Gringo Trails

As dramatically as travelers are altered by new landscapes, values and belief systems, they also alter the people and places they visit. The tourist pathway known as the “gringo trail” has facilitated both life-altering adventures and the despoiling of many once virgin environments. Several stories along the trail, from the Bolivian jungle to the party beaches of Thailand, and from the deserts of Timbuktu, Mali to the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan, show the dramatic long-term impact of tourism on cultures, economies, and the environment.