Website: http://www.wildland.com/
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. They are actively at its helm and continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. Wild Style is homegrown to help break down barriers and boundaries that separate people from people, from the environment and from other living things. Wild Style builds lasting intercultural, interpersonal and environmental bonds to enhance instead of exploit by impressing with each step along a journey sincerity, compassion and understanding. The results are lasting bonds -- intercultural, interpersonal and environmental -- wherever Wildland Adventures travels as well as their family-like community of enlightened, passionate travelers who have experienced how to focus on what matters most. Intrinsic to Wildland Adventures are strong personal connections with guests, especially the relationships Kurt, Anne and the Program directors have with alumni.
“We value experiencing daily life wherever you are… It may be alongside migrant farm workers harvesting potatoes and singing songs. The guides love dong it; clients realize it’s totally spontaneous.” ~Kurt Kutay, Founder
The design of each itinerary necessitates deep destination knowledge along with the connections and the savvy to locate and involve the correct experts and personnel, whether they be specialized guides, academics, lecturers or other specialized experts. Today the company offers more than 150 unique itineraries in 37 countries. Destinations include, among many others, Costa Rica, Peru, Patagonia, the Galapagos, Belize, Africa, Turkey, SE Asia and the Indian sub-continent.
“We have developed such close working relationships with the people we collaborate with in each of our destinations. Local families who have come to know us will open their homes to receive our guests for lunch.” ~Kurt Kutay, Founder
For nearly three decades, they have been leading the way in adventure travel and ecotourism, not just to new destinations, but pioneering new approaches to travel that guarantee your experience with Wildland Adventures will be qualitatively superior.
They are personally involved in the design of your trip in coordination with local field staff. When you call their USA staff you will be speaking with another traveler with firsthand experience in your destination who will help you choose the right trip and craft an itinerary that meets your personal interests and style.
Cross-cultural interaction is not only having respect for local customs, but is genuine, honest, personal interaction stimulated by sensitive introductions from respectful guides who introduce you to their home like a friend and treat you as a personal traveling companion.
Prepare for total immersion, secure in your health and safety. Relax and enjoy the experiences of native cultures and pristine wilderness environments confident of exceptional accommodations, transportation, hygiene and security, and the support of professional in-country outfitters.
Wildland Adventures seeks out small, boutique hotels and lodges and even home stays where native culture is strong and travelers can enjoy regional cuisine and experience traditional lifestyle. Designed in indigenous style that fit into their environs naturally, chosen accommodations deliver charm, amenities and native warmth.
The direct involvement of professional indigenous guides in organizing and leading each Wildland Adventure assures guests will have an exceptionally informative, well-executed, and authentic experience.
By creating more personal, in-depth and meaningful life enhancing travel experiences the company consistently attracts active and inquisitive travelers of all ages who discover that Wildland Adventures are not the stereotypical group experience. Participants on their very small group trips are frequently experienced world travelers who request Wildland’s services for efficiency, economy, reliability, security and superior leadership.
Wildland Adventures are physical, intellectual and spiritual adventures--more a state of mind than a risky or arduous challenge. The real adventure is new insights, the awe found in nature, encounters with new cultures, and the excitement of personal discovery.
Guests rest easy with an established record of professionalism and safety. Prestigious travel writers, guidebooks and travel industry media, recognize Wildland Adventures as a leading ecotourism company. The company was a founding member of The International Ecotourism Society, the Galapagos Tour Operators Association, and the Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition, and retains corporate membership in other professional tourism associations and the Better Business Bureau.
Most all departures are guaranteed for two or more participants. Tiered group pricing makes this possible. Group size usually does not exceed 12 people.
An adventure vacation with Wildland Adventures will be a world of difference because they design specialized itineraries that match guests with their personal interests and style of travel. Wildland’s specialty travel programs include multi-generational Family Travel, Honeymoon and Romantic Adventures, cutting edge Exploratory Trips, expedition Small Ship Cruises, Custom and Private travel, and Specialized Group travel planning services for museums, clubs and nonprofits.
“A Program Director who is also a seasoned destination expert, is THE primary point of contact with every guest from start to finish.” ~Kurt Kutay, Founder
Wildland Adventures was founded on the principle that culturally and environmentally responsible travel can be a powerful force for change. Tourism should contribute to conservation and benefit local communities. The Travelers Conservation Trust (TCT) was founded in 1986 by Kurt Kutay as a non-profit, affiliate program of Wildland Adventures to foster means by which travelers can support local conservation initiatives and small-scale community development projects. By forming and strengthening links between environmentally conscientious travelers and host-country grassroots conservation groups, natural areas and cultural heritage can be preserved. This link between adventure travel, conservation and sustainable development enhances a vacation experience by creating more meaningful and authentic cultural encounters through learning, sharing and giving something back. See: http://www.wildland.com/about/giving-back
Memberships
Officers
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President
Anne Kutay, Vice-President
Executive Team
Rachael Garrett, VP of Operations
Tim Hocking, VP of Communications
Address
Wildland Adventures
3516 NE 155th St
Seattle, WA 98155-7412
Phone: 1-800-345-4453
Website: http://www.wildland.com/
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Adventures Exemplify Myanmar’s Path Between the Ancient and the Modern Including One Expressly Designed for Families
SEATTLE, WA, April 11, 2016– Myanmar today is a most curious place. Driving through the countryside visitors see farmers working their water buffalo in fields nestled beneath hills covered in pagodas and experience first-hand day in and day out the effects of Buddhism that permeate this long hidden culture.
