WWF Eco Tours

Although the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is better known for direct work with conservation programs, I learned today that it also offers a variety of very exciting eco-tours! On WWF trips, you can travel with a group of fellow nature and wildlife enthusiasts to one of many destinations in the United States or abroad. The trips are led by expert naturalist guides, assisted by WWF staff and local guides in some places. Tours center around exploring interesting bioregions, or in some cases searching for one specific animal or event. Besides fostering a lifelong appreciation for nature and preservation, these tours are designed with sustainability in mind. For example, smaller ships are used to conserve fuel, materials are printed on recycled paper, and each trip is carbon offset completely. (This doesn't include your airfare to the departure location, but you can learn more about how to deal with that here.) Best of all, part of the fee for each trip goes directly to the fund's other conservation projects. Trips like this require some advance planning, but luckily the selection of destinations available for 2010 looks broad and interesting. Options include tracking Monarch butterflies in Mexico, whale-watching in California, snorkeling in Thailand, an Indian wildlife tour, several African safaris, and much more.