Natural Habitat Adventures Notes from the Field
July 2009
Yellowstone Wolves 2010 - US$ 500.00 Discount
You don't have to travel to the far reaches of the sub-Arctic to experience the wonder of wolves in the wild. Yellowstone National Park is one of the best places on earth to see them, and one of their last strongholds in the Lower 48.
Come winter, the park is quiet. This is when the elusive wolves venture down from the snowbound high country to pursue prey. Winter is a magical season in Yellowstone, when geyser steam freezes in the chill air, and the wolf's call is the only sound to break the silence.
Even in a climate of economic uncertainty, nature travel is critical to the survival of threatened species, habitats, and local communities. Responsible tourism is the economic lynchpin for conservation efforts around the globe.
The wolves of Yellowstone depend on the passionate travellers who come to see them. Simply put, travellers create a powerful financial incentive for their continued protection.
With this in mind, we have developed an incentive to keep your clients travelling to places that need the benefits your business brings. The Natural Habitat Adventures 2010 Economic Climate Change Stimulus Plan provides discounts on some of our most popular adventures. Our first promotion is a $500 Conservation Credit on our January 23-29, 2010, Wolves & Wildlife of Yellowstone trip.
You can find full details of this trip here or call Ben who has tracked the Yellowstone Wolves.
Whales of Baja 2010 Price Drop
The Pacific gray whale spring migration from Alaska’s Bering Sea to the warm waters of Mexico's Baja lagoons is the longest mammal migration on earth. Nearly hunted to extinction in the past, these gentle leviathans have made a dramatic comeback and today show little fear of humans. Every spring, hundreds of them return to traditional birthing and breeding grounds at sheltered San Ignacio Lagoon on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Friendly and engaging, they are often intrigued with humans, swimming right up to our boats, and our small groups can frequently approach close enough to touch them during our tours at sea.
This massively popular tour has seen a $100.00 price drop for 2010 and now sells at US $2395.00. Full trip details can be found here.
For booking or availability requests, please contact Nicole Hickey at the Natural Habitat Adventures office.
June 2009
New Churchill photo tour for 2009
The original photo tour uses the Tundra Lodge as a base and has been one of the fastest selling Polar Bear tours offered by Nathab. The popularity of the tour and the limited space available each season made it an easy decision to offer the same experience based in Churchill itself.
The motivation for joining this tour is simply to learn from a master wildlife photographer with the added bonus of having polar bears as subjects. An expert photographer naturalist leads this immersive journey into the realm of the polar bear, with outstanding guidance to help you capture world-class, close-up shots. The tundra is a challenging environment for amateur photographers to achieve great results and the enthusiastic support of a professional makes a huge difference.
Aside from the impressive polar bear, three full days on the tundra provide the chance to photograph Arctic fox, snowy owl, ptarmigan and gyrfalcon. If conditions permit in the evening, the Aurora Borealis will provide another challenging subject for the group.
The 2009 tour price for this 7 day safari is USD 5,095.00. You can see the full itinerary here.
Please note that this tour is selling fast and the following space remains for 2009:
Oct 21 – 27: 1 room
Nov 9 – 15: 5 rooms
To check real time availability or make a booking enquiry, please contact Nicole Hickey
May 2009
Natural Habitat Adventures have a wide range of options for your clients wanting to visit the Galapagos Islands. They have exclusive departures on the popular 'MC Letty' which was designed specifically for cruising the islands. 2010 will see the inclusion of the luxurious new 'MC Nina' into the Nathab fleet. This is the newest and most luxurious of the small ships that Natural Habitat Adventures have always based their tours around. It allows your clients to tour the islands with not only the best guides but also the best vessel.
For those keen to spend more time on shore, there is the option of a night spent in the private tented camp on Santa Cruz Island. There is no additional charge for this and it allows for extra time to be spent amongst the giant tortoise population in the highlands. Anyone who has been on an African safari will enjoy the Ecuadorian version with large walk-in guest tents and dinner served under the stars in the boma. For those not keen on cruising, there is also a land-based itinerary. This is a fantastic way to experience the islands and somewhat different to the typical Galapagos tour.
Finally, if you have clients wanting a more active tour. Nathab's sister company, Explorers' Corner, offers the only genuine sea-kayak itinerary in the islands. There is a comfortable yacht for use as a base but days are spent exploring the varied beaches and coast lines in search of wildlife far from the crowds.
I am pleased to extend a 20% commission to you on all of these tours for 2009/10. In addition, sales onto the following tours will also achieve the same commission level.
All Polar Bear expeditions in Manitoba, all Alaska expeditions and Grizzlies & Wildlife of British Columbia. In Mexico you can apply 20% commission to the Kingdom of the Monarchs, the Whales of Baja, Sea Turtle watching and Expedition Whale Sharks.
For a brochure and further details on how to start using these increased commission rates please call Northern Exposure.
October 2008
Timing is critical with any major wildlife event. It doesn't matter if you are migration watching in the Masai Mara, gray whale watching in Baja or polar bear spotting in Manitoba. The destination specialists at Natural Habitat Adventures plan their departure dates with the utmost attention to prevailing wildlife conditions. There is a simple formula: superb guide + fantastic wildlife = ecstatic clients, superb guide + no wildlife = not ecstatic clients.
