"Enjoyed the emphasis on photo ops under all conditions, and the group we were

with. Couldn't ask for better pre-trip communications and planning. Great to get to

know you. Wonderful sense of humor and a very nice way of taking over 'when

circumstances warrant.' Your organization and flexibility are to be commended."

Why go on a group tour with me? Because I put together and escort terrific trips! Since I believe that good preparation makes for a better travel experience, I supply a wealth of material on our destination in the weeks prior to departure. Special extras include a group T-shirt, group photo, celebrations for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries on tour, and an annual reunion each September.

I also try very hard to give good value for your money. My tours are usually priced much lower than comparable offerings from the big-name companies since I don't spend a lot on expensive advertising and glossy brochures, and I don't sell through travel agents, thus no commission needs to be built into the tour price. Compare and you'll see.

Upcoming Tours

Click titles below for detailed itineraries

Splendid Sri Lanka. A stunning mix of mist-covered mountains, tropical jungle, terraced rice fields, tea plantations, palm-lined beaches, and national parks teeming with wildlife, this island nation in the Indian Ocean is awash in cultural wealth and natural beauty, dotted with ruins of spectacular palaces and shrines evoking a glorious ancient Buddhist kingdom. (February 2/3-21, 2012)   Sold out; I may do this tour again in 2014 if enough interest based on brochure requests

Rhythms of Ghana. This compact West African country boasts attractions so varied that it might be seen as offering a microcosmic first taste of Africa. The southern part is lush jungle, banana plantations, fishing villages, and white-sand beaches, with a unique dimension in the form of old European forts and castles along the former Gold Coast. As you go north there are atmospheric adobe villages, medieval mosques, the cultural heritage of the Ashanti people, and the game-rich savannah of Mole National Park. (March 15-April 2, 2012)   Tour closed

Ultimate Kenya Safari. Always my absolute favorite, especially in early summer, after the long rains, when it's cool and green. This is the only tour I do every year, staying several days in each of the best reserves for wildlife-viewing, which means less moving from place to place, thus more game drives -- which is, after all, why you're booking an African safari. The trip includes 22 game drives from three luxury tented camps. Excellent wildlife sightings guaranteed -- and usually only three to a car! (June 12-28, 2012)   Only 5 spaces remaining

Unusual China. Explore some of the more spectacular scenic and cultural areas of this fascinating country, including the dramatic rice terraces of Longsheng during harvest time, karst formations and cormorant fishermen on the Li River, the colorful patchwork landscape of Dongchuan Red Land, Inner Mongolia's undulating sand dunes and Ejina's poplar forest in fall color, the ethereal beauty of Mt. Huangshan's mist-enshrouded pinnacles, quaint Ming and Qing Dynasty towns, and much more. (October 4-24, 2012)   Just 3 spaces remaining

Patagonia & Easter Island. "Outstanding!" was the consensus on the 2004 and 2006 trips. We'll revisit Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, and utterly magnificent Torres del Paine National Park, with its resident guanacos, lesser rheas, and Andean condors. The park is especially beautiful in Chile's springtime, with dramatic skies and vast fields of wildflowers. We'll also visit Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park for excursions to awesome Perito Moreno Glacier and the stunningly photogenic Mount Fitz Roy. A highlight is several days on Easter Island, to enjoy the warm Rapanui culture and ponder the mysteries of the enormous moai that line its shores. (November 9-28, 2012)   7 signed up (woman needs a roommate)

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD
(Itineraries still in the planning stage)

Gems of Arabia: Oman & United Arab Emirates. For centuries Arabia has inspired the imagination, and now we'll experience it ourselves -- elegant mosques and historic forts, colorful souks and camel markets, traditional fishing towns and mountain villages, lovely white-sand beaches along the Gulf, photogenic wadis and date palm oases, jagged mountains and vast seas of undulating sand dunes, wind towers and burial towers, cargo-laden dhows traversing the waterways, the futuristic architecture of Dubai. (February 2013)   1 signed up already

Magical Madagascar. Fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar lies in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique. Its isolation has given rise over the millennia to a striking biodiversity of unique flora and fauna. We'll discover this beguiling island and experience its culture through visits to a number of the best nature reserves in search of intriguing plants, birds, reptiles and, of course, some of its 30 species of lemurs. The 2010 trip was fantastic!  (April 2013)

Ultimate Kenya Safari. Always my absolute favorite, especially in early summer, after the long rains, when it's cool and green. This is the only tour I do every year, staying several days in each of the best reserves for wildlife-viewing, which means less moving from place to place, thus more game drives -- which is, after all, why you're booking an African safari. The 2012 trip includes 22 game drives from three luxury tented camps, and we'll probably do the same in 2013. Excellent wildlife sightings guaranteed -- and usually only three to a car!  (June 2013)

Wonders of West Greenland. Escape the heat of mid-summer at home and head for a land of icebergs and glaciers, fishing villages and sled dogs, and 19 hours of daylight. We'll visit Nuuk, Greenland's capital and oldest town, before boarding the coastal ship Sarfaq Ittuk for a two-night trip north to Illulisat with a brief stop at Sissimut. Illulisat's setting on Disko Bay next to an ice fjord is stunning, with enormous year-round icebergs calved from the most mighty and productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. (July/August 2013)   1 signed up already (woman needs a roommate)

North Vietnam & Laos. In Vietnam, experience vibrant Hanoi, cruise among the fairytale karst islands of magnificent Halong Bay, then venture into the mountainous north to Sapa for ethnic minority villages, colorful weekly markets, and gorgeous scenery. In Laos, explore the historic royal capital of Luang Prabang and photograph the dramatic landscape between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. (October/November 2013)