National Geographic Traveler Magazine Selects Its 0 Tours of a Lifetime

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2013)-National Geographic Traveler magazine announced today the 2013 Tours of a Lifetime. This year's list features 50 of the world's best guided trips selected by the editors of National Geographic Traveler. The list and details about the trips can be viewed in National Geographic Traveler magazine's May 2013 issue and online at http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society, an organization at the forefront of exploration, adventure and discovery. The tours we selected capture that spirit of exploration, said Norie Quintos, executive editor of National Geographic Traveler magazine. They push the bounds of mainstream tourism, whether taking travelers to the far corners of the globe or helping them dive deep into the culture of familiar destinations.

From tracking butterflies and whales in Mexico to circumnavigating the globe by freighter or cycling Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the 50 tours offer authentic and innovative travel experiences. The 50 Tours of a Lifetime, listed by geographic region, along with their tour operators are:

AFRICA

1. Hidden Places Travel: 100 Miles for Elephants, Kenya

2. Global Sojourns: Safari, Culture, and Philanthropy in Southern Africa, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe

3. Biosphere Expeditions: A Game of Cats and Elephants, Namibia

4. Access Trips: Morocco Desert Surf Safari, Morocco

5. Africa Adventure Consultants: In Livingstone's Footsteps: The Final Journey, Tanzania

6. Sanctuary Retreats: Nile Adventurer, Egypt

7. Journeys by Design: Trekking to Surma, Ethiopia, Ethiopia

ASIA

8. Wildland Adventures: Bedouin Trek to Petra, Jordan

9. Big Five Tours and Expeditions: Caravans of the Bedu, Oman

10. Wild Frontiers: Silk Road Odyssey, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

11. SeaTrek Sailing Adventures: Ternate-Halmahera-Morotai-Raja Ampat-Sorong, Indonesia

12. Northwest Rafting Company: European Body, Asian Soul: Chuya and Bashkaus River Expedition in Russia, Russia

13. One World Trekking: Everest Base Camp 60th Anniversary Trek, Nepal

14. Mountain Travel Sobek: Journey of Discovery in Timor-Leste, Timor-Leste

15. Myths and Mountains: Untamed Cambodia, Cambodia

16. Nomadic Expeditions: Across Mongolian Plains, Mongolia

17. Immersion Journeys: East India: Temple Mythology and Mountain Peaks, India

18. WildChina: Gastronomic Tour of China, China

19. Cox and Kings: Dream Trip - Burma and Bhutan, Myanmar and Bhutan

20. Oxalis Adventures: Nakasendo Trail, Japan

EUROPE

21. Academic Arrangements Abroad: Sicily by Sea: Art Treasures and Ancient Temples, Malta and Italy

22. Adventure Women: Horseback Riding in Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice, Iceland

23. Butterfield and Robinson: Tuscany Biking, Italy

24. Vagabond Adventure Tours of Ireland: Wild Irish Rover, Ireland

25. The Wayfarers: Vienna to Prague, Austria and Czech Republic

26. Greenloons: Swedish Timber Raft Adventure, Sweden

27. ROW Adventures: Peaks of the Balkans: Peace Park Hike, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro

28. Exeter International: Treasures of the Crimea, Ukraine, Ukraine

29. Thomson Family Adventures: Wonders of Turkey: A Smithsonian Family Adventure, Turkey

30. Ciclismo Classico: Bike Across France, France

PACIFIC ISLANDS & OCEANIA

31. Polar Explorers: Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia Island, South Georgia Island

32. Wilderness Travel: In the Wake of the Bounty: Easter Island to Tahiti aboard the M.S. Caledonian Sky, Chile, French Polynesia

33. Active New Zealand: Kauri, New Zealand

NORTH AMERICA

34. Timberline Tours: Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

35. Restore Hetch Hetchy: Muir's March, Yosemite National Park, California

36. Arctic Odysseys/Alaskan Ventures: Alaska's Twin Lakes: In the Footsteps of Dick Proenneke, Alaska

37. Zegrahm Expeditions: Wild Alaska and the Bering Sea, Alaska

38. Freewheeling Adventures: Viking Bike and Hike, Canada

39. Adventure Cycling Association: Great Lakes, Inn-to-Inn, Michigan

40. Journey Mexico: Magical Mexican Migrations - Pacific Whales and Highland Butterflies, Mexico

41. Arawak Expeditions: Sea Kayaking in the Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands

42. Maris Freighter Cruises: Short Around-the-World Cruise, United States, Canada (plus Malaysia, China, South Korea and Japan)

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

43. Ancon Expeditions of Panama: Camino Real Trek, Panama

44. Andes Adventures: Inca Trail to Machu Picchu Running Adventure, Peru

45. Santiago Adventures: Bikes, Wine and Patagonia, Chile

46. Country Walkers: Brazil: Royal Route, Salvador, and Chapada Diamantina, Brazil

47. International Expeditions: Nicaragua: Land of Lakes and Volcanoes, Nicaragua

48. G Adventures: Ecuador Jungle Local Living, Ecuador

49. National Geographic Adventures: Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, and Ruins, Belize

50. National Geographic Expeditions: Epic South America, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina

About National Geographic Traveler Magazine

National Geographic Traveler: Nobody Knows This World Better. National Geographic Traveler is the world's most widely read travel magazine. Published eight times a year, Traveler is available by subscription, on newsstands in the United States and Canada and digitally for tablets like the iPad (on Zinio) and Nook (at BN.com). Its website (www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler) offers inspiring and authoritative digital content including trip ideas, photo galleries and blogs. It also houses travel apps, including 50 Places of a Lifetime that showcases the world's greatest destinations handpicked by National Geographic's family of globe-trotting contributors, and the award-winning

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