Wild Planet Adventures’ Wildlife Safaris Offer Great Value For Summer Travel Plus Superb Exotic Wildlife Viewing

 
 Animal-loving travelers looking to get the most value for their dollar this summer will be excited to learn of Wild Planet Adventures’ summer trips.  For 23 years Wild Planet Adventures has offered award-winning wildlife eco-tours designed especially for wildlife enthusiasts, featuring interactions with animals, value-packed itineraries, small groups and destinations teeming with wildlife.
 
Here are several wildlife trips that offer exceptional values for travelers this summer:
 
Costa Rica Ultimate Wildlife Eco-Tour is an all-inclusive (except airfare) wildlife eco-tour with 13 admissions to national parks and attractions (nearly twice that of any operator in Costa Rica); all meals (rare in any itinerary) and no “free days” (guests don’t have to shell out more bucks for activities on those days because all activities are included. 
 
With so much included, one might think this tour was designed with lots of high volume/low cost filler, but the opposite is true. This award-winning wildlife eco-tour is packed with exclusive wildlife activities, remote destinations (including eight national parks and wildlife reserves), high-end naturalist guides, interactions with animals, wildlife experts and scientific researchers, and wildlife destinations on both coasts such as Corcovado National Park, the world-famous Sloth Sanctuary, a hands-on wildlife rescue center, rafting and floating on two rivers, canopy tours, beaches, volcanoes, hot springs, sea-kayaking with dolphins, snorkeling at night in the bioluminescence and much more.
 
Tours of 14-days, 10-days and 9-days are flexibly designed for adults and families of all ages, and start at $343/person/day (one of the lowest per-day costs of any award-winning operator in this class).  Hot tip: In July, the Veranito “little summer” phenomenon offers some of the best wildlife viewing of the year, and coincides with cooler weather and lower airfares.
 
Panama Ultimate Wildlife Eco-Tour offers the best of both worlds when half the family wants a relaxing beach vacation and the other half wants exciting activities like whitewater rafting, canopy zip tours and kayaking the Panama Canal. Hot tip:Panama’s 1,500 islands offer some of the best snorkeling in the world. In fact, the barrier reef around the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro is part of the same barrier reef as Belize, but unlike Belize, the Panama reef is completely outside the hurricane belt, and therefore in much better condition.  Prices start at only $2,498 for eight days, plus domestic flights.
 
Peru: Amazon and Machu Picchu – Families love the cultural experience of Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Sacred Valley combined with the best wildlife viewing in the Amazon Rainforest. Featured is Manu Biosphere Reserve, the #1 park in the world for biodiversity, with over 200 species of mammals, including 13 species of primates, and 1,000 species of birds. Also included is Tambopata Biosphere Reserve, which is home to the world’s largest macaw and parrot clay lick. Wild Planet Adventures offers an exclusive opportunity to float downstream at dawn looking for jaguar and tapir as they come down to the river to drink at dawn. Another signature Wild Planet activity is an exclusive expedition to see pygmy marmosets, the world’s smallest (and cutest!) primate. Hot Tip: The world’s largest macaw and parrot clay lick peaks in activity from mid-August through the end of October. At this time travelers can see upwards of 1,000 birds at a time (five species of macaws and 15 species of parrots and parakeets). The sky is literally full of color and sound. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of nature!
 
Brazil – On the Jaguar’s Trail: Pantanal to the Amazon starts in the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetlands, home to the largest concentration of jaguars on earth. Wild Planet averages 1.5 (sometimes as many as seven) jaguar sightings per day in the virtually unknown Taiama Ecological Reserve. The sightings are often for extended periods of time as the jaguar hunt caiman by the riverside.  The wide variety of safari activities are ideal for active families and include hiking, boating, horseback riding and jeep explorations for up-close sightings of giant otter, hyacinth macaws, giant anteater and anaconda. A unique feature of Wild Planet's Brazil trips is seeing the transition of eco-systems from the Pantanal – the world’s largest wetlands-- to the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest. In the Amazon, Wild Planet has arranged an exclusive Primate Program designed by a primatologist to see rare Amazonian primates from our base at an award-winning Amazon lodge.
 
Borneo –Weird & Wonderful Wildlife Safari-- As wildlife specialists, Wild Planet Adventures carefully combines several unusual and remote eco-systems with exclusive activities, comprehensive environmental education and high-end local naturalist guides to create the absolute best possible wildlife experience currently available in Borneo, including not just commonly sought-after encounters with orangutans (both in the wild and at an orangutan sanctuary) but also special expeditions to see proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, Borneon gibbons, tarsiers, slow loris and Borneo’s famous “gliders”.  The trip ends at a water bungalow on stilts at Sipadan reef, one of the top five snorkel and dive sites in the world.
 
