Land Based Expeditions & Tours
Our land-based expeditions celebrate the world’s most intriguing eco travel destinations. To thoroughly immerse ourselves in these destinations, from India to Namibia, we rely on several modes of travel, from 4x4 vehicles to local motorcoaches/mini-vans and boats. Our land-based adventures typically include iconic regional accommodations and world-class urban hotels. In Africa, the camps we choose combine outstanding wilderness experiences with comfortable lodging – imagine strolling from your room to a deck overlooking a watering hole for elephants and rhinos. In Mongolia, you’ll stay in a traditional ger camp, nomadic-style tents set in remote wilderness. And while searching for tigers in India, we find ourselves at a romantic jungle lodge, with modern amenities and proximity to the wilderness we seek.
Come with us as we explore the massive sand dunes of Namibia by quad-bike, or navigate the Okavango Delta by mekoro (dug-out canoe), guided by polers from the BaYei tribe. Ride on elephant bank in India’s Bandhavgarh National Park, as we search for leopards and tigers. Scenic drives in Iran take us to the stunning city of Esfahan, one of the pearls of the Islamic world. Whatever you can dream up, our land-based expeditions can take you there, complete with expert leaders and lecturers to illuminate each day’s discoveries.
The itineraries we offer vary from year to year; below please find our upcoming land-based expeditions:
Africa
Back to Africa with Lex Hes: Safari to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia
Heighten your Africa adventure travel experience with one of the finest bush guides on the continent, Lex Hes. We combine three remarkable countries—Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia—on this Africa expedition, enjoying a staggering array of wildlife, from desert rhino to Thornicroft’s giraffe, via chartered aircraft and 4x4 vehicles. Each Lex Hes tour benefits from his 30 years of experience as a guide at the famous Londolozi Game Reserve and his innate knowledge and instincts about Africa.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Classic Botswana
Join us as we visit the true Africa—Botswana—where the landscape has remained relatively unscathed and offers vintage Africa adventure travel. Here we find all the major wildlife: elephants, buffalo, lions, hippos, plains antelopes, leopards, cheetahs, and more. Well over half of Africa’s most endangered carnivore, the wild dog, is here.
Upcoming Departures
Classic Uganda: A Primate Paradise
Uganda adventure travel is alluring and profound—after all, this is one of Africa’s most biologically diverse countries and home to the amazing mountain gorilla. Our experience here focuses on Uganda’s primates, but delves into the natural wonders of the country from the rain forests of the great Congo Basin to the wetlands of Lake Victoria to the semi-arid deserts of the Sahel. During our trekking safari tour, we hope to glimpse lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalos, and, of course, the 400-pound knuckle-walking mountain gorillas.
Upcoming Departures
Uganda: A Trekking Adventure
Join us for this inaugural Uganda trekking expedition, as we search for primates, hippos, Nile crocodiles, bountiful birds, and the majestic mountain gorilla. With the active traveler in mind, we explore the many treasures of the region during hikes, cruises, game drives, and rafting with our expert guides Jonathan Rossouw and Simon Bellingham.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Ultimate Botswana
Join us as we visit the true Africa—Botswana—where the landscape has remained relatively unscathed and offers vintage Africa adventure travel. Here we find all the major wildlife: elephants, buffalo, lions, hippos, plains antelopes, leopards, cheetahs, and more. Well over half of Africa’s most endangered carnivore, the wild dog, is here. Our Botswana expedition includes mokoro cruising on the Okavango Delta, searching for more than 350 bird species (including the scarce black egret and pygmy goose), and romantic accommodations in some of Africa’s best camps.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Zambia: Africa's Best Kept Secret
Africa’s “best kept secret,” Zambia presents myriad opportunities for wildlife viewing, photography, and cultural immersion, especially in the company of renowned Africa safari guide, Lex Hes. During our Zambia expedition, we visit three national parks: Kafue, Lower Zambezi, and South Luangwa. We search by day and night for the intense concentrations of wildlife, some 60 animal species and at least 400 species of birds. We boat the Zambezi River, tracking hippos and crocodiles, a highlight of Zambia adventure travel, then spend peaceful evenings at luxury tented camps.
Upcoming Departures
India and Indian Ocean
Back to India: Wild Western India with Mark Brazil
Prolific wildlife is revealed on this inaugural program as we visit several national parks and reserves—Sasan Gir, Velavadar, Rann of Kutch, and Gujarat. Through a variety of landscapes, from wetlands to desert, we seek unique species such as Asiatic lions, Indian wolves, and the elusive khur, a rare wild horse. Birders will thrill to sightings of the lesser florican, hypocolius, demoiselle crane, and Stoliczka’s bushchat.
