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The annual list of the best wildlife-viewing tours to North, Central, and South America has just been released by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). With a focus on protecting and preserving North American wildlife, NWF is uniquely positioned to help the eco-traveler make sense of a crowded and often confusing marketplace. Type wildlife tour into an Internet search engine and the results can be in the millions. After reviewing itineraries to nearly every major wildlife-viewing spot in the Americas, NWF has selected the 15 best wildlife viewing tours of 2011. The 15 selected tours can be found at www.nwf.org/expeditions.

The 15 selected tours range from a volunteer trip with scientists to study bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Belize, to exploring the wildlife and wild places of Hawaii. There is a cruise through the Amazonian rainforest over Christmas and an exploration of Everglades in southern Florida. Selected programs also feature some lesser-known gems like the biologically diverse Big Bend National Park in Texas, and the Black Hills of South Dakota.

NWF considered a variety of factors in selecting these trips. The conservation group only selected trips operated by tour companies that believe in the highest standards of responsible tourism. They also selected the most experienced tour operators that use some of the world’s best nature guides. Also a key factor was price, and tours were evaluated with an eye towards terrific values. Many trips are priced below $2,000 per person.

Once the trips are hand-picked, NWF works with the tour companies to designate a specific date just for NWF members and friends. NWF is hoping to attract a great group of people to each tour. NWF members are curious and adventurous, and treasure the natural world. A group of like-minded travelers with a belief in protecting wildlife for our children’s future promises to be central feature of every trip. Another important feature is that every traveler can participate in one of these tours and remain carbon-neutral. NWF is offsetting the carbon footprint of all 2011Expeditions travelers, without raising the cost of the trip.

The 15 selected tours are: Christmas on the Amazon; The Whooping Cranes of Aransas, TX; Kingdom of the Monarch Butterflies; Best of the Everglades; Behind-the-Scenes in San Diego; Wild Hawaii; Big Bend—The Unexpected Texas; Bottlenose Dolphin Research in Belize; Cape Cod Wildlife and Walking; Where the Buffalo Roam (Black Hills, SD); Photographing Yellowstone; Wolves, Bears, Geysers (Yellowstone); Wild Alaska; Galapagos; and Wild Caribbean. For complete details about NWF’s Expeditions, call 800-606-9563, e-mail expeditions@nwf.org or visit nwf.org/expeditions.

Escorted tour operator The Travel Department has launched its new Autumn 2010 range of escorted China Holidays. The holidays include a 10 night tour to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai and a 9 night package to Beijing. Both packages are available from London, Edinburgh and Belfast starting from 3 October 2010.

The holidays are escorted and feature guided tours to key cultural and historical sites, including The Great Wall of China, Tian an Men Square and The Imperial Summer Palace.

Escorted tours are a popular way to experience China which has experienced huge growth in sightseeing holidays. On the Travel Department packages, holiday-makers benefit from the experience and knowledge of the local tour guides and also get to socialise as a group in the evenings with meals in local restaurants included.

All holidays include 5 star hotel accommodation, return flights, guided excursions with professional tour guides, evening meals and all transfers. Prices start from £775 + tax.

Escorted China holiday Details

Beijing
From London, Edinburgh and Belfast

9 Nights
Times: October and November 2010
From €775 + tax

Holiday includes:
Guided tours of The Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Beijing Zoo, the Great Wall, The Imperial Summer Palace and a rickshaw tour.
8 nights 5 star accommodation
Return flights and coach transfers

Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing
From London, Edinburgh and Belfast

10 Nights
Times: October – November 2010
From £1175 + tax

Holiday includes:
5 star hotel accommodation in Beijing (5 nights), Shanghai (2 nights) and Xi’an (2 nights).
Evening restaurant meals each night

Guided tours include:

Beijing: Tian An Men Square, The Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Beijing Zoo, the Great Wall, The Imperial Summer Palace and a rickshaw tour;
Shanghai: Pudong Development Zone, old town of Shanghai;
Xi’an: Old City Wall and The Terra Cotta Army.

The Travel Department background

The Travel Department is a leading operator of escorted holidays worldwide. Their holidays offer a professionally planned itinerary, the expert knowledge of a local guide and the convenience of booking an “all-in” package.

Operating to over 40 countries around the world, The Travel Department offer a wide and varied range of holiday destinations and types. The company offer 150 destinations worldwide ranging from leading European locations including France, Italy and Spain, to long haul destinations in Asia, Africa, Australasia and The Americas.

The Travel Department’s holiday types range from popular sightseeing and cultural holidays and weekend breaks through to motor sports, garden, wine, single-friendly, cruise holidays and activity breaks.

TOURific Escapes says, “See the stars.” TOURific Escapes is a new food and sightseeing tour company located in Los Angeles offering a unique view of Hollywood. “We want to show locals and travelers visiting Hollywood how fantastic our city is, treating guests as if they were our best friends in town for the weekend,” says co-founder Matt Rubenstein.

The tour will focus on the fantastic sights Hollywood has to offer. You’ll go from the Kodak Theater, where the Oscars are held every year, to trendy Melrose and down the legendary Sunset Strip, as well as a few other surprise locales.

