When you run an international tour company known for emphasizing cultural exchanges and intimate exploration, who are your heroes?

According to Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, meeting Dr. Jane Goodall was a chance to meet a personal hero. Now that meeting has led into the formation of new wildlife-friendly tours for the company.

“It’s an honour to work with Dr. Jane Goodall, but more importantly to continue her legacy by helping raise awareness of her work with our travellers,” said Poon Tip. “She has been an inspiration for me since starting G Adventures 25 years ago.”

G Adventures is partnering with the Jane Goodall Institute on a program of 20 carefully curated wildlife trips, known as the Jane Goodall Collection by G Adventures. All of the trips have been endorsed by renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall and meet the standards of The Jane Goodall Institute, which protects endangered species through conservation strategies that incorporate the needs of local communities.

“As a social enterprise we are well known for our work with people and local communities in the places we visit,” said Poon Tip. “With 2017 being designated the UN’s Year of Sustainable Tourism, we also wanted to highlight the work we are doing to protect the animals we share our planet with.” 

What’s more, Dr. Goodall has given her formal support to the G Adventures Animal Welfare Policy, which strives to ensure the protection of all animals on any of the more than 650 tours the small-group adventure company operates. 

“I want to congratulate G Adventures on their animal welfare policy, which is so aligned with our values,” said Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. “My vision is that one day people can live in harmony with nature. Travel can be a powerful way to learn about the natural world and our relationship with it.”

With the launch of the new program, G Adventures is also being charged with raising awareness for the Jane Goodall Institute, which supports research on wild chimpanzees and conservation programs that protect the chimpanzees’ forest habitat.

Sample itineraries include:

Experience Borneo– Travellers enjoy a river safari as the set out in search of wildlife. In the company o a professional guide, they’ll visit the oxbow lake to look for proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, macaques, and gibbons. They’ll also enjoy an afternoon visit to the orangutan rehabilitation centre in Sepilok. Option programs include a boat to Libaran Island to learn about turtle conservation programs. From CAD $2,799 per person for an eight-day trip from Kota Kinabalu.

Highlights of Madagascar -  Most of Madagascar’s plants, reptiles and primates are so unique, they can found nowhere else on earth. Here, travellers will observe lemurs, walk through ancient baobab forests to see wild geckos, chameleons, birds and insects, swim in canyon pools, and watch whales and dolphins as they migrate along the shore. From CAD $2,299 per person for a 14-day trip from Antananarivo.

Galapagos Island Hopping – Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station while you stay at the G Adventures-supported community guesthouse on Floreana. You’ll enjoy guided birdwatching walks, a wildlife boat excursion to 'Islote Tintoreras' where white-tip reef sharks mate. Eagle-eye observers might also spot marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, rays and penguins. The trip also includes a visit to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. From CAD $2,499 per person for a nine-day trip from Quito.

Kenya Safari Experience – This eight-day intro to safari life in Kenya includes daily wildlife safari drives in the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro. Guests will experience the Maasai way of life and learn about rhino conservation from the National Geographic-associated Kenya Wildlife Service. From CAD $3,799 per person for an eight-day trip from Nairobi.

Canadian Polar Bear Experience – This six-day journey from Winnipeg provides an in-depth exploration of Churchill’s most-famed resident, and weather permitting, a glimpse of the area’s stunning Northern Lights. Included in the program are a Polar Bear Drive, a two-day Tundra Buggy polar bear excursion, a Parks Canada Experience, and attendance at a Polar Bear Conservation Event. Guests will also enjoy an exploration of Churchill, including a historical tour and a visit to the Eskimo museum. From USD $5,999.

For more information, visit www.gadventures.com.

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