This mystery realm known as Myanmar (Burma) is a must-visit-now destination, says Kurt Kutay, founder and owner of Wildland Adventures. He gives three reasons. First, decades of self-imposed isolationism stalled globalization, thus preserving here a throwback Asia. Second, Myanmar has transformed itself to a democratically elected and installed government and now welcomes the outside world. Third, Myanmar is one of the safest countries in the world to travel to now and exemplifies a peaceful and friendly population.
Known for blazing new trails in adventure travel, Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/) again distinguishes itself with three new itineraries that explore Myanmar in 2016. In keeping with a 30-year custom of exploring worlds afar in style, these tours delve deeper into daily life and sacred sites than simply posing at a monument. In line with Wildland's founding ethos three decades ago, the company supports community based projects across the country that are run by locals from among its 135 eclectic ethnic groups creating intimate interactions for their travelers with the Burmese people.
“While visiting iconic sites we take roads less traveled to meet local people, hear their personal stories, and see how we can help them improve their lives after the military junta. For example, we bike between the colonial-era hill town of Kalaw and Inle Lake. We experience the drama that is Bagan on foot and from the air,” Kutay explains. “Whether chatting with a local Shan farmer in Northern Shan state, or with villagers in the countryside in Yandabo on the banks of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady), or with an Intha woman showing how to make traditional foods in her house on stilts on the lake, it’s always about making a connection and understanding Myanmar by getting to know its people.”
Kutay promises that his guests will be stunned by the time capsule they explore as they stroll through Shan and Kayin villages, bike around Mandalay, tour a pottery-makers’ village, awaken to the sounds and scents of local markets coming to life, bathe elephants in the river, gaze in awe at the fabled temple field of Bagan, and circumnavigate on foot the 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon (Rangoon) with Buddhist pilgrims.
Following are sketches of Wildland’s three new trips to Myanmar…
Mystical Myanmar is a 13-day journey from $4,415 per person, double, that discovers Myanmar's mystical depths revealed in timeless rural life where few travelers venture. On this easy active adventure guests walk amongst hill tribe villages, kayak on Inle Lake, cycle down rural roads, trek through the jungle to an elephant conservation sanctuary and venture into the mountainous states of Mon and Kayin to overnight in Hpa An village. Combining the iconic sites with the unknown, guests explore the vast complex of temples at Bagan and visit three of Myanmar’s most sacred sites: Golden Rock Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, Shwedagon Pagoda and Mahamuni.
Myanmar: Highlights of a Golden Land is a 15-day journey from $4,650 per person, double. Unique to this tour, at the conclusion of an active pursuit of Myanmar’s cultural classics, guests unwind for a day and overnight at Ngapali Beach, a resort situated in a fishing village on the Bay of Bengal. Here guests will be loathe to leave a country that has imbedded memories of a hot air balloon adventure over the Bagan temples, bicycle rides through small villages, riding the rails across the countryside and boating along waterways, sipping tea with the Palaung on tea plantations in Shan State, and marveling at the white and gold of temples shimmering in the dusky light.
Myanmar Family Adventure is a 10-day journey from $3,440 per person, double. Picture the kids bathing elephants, on bicycle rides, soaring in a hot air balloon adventure, taking a jeep safari to discover hidden temples straight out of Indiana Jones, walking through dense jungles to tribal villages and always meeting families and hearing their stories.
In addition to helping support local guides and community-based tourism services like boutique hoteliers and local restaurant entrepreneurs who interface with Wildland’s guests, the company contributes to building much-needed water wells in the dry zone. Through the generous contributions from previous travelers, three wells (and counting) have already been built in these remote villages just since the start of 2015. See: http://www.wildland.com/destinations/asia/myanmar-(-burma-)/givingback.aspx
For more information on all of Wildland Adventures’ worldwide programs, availability and reservations call1-800-345-4453 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Visit http://www.wildland.com/.
Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ OutfitteronEarth andFodor’s as one of the World’sBestTourSpecialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 38 countries.
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Media Contact for photos, interviews and more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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New Culinary & Wine Travel Series Launched To Explore Food Culture and Traditions Worldwide
SEATTLE, Jan. 25, 2016– What do many people do on an anniversary?
They treat themselves to a gala dinner.
This is Kurt and Anne Kutay’s way of celebrating the 30th anniversary of their company, Wildland Adventures. On a May 21, 2016 departure, they will host Walks, Wine and Culinary Adventures in Northern Spain, experiencing with guests the full terroir of Basque and Castile culture from food and wines, to Guernica and the Guggenheim. This special tour also launches the company's new “Travel Style” of offerings dubbed Culinary and Wine Adventures.
“There's no better way to celebrate 30 years of 'Going Wild' around the world than sitting down to the table with guests on a Wildland Adventure, to be served by local specialty chefs while toasting with glasses full of regional wines poured by local winemakers,” says Kurt Kutay.
Joining them on the May departure will be wine experts David and Ruth Arista of Arista Wine Cellars and Xabi Extxarri, a Spanish guide whose passion for culture, literature and the arts emanate from his Basque homeland.
The Spain immersion covers 13 days and begins and ends in Bilbao (think Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim). The per person double rate is from $7,995. See: http://www.wildland.com/trips/mediterranean/spain/Northern-Spain/overview.aspx
Over a nine-course, wine-paired welcome dinner at the Guggenheim Museum, guests experience haute Basque cuisine for an unparalleled dining experience. East of Bilbao lies the town of Guernica, the traditional heart of the Vizcayan Basque culture. Guernica resident, writer and historian, Edorta Jimenez, walks with guests into this region’s history, revealing the bombing of Guernica by the Luftwaffe in April 1937 that woke the world up to the perils of war that so devastated the community. In 1937 Pablo Picasso painted Guernica, a powerful political statement depicting the tragedies of war.
