Your winters don’t have to be cold. And they certainly shouldn’t go without adventure. Come, experience small-ship expedition cruises on the wild side in Costa Rica and Panama with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Travel with Lindblad’s expert Expedition Team to a world complete with rain forests, cloud forests and volcanoes. Plentiful and varied wildlife. And an engineering marvel that changed the world. Kayak, swim, snorkel and explore. By exclusive arrangement, Lindblad is the only passenger ship permitted to overnight during their Panama Canal transit to explore Barro Colorado Nature Monument. They will also share with you the snorkeler’s nirvana of Isla Coiba, the most untouched of Panama’s national parks, during this special adventure travel experience.

Join us for these intimate expedition cruises in Costa Rica and Panama and step into pure wildness with the experts who know it best.

Learn More from an Expert Expedition Team You will travel with 1 expert for every 15 guests on Lindblad’s intimate and comfortable 60-guest expedition cruise ship, and while exploring the Central America’s magnificent rain forests. Lindblad National Geographic’s expert Naturalists and an Expedition Leader are always there when you need them. You’ll be amazed at how fun and engagingly the Expedition Team (Naturalists, Historians and) can convey even the most detailed of information.

Benefit from Lindblad’s Expedition Experience

Linblad’s vast expedition cruising experience in Costa Rica and Panama enables them to reveal the essence of the region in a distinct way. They were the first ship-based company to offer adventure travel in Central America. And for the last 30 years they’ve always found something new to be inspired about. We guarantee you will too.

See More with Countless Options for Exploration

When you find yourself among the pristine beauty of Central America, you’ll want to explore to the fullest. From Lindblad’s expedition ship, National Geographic Sea Lion, you’ll snorkel (we provide the mask, fins and a wetsuit), kayak, hike, and cruise through some of Central America’s most exclusive landscapes. Encounter birds and animals literally everywhere, from the treetops to the reefs.

A Note on Conservation
Lindblad’s Central American partner in conservation is MarViva, an organization safeguarding and creating marine protected areas in oceanic and coastal areas of Latin America and the Caribbean. Donations support community education initiatives, enforcement of regulations in National Parks, and buoys to protect coral reefs in Granita De Oro, Panama.

To learn how you can experience your own Lindblad Expedition for the same pricing as booking direct, contact Craig Beal at CraigB@TravelBeyond.com or (800) 823-6063.

Expedition Cruises in The Land of Darwin
Small ship expedition cruises to the Galapagos Islands are your opportunity to discover one-of-a-kind wildlife in a spectacular setting with a top-tier Expedition Team. We’re proud to have been the first in the Galapagos Islands. That’s over 40 years of experience with our Galapagos cruises in the Land of Darwin. And thanks to our long history of expedition cruises in the Galapagos Islands, you’ll do so much more than observe this precious ecosystem. You’ll interact with it. Grab a snorkel. Hop in a kayak. And discover up close the wonders that make the Galapagos Islands one of the world’s most unparalleled adventure travel destinations.

Join our hand-picked Naturalists and engaging Expedition Team on our year-round exploration of the Land of Darwin. It could be the most exciting educational travel experience you’ll ever have.

Learn More from Our Hand-picked Expedition Team
Expeditions to the Galapagos Islands are fascinating, informative and fun. And our veteran Expedition Team will help you to indulge in wildlife that remarkably shows no fear of humans. This makes each expedition cruise in the Galapagos Islands a travel photography hotspot. The leadership of these passionate experts will help you see more, learn more, and gain the fullest possible understanding off the remarkable wildlife that surrounds you.

Discover More with Unmatched Sea Exploration
Feel the freedom that comes with kayaking under your own power amid spectacular scenery. Take part in extensive undersea exploration complete with snorkeling (we provide the mask, fins and wetsuit), underwater video, glass-bottom boat, hydrophone and Splash-Cam. This technology, along with expert guidance, provides unparalleled insights into the underwater wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.

Year-round Expeditions, Consistently Astounding Quality
It’s important to note that we own both of our expedition ships cruising the Galapagos Islands. This distinction means we can ensure the quality of every aspect of your experience. It’s this level of oversight that most in the region simply don’t have. And offering year-round, week-long expedition cruises in the Galapagos Islands has enabled us to collaborate with the National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station based there.

