|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
The Maya Forest & Mesoamerican Reef of Belize
Enjoy all Belize has to offer in this eight day trip to the Maya Forest and Mesoamerican Reef. Begin your trip with three days in the mountains, canoeing to caverns used by the Maya as ceremonial and burial sites, and visiting Caracol, an ancient Mayan city deep in the rainforest.
Days four through eight bring you to the Mesoamerican Reef, the second longest barrier reef in the world. This portion of the trip includes a snorkeling tour of the barrier reef and boat tour of the Monkey River to see howler monkeys and manatees.
Accommodations are at Francis Ford Coppola’s two Belizean lodges: Blancaneaux in the Maya Forest and Turtle Inn along Belize’s southern Caribbean coast.
Download the itinerary for the Maya Forest and Mesoamerican Reef of Belize trip.
Soberania National Park and Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama
A trip designed with a family in mind, this tour of Panama’s natural wonders visits both tropical rainforests and an archipelago off the eastern coast.
Days one through three include a tour of historical sites in Panama City and a tour of the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. The Conservancy’s work here has lead to watershed protection nearby that provides the water necessary for ships to navigate these locks.
After taking in the sites in and around Panama City, you’ll spend days four through nine at the LaLoma Jungle Lodge in the Bocas del Toro Arhipelago. Located in Panama’s first marine park, there will be many opportunities for snorkeling, searching for dolphins, hiking through forest trails and learning how locally grown cacao is turned into chocolate.
Download the itinerary for the Soberania National Park and Bocas del Toro Archipelago trip.
Belize, Guatemala and Honduras
The itinerary for this trip follows the trading route of Jade, the most precious of ancient Maya commodities. While the trip follows this Maya trade route, the present day indigenous cultures of the Garifuna, Mopan, Q’eqchi’ and Chorti Maya will also be explored.
The first four days of the trip will be spent in Belize, visiting Maya sites, taking a float trip down the Rio Grande River and visiting Snake Cay in the Port Honduras Marine Reserve. Each spot will offer opportunities to see a variety of wildlife, including Collared Aracari, Toucans and birds of prey.
You’ll spend days five and six in Guatemala, exploring the national parks and spectacular gorge of the Rio Dulce area. Manatees and freshwater dolphins frequent the area and you will likely see monkeys, iguanas and a wide variety of tropical birds while hiking.
Days seven through nine are spent exploring Copan, an ancient Maya site famous for its many intact stone stelae, large pieces of stone inscribed with Maya writing. Hike the highlands around the Copan Valley for some of the most impressive birding opportunities in Central America: Green Parakeets, White-fronted Parrot, Cinnamon Hummingbird and many others.
Download the itinerary for Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.
Chile
Enjoy Chile with this 11-day trip to Santiago, the capital, a nearby wine growing and Nevados de Chillan-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor, a vast forested area in central Chile.
Spend the first part of your trip in and around Santiago, Chile’s capital city. A sightseeing tour will showcase the city’s 450-year history with visits to both historic and modern sites. You will spend time with a local chef, visiting a traditional street market to select ingredients before heading to the chef’s home for an intimate cooking lesson and lunch.
The middle of your visit to Chile will take you to the Colchagua Valley, one of Chile’s wine growing regions, where you’ll visit local wineries and sample the best wines Chile has to offer.
The next three days will be spent exploring an area around the Nevados de Chillan-Laguna de Laja Biological Corridor, an area of 1.4 million acres of high mountain peaks, rushing rivers and crystal clear lakes. While here, you will hear firsthand from a local conservation expert about how the Conservancy and others are working to protect the area and its hundreds of plant and animal species.
Download the itinerary for the Chile trip.
The Valdavian Coast of Chile
Spend the first part of the trip in and around Santiago, Chile’s capital city. A sightseeing tour will showcase the city’s 450-year history with visits to both historic and modern sites. You will spend time with a local chef, visiting a traditional street market to select ingredients before heading to the chef’s home for an intimate cooking lesson and lunch.
The middle of your trip will take you to Valdivia, home of the Conservancy’s Valdivian Coastal Reserve. While here, you will spend a day exploring what was once a spectacular 250-mile coastal forest and learning about the Conservancy’s efforts to protect the forest and freshwater areas of the coast. Also while in Valdivia, you will visit the Botanical Garden at Austral University. Created 50 years ago, the garden features an extensive collection of trees and vegetation native to Chile.
You’ll finish your trip in the town of Puerto Varas, where you’ll visit the nearby island of Chiloe to view seabirds or go horseback riding, fly fishing or hiking.
Download the itinerary for the Valdavian Coast of Chile trip.
Atlantic Forest and Pantanal of Brazil
The Conservancy has long worked to protect the forests and rivers of Brazil, and this trip highlights many of those efforts. Well suited for families, this trip offers activities for both parents and children.
The lodging for the early part of this trip was selected for its superb location within a protected area of beautiful, lush forest and its close proximity to several conservation projects. While children tube down the local river, the adults in the group will visit a carbon sequestration project developed with a local partner. You will visit nursery facilities where seedlings for the project are grown, then hike through the reforestation project.
The middle part of this trip will be spent exploring the city of Rio de Janeiro, where you’ll spend three days relaxing and getting to know this city of six million Brazilians.
After visiting Rio de Janeiro, you’ll travel to the Pantanal, the largest freshwater wetland in the world. Several morning bird walks will give you the opportunity to observe many of the species that call this area home, including the Hyacinthine Macaw, the world’s largest macaw. Other activities include boat trips on the River Pixaim to observe giant river otters, Jabiru Storks and Toco Toucans.
Download the itinerary for the Atlantic Forest and Pantanal of Brazil trip.
Peru
Peru offers travelers many options, and this trip combines several of the best in one.
The first several days of the trip will be spent aboard a ship cruising the Ucayali River, the headwaters of the Amazon River, 2,400 miles from its confluence with the Atlantic Ocean. Visit a number of national parks and take excursions to see primates, sloths and exotic birds. One highlight will be a visit to the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, the largest floodplain forest in Peru. Howling monkeys can be seen along the river, and you are likely to see 200 species of birds in a single trip.
After leaving the boat behind, you will head to the city of Cusco to explore ancient Inca ruins, including the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, where the greatest battle between the Spanish and Inca took place.
Following your stay in Cusco, you will visit the ancient Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. For two days, you will explore the ruins with guided tours and hikes, imagining what life was like in this remote mountaintop city. Several opportunities to hike the surrounding areas and view the ruins from different points are offered.
Download the itinerary for the Peru trip.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Kerry Crisley/TNC (Caco Mayan Ruins); Photo © Simon Williams/TNC (Bocas del Toro Arhipelago); Photo © Gary Braasch (Rio Bravo Research Station); Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC(Hiking in the Nevados de Chillian region of Chile); Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC (Reserva Costera Valdiviana, Chile); Photo © Scott Warren (Paddling in the Patanal); Photo © Connie Gelb (Machu Picchu, Peru).
Join The Nature Conservancy on