What is NWF's Expeditions Travel Program and How Does It Work?

At NWF Expeditions, our goal is to find extraordinary ways to connect you with nature, and travel is an outstanding way to do that. We can't create the trips ourselves, but we can provide a service that is just as valuable. Every year, we vet hundreds of tour companies, and review thousands of programs and itineraries, to find the best tour operators, the best destinations and the best values. How useful is this service? Consider this: If you type "wildlife tours" into an Internet search engine, you'll find more than 650,000 entries. The choices can be overwhelming, so we've taken the guesswork out of the process. As a benefit to our members, NWF has selected what we consider to be the top 30 wildlife-viewing trips for 2009.

After we've selected the best trips, we ask our travel partners to designate specific dates just for NWF members. We attract great people to these tours. NWF members are curious and adventurous, and treasure the natural world. If this sounds like you, then you would find yourself in terrific company on one of our Expeditions. But that's not all.

We know that giving travelers unique opportunities to experience wildlife first-hand also generates greenhouse gas emissions. So we've partnered with Native Energy Travel Offsets to create a carbon offset for each Expedition traveler, ensuring that our members can enjoy our trips without contributing further to global warming. What's more, NWF pays for these offsets without increasing the price of the trips. NWF is committed to ensuring that all 2009 Expeditions are carbon-neutral. By offsetting the impact we make through travel-related activities, NWF is hoping to set an example for others in the battle against global warming. For more information about NativeEnergy Travel Offsets visit www.nativeenergy.com/traveloffsets.

The things we looked for when we picked the 30 best wildlife-viewing trips of 2009

Connecting people with nature is our mission, and all of our Expeditions focus on seeing wildlife and learning about the natural world. We've only selected tour companies that believe in traveling responsibly and sensitively, with economic benefits to local communities. We also picked them because of their professional expertise. Let's face it: You can see amazing wildlife and scenery, but it's all quickly forgotten if the trip is operated poorly. That's why NWF partners with the most experienced tour operators that use some of the world's best nature guides. NWF Expeditions are comfortable, efficient, organized, courteous, and most importantly, extremely well run.

When our partners place their guides on these tours, we know they are using some of the best in the world. This is what it is all about, isn't it? You travel to learn and explore-and discover. On any trip we've selected to be a NWF Expedition, you go home not only with snapshots or souvenirs, but also knowledge, understanding and valuable experiences. The guides make sure that happens on every trip. And travelers are also provided with insightful and helpful materials before every tour. We know you want to be ready both logistically (what to pack, what temperatures to expect, what documents you need) and intellectually (what are the important issues and latest news items). We've picked trips where we know you’ll be thoroughly prepared for your adventure.

We’ve found trips that are terrific values; in every case you are getting your money's worth. Prices include accommodations, transportation, guides and educational programming, most if not all meals, and a host of extras. Plus, the average group size of our Expeditions is just 15 to 20 participants. (Cruises programs might be larger, but they also have more guides and staff to ensure a quality experience.) Why so small? Because small groups ensure minimal impact on the environment, and maximum enjoyment for the traveler'two things we love.