Imagine discussing wildlife conservation issues with world-renowned researchers in Africa’s game reserves, joining the world’s leading archaeologists for special access to the world of the Maya, traveling with award-winning writers in Alaska, or watching an eclipse in a remote corner of the planet with top astronomers—these are some of the unique experiences offered by our Special Events program. These symposiums and specially themed journeys, each featuring a team of eminent guest experts, are our unique way of bringing you an insider’s view, and you can only find it with Wilderness Travel. Our list of past luminaries is long and has included Jane Goodall, Sir Edmund Hillary, Mary Leakey, wildlife biologist George Schaller, author Barry Lopez, astronomer Alex Filippenko, mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Conrad Anker, and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. Read about our upcoming Special Events below, and scroll down for a look at some of our past programs!
The Legendary Kimberley and Exotic Islands of Indonesia, Plus an Eclipse!
Wonders of Ancient Egypt Symposium • December 2022
Location: Great Pyramids of Giza to Luxor, West Bank of the Nile, Village of the Pyramid Builders at Giza, Wahti's Tomb at Saqqara, and the “Lost Golden City of Amenhotep III.”
Featuring: Dr. Salima Ikram, Dr. Kent Weeks, Dr. Mostafa Waziri
Alaska's Glacier Bay: Wilderness and Wildlife of the Inside Passage • August 2022
Location: Glacier Bay, Alaska
Featuring: Award-winning Nature Writers Kim Heacox and Debbie Miller
Namibia: A Vision for Wildlife • April 2019
Location: AfriCat Foundation, Okonjima and Etosha National Park
Featuring: Garth Owen-Smith, Tammy Hoth-Hanssen, Simson Uri-Khob, Julian Fennessy, Philip Stander
Patagonia! Epic Climbers and Conservationists • November 2018
Location: Argentina’s world-famous Los Glaciares National Park
Featuring: Kris Tompkins, Rick Ridgeway, Conrad Anker, and Alex Honnold
World of the Maya: New Discoveries in the New Millennium • December 2017
Location: Antigua, Guatemala City, and Northern Guatemala; with Tours in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico
Featuring: Simon Martin, Richard Hansen, Marcello Canuto, Francisco Estrada-Belli, and Tomás Barrientos
Alaskan Dreams • July 2017
Location: Alaska’s Inside Passage, from Sitka to Juneau
Featuring: Barry Lopez and Richard Nelson
Legendary Explorers • November 2016
Location: The Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica
Featuring: Conrad Anker, Tim Jarvis, Carl Safina, and Frans Lanting
Alaskan Passage • May 2015
Location: Alaska’s Inside Passage, from Ketchikan to Juneau
Featuring: Barry Lopez and Richard Nelson
The Arc of the Sacred • January 2015
Location: Angkor, Cambodia, with Tours in Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, India & Nepal
Featuring: Helen Ibbitson Jessup, Vasudha Narayanan, Todd Lewis, Damian Evans, and John Sanday
Perspectives on East Africa • June 2014
Location: Laikipia, Kenya, with Safaris in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania
Featuring: Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Louise Leakey, Richard Estes, Laurence Frank, and Frans Lanting
World of the Maya: Cycles of Time • December 2012
Location: Uxmal, Mexico, with Tours in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras
Featuring: Anthony Aveni, Susan Milbrath, Harvey Bricker, Victoria Bricker, Karl Taube, Alfonso Morales
Ancient Kingdoms of Peru • July 2011
Location: Northern Peru, with Treks and Tours Throughout Peru
Featuring: Richard Burger, Michael Moseley, Walter Alva, Joanne Pillsbury, Luis Jaime Castillo
Wonders of Ancient Egypt • January 2011
Location: Cairo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Nile Cruise, Luxor, and Alexandria, Egypt
Featuring: Zahi Hawass, Mark Lehner, Kent Weeks, Jean-Yves Empereur, Raymond Johnson
World of the Maya: New Discoveries at Ancient Copán • December 2009
Location: Copán, Honduras, with Tours in Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize
Featuring: Robert Sharer, Ricardo Agurcia, Marc Zender, Ellen Bell, Francisco Estrada-Belli, Loa Traxler
Perspectives on Southern Africa • August 2007
Location: Chobe National Park, Botswana, with Safaris in Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia
Featuring: Mark Vandewalle, Anthony Hall-Martin, Laurie Marker, John McNutt, Dereck & Beverly Joubert, Mike Main
The Alps: Perspectives on a Climber’s World • June 2007
Location: Bolzano, Italy, with Hiking Tours in Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia
Featuring: Reinhold Messner, David Breashears, John Cleare, Peter Hansen, Angelika Fleckinger, Eduard Egarter-Vigl
Arctic Odyssey • September 2006
Location: Svalbard, Greenland, and Iceland
Featuring: Will Steger and Frans Lanting
Antarctica: In the Wake of the Great Explorers • February 2006
Location: The Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica
Featuring: Reinhold Messner, Conrad Anker, Caroline Alexander, Frans Lanting, Jerry Kooyman
A Greek Odyssey • May 2005
Location: Athens, Delos, Syros, Amorgos, Santorini, Crete, and the Southern Peloponnese, Greece
Featuring: Andrew Szegedy-Maszak and Albert Leonard, Jr.
