Highlights:

• Vacationing in Kalk Bay, a picturesque working fishing village on the Cape Peninsula, exploring art and antique shops, and dining at top seafood restaurants
• Exploring the unique Cape environs such as Cape Point and Table Mountain National Park; learning about the Cape Floral Kingdom; hiking on Table Mountain; viewing African penguins at Boulders Beach
• Learning about the Xhosa Culture and experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the local people
• Enjoying a Cape Malay cooking experience which celebrates recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.
• Participating in a guided walk to explore the culture, architecture, religion, and recent political history of the Bo-Kaap community
• Experiencing a ‘Jazz Safari’ that puts you in the talented hands of those who make a living from conjuring the Cape Town’s soul

Unique Aspects:  Far from being a typical tour, this itinerary allows you to make a lasting difference to people’s lives by visiting and interacting with local people in their homes. With an experienced local tour leader, you will have an opportunity to really experience the life of local Capetonians and learn about the natural environs on a private tour tailored to suit your travelling requirements.

Accommodations: Comfortable guesthouses in unique locations that reflect the character of South Africa.

Best Time to Go:  All year.

Duration: 7 days with optional 4 day/ 3 night Wildlife Safari to Kruger National Park.

Sustainable Elements:

• Activities and tours are Fair Trade and Tourism accredited and support local communities and environment.
• Non-motorized transport where possible and a city cycle tour on bicycle.
• Donation fee included to Masivelani daycare center in Masiphumelele when participating on Bicycle Township Tour.
• Tour supports local artists and musicians.
• Total tour costs include donation to the Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation.

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:

Montreal

• Visit the vibrant neighborhoods and island that make Montreal one of the most dynamic cities in the world—view old fortifications, and French, English and modern architecture; view the famed Gothic Revival architecture of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal
• Walk and/or city bike like a local through the streets and parks and

Eastern Townships

• Learn about the history of thousands of colonists who refused to rebel against the King of England; these ‘Loyalists’ chose to flee to Canada and settle in this largely unexplored region of Southeastern Quebec
• Enjoy the small quaint towns that make up the Eastern Townships, opt for a canoe ride, and experience the British flavor that still lingers in this string of villages just north of the Vermont and Maine borders
• Enjoy private wine and cheese tastings with local producers, and a private boat tour

Quebec City

• Learn about local history and uncover archeology of North America’s oldest walled-city, and the only North American urban region to receive UNESCO world heritage status
• Survey the city’s citadel and largest military fortification on the continent still garrisoned by regular troops
• Wonder at your leisure through the many quaint and local artisanal shops in Old Quebec

Unique Aspects: Daily bike rides and/ or walks and distances to be customized. Daily bike rides generally range between 15- 30 miles, walks between one and three hours. Enjoy a private wine tasting and picnics with regional musicians. The tour pertains to history, architecture, the vibrant art scene, and culinary specialties from the local dish of poutine to fine cuisine. Cycle and or walk through the countryside.

Accommodations: Hotel Le St-James, Manoir Hovey, and Auberge St. Antoine (a combination of the best properties in the province), and lovely boutique hotels that combine old world charm and authenticity with modern day comforts and service.

Best Time to Go: May-September

Duration: 7 days

Sustainable Elements:

• Local, expert guides
• Operator dedicated to the environment with cycling and hiking experiences
• Accommodations are typically small, independent, and often family-run hotels
• Low impact with small group size, max 16

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:

Community-Driven Service

The service focus is developed by community members and organizations according to their current needs.  Often, community partners feel that learning about local culture, history, sites, and issues is as important as volunteering.  Types of service may take many forms.  In the past, we have:

• Helped construct a vocational training center for youth and adolescents
• Built a children’s health center that now provides healthcare to over 1000 children each month
• Developed an orthopedic workshop that provides a city of 300,000 access to affordable orthopedic shoes
• Drilled wells that bring fresh water to hundreds of people in isolated communities along the Amazon

Cultural & Recreational Activities

• Explore the rainforest on an Amazon River boat trip
• Relax on Brazilian beaches
• Tour a coffee factory
• Explore local historical sites such as Fordlandia
• Play sports with locals
• Enjoy traditional Brazilian dancing

Unique Aspects:  Volunteering with partnering organizations that have been recognized for the profound value they contribute to the community by providing education to Brazilian children and ensuring that the people of the Amazon have access to healthcare.  Bring about lasting change for a better world.

