Destination Comparison
To compare different trips, select 2 – 5 destinations:
| Destination | Arctic | Australia | China | Costa Rica | Ecuador / Galápagos | France / Germany | Grand Canyon | Italy / Greece | London / Paris | New Zealand / Australia | Scotland / London / Paris | South Africa | Spain / Portugal | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 16 days | 15 days | 14 days | 8 days | 14 days | 9 days | 7 days | 15 days | 6 days | 16 days | 10 days | 12 days | 9 days | 7 days |
| Timing | August 2011 | April, June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | April 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | June, July, August 2011 | March, April, June, July, August 2011 | April, June, July, August 2011 |
| Price | $8,999 (excluding airfare to Ottawa). You may request an air quote from a U.S. departing city once you are assigned a travel date. | $4,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of Los Angeles starting from $1,610 | $3,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of Los Angeles starting from $1,274 | $2,799 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of Atlanta starting from $682 | $5,499 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of Miami starting from $828 | $3,499 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $1,113 | $2,499 (excluding airfare). Please call an Adventure Specialist for an airfare quote. | $4,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $1,047 | $1,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $793 | $4,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of Los Angeles starting from $1,148 | $3,499 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $1,049 | $4,999 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $1,934 | $3,499 (excluding airfare). Airfare from gateway city of New York starting from $1,095 | $2,499 (excluding airfare). Please call an Adventure Specialist for an airfare quote. |
| Live the Adventure | Brave the Arctic waters in the classic Zodiac craft as you make landings on remote shores throughout the voyage. | Spend two days in the Great Barrier Reef, immersed in the vast array of sea life, applying your knowledge, and collecting data for coral research. | Trek along an authentic and unrestored portion of the Great Wall of China. Sense the history in its arduous inclines and rough-hewn stone work, and camp at the wall’s base. | Rappel down stunning waterfalls in a secluded rainforest paradise and discover the brilliant plants and animals unique to this part of the world. | Explore the rich ecosystems of the Galápagos through snorkeling, hiking, trekking and meeting with the experts who protect this natural wonder. | Experience the Rhine River by canoe, kayak, or raft—take your pick. Camp under the stars near the beautiful Hunsruck mountain range. | Trek the stunning South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Try your hand at being a cowboy or cowgirl as you saddle up to explore ranch life. Spelunk the Kartchner Caverns. | White-water raft the beautiful and ancient Lao River. The river still runs strong year-round and offers plenty of thrills along its challenging rapids. | Discover Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to the city’s famed underground. Visit the infamous Tower of London to meet the Beefeaters and learn the tower’s dark secrets. | Experience winter on the South Island as you learn alpine survival skills, overnight in a snow cave, and hike a glacier. | Sea kayak in the Scottish wilds to your own base camp. Experience Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town as you race for the prize with your “clan.” Join an orienteering challenge on mountain bikes through the Scottish countryside. | Cage dive with the South African waters’ most infamous resident, the great white shark, and learn about the species’ conservation. | Venture through some of Portugal’s most stunning scenery in a Jeep convoy. Try your hand at cooking Spain’s national dish, paella. | Hike part of the historic Appalachian Trail, then cool off with a white-water rafting adventure. Go behind the scenes at Discovery’s headquarters in Maryland. |
| Explore World Cultures | View the spectacle of the Grinnell Glacier, learn how it was formed, and search for evidence of the Paleo-Eskimo people. | Explore the iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock) and its cultural history with your aboriginal guide as he introduces you to the legends and beliefs of the Dreamtime and the Australian bush. | Train alongside Chinese students in kung fu at the Shaolin Temple and surrounding schools. Learn the history and philosophy behind kung fu from a Shaolin warrior monk. | Meet the indigenous Bribri people and learn how the rainforest sustains their timeless way of life with medicinal plants, building materials, and natural crops. | Trek the Incan Trail and camp alongside thousand-year-old ruins in the Andean Highlands. Learn the history and lore of this amazing culture before ending your trek at the unique Ingapirca. | Explore the magnificent Palace of Versailles and massive Heidelberg Castle. Marvel at the masterpieces of the famous Musée du Louvre, including da Vinci’s world-famous Mona Lisa. | Spend the night in a traditional Navajo Hogan as you learn about Native American culture. Explore the Sinaguan cliff dwellings and pueblo ruins of Montezuma Castle. | Explore archaeological and architectural wonders like the Parthenon, the Old Temple of Athena, and the Erechtheon. Enjoy fantastic views over the beautiful city of Athens. | Step out in London’s West End for a world-class theater performance. Lose yourself in the galleries of the Musée d’Orsay, one of Paris’ finest museums. | See how this rugged landscape has shaped and prepared New Zealanders to experience the ultimate alpine challenge—Mt. Everest—from a living climber and at the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre. | Explore the life of a Highlander in Scotland and participate in your own highland games. | Learn about South Africa's dynamic past through experiences at Robben Island and the Apartheid Museum. | Learn about the life of a matador at a finca, or bull farm. Visit the stunning Alhambra, a majestic example of Islamic art and architecture. | Explore the National Mall and its monuments, from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial, by foot and by bicycle. |