A Note on Conservation
Since 1997, Lindblad Expeditions has demonstrated a commitment to the Galapagos Islands, working with guests to support the conservation of the islands. As of September 2008, more than $4.5 million has been raised for projects such as the removal of invasive species on Santiago and the support of National Park Marine Reserve patrol boats. Funds are contributed entirely to local projects, as determined by an independent board and implemented by the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station.

 To learn more contact Craig Beal at CraigB@TravelBeyond.com or call us at (800) 823-6063.

Baja Cruise with Whales, Wildlife & Wonder
Perhaps nowhere else on earth can you observe gray whales and dolphins as closely as in Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. But this Baja California expedition cruise is far from your ordinary whale watching Baja cruise. With over 20 years exploring Baja California, Lindlad has the most experience revealing the remarkable magic of “Mexico’s Galapagos.” From our comfortable and intimate 62-guest expedition Baja cruise ship, you’ll explore further in Zodiacs and by kayaking the azure waters. Join an expert Expedition Team of Naturalists and an Undersea Specialist. Their leadership will ensure you have the best possible adventure travel experience in Baja California and beyond.

Join us where the desert meets the sea. And where every winter we help turn curious vacation-goers into lifelong explorers.

Learn More with Expert Staff Leadership
You’ll travel with a generous 1 expert for every 12 guests aboard our intimate 62-guest expedition cruise ships and when exploring on land. You’ll be amazed at how easily our Expedition Team (Naturalists, Historians and experts from National Geographic) can convey even the most detailed of information. They’re always there when you need them.

Gain a Fresh Perspective from an Undersea Specialist
In Baja California’s blue waters live some of the world’s most interesting creatures. Our Undersea Specialist will help you while you’re snorkeling and share vivid underwater video and photos throughout your Baja California expedition cruise. Watch the exclusive Cousteau-like video footage in the comfort of the ship’s lounge.

Discover More with Unparalleled Exploration Technology
Our style of educational travel helps you not only to see the wildlife of Baja California, but to interact with it in a highly informed way. Our fleet of nimble Zodiacs and sea kayaks put you right in the heart of the action. Microscopes and underwater video cameras let us inspect what most never see. And hydrophones let you listen in on friendly whales and dolphins.

See More with Flexible Itineraries
Our small ship expedition cruises explore both the pacific side of Baja California and the Sea of Cortez. We can linger on the pacific side, known for its quiet lagoons that act as a safe nursery for gray whale calves. Or we’ll change course to follow dolphins frolicking in the Sea of Cortez. And you won’t miss any of the action by exploring on flexible itineraries.

A Note on Conservation
Working with Mexican and international partners, we helped start the Gulf of California Conservation Fund (GCCF). Together with our guests and international partners, LEX has contributed more than $1.64 million (as of October 2008) to support urgent projects in the Gulf of California. Projects directly benefiting include sea lion disentanglement, the restoration of Santa Catalina Island, and radar surveillance of illegal fishing in the Bahia Loreto Marine Reserve.

To learn more contact Craig Beal at CraigB@TravelBeyond.com or call us at (800) 823-6063.

Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

Lonesome George, the last remaining Galápagos giant tortoise, may soon be a father after years of efforts by scientists trying to get him to mate.

Ecuadorian officials are keeping their fingers crossed for Lonesome George, aged between 90 and 100 and described by the Guinness book of world records as the “rarest living creature”, after one of the two female tortoises kept with him laid five eggs.

George, said to be at his sexual peak, is the only known living Geochelone abigdoni tortoise. His companions are of a similar but different species. Scientists at the Galápagos national park have been trying for years to get George to avail himself of his female companions to ensure that his line does not peter out.

Lonesome George, weighing 90kg (14st 2lb) was a native of Pinta, an isolated northern island of the Galápagos. By the late 1960s, it was noted that the tortoise population on the rarely visited island had dwindled close to extinction. George, discovered in 1972, was immediately brought into captivity at the Charles Darwin research station on the island of Santa Cruz .

Scientists have been trying to get George to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies from the neighbouring island of Isabela into his pen, but he has been in no hurry to procreate.

George astounded conservationists last year by mating for the first time in the 36 years he has been in captivity. But the eggs laid by one of his female companions turned out to be infertile.

The national park has said that the latest eggs, described as being in perfect condition, are being cared for in an incubation centre. It will be November before scientists know whether they are viable .