From Bilbao, a private guided tour introduces the caves of Sierra de Atapuerca containing a rich fossil record of the earliest humans in Western Europe, and the worlds’ largest collection of Hominids, the direct ancestors of Neanderthal man. This day continues on foot to the small, ornate city of Burgos made famous by its extraordinary Gothic cathedral looming over the skyline of Spain’s culinary capital.
Guests travel among the remote mountains and along the coastline of Basque and historic Castile, hiking through the vines of the region, as well as along the Camino de Santiago, through National parks and castle-fringed farmlands. Dining includes haute restaurants and local wine bars where Spanish pintxos (snacks) are served. Private tastings in the vineyards and bodegas of Spain’s top winemakers, conversations with farmers, cheese makers, authors and celebrity chefs, as well as the best sommelier of La Rioja, are woven into this tapestry. In San Sebastian, where Michelin stars fall from the sky, guests learn the art and preparation of pintxos at Ni Neu Restaurant.
Other new additions to Wildland’s Culinary and Wine Adventure category include Argentina, South Africa and Turkey.
In Argentina, Wine, Cultures & Canyonlands: Mendoza and the Northwest is a 14-day immersion in culture, history and nature, all with a gastronomic embrace. The per person double rate is from $5,800. The trip begins in Mendoza and ends in Tucuman.
Turquoise Coast Odyssey is a 13-day journey through Turkey from $4,895 per person double on which guests sample a new dish every day, from the street foods of Istanbul, to a cooking lesson at a women’s coop restaurant in Cappadocia, to family recipes prepared on board a gulet cruising along the Mediterranean coast.
A trip that was launched in 2015, Cape Town to Kruger Safari is a wines and wildlife safari in South Africa featuring wines grown from vines on Earth’s oldest soils and wildlife encounters in prime game habitats. Guests enjoy an eight-course, wine-paired African surprise dinner in the Cape winelands of Stellenbosch and Franschoek before going on safari in Greater Kruger National Park and after exploring Cape Town and Robben Island, the political prison of Nelson Mandela. This is an eight-day program from $3,950 per person double.
Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ OutfitteronEarth andFodor’s as one of the World’sBestTourSpecialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
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Media Contact for photos, interviews and more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Plus a Deal -$1,000 Off Per Person on 12-day Sailing Expedition March 7-18, 2016
SEATTLE, Dec. 17, 2015– On March 9, 2016, there will be a once-in-a-lifetime event that intrepid travelers will not want to miss. Tracking directly over the Equator above Indonesia’s remote Maluku island group, a handful of guests aboard a classic two-masted sailing schooner will witness a total solar eclipse surrounded by a jungle landscape of uninhabited islands and towering volcanoes.
Well-known for such unique and inspiring expeditions, Seattle-based Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/) has sweetened the offer by knocking $1,000 off the 12-day Spice Islands Solar Eclipse Sailing Adventure package that runs March 7-18, 2016. This brings the per person double rate to $5,495 for the privilege of witnessing one of nature’s grandest shows in a setting that defies description.
Accommodations for the luxury cruise are aboard the 24-passenger phinisi Ombak Putih, a traditional two-masted Indonesian schooner. Guided day excursions and evening lectures by escort and guest lecturer Jeffrey Mellefont, research associate of the Australian National Maritime Museum, enhance the on-board experience of the rich natural history, cultures and customs in the archipelago.
Flying out of Bali and embarking in Ternate, the ship sails across the equator encountering diverse cultures and pristine island habitats while re-discovering the dramatic history of this fascinating maritime world sought after by fortune hunters and adventurers for its exotic cloves, nutmeg and mace. Hidden for centuries by the same remoteness that keeps these islands unspoiled today, the ship anchors in turquoise-colored coves so that guests may visit isolated villages and spice plantations, ancient forts and trading posts, and snorkel over stunning coral reefs. The loveliest and most remote of the islands is kept till last. This is the glorious Banda group that guests visit before disembarking on historic Ambon.
Snorkels, kayaks and paddleboards are kept on board so that guests may enjoy activities in the warm water when they are not on walking and birding tours, enjoying a community beach dinner and touring farms, a clove plantation and a distillery producing ‘kayu putih’ oil. This is a universal panacea extracted from Melaleuca tree leaves that no Indonesian household is without. It is used as a topical for aches and pains, an inhalant for colds and a remedy for stomach unrest.
On the island of Ternate guests visit the old house of Alfred Russel Wallace, the British naturalist and explorer who spent many years based here exploring the archipelago and independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection when Darwin was in the Galapagos. Here, too, is ‘Afu’, the oldest clove tree in the world, representing a fascinating history of intrigue, greed and hope.
On Wednesday, March 9, the ship anchors at 0.4˚N, 127.4˚E, just 24 nautical miles north of the Equator and centered directly beneath the track of the umbra, or moon’s shadow, to experience the sun’s 100 percent occultation for the longest possible time. The partial eclipse commences at 08:35 am local time (23:35:45 UTC + 9), with total eclipse starting at 9.51 am. Maximum eclipse is at 9:52:38, and on Ombak Putih the total eclipse lasts for three minutes and 16 seconds. This is followed by a crossing-the-line ceremony transiting across the equator.
In the Banda archipelago guests will stroll through a nutmeg grove where the shapely nutmeg fruit-bearing trees grow in the shelter of towering, gigantic ‘kenari’ or native almond trees. Visitors when leaving Banda are typically escorted by a ceremonial canoe called a ‘kora-kora’ propelled by banks of warrior-oarsmen, an apropos departure from paradise.
