ZECO TRAVEL TALK

At Zegrahm we believe that through travel comes awareness, and that awareness is what ultimately leads to viable solutions, which is why we are thrilled to partner with Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on our upcoming Rain Forests & Reefs expedition. Both organizations are recognized for their work in preserving and conserving natural resources and cultural heritage for future generations to enjoy. Read more

On the Black Sea, history lies in many layers. Jason and the Argonauts rowed these waters searching for the Golden Fleece. Mark Twain explored this sea in the 1800’s on the ship, Quaker City, perhaps the first voyage of its kind. We travel though this sea experiencing history, past and present, first-hand.  Read more

Our Eco-Expedition, Best of Brazil, has just come to an end, and our intrepid travelers crisscrossed southern Brazil in search of some of the very best wildlife the country has to offer. With an active team of gung-ho wildlife spotters, this year’s group tallied more than 300 species of birds and an astonishing 32 species of mammals (and that is not counting several unidentified species of bats). Stars of the show were marmosets, howlers, capuchins, and muriqui among the various primates, and great sightings of four Brazilian tapir, six giant anteaters (including two carrying babies), and eight giant otters. But the icing on the wildlife cake was a prolonged sighting of a fine male jaguar on the banks of the Cuiaba River—an eleventh hour success just before sunset in the Pantanal.

Expedition Leader, Mark Brazil, is already looking forward to returning to Brazil again in 2010. If you enjoy watching birds and mammals, or would like to experience the amazing biodiversity of the neotropics, why not join him on our departure in September 2010?

Author of the well-known book, 50 Places to See Before you Die, Chris Santella’s new book features Once in a Lifetime Trips. Marine biologist, Dive Master, and professional photographer, Jack Grove, was happy to provide the details for the chapter Melanesia: Swimming with Mantas and Dancing with Fire. Jack, who is also a Zegrahm Expeditions co-founder, has made many trips to this area and can certainly understand why our Faces of Melanesia voyage would stand out as a trip of a lifetime. Amazing diving and snorkeling, energetic traditional dances, gorgeous tropical scenery, and the comforts of our 110-passenger ship, the Clipper Odyssey, make for an experience like no other. Chris Santella’s newest book can be purchased online at Amazon or directly through the publisher.

Eco-Expeditions began offering our Burma & Laos trip about ten years ago, with the belief that we could do more to help the people of Burma by traveling to their country than by not going at all. We have always hoped that if we could get to Aung San Suu Kyi’s ear, that she would reach the same conclusion. Someone has gotten to her ear and we can now be even more proud of our positive, progressive legacy in Burma.

Many of our travelers have been inspired by their experiences in Burma and have generously contributed to orphanages and schools that we have visited as well as directly to villages in one-on-one situations. Using owner-run accommodations and trusted guides and friends in Burma, we have made every effort to put our tourism dollars into the hands of Burma’s people. Our groups come out of Burma with a much clearer understanding of the nature of this military junta and what is really going on behind the scenes, as well as a deeper appreciation of this beautiful country and it’s gracious people. Now with Aung San Suu Kyi’s clear blessing, we can be even more proud of Eco-Expeditions’ legacy of truly caring for the people of Burma through the very act of traveling there. The following article is very encouraging news indeed.

Burma opposition leader Suu Kyi: ‘Tourism might help’