World of the Maya: Palenque • December 2004
Location: Palenque, Mexico, with Tours in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras
Featuring: Merle Green Robertson, Bill Fash, Anthony Aveni, Marc Zender, Alfonso Morales, Julie Miller
Wonders of Ancient Egypt • January 2004
Location: Cairo, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Nile Cruise, and Luxor, Egypt
Featuring: Zahi Hawass, Mark Lehner, Kent Weeks, Lanny Bell
Dubrovnik to Venice • September 2003
Location: Croatia, Montenegro, and Italy
Featuring: Larry Wolff and Ida Sinkevič
Whales and Wildlife of the Sea of Cortez • March 2003
Location: The Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Featuring: Reinhold Messner and Joe Kane
Circling the Bering Sea • July 2002
Location: Alaska, Kamchatka & Chukchi Peninsula, Russia
Featuring: Galen Rowell, Frans Lanting, Orcutt Frost, Aldona Jonaitis, Mark Brazil, Angela Kepler, Tony Huntley, and Bob Rubin
Perspectives on the Himalayas • April 2002
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal, with Treks and Tours in Nepal, Bhutan, and India
Featuring: Sir Edmund Hillary, George Schaller, Conrad Anker, Galen Rowell, John Sanday, Chokyi Nima Rimpoche, Thomas Schrom, and Lee Birch
An Antarctic Odyssey • February 2002
Location: The Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica
Featuring: Will Steger, Barry Lopez, and Galen Rowell
Crossroads of History in the Mediterranean • September 2001
Location: Spain, Tunisia, Sicily, and Greece
Featuring: Kathryn Miller and Carolina Lo Nero
World of the Maya: The Millennium at Tikal • December 1999
Location: Tikal, Guatemala, with Tours in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras
Featuring: Clemency Coggins, Federico Fahsen, Christopher Jones, Robert Sharer, and “Chip” Morris
Perspectives on East Africa • March 1999
Location: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, with Safaris in Tanzania and Kenya
Featuring: Jane Goodall, Cynthia Moss, David Bygott, Richard Estes, Esmond Bradley Martin, Sarah Cleaveland, and Sarah Durant
Empires of the Sun: Tiwanaku to Cusco • July 1998
Location: Bolivia and Peru, with Tours and Treks Throughout Peru
Featuring: Michael Moseley, John Hemming, Charles Stannish, Johan Reinhard, Joseph Bastien, Brian Bauer, Andrea Heckman, and John Janusek
World of the Maya: Copan • December 1997
Location: Copán, Honduras, with Tours in Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize
Featuring: Pat Culbert, Bill Fash, Anthony Aveni, David Stuart, Ricardo Agurcia, and Barbara Fash
Perspectives on East Africa • August 1996
Location: Nairobi, Kenya, with Safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda
Featuring: Jane Goodall, Mary Leakey, Jeannette Hanby, Frans Lanting, Joyce Poole, and Daphne Sheldrick
The Incas • July 1996
Location: Cusco, Peru, with Treks and Tours in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile
Featuring: Brian Bauer, Jorge Flores Ochoa, Gordon McEwan, Susan Niles, Jean-Pierre Protzen, Johan Reinhard, and Gene Savoy
Photography with the Masters • May 1996
