Wild Planet Adventures Celebrates 25 Years of Wildlife Travel by Introducing New Trips

Renowned wildlife travel expert Wild Planet Adventures (http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/) celebrates 25 years of presenting award-winning wildlife eco-tours with a line-up of new safaris to observe rare and exotic animals in some of the world’s most isolated and remote locations.

Winner of multiple awards from National Geographic for its trips to Thailand, India, Brazil, Panama and Zambia, Wild Planet’s 25th Anniversary season, according to Director Josh Cohen, “is packed with more of our signature wildlife features than ever before.” These include exclusive site access, specially arranged activities to see rare animals, focus on remote and non-commercial destinations, special arrangements for silent, undetected approach and observation, naturalist and biologist guides with advanced tracking skills, interactions with animals and wildlife experts, and responsible carbon-neutral safaris that emphasize sustainability and conservation.

Highlights of this special 25^th Anniversary season include:

The world’s first wildlife expeditions into Maliau Basin, the famous “Lost World” of Borneo: The 12-day and new 16-day Borneo Weird & Wonderful Wildlife eco-tour averages seeing 11 of Borneo’s 13 primate species in the wild, including orang-utans (usually seen only in rescue centers), as well as Bornean gibbons, and rare tarsiers and slow loris, two of the world’s smallest and cutest primates. The Borneo trip is rounded out by visits to Selingan (Turtle) Island and snorkeling or SCUBA diving on Sipadan, one of the world’s top five dive destinations.

Insider’s Africa: Meerkats, Gorillas, and Africa’s ‘Rare 5’: A combination of South Africa’s virtually unknown “Green Kalahari” with Uganda’s most in-depth gorilla trek.  The trip starts in South Africa’s virtually unknown “Green Kalahari”, which lies south of the better-known Kalahari Desert. This savannah receive more rain than the northern desert and is home to thriving protected populations of adorable meerkats, rare rhinos, cheetah and black-maned lions (Africa’s largest). But the region is even more prized for opportunities to see rare pangolin (scaly anteater), aardvark and aardwolf, which are normally nocturnal but forage during the day here from May to September, making it the best place in Africa to see them.  The trip then continues in Uganda with researcher-led safaris for chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, the “Big 5”, and a full day gorilla trek featuring four hours with the gorillas – the most time of any tour operator. (Standard permits are limited to one hour.) The trip is capped with a visit to see the stunning Kob antelope’s intricate courtship and mating rituals, and a colony of adorable banded mongoose, cousins of the meerkats.

The world’s most comprehensive Antarctic cruise to South Georgia Island and the Faulklands: This 19-day cruise is the most comprehensive wildlife cruise available in the Antarctic. Wild Planet’s experienced team of 14 Antarctic experts has 30 years of Antarctic Expedition Cruise experience, allowing them to include up to 14 landings over eight landing days—twice to four times the number of landings of any other Antarctic cruise. Passengers will be able to observe and photograph special wildlife behaviors seldom seen in the polar wildlife paradise of South Georgia Island, one of the densest wildlife spectacles found anywhere in the world. On this cruise, which is limited to only 100 passengers, everyone can be on shore together rather than taking shifts as required for vessels with more passengers. The tour leaders include world-renowned naturalists, wildlife photographers, historians and polar ecology specialists who share their expertise through on-board lectures, workshops, guided excursions and causal interactions on the deck and at the dinner table.

Throughout this 25^th anniversary year, Wild Planet Adventures will also offer special rates and opportunities to see rare wildlife on many of their classic trips to 15 countries, including:

• National Geographic Traveler award-winner Brazil – On the Jaguar’s Trail, Pantanal to Amazon featuring an unprecedented average of 1.5 jaguar sightings per-day (during the jaguar safari segment) on an 11-day or 15-day tour. 

• Fodor’s Top 10 “Must-Do” trip, Costa Rica Ultimate Wildlife eco-tour, is the signature trip that started it all for Wild Planet Adventures. Still the most in-depth wildlife focused tour available in Costa Rica and Wild Planet’s most popular wildlife eco-tour, this trip is available in 9-day, 10-day and 14-day formats.

• Multiple National Geographic award-winner India Ultimate Wildlife Safari: Leopards, Tigers & Palaces is available in 13-day and 19-day formats.  

• Two different Thailand wildlife eco-tours, another signature destination for Wild Planet, which is the only US or international tour operator to feature authentic wildlife expeditions into the remote national parks of Kaeng Krachan and Klong Seang – the two best parks for wildlife in Thailand. Add-in the thrill of treehouse accommodations accessed by ziplines, to see rare gibbons in the wild.

For detailed itineraries, exciting wildlife photos and video galleries and booking information, visit http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/, call 1-800-990-4376 or email [email protected].