, and poaching....

Before travelers even arrive at Santa Lucia, they've been completely submerged into the cloud forests of northern Ecuador. Just getting to the lodge requires a 90-minute-plus uphill hike through jungle brimming with colorful birds and exotic mammal species.

Why build a lodge on the top of a remote hillside in the middle of the Ecuadorian wilderness? Good question. Santa Lucia was the...