Holbrook Travel

12/12/2024

Cuba is known for its rich and complex history and culture, but it is also an island of unique geography that boasts impressive bird endemism and biodiversity across its many ecosystems. 🐦🌺 If you’re interested in exploring Cuba’s birding highlights, join us for a Holbrook Explorers trip in March of 2025 to discover species like the Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Bee Hummingbird, and many more as we journey through wetlands, forests, coastal lagoons, and limestone hills in four different provinces of Cuba’s western region. There are only 3 spots left, so make sure to click the link below to learn more and enroll now! 🔗

Jill Hays discovered a passion for birding in 2008 after a breathtaking encounter with a Northern Parula near her home in the Ozarks of Missouri. She began volunteering in various capacities with the local Greater Ozarks Audubon Society Chapter and the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems...

12/03/2024

This , we'd like to highlight the important work of several dedicated organizations that are making a real difference in people's lives and for the environment. Whether you donate your time, money, or even blood, it's important to give back in whatever ways we can. However, finding reputable organizations whose missions you support can be daunting, which is why we've hand selected some of our favorites in this Charitable Giving Guide.

‘Tis the season for giving… This month, consider adding a non-profit to your “nice” list. If you’re not sure where to start, we've listed a few organizations that we think are worth checking out. Whether you donate your time, money, or even blood, we hope you’ll join us in sharing the sp...

11/30/2024

The National Resources Foundaton (NRF) of Wisconsin had a blast birding in Colombia the other week! 🐦🦜🦅Their trip focused on Colombia's northern highlights, including the Caribbean region and the Santa Marta Mountains, known for their high level of endemic birds. Along the way they met with the Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR) and the ProAves Foundation to learn about their work in conservation, research, and promotion of tourism in the area. They explored the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Then, as shown in these photos, they connected with the Indigenous Wayúu people in Riohacha to learn about their culture, represented in their weaving, ceramics, vegetation, and gastronomy! 🇨🇴

📸 Courtesy of our on-site coordinator

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving! We want to take this opportunity to express our immense gratitude for our amazing community of partners, guides, staff, and you, our travelers. 🫂 Every year we feel incredibly fulfilled to see you making unforgettable memories in the field while sharing enriching experiences with new friends and loved ones, so we can’t wait to continue being a part of your transformative adventures in 2025. Enjoy these photos of some of the many journeys we embarked on this year, and let us know what you are thankful for today! 🌎

📸 by Lindsay Taulbee, Andrea Holbrook, Pelin Karaca, Lucas Mhina, Kevin Van Dien, Jill Hays, Winston Brown, Andrea Chaverri, Diane Schilling, Gonzalo Ríos, and Laurie McLaughlin.

11/25/2024

Polar bears might look like giant fluffy teddy bears, but don't let their cuteness fool you, they are also powerful and patient predators on land, sea, and ice. These photos were captured in Churchill and Manitoba earlier this month. From late October to early November, the bears congregate along the shores of Hudson Bay. Here, they wait for the bay to freeze so they can begin their seal-hunting expeditions. ❄🌡

📸 by Stephanie Kowacz

11/20/2024

Meet Edwin Pérez, one of our Ecuador guides! 🇪🇨 Edwin has been a naturalist guide for about 17 years and is also an experienced birding guide. 🐦🦅🦜🐦‍⬛

What inspired you to be a guide?
The reason I started my job was thanks to my older brother W***y, who is a guide too. He was the one that encouraged me to start learning English and learning about natural history. He gave me a pair of binoculars and told me to go to the field with him to enjoy the forest and watch birds.

What do you love most about your country?
Ecuador has mountains, beaches, cloud forest, and the Amazon rainforest. Its history, culture, and the old cities are what makes our country an interesting place to visit. I love the fact that my country is very small that a visitor can cover several ecosystems in a very short period of time.

What is your favorite memory from guiding a group?
One time I was with participants and we enjoyed watching at least 13 species of hummingbirds in 1 hour in a small area. That was outstanding.

10/31/2024

Trick or treat! 🎃👻🦇🍭 No bones about it, we take spooky season very seriously at Holbrook. Here are a few photos from today’s Halloween celebrations — even our friends in the Costa Rica office got in on the fun. Happy haunting!

10/30/2024

Meet Roni Martinez, one of our Belize guides! Roni loves sharing the beauty of his home with visitors and helping them explore and learn along the way. 🐒🌅🐠🌿🦜

What is your favorite type of group to travel with? I have a soft side for nature and will always enjoy groups of like-minded travelers. Many times, I go out as a guide and maybe I know quite a bit about my surroundings, but I always come back having learned something from one of my guests who used to be a botanist or an ecologist. This is why I am a guide, to keep sharing, but also to keep learning.

What are some of your favorite wildlife to spot in the field? Birds. Birds take the spot! But I also really enjoy observing monkeys for long periods of time as they interact with each other. Also, watching Agoutis feed on Cohune nuts, how they meticulously peel of the hard shell and then start eating.

What do you love most about your country? Belize’s innate love for the conservation of its natural resources! Belizeans can sometimes be divided when discussing other topics, but when it comes to protecting nature, it’s a deep part of our culture. I remember NGOs visiting my schools from age 6. They would come to talk to us about nature and why it was important protect our environment. This only intensified thru primary and secondary schools.

📷 Courtesy of Roni Martinez

10/21/2024

Please join us in welcoming our newest team member, Jenny Carr! 👋 While Jenny may be new in her role as Operations Travel Planner, she is no stranger to the Holbrook family. In 2013, she served as Director of the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center in Costa Rica. During Jenny’s time as director of the SCLC she helped carry on Bertha Carter’s library through capacity building with local resources. She connected with the National Library System of Costa Rica to add the SCLC library to the network of public computer labs established through the Costa Rican Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications. Jenny is also the proud granddaughter of Archie and Marjorie Harris Carr, both dedicated and well-known conservationists and writers, and is the niece of the late Tom Carr, who was a beloved co-worker to many of our current staff. Her background includes work in wildlife ecology and conservation, sustainable development, and ecotourism. We're excited to have Jenny joining the team!