“I love to eat, and I really enjoy trying new restaurants of all types,” notes tour director Trish Procetto, as she explains that you’ll not only see Hollywood, but enjoy some delicious food from both historic and trendy celebrity chef-owned restaurants on this fun-filled tour. “I always get hungry while on tour, so why not incorporate delicious bites while our guests learn about the fascinating Hollywood history,” explains Trish.

The cost of the tour is $85 per person with a reduced rate for kids under 12. Included is a fully escorted tour with tasty treats from 4-5 food stops along the way. You’ll spend about 4 hours seeing and eating the in’s and out’s of Hollywood attractions.

Travelers have nine new chances to explore Cairo, embark on a four-night Nile River cruise, roam the Lost City of Petra, and more with Friendly Planet TravelPyramids and Nile Cruise. They include: Jan. 12, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 23, March 9, March 16, April 6, April 27, and May 4. For $2,099, travelers can stand in the shadow of the Sphinx, gaze at the pyramids of Giza, tour the city of Cairo, sail down the Nile River, and more. Egypt’s contrast of ancient treasures and contemporary cities has made it one of the world’s most popular travel destinations, and Friendly Planet has put together nine first-class tours highlighting the most desirable sites and exotic locales Egypt has to offer.

Included in the price are roundtrip flights from New York (JFK) via EgyptAir; five-star hotel accommodations at the Ramses Hilton or Cairo Sheraton; four nights aboard the five-star Tamr Henna ship in outside balcony cabin; all internal flights; ground transportation and transfers, with assistance and porterage; daily breakfast buffet and all meals aboard the cruises; comprehensive sightseeing programs, including a half-day in Cairo featuring the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx; and professional, English-speaking local tour guides.

“The Pyramids and Nile Cruise is one of Friendly Planet’s most popular tours, and our signature tour to Egypt,” says Peggy Goldman, President of Friendly Planet Travel. “Almost every tour sold out in 2010, and customers continue to flood us with positive feedback from their trips. Travelers can’t seem to get enough of Egypt, so we’re jam packing the beginning of 2011 with nine departure dates. Each one is sure to sell out, so don’t wait to book your tour!

The Pyramids and Nile Cruise begins in Cairo, where you’ll stay on the bank of the Nile River in the Ramses Hilton or Cairo Sheraton hotel. Here your breath will be taken away at the sight of the Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren, which have stood for 46 centuries, and the Sphinx. Next fly to Luxor and walk the Temple of Karnak, one of the most overwhelming monuments of the Pharaonic legacy, and Luxor Temple. Then board the Tamr Henna and settle into your outside balcony cabin.

From there you begin your luxury excursion down the Nile River. The first stop is in Esna to see the Valley of the Kings and the Deir El Bahari mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. After Esna comes Edfu, home to the Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved temple. Continue sailing to Kom Ombo to the Temple of Kom Ombo. It overlooks the Nile and features fascinating drawings on the walls, including detailed drawings of surgical instruments. Lastly, you’ll disembark in Aswan to enjoy a tour by felucca, a swift Egyptian sailboat, around Elephantine Island, once the center of modern Aswan.

Head back to Cairo by air to sightsee in the cosmopolitan city or take advantage of an optional guided tour of Old Cairo. If time and budget permits, opt for the extension to the Lost City of Petra in nearby Jordan. You’ll tour the Monastery and Treasury at Petra, the Amman Citadel, the Roman Amphitheater, and more with your English-speaking guide along to explain the highlights of this amazing site.

To enjoy a longer stay in cruise including a 7-night Nile cruise, Friendly Planet also offers the 12-day Treasures of Egypt tour for $2,199. Also available is the eight-day Pyramids and Petra tour for only $1,799, which offers a taste of Egypt’s antiquities in and around Cairo plus a visit to Amman, Jordan’s capital and the amazing Petra.

For more information about Friendly Planet Travel’s Egypt tours, departure dates, full itineraries, and booking, please visit the company’s website at www.FriendlyPlanet.com, the blog at http://blog.friendlyplanet.com, or contact Ann Marie Gorden at 610-228-2120 (office), 267-249-7765 (mobile), or write to AnnMarie@GregoryFCA.com.

ABOUT FRIENDLY PLANET TRAVEL

Friendly Planet Travel (www.FriendlyPlanet.com) makes high-quality exotic travel affordable for everyone. Since 1981, Friendly Planet Travel has been arranging all-inclusive escorted discount vacation packages and cruises to the most exciting destinations in the world at the lowest possible prices.

Each year, Friendly Planet Travel offers more than 30 different group travel packages to Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America-at discounts of hundreds of dollars off similar vacations. With no hidden charges, add-ons or surprises, Friendly Planet Travel vacations include convenient flights and airfare, carefully-selected first-class and superior hotels, knowledgeable English-speaking guides, many meals and itineraries as well as friendships and memories that last a lifetime.

Friendly Planet Travel offers its extensive, economical travel services to private groups including universities, religious institutions, alumni associations and families. Groups who wish to travel together can count on Friendly Planet Travel’s three decades of experience to operate their group travel program expertly and always at the very best possible prices.

Visit us at www.FriendlyPlanet.com.