| Experience Real-World Science | Receive daily instruction and guidance from more than 30 scientists, researchers, and experts who make up the expedition staff. Interact in sessions, participate in debates, and collaborate in workshops. | Delve into Northern Queensland, exploring caves to discover glowworms, and quietly trekking the shores to view platypus in the wild. | Practice charting your own calendar at the Astronomical Observatory, where ancient scientists tracked time down to the second. This calendar was as accurate as the Gregorian calendar developed 300 years later. | Learn how to plant such crops as cassava, ñampi and ginger and why they’re important to the community. Trek through the rainforest to enjoy a dip in a waterfall pool—a tropical paradise and an ideal place to observe amphibians. | Delve into the mangrove forest, only accessible by longboat, and witness the millions of birds that call this area home. Help local fisherman gather the red crab, a mud crab unique to this area. | Discover the science of molecular gastronomy, a blend of chemistry and fine cuisine. Adventure in the German wilderness to learn outdoor skills. | Explore Biosphere 2, the fascinating research center that mimics the Earth’s ecosystems. Examine unique desert ecosystems during a hands-on course at the Center for Sonoran Desert Studies. | Learn about the genius of ancient Greece from a local expert who has meticulously re-created models of ancient technologies—including the first robot, first movie theater, and clever devices worthy of the greatest magicians. | Become a secret agent in London for a day as you try to keep your cover and track your targets. Climb through the Whispering Gallery in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. | Journey on a vessel through Fiordland National Park. Breathe in the rugged beauty of Fiordland, which spans mountains and rainforest, and spot penguins, seals, and dolphins from your boat. | Become a secret agent in London for a day as you try to keep your cover and track your targets. Climb through the Whispering Gallery in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral. | Experience the Cradle of Humankind: Sterkfontein Caves and Drimolen Caves. Within the caves, scientists have discovered many hominid and other animal fossils, dating back more than four million years. Learn about the most important and famous of these fossils. | Learn from locals how to harvest the cork and honey of Portugal’s Algarve region. Create your own Portuguese azulejo tile in an art workshop. | Spend a night in the National Aquarium and meet some of its diverse species such as jellyfish and dolphins. Discover the National Museum of Natural History and learn what it takes to be a curator at the Butterfly Pavilion. |
| Preserve Your World | Witness the amazing polar bear in its natural environment and understand what threatens this unique creature's future. | Interact with and help conserve Australia's unique fauna as you act as a wildlife keeper for a day. | Brave a wild ride through the labyrinth of old Beijing by rickshaw. Many of these ancient hutong neighborhoods have been demolished to make way for motor vehicles. Remaining hutongs are being protected to help preserve China’s cultural history. | Learn about leatherback turtles and watch as they nest on a moonlit beach. Meet residents of the Tirimbina Reserve—from sloths to kinkajous—and learn how to save this incredible ecosystem. | Explore the Charles Darwin Station. Learn about the unique wildlife of the Galápagos Islands before seeing Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species. A researcher will share current efforts at conservation and preservation. | Pay your respects at the American Cemetery and battlefields near Verdun, France. | Explore Biosphere 2, the fascinating research center that mimics the Earth’s ecosystems. Examine unique desert ecosystems during a hands-on course at the Center for Sonoran Desert Studies. | Trek along Mt. Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and mountain bike down its slopes. View Mt. Etna's stone pines, birch, beech, and oak trees; and such wildlife as hedgehogs, porcupines, lizards, owls, hare, weasels, squirrels, and foxes. | Learn about France’s most famous oceanographer and environmentalist, Jacques Cousteau, in his hometown. | Immerse yourself in the depth of beauty and color in Australia's underwater wonderland, its coral reefs. | Get up close and personal with marine wildlife including seals, porpoises, and a variety of sea birds. | Safari through the African bush and get close to the vast array of African wildlife, as well as the experts, rangers, and keepers who focus on them. Observe and help rangers as they work to track and protect the park’s wild inhabitants. | Become a marine biologist for a day in Gibraltar, collecting data about pilot whales and dolphins. | Kayak the Potomac River on an eco-adventure, and glimpse wildlife from heron and kingfisher to white-tailed deer and painted turtles. |
| Make a Difference | Discuss the impacts of climate change on this area of the Arctic with our education staff; break into small groups and discuss change from a community level up, and prepare to participate in forums. | Help in conservation efforts of the little penguin. Learn about how modern technology such as satellite tracking is being used to save this threatened species. | Spend time with local school children who will benefit from the interaction and excitement of English-speaking visitors. Assist in cultural preservation by cleaning up a portion of the Great Wall. | Interact with a local family in Juanilama de Poco Sol, a town of friendly people who will share with you their way of living. Participate in the process of cheese-making, from cow to curing, under the guidance of local farmers. | Help the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in the Galápagos Islands in their fight to save these magnificent gentle creatures. | Participate in an environmental conservation project in Germany. | Learn how locals are working to protect endangered species, from the experts at the Center for Sonoran Desert Studies. | Be on the front line of conservation as you work at the loggerhead sea turtle project with researchers and scientists. Help preserve the turtles’ natural living space, and identify and rescue their nests. | Participate in a cultural or environmental preservation project. | Become an honorary member of the Saunaka Village when you join the community for the day. Take part in daily work, read to children at the village preschool, and share your own culture. | Participate in an environmental conservation project in Scotland. | Meet some incredible children at a local orphanage. Join the children for an activity that will draw you together and leave you with warm personal memories of Soweto. | Work with local experts in Gibraltar to promote education and protect the region’s endangered sea life. | Do your part to preserve a treasure of American heritage, the Appalachian Trail. Learn to identify endangered plants with a biologist at the U.S. Botanical Gardens and find out more about the Plant Rescue Center. |
*Airfare will vary by departure city and date. Please contact your adventure specialist for a quote or apply online. Prices based on summer 2011 travel.
