Tauck Launches 2015 'Earth Journeys' Co-Crafted with BBC Earth

For the coming year, Tauck will offer a total of 14 Earth Journeys in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Latin America and North America. The trips will range from a safari in Tanzania and Zanzibar to an exploration of the annual polar bear migration in northern Manitoba, Canada. Other Earth Journeys include an expeditionary cruise in the Galapagos Islands designed specifically for families, and an itinerary traveling from the national parks of central and northern India to the foothills of Mt. Everest in Nepal.

Also included in the 2015 Earth Journeys portfolio are two all-new itineraries, the 10-day “Wild Alaska” exploration of America's 49th state and a Tauck Bridges family safari, “South Africa: Epic Family Adventure” (also 10 days). “Wild Alaska” (from $6,590 per person, double occupancy, plus air) begins and ends in Anchorage, and is highlighted by flightseeing over Denali's dramatic landscapes, bear-watching on Crescent Lake, wilderness hikes, a cruise on the Kenai Fjord, and multiple-night stays at wilderness lodges. The Bridges family safari in South Africa (from $6,195 per person, double occupancy, plus air) is limited to 34 guests per departure, and includes a three-night exploration in and around Cape Town, a two-night stay at the Conrad Pezula in Knysna, three nights at the Lion Sands River Lodge with daily game drives in Kruger National Park, and a day of exploration in Johannesburg.

In preparation for the coming year, Tauck and BBC Earth are initiating a broad-based marketing plan to promote the Earth Journeys partnership. Tauck featured the new trips prominently in its recently released 2015 Exotics and Small Ship Cruising brochures, and BBC Worldwide has begun highlighting the partnership across numerous platforms.

EXCLUSIVE ON-TOUR FILMS AND FILMMAKER TECHNOLOGIES

Each Earth Journey trip will leverage the vast expertise and incredible knowledge of BBC Earth storytellers. Not only are BBC Earth experts helping design each trip, but their filmmakers and narrators are producing a series of short, Tauck-exclusive films that Tauck guests will view during their travels. The films, which draw upon the world's largest archive of nature documentary footage, will provide Tauck guests with added depth, perspective and understanding of the places, flora and fauna they're experiencing during their travels. Some two-dozen films, averaging 10-15 minutes each, have already been completed. Topics covered in the films range from the complex social structure of lions in Africa, to the challenges faced by Adélie penguins in Antarctica, to the habits of grizzly bears in Alaska.

BBC Earth experts are also working with Tauck to equip each Earth Journeys adventure with some of the same cutting-edge technologies that the filmmakers use to reveal the natural world. Like the Tauck-exclusive films seen on tour, the devices (including underwater cameras, long-distance directional microphones, thermal-imaging cameras and motion-activated camera traps) will give Earth Journeys travelers a richer immersion into the destination they're visiting. Tauck personnel, including tour directors (Tauck Directors) who will guide the Earth Journeys trips, were trained on using these technologies in Alaska and in the Florida Everglades prior to the first departures this fall.

THE 2015 EARTH JOURNEYS PORTFOLIO

The 2015 collection of Earth Journeys includes 14 itineraries in Asia, Africa, Antarctica, South America and North America:

Africa:

“South Africa: Epic Family Adventure (10 days, from $6,195 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Botswana, South Africa & Zambia” (12 days, from $9,190 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari” (13 days, from $7,965 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Tanzania: Serengeti to Zanzibar” (12 days, from $6,095 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Tanzania: A Grand Family Safari” (11 days, from $6,640 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“South Africa: An Elegant Adventure” (12 days, from $7,090 pp, double occupancy, plus air)

Latin America:

“Cruising the Galapagos Islands” (9 days, from $5,740 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Galapagos: Wildlife Wonderland” (8 days, from $4,495 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Peru and the Galapagos Islands” (15 days, from $8,790 pp, double occupancy, plus air)

Asia:

“Northern India & Nepal” (17 days, from $9,940 pp, double occupancy, plus air)

Antarctica:

“Antarctica” (13 days, from $9,890 pp, double occupancy, plus air)

North America:

“Wild Alaska” (10 days, from $6,590 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Manitoba: Polar Bear Adventure” (6 days, from $6,890 pp, double occupancy, plus air)
“Alaska: Call of the Wild” (8 days, from $4,250 pp, double occupancy, plus air)

Those interested in more information can contact their local travel professional, call 800 468 2825, or go to www.tauck.com.