National Geographic Travelor’s List of 50 Tours of a Lifetime

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View the 3rd Annual National Geographic Traveler 50 Tours of a Lifetime

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 TravelAlgeria
“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 ExpeditionsArctic
“Last Degree Expedition”
Pen Hadow Travel“Voyage to Totality 2008 & the North Pole”
Travel Quest

Australia
“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 CorporationBack to TopBelize
“Belize: Family Week”
Oceanic Society Expeditions“Undiscovered Belize Adventure”
Wildland Adventures

Bhutan
“Bhutan: A Journey into a Peaceful Kingdom”
Boundless JourneysBorneo
“Borneo Adventure”
Intrepid TravelBrazil
“Brazilian Amazon Humanitarian Experience”
i-to-i“Brazilian Samba”
KE Adventure

Cambodia and Vietnam
“Vietnam and Cambodia along the Mekong River”
National Geographic ExpeditionsCanada
“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 AdventuresChile
“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 AdventuresCorsica
“Hiking the Tra Mare e Monti”

Distant Journeys
Croatia, Slovenia
“The Alps to the Adriatic”
Exeter International
Back to TopEcuador
“Galápagos Unbound: Sea Kayaking, Snorkeling, and Hiking Adventure”
ROW International Egypt
“Mysteries of Ancient Egypt”
National Geographic ExpeditionsEthiopia
“Ethiopia Simien Mountains”
G.A.P. Adventures
Fiji
“Village Homestays”
Intrepid Travel
France
“Loire Valley Trail Ride”
Cross Country International Equestrian VacationsRepublic of Georgia
“Trekking In the Mountains of Poetry”
Explorers’ Corner
Ghana

“Oboroni Grassroots Excursion”
Maame Koranchee’sGuatemala
“Experience Guatemala”
AventourasHonduras
“Rafting the Río Plátano”
Mesoamerican Ecotourism AllianceHungary, Slovakia, and Poland
“Hungary, Slovakia & Poland Biking”
BackroadsIceland
“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 TravelIran
“Magic Carpet Ride: A Textile-Lovers Tour of Iran”
Absolute Travel

Italy
“Splendors of Sicily”
Italian Connection

Back to Top

Kazakhstan
“Ultimate Tien Shan: Kazakhstan’s Celestial Mountains and Helicopter Flyout”
KE Adventure TravelKenya
“Living Among the Maasai”
Wildland AdventuresMadagascar
“Marine Conservation in Madagascar”
Blue VenturesMaldives
“Seacology Expedition to the Maldives and Andaman Mountains”
SeacologyMexico
“Baja California: Among the Great Whales”
Lindblad Expeditions“Trekking El Triunfo”
Meso-American Ecotourism AllianceMicronesia
“Ulithi, Yap, and Palau”
Oceanic Society ExpeditionsMiddle 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 JourneysNamibia
“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 TravelPanama
“Tropical Jewel”
Country WalkersPeru
“Epicurean Xplorers Peru”
Culture Xplorers“Immersive Peru: Weavers Awards and Virgen del Carmen”
Culture Xplorers
Philippines
“Incomparable Calamian Kayaking”
Eco First AdventuresRussia
“Kamchatka: Kayaking and Hiking the Valley of the Volcanoes” (Siberia)
Explorer’s CornerRwanda, Uganda
“Rwanda/Uganda Highlights”

Big Five Tours & ExpeditionsScotland
“Grand Northern Western Journey Aboard the Royal Scotsman”
Abercrombie & KentSeychelles
“Ultimate Seychelles with Aldabra Atoll”
Zegrahm & Eco ExpeditionsSlovenia
“Hiking the Julian Alps”

REI AdventuresSouth Africa
“Splendors of the Cape”
Ker & DowneySouth Pacific Islands
“Faces of Melanesia”
Zegrahm & Eco ExpeditionsSpain
“Vintage Rioja”
Boundless Journeys
Sri Lanka
“Sri Lanka: The Isle of Serendip”
Geographic Expeditions
Sweden
“Reindeer Packing Expeditions”
Crossing LatitudesBack to TopTanzania
“Tanzania Under Canvas”
Conservation Corporation AfricaTanzania, Mozambique
“Western Tanzania and Northern Mozambique Surf and Safari”
Mango African Safaris

Thailand
“Tsunami Volunteering/Adventure”
Go Differently

“Ultimate Wildlife Eco-Tour”
Wild Planet Adventures

Chinese Turkestan and Central Asia
“Chinese Turkestan and Central Asia”
MIR Corporation

United 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 MountainsWest Africa
“The Road to Timbuktu and the Rivers of West Africa”
Geographic ExpeditionsWorldwide

“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