“Now we have to wait for the incubation period of 120 days to find out whether they are fertile,” it has said..

Tortoises on the Galápagos have been hunted for their meat by sailors and fishermen to the point of extinction. Charles Darwin, when he arrived in the Galápagos in 1835, described how he and the crew of the Beagle lived entirely on tortoise meat. Also, the habitat of the tortoises has been eaten away by goats introduced from the mainland.

Mark Tran guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 10.51 BST Article

Many, many thanks for a GREAT trip!  I don’t know where to start in telling you about it, but I’ll try…

The Galapagos… well, simply incredible!  We could not have been happier with Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic.  The boat was wonderful and we loved our very comfortable little room on a lower deck… (much less rocky than the more expensive cabins!).  The staff did everything possible to make us feel comfortable and at home while on board.  And the naturalists were simply outstanding.  As a part time tour leader myself, I was tremendously impressed by their breath of knowledge about the islands AND their skill in challenging/encouraging us to take full advantage of the experience.  After being told over and over that the wildlife would be amazing, we could not believe how close we could come to a wide range of animals.  We never imagined that we would go snorkeling, that we would enjoy it so much, and that we would find ourselves swimming along with sea lions while watching boobies dive for lunch.  It was just an amazing week…  Oh, and BTW, we both read a biography on Darwin and Kurt Vonnegut’s book Galapagos before we left and we highly recommend both to Galapagos travelers. 

 As for Peru… Also wonderful, but I’ll give you the bad news first.  It was a very difficult trip for us both, physically speaking, in part because of the schedule we have been on and in part because of the altitude.  We were VERY tired by the time we hit Machu Picchu, and while we had a great time, we were really beat.  I spent much of our Cusco time on Oxygen, and Sara picked up a bug somewhere, but we still had a great time.

Our hotels in Peru were fabulous!  The Casa Andina Private Collection chain is excellent and we especially liked their hotel in Arequipa.  They were all wonderful however, and we were quite pleased with our choices.  The hotel in Aquas Caliente was a nice place to stay, but nothing special.  I would probably stay there again, but…  Well, the only reason to stay there is to get yourself to Machu Picchu early the second morning…

The Ramada Inn at the Lima airport was comfortable the first time we were there…  But we stayed there a second time as well.  The day we left Peru Sara became very ill.  We went to the airport Ramada to let her rest for our six hour layover, and they did some emergency laundry for us AND got a doctor in to see her.  Without their service we’d still be there.  They were a lifesaver for us.

Ceiba Tops was a great experience.  While not as luxurious as we might have been expecting, it was very professionally managed and our stay there was an experience of a lifetime.  We will never forget the canopy walk, and the birdwatching there was also great.  We loved traveling on the river, fishing and the hikes we took.  Thanks for recommending this spot.

This is of course where we got in trouble with the airlines…  We had booked a 9 PM flight from Iquitos to Lima, and we left the lodge at 3 to start the journey.  Explorama had very professionally booked us into a hotel in town for our four hour wait for a flight, but they helped us change our flight to depart around 5:30 instead.  That’s why we were listed as “no-shows” for the original flight, and why we had trouble the rest of the way.  In fact, for the rest of our flights we had trouble with check in everytime, and we never got the seats we expected to have, although they did get us sitting together each time.  (Otherwise, LAN was really quite good and we would recommend them.)

Condor/Avanti Tours were great.  The tour guides were terrific and we always knew we were in good hands as they met us every step of the way.  If there was any problem with them, it was that they were SO good that we didn’t have to speak Spanish very much!  As tired as we were for much of the time in Peru, we were very grateful to have booked them and would highly recommend them to anyone traveling in the region.

We would highly recommend the Colca Canyon tour to anyone going to Peru.  Arequipa is a great little city, not nearly as commercial as Cusco, and we would have liked to have had more time there.  The two day tour to the canyon (the deepest canyon in the world!) was very difficult, as we went up to 15,000 feet just getting to our overnight in Chivay.  The next morning at the canyon was extraordinary as we saw 18 condors in flight, making the trip well worth our time.  Another day in Arequipa would have helped us adjust to the altitude and given us a day to rest a bit more too. 