For complete details and itinerary please see: http://www.wildland.com/files/brochure/trips/Indonesian%20Adventure%20Cruise%20-%20Solar%20Eclipse%20FINAL.pdf
About Jeffrey Mellefont
Jeffrey Mellefont, research associate of the Australian National Maritime Museum, is a former blue-water mariner and navigator; a writer, photographer and editor who has made a lifetime study of the fascinating maritime world of Indonesia. Along with regular host and guide, Frans Huneker, special guest and fluent Indonesian speaker, Jeffrey Mellefont will guide the group ashore. At the end of each day, in the comfort of the Ombak Putih, Jeffrey will reveal more of this amazing maritime realm.
About The Ombak Putih
The Ombak Putih is a mix of traditional and modern design. Her hull and rigging are traditional, while the deck house and interior were custom designed to adapt to Western tastes of space, privacy and comfort. While Indonesian traditional sailing vessels are customarily referred to as Bugi Schooners, strictly speaking she is rigged as a Ketch, the foremast being higher than the aft mast. Of the 12 cabins, four have double beds, four are configured as twin-bunks and four as triple, with a double and an extra singe bed. All cabins are air-conditioned (individually controlled) and have private bathrooms with warm and cold water.
Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ OutfitteronEarth andFodor’s as one of the World’sBestTourSpecialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
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Media Contact for photos, interviews and more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave
Encourages fellow adventurers to enjoy the outdoors, join social media effort to help build a well for a primary school in Tanzania
SEATTLE, WA, Nov. 19, 2015 – Experiential travel leader Wildland Adventures-- like one of the country’s best-known outdoor retailers, REI – is closing its doors on Black Friday this Thanksgiving holiday and encouraging its staff, friends and family to enjoy the great outdoors for the day while also thinking of others less fortunate.
This year Wildland Adventures is also giving thanks to an alumni traveler and an incredible cause that she has embraced. The company is advocating a Thanksgiving “pay it forward” to assist the fundraising effort of a young Wildland client, Jamie Eisner, age 12, who is half-way toward a $6,500 goal that will help build a well for a school she recently visited on a family safari in Tanzania.
From now until the end of Black Friday (Nov. 28), for every adventure photo posted and tagged, Wildland Adventures will donate $10 – up to $500 -- to building the fresh water well for the Mikocheni Primary School. Submissions should be tagged on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #OptOutside and #Wildland.
Interested individuals can also donate directly to the cause by visiting: https://www.gofundme.com/mpswell/donate
“Before I visited Tanzania, I took for granted that I have easy access to water whenever I want, air conditioning, plenty of food, medicine, a great education, and so much more. The children at Mikocheni have none of this, but we can give them something that would change their lives,” explains Jamie. “With the well, the kids will do better in school because they'll be less tired and less dehydrated. If they are doing better in school, then they will be more successful when they grow up, and live a better life.”
Approaching its 30th anniversary year, Wildland Adventures has a lot to give thanks for, and when better than at Thanksgiving, said founder Kurt Kutay. Please see the Go Fund Me page with project and fundraiser info: https://www.gofundme.com/mpswell
Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ OutfitteronEarth andFodor’s as one of the World’sBestTourSpecialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures
Media Contact for photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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SEATTLE, WA, Sept. 28, 2015– Wildland Adventures heeds the call of the wild with programs in three exotic destinations during prime times for late 2015 and 2016 travel. The destinations are Sri Lanka, Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula and Zambia.
All three programs incorporate Wildland Adventures’ “Wild Style” travel philosophy that embraces authenticity and meaningful cultural interaction that helps break down barriers and separates travelers from tourists, at the same time contributing to local communities and environmental initiatives.
"While exploring the most wild and primitive places on Earth, we do it in a style that embraces both traveler comfort and authenticity of experience,"explains Wildland founder and visionary director Kurt Kutay. "For example, when venturing into the wilds of Zambia on a walking safari, there is nobody between you and the wildlife except your exceptionally keen and knowledgeable guide whose job it is to allow a safe yet intimate distance without impacting or disturbing the animals."
To that end, Wildland Adventures is introducing this new line-up of “Wild” journeys…
Wild Sri Lanka is a 15-day adventure that journeys from the island nation’s mountain highlands to its marine habitats, focusing on the 15 percent of the country that has been dedicated to wildlife preservation and protection. Safaris through three different national parks offer guests the opportunity to see leopards, sloth bears and herds of wild elephants. Travel is by energy-efficient vehicles and bicycle, with stays at certified eco-lodges.
Activities include mingling with locals, touring UNESCO World Heritage Sites, night and boat safaris, jungle ruins, a visit to an elephant rehabilitation camp, whale watching, observing newborn turtles at Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, and biking through coconut and tea plantations. This trip focuses on the local benefits of tourism by working directly with the remote communities visited. The gateway city is Colombo. The per person double rate is $5,086. While there are set monthly departures throughout 2016, Sri Lanka is truly a year round destination for anyone wishing to set up a private itinerary. See: http://www.wildland.com/trips/asia/sri-lanka/wild-sri-lanka/overview.aspx
Into the Wilds of the Osa Peninsula goes where elusive jungle cats still roam in Costa Rica. This eight-day itinerary ventures deep into the Corcovado National Park, identified by National Geographic as “one of the most biologically intense places on the planet.” Here on the Osa Peninsula hiking through rainforests, kayaking coastal waterways and rivers and snorkeling from pristine beaches showcase rare and exotic species including the elusive puma and jaguar, tapir, herds of collared peccaries, sloth and assorted monkeys, all the while in a cacophony of calls and warbles of myriad tropical birds.
