Commodore Travel has launched an ecotourism tour of Hungary following increasing demand for environmentally friendly holidays.

Organiser Peter Chipperfield said many people associated ecotourism with nature conservation projects in Africa. 'But Hungary is really gearing up for ecotourism and has lots of internationally funded conservation projects,' he said. The country has 300 nationally protected areas and more than 1,000 locally protected sites.

The week-long tour will include an overnight stay in Budapest's Taverne Hotel, three-times winner of the Green Hotel Award; hiking in the Aggtelek National Park ,where walkers will learn about nature conservation, and a visit to nearby Gomors zolos, a sustainable tourism village project. The village has an organic garden, orchard, honey bees, wool-processing workshop and energy-efficient guesthouse, and aims to provide enough income from tourism to sustain 100 local residents.

Commodore is only using locally-owned hotels and local guides for the tour and will donate some of the money generated to fund local conservation projects. Each of the maximum 12 people on the tour will receive a travel guide about local customs and cultures before their visit. The half-board tour runs from 9-16 October and costs £646 including flights (single room supplement £86). For bookings, contact Peter Chipperfield on 020 7247 9926.