Zambia "Ensemble of Master Guides” Ultimate African Safari Wild Planet Adventures’ combination of jeep, walking and canoe safaris offers the broadest diversity of game and the most comprehensive wildlife safari possible anywhere in Africa. As the birthplace of walking safaris, Zambia has the highest standards of guiding anywhere in Africa. It’s astounding to experience the bush with these legendary guides and to witness their amazing tracking skills. This itinerary combines the remote Nsefu sector of South Luagwa National Park, untraveled Kafue National Park, and Mana Pools Canoe & Walking Safari – all with Master Guides!
 
Low, Air Consolidator Rates: Flights and activities become less expensive when purchased in bulk. When traveling with Wild Planet, passengers can take advantage of Wild Planet’s long-standing relationships with flight consolidators for special rates, including bulk fares that are unpublished even on the internet. By booking a tour, Wild Planet Adventure guests will also be helping to preserve the local cultures and wildlife of the region they choose to visit at a time when help is most needed. Portions of the profit from each tour directly support positive and enriching community endeavors. For more information visit http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/about-us
 
For detailed itineraries, exciting wildlife photos and video galleries and booking information, visit http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/ or contacttrips@wildplanetadventures.com.
 
About Wild Planet Adventures
The editors of National Geographic Traveler announced in April 2014 that the wildlife specialty tour operator Wild Planet Adventures received its fifth “World’s Best 50 Trips” award from National Geographic Traveler.
 
The expert wildlife guides of Wild Planet Adventures go the extra mile to explore remote wildlife habitat and study wildlife patterns in destinations not often accessible to the general public. Thanks to the company’s comprehensive itineraries that balance diverse and complex ecosystems and habitats, guests enjoy wildlife and game viewing that is carefully aligned with animals’ seasonal, daily and nocturnal migrations.
 
Following a philosophy that interacting with nature has the power to transform lives, tours are conducted in Africa, Baja, Belize, Borneo, Brazil, Costa Rica, Galapagos, India, Laos, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Thailand and Zambia. Wild Planet Adventures is recognized by top publications in the travel industry for its itineraries that combine intimate encounters with wildlife and local culture.
 
For a more information and a complimentary 2014 catalog call toll-free 1.800.990.4376, or e-mail: trips@wildplanetadventures.com. To review current trips, schedules and itineraries log onto: http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/.

African Safari Company Guests Explore Gardens, Private Art Collections And Engage With Local Communities

 
 Innovative travel companies such as African Safari Company (http://www.africansafarico.com/) recognize and respond to the fact that today’s well-versed traveler often seeks deeper cultural and historical immersion along with the traditional game sightings while on safari.
 
“These adventures are about digging deeper into the heart and soul of Africa and learning about her people through their art, historical and modern day cultures and getting beyond the usual destinations to meet the local people,” says Julia Nesbitt, director of sales and marketing.  “We are always on the lookout for rare and enriching experiences that can transform a trip into an unforgettable journey.”
 
Nesbitt shares three culturally focused safaris offered by African Safari Company.
 
South Africa Art & Wildlife Safari is a must for connoisseurs seeking exclusive access to the finest lodges and the most unforgettable art and culture experiences. The tour begins in Johannesburg and concludes in Cape Town, immersing guests in private art collections in lodgings en route. This 12-day/11-night safari is available year round from $8,880 per person, double.
 
A cultural exploration of Johannesburg begins with a private tour of Brenthurst Gardens on an Oppenheimer estate (think diamond mines). Guests visit Mark Valentine’s much loved African artworks shop, Amatuli Fine Art, and stroll through Rosebank's art strip, home to some of South Africa’s most famous contemporary and commercial art galleries. Nesbitt also recommends a visit to the world-renowned Apartheid Museum to help traveler’s put the day’s art into a wider historical perspective.
 
On Day 3, guests transfer by light aircraft directly into Madikwe Private Game Reserve (recognized as one the top place for wildlife conservation), home of Mateya Lodge and one of the world’s finest collections of African art. After a leisurely stay here, on Day 7 guests depart by air for Cape Town’s Ellerman House and its striking modern art collection.  Guests explore Cape Peninsula, an African Penguin colony, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (said to be Africa’s loveliest), winelands and Cape Town’s thriving arts community. See: http://www.africansafarico.com/safari/art-wildlife-safari/.
 