Trip proceeds support research and habitat preservation of Neotropical cats in the Osa. An optional overnight can be arranged in the remote and rustic facilities of the Sirena Ranger Station. The gateway city is San Jose. The per person double rate is from $3,795. Departures in 2015 are Nov. 21, and Dec. 19, 21, 23 and 26. Departures in 2016 are Jan. 9 and Feb. 11, with other dates to be announced. The Wildland Adventures staff suggests that families may want to plan this as a holiday trip. Rates for children 12 and under are $2,995. See: http://www.wildland.com/trips/central-america/costa-rica/osa-peninsula-wildland-adventure/overview.aspx
Wild Zambia Safari is a 10-day active adventure in Zambia that includes an optional night camping under the stars in the wilderness of South Luangwa National Park. Wildland travelers explore with expert wildlife guides the wonders of South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks on foot, by canoe, and in specially outfitted 4x4 safari vehicles. This is where the African walking safari originated. The trip includes a five-mile trek (guest luggage is transported ahead) from Luwi to Nsolo bush camps, tracking game through habitat where wild dogs roam among herds of buffalo, giraffe, elephant and wildebeest. Pods of hippos and noble elephants share river space while paddling the shores of Lower Zambezi National Park. Guests learn to read the sands along the river for signs of lion that may not be far away.Per person double rates are from $7,450. Departure dates are available upon request. See: http://www.wildland.com/trips/africa/zambia/Wild_Zambia_Safari/overview.aspx
Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best ‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth and Fodor’s as one of the World’s Best Tour Specialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
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Follow Wildland Adventures:
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Contact Widness & Wiggins PRfor photos, interviews, and/or more information:
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Included Are $300 per Person Savings, Complimentary Hot Air Ballooning, Conversation with Whirling Dervish and More
SEATTLE, WA, July 22, 2015– Two Autumn 2015 departures of Wildland Adventures’ already richly textured Turquoise Coast Odyssey, if booked by August 15, 2015, come with value-added benefits including a $300 per person savings, a complimentary hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia with a champagne toast, a private audience with a Sufi dervish and a visit with an American scholar and Turkish sculptor couple in Istanbul.
Departure dates are Sept. 15-27 and Oct. 6-18, 2015, for a 13-day land and sea immersion in Turkey, a country that once visited becomes a favorite among active travelers.
The per person rate (double occupancy) with the discount is $4,595. Required local flights are assessed separately at $400 per person. Tours depart with a minimum of five guests, and private charters are available. Airport transfers, accommodations (including private cabin on a Turkish gullet), guide services and entrance fees, some meals, private air-conditioned vehicles with driver, port fees and more are included.
On this Turkey itinerary that combines land excursions with a sea voyage, visitors experience the dynamics of a changing secular society, observing sophisticates in Istanbul and agrarians in remote villages whose lives resemble snapshots of past centuries.
Kurt Kutay, founder of Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/), hails from Turkey (see: Kutay family Turkish heritage). He understands this culture and is accomplished in selecting in-country guides who, he says, “are exceptionally knowledgeable about Turkey’s ancient history and the conquerors and civilizations who have passed through this land bridge between Europe and Asia.”
From shipboard and on land, Wildland travelers are introduced to some of the earliest civilizations known to man through tours of bazaars, markets, hidden churches in Cappadocia, Crusader castles and ancient Roman, Greek and Byzantine ruins.
But more than a history lesson, this active trip embraces hiking, kayaking and swimming while meeting locals in their routine daily lives -- especially at the dining table where an ample culinary budget allows guests to try a new Turkish dish every day. Accommodations range from boutique hotels in historic buildings to restored Ottoman homes; some Wildland trips include home stays with the Topkhara family in Uruntu village, a family Kurt has known for 25 years over three generations. While enjoying captivating stories, guests learn how to make gozleme flat bread and are invited to sample grapes, figs and apricots that are abundant here.
After walking the historic streets of Istanbul (Constantinople) and riding a local ferry on the Bosphorus, guests transfer by air to the bizarre geological formations of Cappadocia. Here on the Anatolian plateau are underground dwellings and Christian Orthodox churches carved into the volcanic tuft to escape persecution of Romans. Here guests are invited to a private audience in an old caravanserai with a traditional Sufi dervish to learn more of whirling dervish, Sufism and Islam. Here, too, is a spellbinding balloon ride over Cappadocia at dawn – with a champagne toast.
Another short flight brings guests to the 1st Century AD Roman city of Ephesus and an overnight in a rural village guesthouse.
For six days guests voyage in the wake of ancient mariners aboard a 12-passenger, two-masted schooner called a gullet that anchors in quiet coves to access footpaths leading through herb-scented hills to ruins and remote villages. The trip ends in Antalya after exploring Crusader castles, a Greek theater, 4th CenturyBCELycianhouse-tombscarvedoutofrockamidstrichly decoratedfacadesonhighcliffs, a 3rd Century Christian church and Roman ruins. Guests fly back to Istanbul for a final night together.
Wildland Adventures guests arrive and depart from Istanbul where over several days the Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Hippodrome waft scents and legends overlooking the Bosphorus. Here they may meet for wine and conversation with a Wildland Adventures’ alumna who fell in love with Turkey, American scholar Meg Russet, and her husband, Zafar Sari, a Turkish sculptor.
