The Holbrook Explorer
Where we travel
Photo of the Month: April 2022
We weren’t really sure about traveling when we did our Costa Rica Osa Peninsula birding tour. A good friend was leading the trip to the Osa Peninsula for Grand Valley Audubon, and other good friends had joined in. We went back and forth but finally decided to take the risk. As it turned out, Costa...
Photo of the Month: March 2022
My Holbrook group was among the first back into Costa Rica after the pandemic. My eight birders and guide Erick Guzman had the lodges and trip virtually to ourselves. With Costa Rica closed for a year, the birds and other wildlife had rest from people and carried on their natural routine. We found...
Planning International Travel Again? 5 Reasons Why Costa Rica Tops the List
Around the U.S., as Americans are increasingly vaccinated, activities and events are resuming once again. But what’s the outlook for international travel? Certain countries are more prepared for visitors, and Costa Rica is one of them. Costa Rica’s strict safety protocols, growing vaccination rate...
Photo of the Month: February 2022
One of the great things about Kenya is its rich biological diversity in a relatively small country. This gives visitors the ability to see and photograph the “Big Five”: leopard, rhino, buffalo, lion and elephant on one trip. One of the main highlight is the Maasai Mara. Every year the Masaai Mara...
Photo of the Month: January 2022
We stayed on an island in Magdalena Bay where gray whales migrate each year to court, mate, and give birth to their young. The gray whales were really friendly, coming right up to the boat. They would kind of play games where they’d go under the boat, and they’d pop up. Then they would sit there,...
Photo of the Month: December 2021
This photo was taken from the rooftop of a home in Viñales, Cuba, showing a back street and how most locals get around. The home (below) is owned by a local artist, and we were lucky enough to have lunch with him. Cuban people are some of the most friendly and gracious we've ever encountered in our...
Photo of the Month: November 2021
My trip to Alaska with the Texas Association of Biology Teachers was brilliant! I believe people say “everything is bigger in Texas,” but I think Alaska gave them a run for their money. We had such an amazing and diverse travel group filled with teachers not only from Texas, but different parts of...
Photo of the Month: October 2021
Peru had been on my bucket list for a while, so I was thrilled to explore this country with a group of like-minded travelers. Although the Sacred Valley was certainly high on my list of “must-sees,” I was equally enthusiastic about time in the Peruvian Amazon basin. I had read about the amazing...
Photo of the Month: September 2021
Imagine the Grand Canyon draped in subtropical vegetation. Our Hiking & Natural History tour of Southern Africa featured Blyde River Canyon as we traveled the Panorama Route from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park. Our local guide escorted us, off the beaten path, to greet the morning light...
Photo of the Month: August 2021
Madagascar is one of the most amazing places on earth and a nature photographer's dream. The island split off from Africa over 135 million years and from India 88 million years ago, which has resulted in totally unique species of wildlife not found anywhere else on the planet. Our local guide,...
Trolls, Ponies, & Fermented Shark: Iceland's Weird Side
It's true that the Land of Fire and Ice gets its nickname from being covered in thick sheets of ice and its volatile volcanoes, but thanks to all the strangeness this country has to offer, Iceland could also be described in a number of different ways. 1. The Land of Magic and Wonder Europe's most...
Photo of the Month: July 2021
The Galápagos Islands have so many superlatives as a travel destination it is a hard pick when we ask our travelers, “What was your favorite experience?” Diving with the Galápagos Penguins, who really look like a miniature torpedoes, but much faster; walking among the flightless cormorants;...