Accommodations: Local hotel (or hostel if desired). Accommodations can be provided according to travelers’ needs.

Best Time to Go: Year-round; even in the rainy season, showers are brief and come and go with the sun still shining each day.

Duration: 7-day minimum, group of 6 or more.  For individuals, 2 week minimum.

Sustainable Elements:

• Community-driven service and community-based learning
• Local site coordinator and guide
• Coordinated through a nonprofit organization in which over 80% of program fees go toward programming and the community
• Dedication to working with local people and organizations
• Life-changing intercultural experiences

Cost:  For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

As the 21st century unfolds, it is clear that China will take a leading role in shaping the way our world develops. The world’s most populous nation – and dynamic economy – has as its backdrop 5000 years of history and is home to a wide variety of rich cultural traditions, wide geographic diversity, stunning natural beauty, and exotic cuisines. Your journey in China can include visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and exotic markets; study of Mandarin, Kung Fu, Chinese cuisine, Tai Chi, and calligraphy; visits to isolated villages and staggering Himalayan peaks on the Tibetan plateau; seminars with business leaders and government officials; biking though rice paddies and traditional farming villages, community service; and more.

Highlights:

• Visit Beijing’s legendary Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, walk on isolated parts of the Great Wall, attend a seminar with a local NGO created to educate about and protect local Hutongs
• Meet with Nature Conservancy China to learn about environmental issues facing China
• Hike in the shade of the Himalayas on the Tibetan Plateau
• Experience tea ceremonies in traditional tea houses and visits to isolated Buddhist monasteries
• Volunteer and work with orphans in a monastery

Unique Aspects:  Your program combines seeing some of China’s most famous sites as well as hidden gems.  We will spend time in Beijing, the most important city in China, and travel to small communities in the serine mountains of SW China.  This will allow travelers to see two very different realities in China, engage in community outreach, and return home with a broad understanding of Chinese culture.

Accommodations: Hotels in Beijing, guest houses in Yunnan.

Duration: 14 days

Best Time to Go:  Late summer-fall, but enjoyable year-round

Sustainable Elements:

• Locally based projects support, and positively impact, local communities
• Educational seminars
• Locally owned lodging, restaurants and shops, and hiring of local guides where possible
• Economic, environmental, and cultural factors are taken into account when selecting destinations
• Donations to local orphanage
• Cultural/language classes taught by local faculty

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Perú: Immense, rugged, colorful, vibrant and mystic. No one word or idea can symbolize a land so diverse in geography, culture and history. Whether enjoying the sun rising above Lake Titicaca, tracking a wild boar in the Amazon Basin, listening to live salsa music in Lima, seeing wheat sway in the shadow of the mighty Andes or a rainbow forming above the ruins at Machu Picchu, you will be transported by the beauty of Perú. The contrasts of Perú permeate every part of the country. Despite its charm, there are large discrepancies among socioeconomic classes and wide differences in standards of living throughout the country. There is need for help and aid in the wake of a divisive colonial legacy, natural disasters, and decades of uneven development.

Highlights:

Community Service and Homestay in the Sacred Valley

The majority of the program is in Ollantaytambo, the best-preserved Incan city in the heart of the Sacred Valley.  Participants will live with local families and spend their days working with the community on a variety of service projects to be determined in conjunction with the community’s needs.

• Work with local community leaders and students to make important improvements to the Escuela de la Mujeres, the local girl’s school
• Help coordinate the donation of critical school supplies
• Support local families by participating in a homestay

Cultural & Recreational Activities

• Explore the famous Sacred Valley including Cusco, Moray and Ollantaytambo
• Boat tour of Lake Titicaca including visits to the Floating Islands and Taquile
• Either hike or take the train to the world-famous ruins of Machu Picchu

Unique Aspects:  Your adventure in Peru will be enriching for your group and the local communities you visit. Participants will experience the rich culture of Peru while enjoying visits to some of Peru’s most famous destinations.  More importantly, the group will work with local communities on service projects aimed to enhance the group’s exposure to Peru and help our wonderful hosts.

