12.15.2011
It has been another Wild year full of global explorations, scouting new adventures and making discoveries around the world. Our staff has been busy traveling (its what we love to do!) and looking for ways to create new and enhanced experiences for our travelers (see reports below). Watch our holiday montage of travel photos and then check out our newest Wildland traveler photo album as well. Finally, help us celebrate our 25th year of "Keeping it Wild" in 2012 by joining us on one of our Wild Anniversary Adventures!
Happy Holidays and Happy Travels in 2012!
Wildland Adventures in Guatemala
Kurt and Anne spent a week Guatemala exploring the highlands with our in-country managers Alfonso and Diana Murales. They planned new experiences with guides and discovered niche colonial boutique hotels while exploring Antigua's historic charms, walking farmlands and coffee plantations with native farmers, shopping at the Chicichicastenango market, and setting up visits to Mayan women's cooperatives in San Juan La Laguna, a small village on Lake Atitlan.
Osa Peninsula Wildland Adventure - Costa Rica
Follow in the footsteps of Kurt Kutay and travel writer/actor Andrew McCarthy on our newest Costa Rica adventure vacation. Kurt met up with Andrew on assignment for a cover story about Costa Rica in Travel+Leisure. Together they bushwhacked deep into the heart of the remote Corcovado National Park on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. "In all my years living and traveling in Costa Rica I had never been to the Sirena Ranger Station in Corcovado. It's a long hike, or short charter flight to get there, but this is one of the best places to see wildlife in Costa Rica. We saw tapir, anteater, crocodiles, bull sharks, lots of birds and even a puma!" See more: The back story about Kurt and Andrew's trip.
Wildland Adventures in Belize
Jeff Stivers spent several weeks in Belize accompanied by our guide Luis Godoy, exploring its lush rainforests, hidden Mayan ruins and the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. From this reconaissance, we updated most of our Belize adventures which will all immerse you in the diverse natural habitats and cultural melange of the native Maya, Creole, and Garifuna people of this fascinating country.
Wildland Adventures in Argentina
Kirsten Gardner's reconnaissance trip in April took her from one end of Argentina to the other, scouting new hotels, new trails in Patagonia and meeting our fabulous Argentinian guides. "The Perito Moreno glacier was great - I had the entire mass of ice all to myself, cracking and calving away. Incredible! Autumn in the southern hemisphere is a great time to visit Patagonia - beautiful fall colors, plenty of sunshine for exploring the trails and no crowds!"
Wildland Adventures in Tanzania
We sent our Central America Program Director, Grettel Calderon, on her first trip to Africa, joining Modest Bayo, one of our top family safari guides for this classic family safari adventure. "In Tanzania, we saw so much wildlife including 32 lions, 9 cheetahs, 3 leopards, thousands of zebras and wildebeest, dozens of giraffes. At the Maasai women's co-op, we practiced our Swahili and shared stories about our lives and laughed and danced! Rwanda is beyond words, I loved the country and especially the people, and of course the gorillas."
Wildland Adventures in Namibia
Even our veteran Southern Africa adventurer and former guide Nick Bay, was amazed by what he found on his travels in Botswana and Namibia. "Namibia is one of the wildest places I've ever been! In Damaraland, we saw desert adapted elephants, tracked black rhinos on foot across the rocky desert, and sand-boarded down the tallest sand dune in Africa in Sossussvlei. In the evenings, we sat around the fire with our guides sharing stories about the bush and the community conservancy successes here in Namibia. There are just so many amazing conservation projects here that truly benefit from our visits. I have several new itineraries in mind that will do just that!"
Montenegro and the Balkans
Montenegro where the nation's tourism tagline "Wild Beauty" defines this small Balkan nation perfectly! This summer, Tad Bradley hiked the jagged mountains of Durmitor National Park, rafted the Tara Canyon - Europe's largest, explored the quaint Venetian villages on the Bay of Kotor and kayaked among diverse birdlife through the sublime water channels of Skadar Lake. It's here in this undiscovered corner of Europe (only a short hour flight from Rome or Frankfurt), where you'll find undisturbed emerald hills, thick forests, deep caves systems, magnificent lakes and of course friendly locals, fiercely proud of their culture and traditions. Watch for a new Wildland Adventure to Slovenia and Montenegro coming in 2012. Email tad@wildland.com and be the first to know about details and departure dates.