The natural beauty of the region along with the Padre Island National Seashore located in the northern region of the island, allow unique opportunities for primitive camping in communion with nature, including historic trails, designated national monuments, state parks, historic trails, wild, scenic rivers, lakeshores, seashores, and outdoor recreation areas.

Conservation of bio-diversity sharing socio-economic benefits with local communities is the goal of eco-tourism, and South Padre Island has achieved this commitment providing great tourist destinations while protecting the island's ecosystems, including its flora and fauna, but particularly endangered species, such as the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle.

There is a number of eco-tours intended for turtles watching, dolphin watching and bird watching, activities that approach visitors to nature while keeping with affordability and minimizing tourism's environmental impact, at the time that promotes the sustainable use of South Padre's bio-diversity, increasing people's environmental and cultural knowledge.

Eco-Tourism is based on promoting local culture, flora and fauna as the main island's attractions. Many of South Padre eco-tours are an educational way to enjoy marine life up close with specially designed boats, getting sea creatures onboard for a hands-on experience. Some boats drag shrimp nets, putting the catch into observation as part of the tour, then the creatures are safely released to the Gulf again.

Shrimp, crabs, fish, stingrays and other assorted marine life is included in many of the eco-tour presentations. Other popular eco-tours include watching the dolphins and hearing the way they communicate with each other through underwater microphones. Some of these tours began as early as 1986 aimed for Winter Texans but becoming internationally popular over time as an all year-round experience.

South Padre Island has eco-tour operators that provide a two-hour trip with onboard seminars on Dolphin physiology and dynamics. Others offer a closer approach to dolphins with handouts on dolphins, while the most popular land eco-tours are bird watching and visits to the turtles nestling areas.

In Laguna Atascosa, there are birding expeditions along the intercoastal waterways or South Padre Island, area where rare, exotic and beautiful birds stop in winter. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest and last protected area of natural habitat in the lower Rio Grande Valley, a short distance from South Padre Highway 100 out of Port Isabel.

This refuge is a nature oasis encompassing 45,000 acres of wildlands, blending the diverse ecosystems of the region, including desert, coastal, subtropical and temperate habitats. Wildlife is located at the northernmost edge of their range, plenty of Mexican plants where migrating sandhill cranes and waterfowl fly down during winters.

Horseback riding is another way to enjoy eco-tourism in South Padre Island, including self guided trips along the seashore. There is also a nature walk adjacent to South Padre Island Convention Center situated close by the northern city limits on Park Road 100, where the famous Wyland's Whaling Wall, is another manifestation of the environmental concern prevailing in the island.

Wyland is considered the world's Premier Ocean artist, and pioneer in marine art movement since 1971 and throughout the United States, Canada and México, as well as France, Australia, Japan and New Zealand, raising people's environmental consciousness regarding oceans and their inhabitants.

The large outdoors Whaling Wall in South Padre Island is called "Orcas off the Gulf of Mexico,” dedicated on March 14th, 1994. The Wyland Foundation considers that "the best way to teach someone about environmental conservation is to simply show them what they are conserving." Orcas off the Gulf of Mexico is 265 feet long per 25 feet high mural located exactly in 7355 Padre Boulevard.

There are many Eco-Tourism operators, eco-tours or ecological related activities to enjoy in South Padre Island, some of them are these:

Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center,

5009 Padre Blvd, in the corner #12, Tel. (956) 761-7178

Laguna Madre Nature Trail

Whaling Wall No. 53, next to the South Padre Island Convention Center,

Sea Turtle, Inc. (non-profit organization)

6617 Padre Boulevard, Tel. 761-1720 or 761-4511

The University of Texas Pan American Coastal Studies Lab and Aquarium

Isla Blanca Park, South Padre's south end of the Island, Tel. 956) 761-2644

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 450, Rio Hondo, Texas 78583, Tel. (956) 748-3607

Sea Ranch Marina

1 South Padre Blvd. slip 27, Tel. (956) 761-2212

Dolphin Docks,

510 E. Queen Isabella Blvd, Located in Port Isabel at the base of the Causeway, Tel. (956) 943-3185

Sea Ranch Dolphin Watch

1 Padre Boulevard, Tel (956) 761-4243

Colley's Fins to Feathers

P.O. Box 2611, South Padre Island, TX 78597, Tel. (956) 793-2473

http://www.fin2feather.com.