With so many Amazon lodges out there, how can conscientious travelers know which are in business for more than a quick buck? Andy Drumm, director of ecotourism for the Nature Conservancy, has worked with indigenous communities and conservation groups for twenty years. "People tend to take a romantic view of the rain forest," he said. "But you shouldn't be afraid to ask hard questions. Not all nature tourism is ecotourism." He suggests that you consider the following:

Does the lodge document its support of conservation? Many lodges only claim to be "green." A sincere lodge will provide evidence. Kapawi Ecolodge & Reserve, for example, supplies a booklet that describes its conservation practices and the local organizations it works with—and includes contact information for verification. Does the lodge employ local people (it should) and, if so, in what capacity? Are they limited to service jobs or do they hold better-paying positions, such as guide? Is there a training system and a way to advance?

How does the lodge interact with local communities? Are tourists simply traipsed through a village while impoverished natives watch, or do the residents benefit in some way, such as by having the opportunity to sell handicrafts? Do the local people participate in lodge decisions that affect their way of life (such as when guest numbers have an impact on subsistence hunting and fishing)?

What happens when you flush? You can learn a lot by asking about a lodge's waste-treatment system. Do toilets flush into a lake or stream? Are dishes washed in the same water? (They were at one "award-winning" lodge, until guests started to get sick.) A lodge that uses, say, composting toilets or a sewage-treatment system is probably paying attention to other critical details.

If the lodge has electricity (and most do), how is it generated? Does fuel have to be hauled in? Petroleum is a toxic chemical, and oil and gas spills can damage ecosystems permanently. Most lodges use a generator, but the best limit their dependency—and risk—by employing alternative sources as well. (And the constant drone of a generator can ruin an otherwise wonderful trip.)

Where did the building materials come from? In general, natural materials are more ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing than synthetics, and gathering them can provide local employment. But overharvesting plants can disrupt ecosystems; roofing palm is now so depleted in parts of the Ecuadorian Amazon that corrugated metal is more ecologically appropriate.