Location: Otavalo, Ecuador, with Photo Tours in the Galápagos Islands
Featuring: Galen Rowell, Frans Lanting, and Robert Holmes
Archaeology of Peru • July 1995
Location: Chiclayo, Peru, with Treks and Tours Throughout Peru and in Ecuador
Featuring: Thor Heyerdahl, Richard Burger, Gary Urton, Johan Reinhard, Vincent Lee, Walter Alva, Garth Bawden, Alan Kolata, Federico Kauffmann-Doig, David Dearborn, and Amy Rodman
To witness a total solar eclipse is an unforgettable experience—and our unique eclipse travel programs are once-in-a-lifetime travel adventures! We have organized programs for 13 total solar eclipses in 22 different locations around the world—with a remarkable success rate—and have a reputation as one of the very best eclipse travel companies in the business. Renowned astronomer Alex Filippenko, PhD, one of UC Berkeley’s most popular professors, brings his expertise and enthusiasm to most of our eclipse trips.
Total Solar Eclipse of 2021: Antarctica & South Georgia • Nov 2021
Featuring: Alex Filippenko, Tim Jarvis & Conrad Anker
Total Solar Eclipse of 2019: The Isles of Polynesia • June 2019
Featuring: Alex Filippenko, Rick Fienberg, Mark Eddowes, and George "Keoki" Stender
Total Solar Eclipse of 2016: Darwin to Kota Kinabalu • March 2016
Featuring: Rick Fienberg
Total Solar Eclipse of 2016: From Bali to Borneo • March 2016
Featuring: Alex Filippenko
Total Solar Eclipse of 2013: Morocco to Cape Verde • October 2013
Featuring: Alex Filippenko and Olga Stavrakis
Total Solar Eclipse of 2013: Spain to Sierra Leone • October 2013
Featuring: Rick Fienberg, Christine Drake, and Deborah Mack
Total Solar Eclipse of 2012: Bali to Australia • November 2012
Featuring: Alex Filippenko
Total Solar Eclipse of 2012: Fiji to New Caledonia • November 2012
Featuring: Rick Fienberg, Holly Gilbert, and Mark Eddowes
Total Solar Eclipse in Tahiti • July 2010
Featuring: Alex Filippenko, Jay Anderson
Total Solar Eclipse in Polynesia • July 2009
Featuring: Alex Filippenko, Owen Gingerich, and Rick Feinberg
Total Solar Eclipse in Mongolia • August 2008
Featuring: Alex Filippenko
Total Solar Eclipse: Egypt, Turkey, and the Mediterranean • March 2006
Featuring: Joel Weisberg, Perry Hackman, Owen Gingerich
Total Solar Eclipse in Zimbabwe • June 2001
Featuring: Alex Filippenko and Perry Hacking
Total Solar Eclipse in Turkey • August 1999
Featuring: Alex Filippenko and Joel Weisberg
Total Solar Eclipse and 20th Anniversary in the Caribbean • February 1998
Featuring: Alex Filippenko and Owen Gingerich
Total Solar Eclipse in the Galapagos Islands • February 1998
Featuring: Perry Hacking and Tom Bullock
Total Solar Eclipse in India, Thailand, and Cambodia • October 1995
Featuring: George Smoot, Donald Goldsmith, Owen Gingerich, Tom Bullock, Alex Filippenko, Perry Hacking, Robert Havlen, and Joel Weisberg
Total Solar Eclipse in Chile and Peru • October/November 1994
Featuring: George Smoot, Donald Goldsmith, Owen Gingerich, Tom Bullock, Alex Filippenko, Perry Hacking, Robert Havlen, Joel Weisberg, Mitzi Adams, and Mark Davis
