October 2007
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Tours of a Lifetime
Photos by Frans Lemmens/Getty Images, Martin Harvey/CORBIS, Shamwari Game Reserve, i-to-i Meaningful Travel
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Clockwise from top left: The Sahara, Seychelles, South Africa, Brazil. |
 ike many of our readers, the editors of National Geographic Traveler have shied away from organized tours, feeling that unscripted, independent travel is the richest sort. But for some places in the world—those where road signs are nonexistent or where ceasefires among warring parties are tenuous—tours may be a more practical way to travel than going it alone. Each year we select 50 tours of a lifetime. Below are the 2006 and 2007 picks in alphabetical order by country or region.
Afghanistan
"Central and Northern Route"
Hinterland Travel
Algeria
"Adventure Algeria"
ROW InternationalAntarctica
"Across the Circle for Climbers and Divers"
Aurora Expeditions
"Emperor Penguins: Snow Hill Island Safari"
Quark Expeditions"Far Side: Semi-Circumnavigation of Antarctica"
Quark Expeditions
Arctic
"Last Degree Expedition"
Pen Hadow Travel"Voyage to Totality 2008 & the North Pole"
Travel QuestAustralia
"Australia: Arnhem Land, Kimberleys & Uluru"
Big Five Tours & Expeditions
"Koala Ecology"
Earthwatch Institute
"Franklin River Rafting"
World ExpeditionsBelarus, Ukraine, and Moldova
"Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova"
MIR Corporation
Back to Top
Belize
"Belize: Family Week"
Oceanic Society Expeditions
"Undiscovered Belize Adventure"
Wildland AdventuresBhutan"Bhutan: A Journey into a Peaceful Kingdom"
Boundless Journeys
Borneo
"Borneo Adventure"
Intrepid Travel
Brazil
"Brazilian Amazon Humanitarian Experience"
i-to-i
"Brazilian Samba"
KE AdventureCambodia and Vietnam"Vietnam and Cambodia along the Mekong River"
National Geographic Expeditions
Canada
"Hudson and James Bay Coastal Tour"
Moccasin Trail Tours
"Labrador's Wild Coast by Private Yacht"
Arctic Odysseys
"Okanagan Wine Tour: British Columbia"
Arizona Outback Adventures
"Queen Charlotte Islands Cruise"
REI Adventures
Chile
"Crossing the Andes Travesia"
Explora
"Uniquely Chile"
Off the Beaten Path
China
"China: The Upper Mekong River" rafting adventure
Mountain Travel Sobek
"Rising Global Powers: A World Leaders Symposium in China and East Asia"
High Country Passage
"Southern China Explorer: Shanghai to Shangri-La"
REI Adventures
Corsica
"Hiking the Tra Mare e Monti"
Distant Journeys
Croatia, Slovenia
"The Alps to the Adriatic"
Exeter International
Back to Top
Ecuador
"Galápagos Unbound: Sea Kayaking, Snorkeling, and Hiking Adventure"
ROW International
Egypt
"Mysteries of Ancient Egypt"
National Geographic Expeditions
Ethiopia
"Ethiopia Simien Mountains"
G.A.P. Adventures
Fiji
"Village Homestays"
Intrepid Travel
France
"Loire Valley Trail Ride"
Cross Country International Equestrian Vacations
Republic of Georgia
"Trekking In the Mountains of Poetry"
Explorers' Corner
Ghana"Oboroni Grassroots Excursion"Maame Koranchee's
Guatemala
"Experience Guatemala"
Aventouras
Honduras
"Rafting the Río Plátano"
Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance
Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland
"Hungary, Slovakia & Poland Biking"
Backroads
Iceland
"Journey to the Center of the Earth"
H2 Outfitters
India
"India Gourmet Traveler"
Intrepid Travel
"Nagur Relief Ride" by horseback
Relief Riders International
"Spotlight Journey: Secret India, Tribal India"
Myths and Mountains
"Zanskar's Wild West"
KE Adventure Travel
Iran
"Magic Carpet Ride: A Textile-Lovers Tour of Iran"
Absolute Travel
Italy
"Splendors of Sicily"
Italian Connection
Back to TopKazakhstan
"Ultimate Tien Shan: Kazakhstan's Celestial Mountains and Helicopter Flyout"
KE Adventure Travel
Kenya
"Living Among the Maasai"
Wildland Adventures
Madagascar
"Marine Conservation in Madagascar"
Blue Ventures
Maldives
"Seacology Expedition to the Maldives and Andaman Mountains"
Seacology
Mexico
"Baja California: Among the Great Whales"
Lindblad Expeditions
"Trekking El Triunfo"
Meso-American Ecotourism Alliance
Micronesia
"Ulithi, Yap, and Palau"
Oceanic Society Expeditions
Middle East
"Jewels of Arabia" (Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Dubai)
Travcoa
"Levantine Adventure Tour: Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria"
Caravan-Serai
Mongolia
"Dinosaurs of the Gobi"
Nomadic Expeditions
Montenegro
"Jewel of the Adriatic"
Mountain Travel Sobek
Morocco
"Behind the Walls: An Exploration of Moroccan Architecture"
Explore Inc.