10/20/2024

There's no better way to celebrate than by following the Annual Sloth Ironman Games hosted by Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica! 🦥 Each year, a group of slothletes takes on a 4-part challenge of fun and enriching activities: The 1-Meter Dash, Hibiscus Eat-Off, Strong Sloth Competition, and Poop-Off Challenge. All proceeds from the event go towards the Program to help rescue, rehab, and rewild these incredible creatures.

From electrocutions on power lines and car accidents to dog attacks and habitat issues due to deforestation, sloths face numerous threats that put their lives at risk. Saving Sloths Together rescues injured sloths, providing them with medical care and preparing them to be released back into the wild. This not only helps individual sloths, but contributes to the preservation of a vital species.

Today, the sloth athletes will be revealed on Toucan Research Ranch's Facebook and YouTube, and the challenges will take place over the next few days. Join in on the fun and help support the cause by following their social media and donating to earn points for your favorite sloth. Learn more and donate here: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Slothironmangames2024?fbclid=IwY2xjawF-CddleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHc9RPJTMnMZEJuQXxMRJcPOac7oK05BCJPt0PrDXjaId-21kgOXoS5Ykew_aem_viXpj73n5e6JmuGCYw7nmg

📸 by Pelin Karaca and Joaquin Garcia

10/15/2024

💡 Did you know that U.S. passports can now be renewed online? The U.S. State Department recently launched a new online system that provides eligible travelers an alternative to renewing by mail or in person.

Remember that many international destinations require passports to be valid a certain length of time – sometimes up to six months – beyond your travel dates. If you’re going abroad any time soon, be sure to check your passport’s expiration date and the specific entry requirements for the country you’re visiting, so you can plan accordingly.

✅ Renew online: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.html

✅ View country-specific entry requirements: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html

Americans who are renewing their passports will now be able to do so online, a top State Department official announced Wednesday.

10/12/2024

Happy World Migratory Bird Day, aka ! 🐦 The Fall celebration of these birding festivities, which happen twice a year to align with the cyclic nature of bird migration in different hemispheres, gives bird lovers the perfect opportunity to contribute to participatory science, enjoy nature, and connect with a global community of likeminded nature enthusiasts. 📝 To commemorate it, we want to highlight three things we’re celebrating on this special day:

🦜 The Sarapiquí Naturalists are a group of passionate birdwatchers of all ages that inspire the community as a whole with their energy and excitement for birds that not only call this area their home, but also those that visit it periodically as part of their migratory routes. We look forward to seeing how many species they spot this weekend and sharing any of their special sightings or happenings in the near future!

🦅 Sarapiquí’s first ever international raptor migration festival is happening this year! The 2024 Alas Viajeras Festival is taking place this month from October 5 to the 20 in collaboration with several organizations and members of the local community, with special thanks to the Municipality of Sarapiquí and Dallas Zoo. The festival features mobile observatories in all the major reserves of the Sarapiquí canton, children’s activities, cultural events, informational talks and workshops, and much more. We look forward to seeing you there, and if you can’t make it this year, we hope you can plan to join us in 2025!

🦤 There are countless remarkable bird species that embark on long, yearly flights across the globe, but out of the seven ambassadors chosen for , we would like to highlight the Semipalmated Sandpiper. Much like us, this small but mighty wader goes on sprawling journeys from the Arctic tundra to Central and South America, including the Caribbean, and it also happens to be the bird ambassador that can be spotted in the most amount of destinations we visit. Let us know in the comments if you’ve ever encountered this bird during one of your trips with us!

To learn more about these celebrations, visit the links below; and for all the birders out there today, we wish you a wonderful day of birds, nature, and community! 🐦‍⬛🔗 https://www.migratorybirdday.org/ | https://ebird.org/news/october-big-day-12-oct-2024

📸 by Debbie Jordan

10/11/2024

If you're attending the Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) conference in San Diego this weekend, come visit our table in the Dana Ballroom foyer. The weather from Hurricane Milton prevented us from making the trip, and we are so grateful to our friend Yanira Castellanos who is standing in. Stop by today or Saturday to say hi and learn about our international birding trips! 🐦🦅🦜🐦‍⬛🦩

10/10/2024

Bravo to CREST (Center for Responsible Travel) for the World Tourism Day Forum on Sept. 24 & 25 in Atlanta, focused on tourism’s connection to peace, equity, and justice.

What is tourism’s role in promoting peace and justice? What is tourism’s role in areas affected by conflict? These are some of the questions that were examined by speakers and attendees.

Palestinian peace activist and social entrepreneur Aziz Abu Sarah gave the keynote presentation. The Forum also included presentations and posters from university professors and students. Atlanta’s historic West End, a neighborhood steeped in Black culture and community, was the venue.

Holbrook Travel was proud to be a sponsor!

10/07/2024

UPDATE: We're grateful to report the Gainesville office made it through Hurricane Milton safely, and we were back up and running normally as of Thursday morning. We missed the worst of the storm, and are thinking of our friends and neighbors further south who were not as fortunate. Thank you to everyone for your concern!

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📣 Dear Friends: Due to the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Milton, Holbrook Travel will be shutting down our servers by Wednesday afternoon or evening, which will affect our online services. This may include our telephone service, website enrollment processing and My Holbrook Account access. We expect to be back online at noon on Thursday, assuming we have power. If you are unable to reach our office number and you have an emergency situation, please call us at 352-538-7443.