In 1998, when the Ponçon family purchased the 2,500-acre Nicaraguan farm where Morgan's Rock now stands, the land was occupied by squatters who were cutting down old-growth trees, stealing eggs from nesting sea turtles, and generally living in a way that threatened the sustainability of the rainforest.

Now many of those individuals are on the lodge's payroll, working to protect the very wildlife they used to exploit. The turtles are thriving, more than a million hardwood and fruit trees have been planted, and the forest now boasts a wildlife density that rivals that of a nearby national park.

That transformation exemplifies the family's model approach to ecotourism: sustainability means enhancing the community as well as the environment. It also helps explain the lodge's overwhelming popularity among travelers—the owners bring just as much passion to their hospitality efforts as they do to conservation.

This gorgeous eco-lodge on Nicaragua's

In 1998, when the Ponçon family purchased the 2,500-acre Nicaraguan farm where Morgan's Rock now stands, the land was occupied by squatters who were cutting down old-growth trees, stealing eggs from nesting sea turtles, and generally living in a way that threatened the sustainability of the rainforest.

Now many of those individuals are on the lodge's payroll, working to protect the very wildlife they used to exploit. The turtles are thriving, more than a million hardwood and fruit trees have been planted, and the forest now boasts a wildlife density that rivals that of a nearby national park.

That transformation exemplifies the family's model approach to ecotourism: sustainability means enhancing the community as well as the environment. It also helps explain the lodge's overwhelming popularity among travelers—the owners bring just as much passion to their hospitality efforts as they do to conservation.

This gorgeous eco-lodge on Nicaragua's Pacific coast contains 15 private bungalows that are connected to a main lodge by a sturdy, 360-foot suspension bridge. The cabins were artfully crafted from responsibly harvested almond, mahogany, cedar, and other local woods, and the sparse furnishings offer just enough comfort to meet your needs (king-size bed, sofa, writing desk, hammock) without cluttering the spacious, screen-covered enclosure. And they were built into the hillside, with the decks facing west, so you can watch the sun melt into the Pacific.

Shower water is solar-heated; used water flows to a bio filter, where it is treated and used for irrigation. Wood scraps from the lodge's construction have been repurposed as pathways, bridge material, and furniture (all made by local artisans). Many of the ingredients used in the creative, French/Asian/Latin American dishes are produced onsite, from the fruit and eggs on the breakfast plate to the brown sugar in the dessert.

In fact, you can supervise the journey from farm to table on a "Breakfast at the Farm" tour: milk the cows, gather the eggs, stroll through the citrus plantations, and eat the fruits (literally) of your labor. Other activities include horseback riding, fishing, surfing, nighttime walks through the forest, sunrise kayaking in the estuary, and natural-history hikes.

And then there are the two tours that get to the heart of the Morgan's Rock experience: planting a tree in the hacienda's dry forest reserve; and waking up before dawn to watch the turtles. If you time it right, you'll see the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, witness the hatching, or watch the babies take their first steps in the sand (sea turtles usually arrive between August and November to lay their eggs, which hatch approximately 45 to 60 days later). In doing so, you'll have the rarest of human experiences in nature—knowing that your presence here is helping them survive.

Kimberly Lisagor is a freelance journalist who covers travel and the environment from her home base in San Luis Obispo, California. She is the co-author of the book Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them and has written for publications including Outside, National Geographic Adventure, and Men's Journal.