Accommodations: Locally owned hotels or guest-houses, or local host family.

Best Time to Go: North American winter, but Peru can be enjoyed anytime.

Duration: 10 days minimum, group of 6 or more.

Sustainable Elements:

• Community-driven service project/community-based learning
• Local site coordinators for community service
• Supplies from local sources
• Dedication to working with local people and organizations
• All activities and tours led by local guides
• Support of local families with homestays

Cost:  For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:  In planning for a residential experience, your group’s planning coordinator will work with the Residential Group Coordinator to create a specially designed program for your group.  There is a choice of 30 dynamic 3-hour daytime classes and 27 engaging evening activities, including but not limited to:

• Outdoor Adventure:  archery, backcountry camping, river canoeing, winter survival, snowshoeing, skiing, orienteering, GPS
• Challenge Skills:  ropes course, indoor rock climbing, group challenges
• Ecology: forest ecology, wildlife ecology, “big freeze” – how plants/animals adapt
• Nature Identification:  animal signs, birds, fungus, insects, pond life, trees/dichotomous keys
• Earth and Physical Science: earth exploration, karst geology, stream lab, winter pond
• History and Culture:  Oneota Native American life, pioneer life
• Evening Naturalist Program:  live raptor, starlab inflatable planetarium, Backwoods Buttercup
• Evening Activities:  night hikes, dream catchers, Olympics, project teamwork, art in nature, paper making, campfires

Unique Aspects:  This accredited education program offers classes taught by a team of professional educators, certified teachers, and highly skilled naturalists.  Curriculum is guided by the principles of:

• Awakening the wonder of discovery by providing hands-on learning experiences
• Encouraging the wise use and stewardship of our natural resources
• Demonstrating the balance between people and nature
• Reinforcing the values of personal responsibility and respect for oneself and others
• Imparting critical life skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and community involvement

Accommodations: Dormitory style.  Each room offers 8 bunkbeds, double sink, private toilet, private shower, and personal storage areas.  As a year round facility, the entire dormitory has both heat and air conditioning.

Best Time to Go: Open all year.

Duration: 3 – 7 days.

Sustainable Elements:

• Wind turbine
• Solar PV panel
• Self-contained campus, walk to all activities
• Recycling
• FoodWISE – Food Waste in Schools Elimination Program
• Eagle Eye conservation challenge program

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:

• Explore Bandelier National Monument and their ancient cliff dwellings
• Hike through Ghost Ranch and the inspiration behind Georgia O’Keefe’s work
• Experience the culture and lifestyle of the Taos Pueblo
• Bike all or part of the Enchanted Circle outside of Taos
• Discover art galleries and museums as you bike the High Road from Santa Fe to Taos
• Raft the Rio Grande or catch a hot air balloon ride over the Rio Grande Valley
• Ride to the Santuario de Chimayo in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Unique Aspects:  This trip combines the best that New Mexico has to offer – incredible biking routes, quaint hotels, miles of art museums and galleries, and the opportunity to explore the Native American history and culture that has shaped this area.  Educational opportunities are abound here with naturalist-led hikes through Bandelier, local speakers at the Taos Pueblo, self-guided tours down Canyon Road in Santa Fe, and cooking classes emphasizing regional cuisine and local, sustainable ingredients.

Biking Adventures: Exploring these areas by bike, you’ll be immersed in the scene, sights, sounds, and pulse of your surroundings.  The trip is designed to interest a vast range of cycling abilities, with multiple mileage options each day, and our consummate vehicle support.  Routes have been chosen for their beauty as well as their location, and guides ride every mile of it before you arrive to ensure that no detail has been left to chance.

Accommodations: Luxury inns.

