The Zoo Society started the trips more than 17 years ago, primarily as a benefit for Zoo Society members who wanted to travel with small groups of like-minded people and experience first-hand the plant and animal species and ecosystems they saw represented at the N.C. Zoo.
Beginning in April and continuing through December, four major excursions and two weekend treks highlight the 2005 schedule:
On the first trip, April 15-17, guests can join one of the zoo’s outstanding keepers on a trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore, studying and enjoying the diverse maritime ecosystems along the North Carolina coast. This trip is designed to promote environmental education, conservation and an appreciation of maritime natural history. Guests stay at the Seashore Field Station and can climb its watchtower for breathtaking views of Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Lookout Shoals, Shackleford and Core Banks. Because of the demand for this weekend excursion, a second trip is scheduled for Oct. 21-23; guests are encouraged to sign up early for this popular trip.
June 1-13, guests join N.C. Zoo Director Dr. David Jones on a luxurious adventure to the Galapagos Islands—the land that Charles Darwin called “a separate center of creation,” and Herman Melville described as “the Enchanted Islands.” This relaxing itinerary begins with an easy jaunt into Ecuador to rest in comfort at the Hacienda Zuelta, a historic retreat in the Andean cloud forest. Travelers will explore Otavalo Market, the famous Indian fair, and San Cristobal Island before an eight-day voyage aboard the 140-foot luxury sailing yacht ALTA, a fully equipped, 16-passenger private vessel. This trip is designed to be more relaxed than other trips and leaves time for birdwatching, hiking, sightseeing and snorkeling. Only two spots remain for this trip.
N.C. Zoo elephant keeper Jim Small leads the third trip, June 10-21, a photographic safari to Kenya—one of Africa’s top wildlife destinations. The trek includes Lake Nakuru National Park and the Samburu, Mount Kenya and the Masai Mara game preserves—where antelopes, zebras and elephants gather in some of the largest herds left on Earth. Cost for the safari includes airfare and all meals. An optional extension of the trip to Ambles and Tanzania is available.
On the fourth trip, Oct. 9-21, guests accompany their guide on a trip to Australia and the “Wonders Down Under.” The trip begins in Cairns, considered the most biologically diverse corner of the Australian continent. Here rain forests, savannahs and mangrove forests cluster around the coastline, and the Great Barrier Reef lies offshore. Included in the trip are excursions to Daintree, Lamington and Cape Tribulation national parks, the Great Barrier Reef, Brisbane and Sydney. Included in the Sydney stop is a trip to Taronga Park Zoo. An optional pre-extension visit to Uluru and Alice Springs is available.
Nov. 30-Dec. 8, on the year’s final trip— a New World journey — guests cruise to Costa Rica’s protected nature reserves and Panama’s remote Darien Jungle aboard the 257-foot Yorktown Clipper. Costa Rica, a naturalist’s paradise, will display its wonders—scarlet macaws, coatimundis, white-faced capuchin monkeys and thousands of lush exotic plants and other wildlife. On its voyage home, the ship will pass through the Panama Canal locks.
For more information on any of these Zoo Society trips, contact Stephanie Gee at 336-879-7253.
