ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Perhaps it was the penguin pecking at your boot during your first visit to Antarctica. Or the thrill you felt exploring legendary Pitcairn Island. Whatever your favorite Zegrahm or Eco Expeditions memory, we’d love to hear about it. Please share your story/favorite memory as a comment to this blog post. Read more

This recently published book by Rodney Russ & Aleks Terauds is a comprehensive study of the seven oceanic island groups to the south and east of New Zealand. Each chapter features a different island with descriptions of the flora, fauna, geography, geology, human history, and glorious color photographs. More than just a coffee-table book, the authors leave no stone unturned when it comes to describing the wonders of these unique islands. Read more

The Watkins Mountains and Gunnbjornsfjeld, the highest mountain in Greenland, were on the horizon as we rose for breakfast this morning marking the beginning of an exciting first day on this remote island. We entered Nansen Fjord through loose ice cover and sailed past steep, bare mountains of glacier-sculpted basalt. The eight-mile tidewater front of Christian IV Glacier, bringing ice down from the distant ice sheet, filled the head of the fjord. Icebergs; white, blue, and black drifted past the Clipper Adventurer as we sailed towards an unnamed fjord on the northern side of Nansen Fjord. Zodiacs were lowered and we made our first footprints in the dark Greenland sand. The stark moraine landscape was impressive. This was new ground as we were the first cruise ship to visit this isolated spot at over 68° N. Read more

Did you know?

In the Heroic Era (1901-22) of Antarctic exploration, many of the British expeditions going south passed through New Zealand, which provided a warm and cordial welcome to the explorers. Frequently, men passing through met women for whom they developed an attachment. On their return from the ice two or three years later, these associations often led to marriages between the returning explorer and the local New Zealand woman. Yet these unions seldom took place on the voyage en route south, for the men realized they faced uncertain futures in the Great White Unknown from which they might not return. Nothing so captures these poignant connections than the instance of Reginald Skelton, the chief engineer on the Discovery expedition (1901-04), who, before he left for “the South,” gave his good watch to the mother of the woman he eventually married, for he did not wish to chance its loss as he was prepared to risk his own life.

Join T. H. Baughman on our New Zealand for the Holidays voyage as he shares tales of the region’s history, combining his scholarly passion with an amazing gift for story telling.

Zegrahm director and expedition leader Jonathan Rossouw recently set out on a personal trip to Kyrgyzstan in search of the snow leopard, one of the most elusive and endangered animals on the face of the planet. Following is his account of the amazing adventure that unfolded:

It took us two full days of travel to reach Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from Cape Town via Johannesburg, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and by road across the border into Kyrgyzstan (5hrs, including border crossing). Read more

We’re honored to receive two high commendations in the past few months from National Geographic Adventure.

• For the second consecutive year, Zegrahm and Eco Expeditions has been named one of the Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth. The survey evaluated categories such as environmental awareness, service, local knowledge, and quality of guides and leaders. With high scores in all categories, including “top guides with a unique take on travel,” we are most proud to have received 100% for Client Satisfaction.

• Wild Edge of the Pacific: One of the “Best New Trips in the World” The unique aspects of our Wild Edge of the Pacific voyages were recognized by National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2009. “An inaugural voyage for Zegrahm Expeditions, the inspiration for this unique expedition are the remote Kermadec and Chatham Islands—among the most isolated island groups in the world. These tiny, but vital, specs on the Pacific Ocean map are not easily accessible and offer a mind-boggling array of species that will thrill nature lovers.” Four Zegrahm cofounders join this expedition in November/December 2009.

Zegrahm Director and Naturalist, Kevin Clement also exhibits his artistic side when traveling. Pencil and notebook are his constant companions and Kevin turns his quick field sketches into more polished works on a variety of subjects—birds, landscapes, people, markets, animals, or scenes of daily life. During an expedition his latest opus usually appears onboard the ship on a wall or bulletin board near reception.

Many of our travelers have expressed an interest in viewing more of Kevin’s work, which inspired us to create an online gallery after each of his trips. His latest art work, from our January 2009 Rain Forests & Reefs expedition, can be viewed by clicking on this link: Sketches by Kevin

We are excited to announce that Mark Brazil’s new book—Birds of East Asia—is available on book stands and already receiving great reviews.
Birds of East Asia is an identification guide to the birds of eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and northeast Russia, it is quickly becoming the must-have field guide for naturalists visiting the region. The volume describes not only all of the species, but also provides information on all of the sub-species recorded from the region—the residents, migrants, and vagrants. This is the first time that all of the birds of East Asia have been described and illustrated in a single volume. The elegant illustration plates (236 of them) were contributed by an international team of artists.

Mark Brazil is part of our Zegrahm Family, often leading and lecturing on our expeditions around the world. Mark’s work as a field naturalist, author, researcher, and guide has taken him to every continent. He is the author of several ornithological books and the leading authority on the natural history of Japan. Acknowledged for their help and support are two other Zegrahm family members; Ted Kenefick, a veteran program manager and our in-house bird specialist and Zegrahm co-founder and seabird expert, Peter Harrison.

Perhaps the more relevant opinion is a non-Zegrahm biased point of view which is why I want to mention the five-star rating on Amazon’s site.  Click here to read the full review: Best Guide to the Region by Far!