So I'm very happy to report that the first helicopter flight of the season in Churchill was something of a classic. The group notched up a total of 30 individual bears and 8 moose in just over an hour of flying time! If that wasn't enough to justify the trip, the evening Tundra Buggy drive found a female bear nursing her cub.
I expect that having over 25 years experience of operating in Churchill might help. That is also why Natural Habitat Adventures feel that a Tundra Buggy filled to capacity (30+ passengers) is a false economy and a compromise on client comfort. With a maximum of 15 clients per buggy they can guarantee a window seat and plenty of space to move around and talk with the guide. This is a significant indication of their unique approach to the art of guided wildlife safaris and the reason why no other travel company in the US has official recognition from the World Wildlife Fund.
April 2008
The removal of gray wolves from the U.S. endangered species list in late March was met with heated controversy. As the wolf population in the Yellowstone ecosystem has soared under protected status in recent years, so too have new residents in the region, many of whom may oppose the right of ranchers and hunters to exercise their new rights to shoot the animals within defined geographical parameters. De-listing, originally planned for five years ago, was delayed by a tangle of legal debates, and during this time wolf numbers grew dramatically. From the 41 animals released inside Yellowstone from 1995 to 1997, mostly from Canada, the population grew to 650 wolves in 2002 and more than 1,500 today in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The wolves have spread across an area twice the size of New York State and are growing at a rate of about 24 percent a year, according to federal wolf-counts.
Natural Habitat Adventures offers a unique opportunity to visit Yellowstone and track wolves during the winter months which are normally off-limits to tourists inside the park. Click here
Natural Habitat Adventures has just been awarded the number one spot for 'Best Outdoors Places to Work' by Outside Magazine in their May 2008 issue. Whilst the company gives some of the credit to their location in beautiful Boulder, Colorado it's true that the NHA offices are full of hard-working people who love to have fun.
February 2008
Orcas and the Inside Passage
There is still some availability on the departure running from August 27th to September 1st, 2008.
This small group adventure provides the opportunity to sail among orcas in their natural habitat in a place where they live in greater numbers than anywhere else on earth. Cruise and stay aboard a 68-foot sailing ketch with close access to shore by kayak. The chance to discover the inner sanctum of the temperate coastal rainforest home to both eagles and bears.
This adventure starts at Port McNeill in British Columbia with ground-only rates of US$3,395
For full tour details please click here.
October 2007
The Polar Bears of Churchill
The enduring attraction of the mighty Ursus Maritimus has filled all of Natural Habitat Adventures 2007 Polar Bear tours in Churchill, Manitoba and the 2008 photo tour has sold out already! With over 25 years of experience bringing bear fans into Churchill and the endorsement of the World Wildlife Fund, nobody provides a better introduction to this amazing creature.
For a list of available tours in 2008 please click here.
If Polar Bears appeal to your clients, maybe they would also like to learn about Natural Habitat's other bear tours. Please contact Northern Exposure for further details.
July 2007
Natural Habitat Adventures have a number of exciting new tours running for 2008/9 some of which are a different approach to a well studied subject. A personal favourite is the small group Grizzlies and Wildlife of British Columbia trip, based at the excellent Tweedsmuir Lodge, exclusively booked for Natural Habitat.
A million miles away from the viewing platforms of Brooks Falls, the only crowding problems here are the salmon running up stream. The trip offers you the chance to drift downstream in a rowing boat amongst the bears as they fish and interact along the river banks. Few people experience this iconic species this way! The area is also excellent for watching Bald and Golden Eagles as they fish for salmon.
Other trip highlights include a helicopter flight over the park, nearby glacier and Hunlen Falls, enjoying the alpine scenerey from above.
For more details, please click here.
December 06
The Galapagos Islands. Formed by intense volcanic activity, the Galapagos originally found notoriety in the mid 1800's, when Charles Darwin formulated his theories on evolution from his observations of the unique and plentiful fauna of the archipelago. Through years of experience Natural Habitat Adventures have perfected a unique itinerary designed to gain the most from a once-in-a-lifetime Galapagos experience. For full trip details please click here.
The M/Y Letty is a 20 passenger first class motor-yacht designed exclusively for Galapagos excursions. She offers spacious accommodations for small groups and provides the advantage of having even smaller groups while in the islands due to the fact that we have on board two of Natural Habitat Adventures' certified Galapagos naturalist guides enabling each Expedition Leader to host a small group of a maximum of 10 guests. This is one of the few ships in the islands that can accommodate triples for families who wish to stay together.
November 06
Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia - A single private departure in February 2008 and January 2009
This is a new 20 day expedition visiting some of the most remote outposts on earth whilst observing the remarkable wildlife and scenery found there. Natural Habitat Adventures have exclusive use of the Professor Multanovskiy, one of the smaller ice-strengthened vessels in the region, making this less like a conventional cruise and more like a private expedition. The added advantage is being able to access waterways which are closed to larger ships and then using Zodiac’s for landings and in-shore exploration.
Natural Habitat’s guides have long considered this region a final frontier for serious wildlife enthusiasts and the expedition will be guided by our most experienced polar naturalists. Full details can be viewed here.