Nesbitt points out that now is a good time to travel to South Africa because the rand is weak against the dollar, which means Americans may enjoy more luxury for less.
 
Tanzania Wildlife, Culture & Beach Safari embraces families, with a myriad of activities that both young and old will enjoy. This program is available year-round from $8,680 per person, double (ages 7 to 11 from $4,880 per person double). This trip seamlessly combines local cultures, wildlife reserves and the beaches of the Spice Island as guests walk with a Maasai warrior, hunt with the Hadzabe Bushmen, learn about farming from a Datoga farmer, visit Olduvai Gorge where the origins of mankind were found and visit with local fishermen and schoolchildren on the beaches of Zanzibar.
 
Adventurers begin this 14-day/13-night safari after transfers from Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha to Mount Meru Game Lodge & Sanctuary. On Days 2 and 3 guests enjoy the huge baobab trees and elephant families in Tarangire National Park. One morning, travelers walk with a Maasai guide who reveals his culture and tribal history. Accommodations for two nights are at Maramboi Camp with views of Manyara National Park, Rift Valley and the Ngorongoro highlands. Day 4 brings guests to Lake Manyara National Park described as one of the most beautiful places in Africa, home to unique tree-climbing lions.
 
Then participants walk, hunt (with bow and arrow) and gather (roots and wild fruits) with Hadzabe Bushmen on Day 5, followed by a visit with Datoga farmers. Overnight is at Ngorongoro Farmhouse near Ngorongoro Crater, followed by a full day exploring the Crater, a World Heritage site. En route to Serengeti National Park is a stop to view Olduvai Gorge where an early form of man was found in 1959. Home this night is Camp Zebra, a portable camp that follows the huge herds of wildebeest and zebra on their annual migration through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. After the Serengeti comes a flight to Zanzibar for a four-night stay at family-owned and run Unguja Lodge that is surrounded by lush, tropical gardens. Guests transfer the final day from Zanzibar Airport to Dar es Salaam for departing international flights.  See:
http://www.africansafarico.com/safari/tanzania-family/
 
Rivers & Communities Safari - Botswana and Zambia encourages guests to engage with the charitable organization Pack for a Purpose before leaving home as all the camps and lodges on this safari support schools and clinics with ongoing lists of basic needs that guests can help fulfill.
 
Muchenje Safari Lodge supports Mabele Primary School, Tongabezi supports The Tujatane Tongabezi Trust School, and Old Mondoro supports Conservation Lower Zambezi , an educational conservation NGO, all of which guests may visit. This is a 9-day/8-night program offered during the dry season of June through November. Rates are from $5,490 per person double. Guests transfer from Botswana’s Kasane airport to access Chobe National Park’s Muchenje Lodge on the Chobe River to begin a safari encompassing three parks on two rivers, the Chobe and Zambezi, and two countries, Botswana and Zambia. Activities include day and night game drives, boat, canoe and walking safaris, and catch & release fishing.
 
On Days 4 and 5 guests lodge near Livingstone, the historic colonial town famous for its proximity to Victoria Falls, one of the natural Seven Wonders of the World and the largest sheet of falling water on earth.  The final destination is Lower Zambezi National Park, one of Africa’s most scenic wildernesses, home to an impressive quantity and variety of wildlife that can be viewed not only on the more usual land-based safari activities but also on a variety of water-based activities and in the camps themselves. Lodging is at Old Mondoro Camp, a unique private safari camp overlooking a maze of hippo-inhabited islands. Departures are by light air to Lusaka or back to Livingstone to connect with international flights home.  See: http://www.africansafarico.com/safari/rivers-community-safari/
 
About African Safari Company & Small Ship Safaris
Mike Nesbitt, a native of South Africa, and daughter Julia bring an intimate knowledge of wildlife migrations, climate variables and cultural opportunities to the African Safari Company that he founded in 1998. Specializing in small group travel and custom safaris for the independent and inquisitive adventurer, the company carefully vets each lodge, camp and safari partner they work with in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda & Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.
 
A new division launched in 2013, Small Ship Safaris features a similar exotic adventure experience - on water instead of land. Expedition ships for between 16 and 210 guests transport wildlife and nature enthusiasts to remote areas of Alaska, Hawaii, Amazon, Polar Regions, Baja Sea of Cortez, Galapagos and Patagonia.
 
For more information, itineraries, availability and reservations please call: 1.800.414.3090 or 206.284.7682; or visit: http://www.africansafarico.com/ orhttp://www.smallshipsafaris.com/. 

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