Upcoming Departures
Madagascar: The Eighth Continent
A must for nature-lovers, Madagascar adventure travel is ripe with botanicals, birds, and land animals, including the island’s icon—lemurs. The island’s isolation and size (it’s the world’s fourth-largest island) has made for striking biodiversity: 90 percent of all forest flora is endemic and more than half of the 250-plus bird species are found nowhere else. Our special Madagascar expedition takes you where few others have ventured before, and rewards your curiosity with exotic plants and animals, from pygmy stump-tailed chameleons to 1,000 varieties of orchid.
Upcoming Departures
Wild India
With more than 5,000 years of human history to its name, India is the perfect setting for adventure travel on a grand scale. Our 19-day India and Delhi tour reveals the dramatic landscapes, varied wildlife, and rich culture of the region, from 1,000-year-old Hindu temples to the increasingly rare Bengal tiger. An in-depth Delhi tour, including sights of both Old and New Delhi, kicks off our India expedition.
Upcoming Departures
Asia
Bhutan: Journey Through a Himalayan Kingdom
Bhutan adventure travel is the experience of a lifetime. In a country where they’ve adopted the concept of Gross National Happiness and where snowcapped peaks are set off by ornate temples and colorful houses, we journey where few travelers have gone before. Your Himalayas expedition includes nature hikes, interactions with local people, and wildlife viewing—glimpse the Himalayan black bear and the black-necked cranes from Tibet. This is a pilgrimage back in time to places where determined people live close to the heavens and keep their traditions alive.
Upcoming Departures
Five 'Stans: Hidden Heart of Asia
Join us as we follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo and the Silk Road merchants on this Western Asia expedition to the Five ’Stans. Gaze at river-studded plateau steppes in Kazakhstan and the snowcapped mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Imagine camel caravans navigating around rushing rivers and silver lakes in Uzbekistan. And glimpse the wide expanse of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert.
Upcoming Departures
Mongolia: Land of Chinggis Khaan
From fossilized dinosaur bones to wild horses thundering across grassy steppes, you’ll soon understand why Mongolia adventure travel is a journey to the “Land of Blue Sky.” The recreational and anthropological pursuits are countless, from horseback and camelback treks to visits with local families to learn about their traditions and customs, and the fragility of their nomadic lifestyles.
Upcoming Departures
Myanmar & Laos: Land of a Thousand Temples
Journey with us into some of the least-explored regions of Indochina—Myanmar and Laos—where countless regal temples, lovely minority tribes-people, and stunning gardens await. Your in-depth Myanmar and Laos adventure travel experience includes visits to the Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon at sunset, a truly ethereal sight; the whitewashed Mon Temple in Bagan; the floating gardens of Inle Lake; and more monuments, temples, and markets than imaginable.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Snow Monkeys & Cranes
This extraordinary Japan expedition blends an array of fascinating wildlife with the exquisite wintertime landscapes of the country. Birders and photographers are in heaven as we visit Arasaki, Kyushu, where nearly 12,000 hooded and white-naped cranes winter each year. We continue on for our snow monkeys expedition, visiting these stirring creatures in Jigokudani in central Honshu, as they soak in the region’s thermal baths.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Western Himalayas: A Journey Through Sacred Lands
This fascinating Himalayas adventure travel expedition takes us to spectacular natural wonders and exquisite cultural landmarks. We begin with a Delhi tour, where we visit energetic bazaars, lavish palaces, and stunning British Raj and Mughal architecture. From here, we venture to Ladakh, in the Trans-Himalayan region and former commercial hub on the Asian Silk Road. Visit Lamayuru Monastery, Ladakh’s oldest spiritual center; attend a traditional Tara puja ceremony in Palampur; and explore the Tibetan complex and home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, McLeod Ganj.
Upcoming Departures
None scheduled. Call to inquire.
Middle East
Iran: Wonders of Persia
For those seeking an authentic immersion into the art, poetry, architecture, and history of Iran, we offer our Iran: Wonders of Persia expedition. Guided by Middle East expert Gary Wintz, this Iran expedition offers an in-depth view of the turbulent and colorful history of Iran. Formerly Persia, the country’s magnificent ruins and ancient cities, architecturally astounding mosques and citadels, and savory cuisine is sure to leave a lasting impression. We also include a Tehran tour, visiting the Sa’ad Abad Palace-complex and the National Museum of Archaeology.
Upcoming Departures
South America
Wild Brazil with the Pantanal
Brazil unfolds before us in all its stunning natural glory during this popular South America expedition. We visit several different biomes, see as many as 25 indigenous mammals, study ten times as many birds, and even meet some of the planet’s rarest primates. Of course, no Brazil expedition is complete without Iguaçu Falls; this two-and-a-half-mile-wide cataract is our introduction to this spectacular country. Also, included in our Brazil adventure travel tour is the massive Pantanal, the planet’s largest seasonal wetland area.