"The Magic of Morocco: Palaces, Deserts & Kasbahs"
Academic Arrangements Abroad
Myanmar
"Burma: Land of the Golden Pagoda"
Asia Transpacific Journeys
"Exploring the Undiscovered Waters of the Mergui Archipelago"
Asia Transpacific Journeys
Namibia
"Namibia Explorer"
Ker & Downey
New Zealand
"New Zealand Adventure"
National Geographic Expeditions
"New Zealand with the Kids"
Butterfield & Robinson
Nicaragua
"Active Nicaragua"
REI Adventures
Niger
"Niger: Trekking in the Air Mountains"
Wilderness Travel
Panama
"Tropical Jewel"
Country Walkers
Peru
"Epicurean Xplorers Peru"
Culture Xplorers
"Immersive Peru: Weavers Awards and Virgen del Carmen"
Culture Xplorers
Philippines
"Incomparable Calamian Kayaking"
Eco First Adventures
Russia
"Kamchatka: Kayaking and Hiking the Valley of the Volcanoes" (Siberia)
Explorer's Corner
Rwanda, Uganda
"Rwanda/Uganda Highlights"
Big Five Tours & Expeditions
Scotland
"Grand Northern Western Journey Aboard the Royal Scotsman"
Abercrombie & Kent
Seychelles
"Ultimate Seychelles with Aldabra Atoll"
Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions
Slovenia
"Hiking the Julian Alps"
REI Adventures
South Africa
"Splendors of the Cape"
Ker & Downey
South Pacific Islands
"Faces of Melanesia"
Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions
Spain
"Vintage Rioja"
Boundless Journeys
Sri Lanka
"Sri Lanka: The Isle of Serendip"
Geographic Expeditions
Sweden"Reindeer Packing Expeditions"Crossing Latitudes
Back to Top
Tanzania
"Tanzania Under Canvas"
Conservation Corporation Africa
Tanzania, Mozambique
"Western Tanzania and Northern Mozambique Surf and Safari"
Mango African SafarisThailand
"Tsunami Volunteering/Adventure"
Go Differently"Ultimate Wildlife Eco-Tour"
Wild Planet AdventuresChinese Turkestan and Central Asia
"Chinese Turkestan and Central Asia"
MIR CorporationUnited States
"Alaska: Active Inside Package"
Adventure Smith Explorations
"Alaska Backcountry"
Alaska Trail King Adventures
"Alaska Life List Adventure"
Alaska Wildland Adventures
"Big Sky, Yellowstone & Paradise Valley"
Austin-Lehman Adventures
"Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona: Where the Water Cuts Through Rock"
Moki Treks
"Lakota Moon: Journey to the Seven Council Fires of the Great Sioux Nation"
Go Native America
"Run for the Roses: the Kentucky Derby"
Tauck World Discovery
"Utah Canyon Lands: Hiking Zion, Bryce and Escalante"
Off the Beaten Path
"Wyoming: Wolves & Wildlife of Yellowstone"
Natural Habitat Adventures
Vietnam
"Vietnam: Motorcycling the Northern Border with Laos and China"
Myths and Mountains
West Africa
"The Road to Timbuktu and the Rivers of West Africa"
Geographic Expeditions
Worldwide
"Empires & Explorers: Mali, Ghana, Namibia, Zambia, Maldives, Cambodia, Burma, India and Portugal"
TCS Expeditions
"The Great Faiths Journey by Private Jet"
TCS Expeditions
"Journey of Man: An Around-the-World Odyssey by Private Jet"
National Geographic Expeditions (Starquest Expeditions)
Yemen
"From North to South to the Red Sea in Yemen"
Caravan-Serai
For more information on the countries visited by these tours, see our Destination TripMarks.
Read about How to Pick the Right Tour Operator.
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