The Holbrook Explorer
Where we travel
Photo of the Month: February 2020
Long flights and dusty roads were quickly forgotten as we entered Serengeti National Park. While traveling to our lodge we saw an endangered rhino, regal lions, ponderous elephants, “necking” giraffes, a mother leopard frolicking with her baby posing up on the top of the rock kopi for dramatic...
Trip preview: Costa Rican Whales and Dolphins
Costa Rica’s south Pacific coast is known for its rich biodiversity both above and below the ocean surface. Guest contributor and trip leader and Alicia Amerson—marine biologist, PMP-certified project manager, and wildlife conservation storyteller—shares a preview of her upcoming trip, Whale...
Photo of the Month: January 2020
Our group was out birding in the Mindo area, when we spotted this Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus) flitting about the vegetation alongside the trail. Its iridescent blues and greens rivaled many of the birds we'd been seeing and photographing, and we all scrambled for our macro lenses. We took...
Holbrook's 2020 Calendar
Each year, we ask our travelers to submit their favorite photos from their journeys with us for a chance to be featured in our annual calendar. This year, we had many great submissions, and it was a challenge to narrow it down. We're excited to share the finished result! Thank you to everyone who...
Photo of the Month: December 2019
Would Costa Rica be the same after twenty years? I saw similar fauna and flora on both Holbrook trips (1997 Elderhostel Naturalist Study; 2017 Road Scholar Photography), but in different locations. Instead of hiking jungle trails in 1997 to spot birds and animals, abundant wildlife in 2017 were in...
Photo of the Month: November 2019
Every day we are surprised by a new dawn but it is worth waiting to see how the night falls in the bay of Havana. Beautiful colors that make you sigh and wish that this part of the day was eternal. Havana, beautiful Havana, is a part of its great colors that everyone should know. Jesus Gonzalez...
Photo of the Month: October 2019
Our entire group was eating dinner when we spotted the swarming action occurring on this spectacular, 20-foot-high century plant on the grounds of our hotel in Paracas, Peru. For nearly an hour, we got “spaghetti arms” while our cameras and flashes got heavier as we held them overhead, taking...
Photo of the Month: September 2019
Santa Cruz was the fifth and final island that we visited in the Galápagos archipelago. Each island had its own unique geography, flora, and fauna, presenting our group with vistas that we had never seen before (and, indeed, didn’t know existed!) day after day. The island of Santa Cruz is most...
Photo of the Month: August 2019
One of the most untouched and beautiful areas of the world, Patagonia includes parts of Chile and Argentina at the southernmost tip of South America. Our group traveled here aboard the Australis expedition cruise ship enjoying spectacular glaciers, endemic seabirds, penguins, and even leopard seals...
Photo of the Month: July 2019
We had an amazing 5 days of birding and photography in Mindo and the Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador. Located in a transitional area, it is one of the most biologically diverse regions of the planet. It is part of the Choco biogeographic region that starts in Panama and continues into Colombia and then...
Bucket List: Mexico
Encompassing mountains and oceans, jungles and deserts, Mexico is an ecologically diverse country hosting some of the world’s most amazing natural phenomena, endemic flora and fauna, and breathtaking landscapes. Meanwhile, the indigenous and colonial influences and unique history of each region are...
Photo of the Month: June 2019
Leading a group of students to Tanzania as part of our field biology class, Steve Kaye and I were slightly apprehensive as to whether or not this trip would be as wonderful as the previous two. This trip did not disappoint and ended up being familiar yet different, comfortable yet exciting. After...