For complete information please see: http://www.wildland.com/trips/mediterranean/turkey/Turquoise_Coast_Odyssey/overview.aspx
Wildland Adventure also offers a 15-day Heart of Turkey Family Adventure that includes stays in village homes; a 12-day Phoenician-style gulet cruise, Voyaging Among the Dodecanese of Greece and Turkey; and a 9-day Highlights of Turkey adventure. The company can arrange custom trips and private gullet charters on custom itineraries.
About Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth andFodor’s as one of the World’s Best Tour Specialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
# # #
Follow Wildland Adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildTravel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures
Media Contact for photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/
Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave
SEATTLE, WA, May 19, 2015– Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/), a family-owned adventure travel company with 30 years of first-hand experience traveling with kids and grandchildren offers insights for active families planning an escape this year with children, teens or young adults.
“From the beginning we designed our Wildland Family Adventures to be fun encounters in nature and authentic cross-cultural experiences among indigenous communities that change the way we see the world and benefit the places and people we visit,” explains Kurt Kutay, company founder and president. He developed their family program together with partner and vice-president, Anne Kutay. The premise of their family trips are summarized in their list of 7 tips for your best family adventure vacation.
For families with children (ages 5-10): When venturing beyond amusement parks and beach resorts, Wildland recommends trips closer to home, perhaps in Alaska or Latin America where it’s easy to get away in summer or to escape during winter school holidays. Flight times are shorter and there is little time change in destinations such as Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Here in abundance are family-friendly accommodations, fun outdoor activities, close encounters with wildlife and beaches for relaxed together under the sun.
Kids love meeting their host country counterparts; parents want their children to see how other families live. Wildland helps foster direct cultural connections by giving a soccer ball to every young traveler at the start of their trip. The mission is to give it away to a local child during the tour. Instead of eating exclusively at restaurants or hotels, the company arranges lunches in rural homes, bringing families together to learn from each other.
Key considerations when traveling with young kids are shorter drives, longer stays with fewer accommodations changes, staying in places with more things to do in the vicinity, and assigning guides who are themselves are parents or teachers and whose specialty is leading small family groups of young children and adults.
Leading a new family adventure every year as their son was growing up, the Kutays were constantly expanding and enhancing Wildland’s family travel program based on their own first-hand experience.
“As our son was growing up, we realized we needed to expand the scope of our family travel programs by creating more active and in-depth adventures for families with older kids,” explains Anne Kutay. “We kept reaching out into the world; going on safari in Africa, riding camels in the Sahara Desert of Morocco, or exploring the jungles, villages and islands of Southeast Asia.” With its own family heritage in Turkey, Wildland travelers of all ages are received as family on adventures in Istanbul, Cappadocia and along the Mediterranean coast of this ancient land.
“It’s important for families to choose a travel company that is flexible in every sense: meals, timing and activities must dovetail with the abilities and interests of young people, whether it’s snorkeling or spelunking, seeing reptiles or monkeys,” advises Grettel Calderon, Wildland’s Central America Program Director living in Costa Rica.
Specialist family guides balance age-appropriate information delivered to young travelers with lots of fun activities so the kids are amazed and engaged as they discover the world around them. “Our pre-trip packets mailed to families when they sign up include booklets, maps, reading lists and laminated wildlife cards that build anticipation and will help young travelers identify the wildlife they see here,” added Calderon.
For Tweens (ages 11-14): Wildland’s trips for this age group are more active and venture deep into the Amazon and Andes of South America, or on safari in Africa offer more opportunities to learn about other cultures by joining in daily life, participating in native rituals, and mixing it up with local families.
“We help families with young adults plan adventures that may be impossible to find or risky to do on their own, such as nocturnal wildlife safaris in the Amazon, participating in a special “pago a la tierra” ceremony honoring “Pachamama” Mother Earth with an Andean shaman, and home-stays or meals with local families,” adds Wildland’s South America expert Gretchen Traut.In India, short walking tours in Delhi are led by former street children just a little older than Wildland’s young visitors who experience a real-world, first-hand lesson in poverty, the value of education and gratitude. Family safaris in East Africa include opportunities to live in a Maasai village in Kenya, and in Tanzania to hunt with bushman using bow and arrow. Young students are also invited to participate in hands-on field work with local students in the Galapagos Islands as part of the company’s Ecology Project International on their Galapagos Family Research Adventure.
For Young Adults ages 15-20: Wildland pushes the experience envelope for young adults with whitewater rafting, sand-boarding on a volcano in Nicaragua, rappelling down a waterfall in Costa Rica, challenging hiking in Patagonia and walking on safari in Africa, activities that break parents and kids out of normal roles and routines. Together on a Wildland Family Adventure young adults and parents may be on par ability-wise and share the joy of accomplishment; or roles may be reversed where the son or daughter has greater ability, strength and confidence, bringing family members closer together through a new shared experience and appreciation for each other. Young adults also seek more independence and optional activities that may be more challenging than parents are ready to undertake. Wildland guides will often engage them one-on-one as peers, thus appealing to their emerging sense of self.
As a pioneering company in ecotourism Wildland supports conservation and community development projects throughout the world under the auspices of its non-profit Travelers Conservation Trust. Wildland’s destination specialists often facilitate special arrangements for families with teens to give back through projects such as building and supplying schools for Maasai in Africa, supporting a community center where young Quechua students can study after school, and, as did a Seattle family, launching a fund-raising campaign at home before their trip in order to deliver a sorely needed van for an orphanage in Tanzania.
The company has shared what parents and kids are saying about their Wildland Adventures in their family travel reviews. To speak with a travel planner or for more information, space availability and reservations contact Wildland Adventures at1-800-345-4453, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit http://www.wildland.com/.
About Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they designed and led family adventures throughout the world raising their son, now traveling with their teenage grandson. They continue to refine and evolve their Wild Style of travel based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best ‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth and Fodor’s as one of the World’s Best Tour Specialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
# # #
Follow Wildland Adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildTravel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures
Media Contact for photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/
Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave
SEATTLE, WA, Mar. 16, 2015– Wildland Adventures’ Turquoise Coast Odyssey offered this season is a 13-day land and sea immersion in Turkey with an itinerary distinguished from the norm with details woven like puzzle pieces to help guests unravel the Gordian Knot that is this country’s complicated history and culture.
This is an active trip with hiking, kayaking and swimming splashed with antiquities that bring visitors close to earth and sea where Greeks, Romans, early Christians, Byzantine and Ottoman empires perched and clutched, each successive civilization leaving its mark on the culture, folklore and way of life of Turkish people today.
How Wildland Adventures’ guests come to perceive the diverse civilizations of this ancient land has everything to do with Kurt Kutay who founded Wildland Adventures in 1986 and who has strong family roots in Turkey. For him this trip is highly personal.
“The Turquoise Coast Odyssey is one of our flagship trips at Wildland Adventures. After a lifetime of traveling to Turkey visiting my own family, our travelers are received by the most exceptionally knowledgeable and fun-loving guides who treat you like family and friends,” he said. Thanks to having personally sourced off-the-beaten-path gems that relay the story of this country, guests explore beyond the borders of the usual tour. For example, they
· Lodge in unique historic accommodations including boutique cave hotels in Cappadocia, restored Ottoman-style properties and village homes.
· Experience daily village life beyond the expected tour of historic sites.
· Dine at Kutay’s favorite restaurants and cafes to experience local hospitality where a different Turkish dish is sampled every day. (Most tours have fixed menus and/or limited food budgets; these tours don’t.)
· Rub elbows with Istanbul residents on a commuter ferry; they’re going home even as a Bosporus seaside restaurant anticipates the arrival of Wildland Adventures’ guests.
· Enjoy sundowners at the top of an ancient monastery overlooking the Mediterranean.
· Walk through and witness the active dig and restoration of the Terrace Houses at Ephesus; this is a whole hillside of homes where Ephesians lived; elaborate mosaics being unearthed and restored depicting the life of wealthy Romans in 1 BCE.
· Be received as family by exceptionally knowledgeable guides by virtue of Kutay’s family Turkish heritage and a lifetime of visiting Turkey.
Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/) guests arrive and depart from Istanbul where over two days the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Hippodrome waft scents and legends from their own perches overlooking the Bosporus.
A short flight to Cappadocia and a stay at a cave hotel here introduce medieval churches carved into nearby caves and painted by Christian Orthodox monks. A women’s co-op restaurant brings guests into the intricacies and flavors of a regional cuisine. Another flight transports travelers to the one-time merchant port of Ephesus where the skeleton of a library holds visitors in thrall above ground in contrast to the archaeological dig site that reveals the mosaics underground. Here on the sea guests lodge in an Ottoman-style bungalow in a small village.
Then come five nights aboard a 12-passenger gulet for an all-inclusive voyage along the Turquoise Coast. This journey in part is described in minute detail in The Lycian Shore, a book by British explorer Freya Stark. Persia and Greece traded their “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” here, imbuing the coastline with still-standing ruins accessed by hiking on ancient footpaths from hidden coves through herb-scented hills. The trip ends in Antalya after active days exploring Crusader castles, a Greek theater, 4thcenturyBCELycianhouse-tombscarvedoutofrockamidstrichly-decoratedfacadesonhighcliffs, a 3rd century Christian church and Roman ruins, to name a few.
Departure dates are May 26, Sept. 15 and Oct. 6. Per person rates (double occupancy) are from $4,895 depending on the number of people in a tour. Local flights are assessed separately. A tour will depart with a minimum of five guests, and private charters are available. Airport transfers, accommodations (including private cabin on a Turkish gulet), guide services and entrance fees, some meals, private air-conditioned vehicles with driver, port fees and more are included.
For complete information please see: http://www.wildland.com/trips/mediterranean/turkey/Turquoise_Coast_Odyssey/overview.aspx
Wildland Adventure also offers a 15-day Heart of Turkey Family Adventure that includes stays in village homes; a 12-day Phoenician-style gulet cruise, Voyaging Among the Dodecanese of Greece and Turkey; and a 9-day Highlights of Turkey adventure. The company can arrange custom trips and private gullet charters on custom itineraries.
About Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth and Fodor’s as one of the World’sBestTourSpecialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
# # #
Follow Wildland Adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildTravel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures
Media Contact for photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/
Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave
SEATTLE, WA, Jan. 29, 2015– Wildland Adventures believes that Darwin’s survival of the fittest applies to the outcome of its home team, the Seattle-based Seahawks, as they compete in this Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, AZ.
Expressing confidence in their team’s victory, Wildland Adventures is celebrating with its own Galapagos Adventure Bowl by offering a 10 percent savings on a cruise through the Galapagos Islands in 2015. And the kicker: if the hometown Seahawks win, another $500 comes off the adventure package.
The small country of Ecuador is a player in this year’s half-time advertising break during the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. This is the first time the country has decided to promote itself in such an ambitious way to a huge US audience and it will be the only destination to be promoted in this event.
Why so bullish on the Seattle Seahawks? "Like Darwin's observations of physical and behavioral characteristics of animals in the Galapagos, we have studied and documented the extreme levels of strength, size and speed among individual Seahawk players and we predict they will dominate in the Arizona bowl habitat,” said Sherry Howland, the company's Galapagos Program Director and most ardent Seahawks supporter.
