Plan a nature tour for your Audubon chapter!

Celebrating 40 years of travel planning in select destinations around the globe, Holbrook Travel’s expertise helps Audubon chapters and other wildlife organizations experience the incredible biodiversity that our planet has to offer.

Travel can provide a unique and rewarding way to benefit your organization by:

  • raising funds
  • boosting membership affinity
  • engaging donors
  • meeting new and like-minded people
  • educating members about conservation
  • learning about birds and world cultures\

Our knowledgeable team customizes each tour to complement the mission and goals of your organization – your destination, your dates, and your specifications. Our programs include a free escort for 8-15 participants and a donation of your choice (most groups choose $100-300 per person). Just prior to travel we send you a check! Some conservation organizations have raised $50,000 hosting trips in less than ten years, in addition to building member affinity and lifelong friendships. Call us today to begin planning!

We handle all the details of enrollment and payment for you. We also offer liability coverage under our $3 million umbrella. There is no upfront monetary obligation on your part, only your agreement to promote the trip and help create the marketing plan. We’ll provide enrollment support, a color flyer, a private access webpage (can be public on our site if you wish) as well as photos and blurbs for posting on your site, if desired. The tough part is choosing where to travel!

Over the years, we’ve worked with many birding and wildlife organizations, academic institutions, and natural history enthusiasts. A few of our recent clients include:
  • Merritt Island Wildlife Association
  • Friends of the Bosque del Apache
  • Eagle Optics/Swarovski
  • Audubon Texas
  • Lake Region Audubon Society
  • Lahontan Audubon Society
  • Sarasota Audubon Society
  • Manatee Audubon Society
  • Virginia Aquarium
  • Friends of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
  • Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History/Operation RubyThroat
  • San Diego Audubon Society
  • Texas Association of Biology Teachers
  • Julie Zickefoose, author of The Bluebird Effect
  • Road Scholar (the program provider for Elderhostel, Inc.)

Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve

In 1984, Holbrook Travel’s founder Giovanna Holbrook traveled to Costa Rica and rescued 500 acres of primary and secondary rainforest from deforestation. The land is now home to Selva Verde, an eco-lodge and private reserve that protects hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, plants, and birds, including the endangered Great Green Macaw. Keel-billed Toucans, Wood Thrushes, Grey-necked Wood Rails, Sunbitterns, and Violet-crowned Woodnymphs are just a few of the many birds that inhabit the reserve.

 

Mesoamerican Biological Corridor

 

Selva Verde’s Rainforest Reserve has been identified as a critical piece of a much larger corridor initiative known as the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC). The MBC is an international initiative that links critical habitats from southern Mexico to Panama in an effort to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development throughout this ecologically fragile region. Selva Verde sits in the middle of the San Juan-La Selva section of the MBC and provides habitat for one of the corridor’s most endangered species – the Great Green Macaw. Less than 200 of these birds can be found in Costa Rica. The macaw’s very existence is tied to the Almendro tree – the bird’s preferred nesting and food source. The wood of the Almendro is also a very desirable building material and has been extensively logged throughout the Sarapiquí. Selva Verde’s reserve protects one of the largest Almendro trees in the region and macaws are frequently seen in and around the preserve. Selva Verde is committed to working with local and regional conservation organizations to save Great Green Macaws and the Almendro tree.

 

The Costa Rica Bird Route

 

The Costa Rica Bird Route (CRBR) features twelve birding hotspots – including six established biological reserves and six newly created private reserves. Opened in April 2008, it is the first of its kind in Central America. It is organized and managed by the Rainforest Biodiversity Group, with funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Act. Selva Verde is one of the CRBR's portal sites and serves as a base camp with comfortable accommodations, dining facilities, and excellent on-site birding opportunities. From Selva Verde, Bird Route visitors can easily access the newly created remote sites, owned by local community members. Day visits to these remote sites provide visitors with the opportunity to explore brand new, off-the-beaten-path wildlife areas. Local landowners receive economic benefits from your visit which encourages them to preserve natural habitats on their property and throughout the region.