The National Geographic Difference

For 134 years, National Geographic has sent explorers across continents and into remote cultures, down to the oceans’ depths, and up the highest mountains in an effort to better understand the world and our relationship to it. National Geographic Expeditions grew from this legacy as a way to invite others to explore—to encounter the wonders of the world up close and in depth, and to be transformed by the experience.

When you travel with National Geographic Expeditions, you gain access to fascinating people and places all over the globe. You’re enriched by the knowledge of our experts and guides, and by the local experts you meet along the way. And you give back. By traveling with us, you help further the work of our explorers.

That is the National Geographic difference.

Sea lions bask in the sun on a Galápagos beach.

| KNOWLEDGE |

EXPLORE WITH OUR EXPERTS

Deepen your understanding of the world when you travel with us. From the scientists, photographers, and explorers who accompany our trips to the local guides and experts we meet in the field, you’ll be surrounded by people who are steeped in knowledge and insight about the places we visit.

DAVID HARRISON Anthropologist and linguist David Harrison has been a National Geographic Fellow and co-director of the Society’s Enduring Voices Project, documenting the world’s endangered languages and cultures. He has done extensive fieldwork with indigenous communities from Mongolia to Peru and beyond. His research is the subject of the acclaimed documentary The Linguists, and has been featured in numerous publications. David is a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College and a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

Explore with David on our Silk Road: Discovering the Five 'Stans of Central Asia (see page 52) as well as select Private Jet trips.

DR. GLADYS KALEMA-ZIKUSOKA Wildlife veterinarian and conservationist Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka established the first veterinary department in the Uganda Wildlife Authority. With support from National Geographic, she founded Conservation Through Public Health to promote the coexistence of people, gorillas, and other wildlife by addressing human and wildlife health together and improving alternative livelihoods for local communities. She chairs the Africa Chapter of the Explorers Club, serves as Vice President of the African Primatological Society, and sits on the board of the Gorilla Organization.

Travel with Gladys on our Great Apes of Uganda and Rwanda expedition (see page 17).

KRISTA ROSSOW For more than a decade, Krista Rossow has worked as a photographer, photo editor, and educator for National Geographic. She began her career as a photo editor at National Geographic Traveler magazine, shaping compelling stories from world-class imagery. In her freelance career, she has shot feature stories as a contributing photographer for Traveler in South Africa, Morocco, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Japan, and elsewhere. She judges Instagram contests for @NatGeoTravel and photo edits for National Geographic Books.

Join Krista on our Pearls of the Pacific: A Voyage to the Society and Tuamotu Islands (see page 90).

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERT

KRISTA ROSSOW

National Geography Photography Expert Krista Rossow tows a weighty line as the National Geographic Explorer parks in the Antarctic pack ice.

A caretaker comforts orphaned elephant calves at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya.

| ACCESS |

GET CLOSER THAN YOU’VE EVER IMAGINED

We open doors around the globe, so that you can go behind the scenes to get a close-up view of the world’s treasures and the work National Geographic is doing to help protect them.

At the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya—the world’s most successful rescue and rehabilitation program for orphaned elephants—learn about efforts to protect wildlife and habitats. Then enjoy the rare opportunity to shadow a caretaker and interact with young elephants during their feeding (see page 14).

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands to discover how its captive breeding program is bolstering populations of giant tortoises. Observe Galápagos tortoises at all stages of life and learn firsthand about these unusual species that can live well over a hundred years (see page 84).

In Tanzania, meet with National Geographic Explorer at Large Louise Leakey or one of her colleagues to trace the legacy of the Leakey family—the paleoanthropologists who first discovered Homo habilis in the Olduvai Gorge on a National Geographic-sponsored research expedition. Learn about the significance of that discovery as well as more recent early human fossil finds (see page 124).

| GIVE BACK |

EXPLORATION HAPPENS BECAUSE OF YOU

When you travel with us, you help further the work of the National Geographic Society. Every year, we distribute a portion of our proceeds to the Society, a global nonprofit that invests in an international community of National Geographic Explorers—leading scientists, educators, storytellers, conservationists, technologists, and more. These changemakers explore the critical challenges of our time, discover new knowledge, advance innovative solutions, and inspire positive change. Take a look below at some of the projects we’ve supported that are helping illuminate and protect the wonders of our world. To learn more, visit natgeo.com/impact.

At Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, National Geographic Explorer Tan Van Nguyen and other researchers are protecting critically endangered pangolins—the world’s most trafficked mammal—as well as civets, mongooses, and other small carnivores. They run a rescue and rehabilitation center for orphaned and injured wildlife, and are working to reduce the demand for pangolins through education and outreach.

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts follows a team of Black scuba divers, historians, and archaeologists on a quest to document and identify slave trade shipwrecks around the world. They investigate the lost stories of the transatlantic slave trade to expand the historical record, to honor the estimated 1.8 million souls who perished at sea, and to reframe the origin story of Africans in the Americas.

National Geographic Explorer at Large Lee Berger and his team are searching for early human fossils in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind, where they discovered the first partial skull of a Homo naledi child in 2013. Through their excavations in one of the most fruitful hominin fossil sites in the world, they hope to determine if the cave was a Homo naledi burial ground.

| | SIGNATURE LAND

Get immersed in fascinating places, whether you’re exploring an archaeological site, riding a legendary railway, or hiking through incredible landscapes. Accompanied by a National Geographic Expert, these trips are designed for groups of up to 25 travelers and celebrate many facets of a destination: its history, art, cuisine, and natural heritage— to name just a few. Swoop over mountain passes on a train journey across the Swiss and Italian Alps, or go on safari with a wildlife biologist in Tanzania’s national parks. Delve into vibrant cultures in Japan or Morocco, or hike the most beautiful stretches of Spain’s Camino de Santiago. You’ll enjoy special access to people and places, meals in memorable settings, and carefully chosen accommodations that reflect the character of your destination.

WINTER WILDLIFE IN YELLOWSTONE

PAGE 38 THE GREAT APES OF UGANDA AND RWANDA

PAGE 17

INDIA’S FABLED RAJASTHAN BY RAIL

PAGE 53

THE HOLY LAND: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

PAGE 22 • A wide variety of daily activities and excursions that allow you to explore your destination in depth

• Enriching talks and presentations by your

National Geographic Expert as well as local experts

• Outstanding accommodations selected for their location, character, and high level of service

• All breakfasts and select lunches and dinners, including specially arranged meals with local entertainment

• A staff of seasoned, English-speaking professionals

• Airport transfers upon arrival and departure and transportation during your trip

• Entrance fees and local taxes

• All gratuities except for your Expedition

Leader

EXPERT SPOTLIGHT

Ana Pinto, Archaeologist

National Geographic Explorer Ana Pinto is a Spanish archaeologist and human evolution expert who has conducted much of her research in caves and rock shelters in Spain, Tanzania, and Kenya. She received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Prize for her team’s discoveries at World Heritage–listed Atapuerca in Spain. Ana is pictured above leading our Human History: Northern Spain and Southwest France expedition.