Machu Picchu was all that was advertised.  A great way to end the trip.  Our tour of the site was excellent, but the second morning when we got there before the “day-trippers” was the highlight.  Just a spectacular site…

The whole trip was spectacular and it is difficult to describe without overusing superlatives.  You made it possible for us and for that we are both extremely grateful.  Your assistance in planning, your knowledge of the region and the opportunities, your helping us to keep to our budget (more or less!) and your help with the airlines during our trip, all made this experience as easy as possible for us. Thank you VERY much for all of your help.

Scott and I had a wonderful time in Peru.  Our itinerary was just about perfect allowing time to get settled, time to adjust to the altitude and time to have fun.  The Akorn folks were top-notch – meeting us at 1:30AM after a 3 hour flight delay into Lima, following up to make sure we got to our destinations, offering to setup additional side trips and simply being excellent drivers and guides.

Here are a few highlights, comments and personal observations:

The markets – we found great markets in Lima and Cusco which were just plain fun.  So much merchandise, such friendly people, great bartering.

Machu Picchu – we were very glad we spent an extra day here. Too many folks take the train from Cusco, arrive at 10ish, take a whirlwind tour (during the hottest time of the day no less), eat lunch and head back to Cusco.  Machu Picchu is a destination that deserves time and contemplation.   We went back on Day 2, arriving around 7:30AM and took in the site while crowds were minimal.  It was such a different experience from the prior day.  Both valuable, but so very different.  We had a good tour guide on the first day, but even after a 3 hour tour we only visited about 60% of the site.  The second day allowed us to investigate and go at our own pace.  And yes, you do need bug juice at Machu Picchu.  But what we hadn’t read anywhere is that you should put on the juice before getting on the train.  The bugs at MP are tiny, black no seeums that get on the buses and trains.  We figured this out after the fact, but no real harm.  You don’t notice when the bugs bite and the bites don’t itch, but they leave red welts that took about 2 weeks to go away.

The Sacred Valley – such a treasure! We did suffer a bit from the altitude, but it was short lived.  I think it was a good decision on our part to spend the time in Ollanta.  It was a great little town, gorgeous Inca ruins, nice restaurants, great people.   We spent a lot of time just wandering through the streets and hanging out at the Plaza.  Our side trip to Maras was also very interesting.  The Pakaritampu Hotel was an all around excellent hotel.

Hotels – one piece of advice for the traveler to Peru – try to get an inside room.  We found that Peruvians like to use their car horns and rooms that face the street are just too noisy.  Our hotels were very accommodating in switching us to different rooms.  I look at it as part of the entire travel experience, but a good nights sleep is hard to give up.  Overall though, we stayed in comfortable rooms and had no issues.

Manu – Manu was a fascinating trip. It’s not for everyone though as it is unbelievably humid.  Every piece of clothing we brought along was damp, whether it was worn on not.  The humidity seeps through everything.  That was the negative of Manu.  But the positives made up for the negative.  Bird watching that was top notch, the macaw clay lick was spectacular, we saw a giant anteater (something our guide has only seen one other time in 12 years), monkeys, caimans, and the tapir.  And a thunderstorm in a rain forest is something I won’t soon forget!   I personally thought the food was great.  Some in our group thought there were too many starchy foods, but look at where we were.  We thought we’d lose weight on this trip, but that certainly wasn’t the case.

The exchange rate was very nice. We had meals with drinks and dessert that cost $30 for both of us.  Bottled water at tourist sites was about $1.50, at the local markets about 35 cents.  Taxis were very inexpensive.  Anyone who spends time in the Sacred Valley and/or Cusco should investigate purchase of the Turista Boletera (or something close to that – it means Tourist Ticket).  Pay once, gain access to 16 different sites in the area.  We visited half the sites/museums and felt it was a good value.
Another tip – we paid local guides about $3.00 at a few of the museums and felt it was worth every penny.  Otherwise we would have been looking at ‘stuff’ in cases, signs in Spanish, and not getting much out of the visit.  The guides that made themselves available to us gave us the history and background to make the visit worthwhile.

I could go on with lots of stories, but bottom line it was a great trip.  Language was rarely a barrier, although I am going to take a few conversational Spanish classes before we head south again.

We were very thankful for the assistance and guidance provided by the staff from Akorn.  We could have figured things out on our own, but it was much, much easier to have someone guide us along the way.  We’re not ones for going on ‘tours’, but this was an excellent compromise.

Thanks for your assistance.  Happy Travels!