Luxury travel company andBeyond is marking its 30th birthday by launching a series of limited-edition itineraries based on its ethos of “Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife and Care of the People.” These small-set departure trips highlight the company’s conservation successes and achievements, seeking to promote greater awareness of sustainable travel by involving even more of its guests in travel experiences that contribute towards environmental awareness and protection.
The first collection of experiences has recently been launched and includes a glimpse of South Africa’s magnificent marine phenomenon, the Sardine Run, as well as an insider’s view of some of significant conservation projects in Argentina and the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a lion translocation that reversed a local extinction in Rwanda. Led by andBeyond’s top conservation experts, all three journeys are one-off adventures scheduled to take place in 2022.
Sardine Run on South Africa's Wild Coast
Planned for June 2022, “Africa’s Greatest Marine Migration Expedition” offers divers the change to experience the annual Sardine Run, a mass movement of sardines along the east coast of South Africa—known for vast numbers of marine predators attracted by the swirling bait balls of sardines. In addition to diving opportunities amongst sharks, dolphins, whales and other giants of the deep, the expedition provides the opportunity to learn more about how all marine ecosystems are interconnected and how predator species such as sharks function as indicators of the health of these ecosystems from Oceans Without Borders program manager and expedition host Dr. Tessa Hempson. Moving north, the itinerary allows divers to explore the warmer waters of Sodwana Bay, popular for its coral reefs, while also enjoying game drives at bush walks at the nearby andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve.
This itinerary travels from June 7 to 17, 2022.
The “Impact Journey into South America” traces how andBeyond exported its 30-year impact model of conservation-led responsible travel from Africa to South America. Hosted by “conservation legend” Les Carlisle, this journey includes an in-depth view of pioneering wildlife projects aimed at protecting jaguars and pumas. In the Iberá Wetlands, guests will be introduced to Rewilding Argentina Foundation’s many projects, including a breeding program launched to bring back a species previously extinct in the area—the jaguar. In Patagonia’s Torres Del Paine National Park, the trip explores the puma sanctuary created by the Awasi Foundation; guests will learn about the monitoring techniques used to find out more about this elusive species. This South American adventure ends at andBeyond Vira Vira in the Lake District, where guests can enjoy garden-to-table dining, as well as cultural experiences with the local Mapuche people and a truly impressive range of outdoor activities.
This itinerary travels from October 16 to 29, 2022.
The lions of Phinda Private Game Reserve
The third of the limited-edition itineraries, the “Return of the Lion Expedition,” highlights a collaboration between andBeyond and African Parks that resulted in the reversal of a 15-year local extinction of lion in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park. This trip follows in the footsteps of a group of lions translocated from andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa to Rwanda. Hosted by Simon Naylor, conservation manager at andBeyond Phinda, and Drew Bantlin, conservation manager at Akagera, the trip explores the unique wildlife conservation challenges of both destinations and includes a host of hands-on conservation experiences. At andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, travelers will discover the processes undertaken to select and capture the lions for translocation, while also joining in such conservation activities as an elephant or rhino initiative or tracking the reserve’s rare pangolin. At Akagera, guests will track and participate in the monitoring of the reserve’s new pride of lions, gaining an understanding of the park’s conservation management plan, while exploring some of Africa’s most untouched wilderness areas.
This itinerary travels from October 5 to 14, 2022. All itineraries include a donation towards conservation.
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