Best Time to Go: May-June, September – October

Duration: 6 days/5 nights

Sustainable Elements:

• Local guides lead all trips
• Operator dedicated to working with small, independent and often family-run hotels and campgrounds
• Leave No Trace guidelines followed and ensures that the group doesn’t surpass the environmental, social, and cultural carrying capacity of the off-the-beaten path places, communities, and cultures.

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:

• Pedal through historic Leadville’s Mining District with unsurpassed views of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges
• Raft the snowmelt-fed Eagle River, and enjoy a picnic lunch right on the river
• Take in spectacular alpine lakes on the Lost Man Trail hiking loop, and then jump on your bike for an exhilarating ride down from Independence Pass
• See Vail Valley by bike with its 200 miles of paved bike paths and 400 miles of back-country roads and trails, all located in a stunning mountain setting
• Enjoy a free day in Aspen, one of Colorado’s most beautiful high alpine towns, and choose from fly fishing on the Roaring Fork river, biking up to Castle Creek, or just relaxing the day away in one of the many spas
• Tour the Aspen Historical Museum and learn about the town’s beginnings as a Ute Indian summer camp

Unique Aspects: Explore the Rockies on quiet back roads, spectacular bike paths, and vista-laden hiking trails.  Raft the Eagle River and spend an afternoon enjoying all that Aspen has to offer.  Meander through Leadville’s historic mining district on the Mineral Belt Trail.  Experience the grandeur of Independence Pass, and then jump on your bike for an exhilarating ride down to Leadville.

Multi-sport Adventure. This trip has something for everyone!  It offers the best activities that a region has to offer, from biking and hiking to kayaking and river rafting.  This blend of choices allows each individual to experience the ultimate highlights of an area unlike any other.  You get each day’s itinerary the night before and can make your personal choices.  The trip’s guides will ensure that you get the most out of every day!

Best Time to Go: June thru September

Duration: 6 days/5 nights

Sustainable Elements:

• Local guides lead all trips
• Operator dedicated to working with small, independent and often family-run hotels and campgrounds
• Leave No Trace guidelines followed and ensures that the group doesn’t surpass the environmental, social, and cultural carrying capacity of the off-the-beaten path places, communities, and cultures.

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

Highlights:

• Hike Mount Constitution, with a sweeping view of the islands and the Olympic Range
• Discover the islands by foot, bike and paddle
• Kayak Roche Harbor and it’s rugged coastline
• Watch whales off of Orcas Island
• Explore many of the small towns that make up the chain of islands
• Engage in custom educational opportunities including naturalist-led hikes and kayaking tours
• Enjoy gourmet picnic lunches provided by your trip leaders!

Unique Aspects:  With over 16 hours of daylight in the summer, this trip gives you enough time to experience all of the islands’ pleasures.  Spend the morning whale watching off of Orcas Island, then gallery hop downtown or take in some additional miles on your bike.  Tour the Pelindaba Lavendar Farm with its sustainable farming practices; visit the Whale Museum on San Juan Island, an incredible ode to the oldest industry on the islands.

Multi-Sport Adventures: Choose your activities/sports each day.  This trip offers diverse and fun activities for every level of fitness.  See the islands by bike after breakfast, take a hike after lunch, experience an intriguing array of galleries, and/or enjoy that bakery you can’t resist.  Create your blend of activities with the guidance of trip leaders in order to fully explore every destination, with opportunities to balance exercise, educational opportunities, total relaxation, and pure fun!

Luxury Camping Accommodations: Handpicked campgrounds give travelers the best access to all that the islands have to offer.   You will be spoiled with gourmet meals, plush sleeping bags and oversized Therma-Rests – no detail is overlooked!

Best Time to Go: June thru August

Duration: 6 days/5 nights

Sustainable Elements:

• Local guides lead all trips
• Operator dedicated to working with small, independent and often family-run hotels and campgrounds
• Leave No Trace guidelines followed and ensures that the group doesn’t surpass the environmental, social, and cultural carrying capacity of the off-the-beaten path places, communities, and cultures.

Cost: For personal pricing to meet your budget needs, please e-mail Wiser World Travel, or call 303-443-0604, USA toll free 1-877-743-0604.

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