Cleveland Botanical Garden 2007 Travel Programs
Cleveland Botanical Garden offers rewarding opportunities for travelers to see the world in specially planned trips.
Now is the time to make your travel plans! Discover the world with Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
An Explorer’s Safari to Kenya
June 21 – July 4, 2007
Travel with Sheryl Sereda, Director of Education at Cleveland Botanical Garden to delve into the African bush for incredible experiences. In the Samburu Reserve, watch a leopard stalking prey, while a reticulated giraffe munches on the treetops. Hike the foothills of the second highest mountain in Africa – Mt. Kenya. See thousands of colorful flamingos lining the shores of Lake Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley. Hear the explosive sounds of a trumpeting elephant while exploring the classic savannah of the Maasai Mara. Explore environments rich in biodiversity from sparse scrub, rich grasslands, to alkaline lakes and sparkling rivers, and the critical relationship each has with the wildlife that has roamed these lands for centuries. Visit local schools for insight into the educational system and interact with fellow teachers to find out what challenges they face while assisting with an improvement project. Learn how women have come together to create small handicraft industries in one of Nairobi's poorest areas. Relax in luxurious lodges and tented camps while reliving the day’s events. An optional extension is available to explore Daini Beach on the Kenyan Coast and soak in the sun and surf of the Indian Ocean.
Pricing: $4,795 double occupancy, per person, plus airfare
*Dinosaur Expedition to the Gobi Desert!
August 13 - 28, 2007
Join Dr. Michael Ryan, Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Dr. Philip Currie, Curator of Dinoaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleon-tology in Alberta, Canada for the trip of a lifetime to the remote fossil beds of the legendary "Flaming Cliffs" and Nemegt Basin, two of the world's premier fossil sights! Working under the guidance of experts, expedition members will have the opportunity to prospect for and excavate fossils from the legendary Gobi Desert which is home to some of the most exciting finds of the century! Trip begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar visiting Mongolian cultural treasures and the Natural History Museum as well as the paleontological laboratory of the Academy of Sciences and includes 3 nights in a ger camp, the traditional felt tents of nomadic herders, and 8 nights camping at the excavation sites.
Pricing: approximately $3,990 per person, plus airfare
China, Pandas & The Yangzi River
September 13-27, 2007
Join Natalie Ronayne, Executive Director at Cleveland Botanical Garden, to enjoy China’s most beautiful cities and visit the Great Wall, the natural habitat of China’s pandas, as well as experience the elegant beauty of classical Chinese gardens. On this 15-day adventure, begin with a cultural exploration of Beijing, then travel to Wolong Nature Preserve for an unforgettable experience at its giant panda preserve as we talk with panda researchers about efforts to protect this endangered species, then continue to the fascinating and lively cities of Chengdu and Chongqing before boarding our Victoria cruise ship for a three-day cruise on the Yangzi River. Our trip ends in Shanghai, China’s booming cosmopolitan city, with a visit to the Shanghai Museum and an evening stroll along the historic Bund.
Pricing: $4,790 per person, plus airfare
**Madagascar
October 2007
Join Cleveland Metrparks Zoo Director Steve Taylor on a trip that departs from New York to Paris, then an overnight flight to Antananarivo (popularly known as Tana), the capital city of Madagascar. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city, including Lake Anosy, the European district, the Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum and the Zoo. Then fly to picturesque Fort Dauphin, the most exotic and the most famous part of Madagascar. From Fort Dauphin, travel to Berenty. For three days, explore this suberb private wildlife reserve including lemurs, an array of birdlife, as well as fruit bats and flying foxes. Crested and Giant Couas, cuckoo-rollers, Vasa Parrots, Grey-headed Love-birds and Harrier Hawks are just some of the 56 species of birds you may see, along with many butterflies and chameleons. Travelers will also visit Isalo Nartional Park, the Perinet Reserve and Mantadia National Park during this trip.
Pricing: $7,295 per person, including airfare from Cleveland Extention: $1,695
*Rainforest, Reef and Ruins: An Exploration into Belize
November 2007
Join Dr. Bruce Latimer, Executive Director of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, on a nine-day exporation into Belize, a small country with large tracts of primary rainforest home to many rare and colorful species, beautiful scenery and the world's largest unbroken living barier reef. Discover beautiful waterfalls, swin in cascading mountain rivers, view huge iguanas while canoeing green crystalline rivers, awaken to the roars of Howler monkeys staking out their territories, see some of the most beautiful coral and fish while snorkeling. During a "behind the scenes" tour of the Belize Zoo, learn about some of the dynamic conservation programs being run, including a Harpy Eagle Reintroduction Program and a Jaguar Rehabilitation Project. Travel to neighboring Guatemala to visit Tikal, a huge city of the ancient Maya world to view the magnificent palaces and temples left behind by the Mayans 2,000 years ago. This is an Ecotour that will make a difference to you and to the areas we visit.
Pricing: $3,499 per person, plus airfare
Possible 2008 Travel Opportunities:
Patagonia
Monarch Butterflies in Mexico
Vietnam
Gardens of Southern France
Venezuela/Trinidad & Tobago
Eclipse Cruise to Iceland
Japan Gardens & Tea Houses
Australia/New Zealand
Churchill, Manitoba Polar Bears
* Cleveland Museum of Natural History
** Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
For travel program information and pricing or for related travel questions, contact:
Cleveland Botanical Garden – 216-721-1600, Ext. 144