The Holbrook Explorer
Where we travel
Photo of the Month: August 2018
On the second day of our Holbrook Costa Rica birding trip, we made a stop at a small roadside restaurant at Cinchona Mirador to watch the bird feeders. At first, the Northern Emerald-Toucanet was retiring until the bananas were replenished. Unable to resist temptation, he finally came in for...
Tanzania: Pride of Africa
From the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, to the grassy lion-filled plains of the Serengeti, to the Maasai people of the North region, Tanzania is home to not just a few, but countless natural and cultural phenomena. We sat down with Holbrook’s in-country operations director Lucas Mhina to get some...
Namibia: A Land of Superlatives
Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. As a republic, it's relatively young—it gained independence from South Africa in 1990—yet it's home to the world's oldest desert, as well as some of its highest sand dunes and clearest night skies. It holds the largest population...
Photo of the Month: July 2018
This lioness appeared among the yellow wildflowers, which I later learned were bidens and aspilia, at the bottom of the Ngorongoro Crater. It was a bright sunny morning, and the vast sea of yellow flowers against the blue walls of the crater was just beautiful. She was stalking two adult Cape...
Photo of the Month: June 2018
During a work trip for caye inspections in Belize, I was struck by the sheer number of conch shells that littered the white-sand beaches. I saw conch shells doubling as property dividers, as pathways, and even as a sort of natural sandbag to help with beach erosion. I heard tales of the beautiful...
Photo of the Month: May 2018
While exploring along the above ground pathway at Aninga Lodge, set in the wilds of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, the rustle of leaves and movement in overhead branches caught my attention. Could it be one of the many species of beautiful birds, one of the several species of monkeys, a shuffling sloth?...
Reforesting hope: Costa Rica, conservation, and ecotourism
When it comes to conservation, Costa Rica is small but mighty. Its success story stands as a testament to the idea that it’s never too late to reverse negative environmental impact: by the 1980s, Costa Rica had the highest deforestation rate in Latin America – a particularly dispiriting fact when...
Photo of the Month: April 2018
Having led groups to Kenya before, I was excited to have the chance to return to East Africa and visit northern Tanzania, including the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. Much to my surprise, it was Tarangire National Park that stole my heart, with its healthy elephant herds, giraffe...
Ecuador: Four Worlds, One Country
Mainland Ecuador is a destination that often takes a back seat to its Central and South American neighbors, not to mention getting cast in the shadow of the ever-popular Galápagos Islands. Why is it that a country that’s home to some of the most biodiverse locations on Earth and is rich with...
Protecting Whale Sharks Through Citizen Science
Using data collected in part by citizen scientists, research offers new insights into the behavior and migration patterns of an elusive species—the whale shark. Reaching an average of 32 feet in length and weighing 20,000 pounds, whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the largest fish species alive...
Photo of the Month: March 2018
Patagonia changes you. In this land at the end of the world, the clear, sharp air permeates you and is driven marrow-deep by the forever wind. A land of stark contrasts, this is the home of colorful lupines, majestic Andean condors, and crystal blue glaciers that beckon in the distance. When winter...
Photo of the Month: February 2018
The hike to the peak of Huayna Picchu is not for the faint of heart: the trail is a switchback built by the Inca. Incredibly steep and narrow stairs, at times dropping sharply off the side of the mountain, make up the majority of the hike. There’s hardly any signage, nor is it staffed by park...