For details on Wildland Adventures Galapagos Adventure Bowl, please see: http://www.wildland.com/trips/south-america/ecuador-and-galapagos/galapagos-adventure-bowl/overview.aspx
While aboard a deluxe 20-passenger yacht for eight days (the total package is 11 days/10 nights), guests explore where Darwin once roamed. They also enjoy three nights on the Ecuador mainland connecting through the capital city of Quito.
Galapagos Adventure Bowlis available only for new bookings made from Feb. 1-28, 2015 for departures in 2015. Space is limited by availability. Best available dates in 2015 are Sept. 4, 11, 18, 27, Oct. 25 and Dec. 4, 11. Other dates are available on request. Galapagos Adventure Bowl savings are not applicable with other discount programs.
About Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. They are actively at its helm and continuously refining and evolving their The results are lasting bonds -- intercultural, interpersonal and environmental -- wherever Wildland Adventures travels as well as their family-like community of enlightened, passionate travelers who have experienced how to focus on what matters most. Intrinsic to Wildland Adventures are strong personal connections with guests, especially the relationships Kurt, Anne and the Program directors have with alumni.
For more information contact Wildland Adventures at; 1-800-345-4453, visit http://www.wildland.com/ or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
# # #
Media Contact:
Jonathan Burnham, Marketing Director
Phone: 206.365.0686 / Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/
Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave
Follow Wildland Adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildTravel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
SEATTLE, Dec 10, 2014– Following the path less-touristed, Wildland Adventures’ nine-day Costa Rica Far-Flung Family Adventure targets families with adventurous teens. This itinerary brings travelers from the Caribbean to the Pacific on river rafts, surf boards, zip lines and small aircraft, enroute viewing exotic wildlife, helping local youngsters brush up on English, dining well and overnighting in some of Costa Rica’s foremost ecolodges.
Scheduled departures are Dec. 20-28, 2014; Dec. 26-Jan. 3, 2015; Jan. 10-18 and Feb. 14-22, 2015. The group size is a maximum of 12. The per person double rate is from $3,995. Private departures may be arranged upon request and the program can be tweaked for families with young children or adults only.
This itinerary unique to Wildland Adventures was created by Grettel Calderon, the company’s Central America Program Director and a native “Tica” from Costa Rica, who for 20 years has been designing eco tours to Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Guatemala.The ingredients of her expert mix of adventures include wildlife viewing in cloud forests and jungles, natural history, cultural exchange, active adventures and local cuisine.
This off-the-tourist-track adventure brings guests from San Jose to the Pacuare River for Class III-IV whitewater rafting before a two-hour boat trip to Tortuguero National Park, so remote it can be accessed only by jungle canals or small air charter. A short repositioning flight back to San Jose points guests in the direction of the Pacific and an ecolodge a short distance from the beach in the Dominical region that accesses Marino Ballena (Whales) National Park, Osa Animal Sanctuary, Corcovado National Park and Cano Island, one of the most prolific humpback whale migratory routes and dolphin habitats in Central America.
“Many areas of Costa Rica that aren’t promoted to visitors have a lot to offer and Dominical is one of them. We've located still-secluded beaches surrounded with lush tropical forests teeming with wildlife, and pristine tropical waters where marine life thrives,” Calderon underscored.
“We've discovered wonderful local restaurants that offer extraordinary culinary experiences. For example this little rural town of Ojocha is nothing but amazing restaurants where local ex-pat resident chefs who have moved there from France, Italy and Indonesia, have blended recipes from home with fresh tropical ingredients and Tico-style cooking to open restaurants in their homes and gardens offering creative cuisines in an ambiance you would never expect in the middle of nowhere,” she said.
In her years of scouting trips Calderon has recently uncovered new private reserves, small coves and barely known beaches, an animal rehab sanctuary, off-the-tourist-track villages to visit and some of the hemisphere’s best whale watching.
Kurt Kutay, who founded Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/) in 1986 after having worked for the Costa Rican National Park Service, noted that “most outfitters run insensitive (and even illegal) whale viewing trips and Grettel found the right boat operator who provides education and great viewing in comfortable and safe boats. Another far-flung aspect of this trip is that we return overland from the southern coast over the Cerro de la Muerte mountain pass, stopping for a hike in the new Los Quetzales National Park where there are good chances of seeing the Holy Grail of birdwatching – the Resplendent Quetzal.”
In Tortuguero, besides kayaking, boat and village tours, families may join locals in a fun and interactive word adventure game helping kids learn a bit of English (while guests practice their Spanish). On the Pacific participants can join in several water activities: outrigger kayaking (an ancient form of kayaking), regular kayaking or stand up paddle boarding. Enroute to Caño Island looking for whales, a stop is made at Playa Violines, a secluded beach accessed through mangrove forest on the Sierpe River. Here are opportunities for sightings of monkeys, sloth, crocodile, boa constrictor, iguana and more before reaching the ocean.
Departures are guaranteed for two or more people. Group is limited to 12 people. The trip begins and ends with overnights in San Jose. See: http://www.wildland.com/trips/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-far-flung-family-adventure/overview.aspx#/overview
For more information and reservations contact Wildland Adventures at1-800-345-4453 or by email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
About Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth andFodor’s as one of the World’s Best Tour Specialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on 6 continents in 37 countries.
# # #
Follow Wildland Adventures
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildTravel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures
Media Contact for photos, interviews, press trips and/or more information:
Widness & Wiggins PR
Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website and Portfolio of Past Releases: http://www.travelnewssource.com/
Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave