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Contact Information:
Lindblad Expeditions
96 Morton Street
9th Floor
New York, NY 10014
(800) 397-3348
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Why Lindblad Expeditions?
 Discover nature with a small group of like-minded enthusiasts
Worldwide itineraries include the Galapagos, South Pacific and Antarctica
Evening entertainment: stargazing, slide shows, talks by naturalists
Strong emphasis on using local and organic foods
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About Lindblad Expeditions
If you're seeking a voyage to discover nature with a small group of like-minded enthusiasts, Lindblad Expeditions' adventure voyages will doubtless fit the bill.
Lindblad is a name synonymous with expedition travel. In the late 1950's, Lars-Eric Lindblad pioneered soft-adventure travel by taking U.S. passengers to places rarely explored, such as Antarctica and the Galapagos. In 1979, his son, Sven-Olof Lindblad, founded a new division in his father's company which specialized in marine-focused travel expeditions. Today, the Lindblad company remains the unofficial leader in adventure voyages. Using a combination of ships it owns and ships it charters for months at a time, Lindblad offers cruises and tours to destinations all over the world, including the Galapagos, Antarctica and the Arctic, Alaska, Baja California, Central America, the Caribbean, Scotland, Egypt, the Danube River, the Mediterranean and occasionally the South Pacific. And for even more variety, Lindblad and National Geographic have joined to offer new land expeditions this year to such remote locales as Bhutan and Mongolia.
Lindblad has a well-deserved reputation for being at the top of the expedition market, and it is constantly searching for new innovations or tools to further enrich this type of travel experience. The hallmark of its trips, however, is a staff of topflight naturalists, historians, undersea specialists and expedition leaders that accompany each of its trips as guides and lecturers. Trip developers carefully research and plan each itinerary to provide the optimum experience. And once on the water, itineraries depend on weather and wildlife sightings to dictate activities and schedules. On just about every itinerary, Zodiacs and kayaks permit guests to explore nature up close, even in Antarctica!
An alliance forged in October 2004 with National Geographic allows passengers the opportunity to travel alongside the Society's renowned scientists, oceanographers and photographers. In 2007, the two entities strengthened their partnership significantly and renamed almost every Lindblad-owned ship in the fleet to include the National Geographic moniker. Photographers from the magazine will now accompany every sailing onboard National Geographic Endeavour and most sailings on the new National Geographic Explorer, as well as on selected photography expeditions across the entire fleet. Reflecting a joint motto between Lindblad and National Geographic of, "Inspiring people to explore and care about the planet," the two companies have also created a joint fund to promote conservation in the areas they sail.
Lindblad takes its expedition heritage very seriously, and it goes out of its way to create a unique and memorable experience every time. This is particularly true on the wandering National Geographic Explorer and Endeavour, which constantly seek out new coves or destinations where no other expedition ships go. Over the years, the company has built up a tremendous base of knowledge about the regions it sails, and as the company proudly proclaims in its brochure, this knowledge gives Linblad the confidence and ability to keep exploration fresh and to safely test limits.
While the company is known for offering the best academic and enrichment programs, you don't need to worry that the voyage will become dull or boring. The staff works hard to keep every day fresh and exciting, and most importantly, these experts ensure that everyone onboard simply has fun. Whether through swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos or sledding in Antarctica, everyone comes away having a great time.
Lindblad is most famous for its voyages to remote regions of the earth, but it also has quite an eclectic fleet that sail to a variety of destinations, ranging from the fairly simple National Geographic Sea Lion and Sea Bird in Alaska to the chartered and ultra luxurious sailing ship Sea Cloud in the Caribbean. Many of the itineraries are to regions already discovered, like the Mediterranean or Caribbean, but these itineraries focus more on cultural aspects rather than wildlife expeditions. This new focus enables you to look at the region from a fresh perspective. The journeys vary widely across the fleet, but every expedition emphasizes unique experiences, top-notch experts in the field, an environmentally responsible way of traveling, flexibility, and a relaxed and casual atmosphere.
As evidenced by Lindblad's joint fund with National Geographic, conservation is very important to the company. Well before the joint partnership, however, Lindblad had already earned a reputation for environmentally responsible travel, and indeed, Lars-Eric Lindblad often receives credit for being one of the founders of what we now call 'eco-tourism.' There are places onboard its ships to recycle plastic, glass, paper and batteries. As part of its mission to "proactively protect the world's wild places," Lindblad supports environmental efforts like the Galapagos Conservation Fund, Blue Ocean Institute, Alaska Whale Foundation and Gulf of California Conservation Fund. This unique travel company also encourages its passengers to support these institutions -- for every dollar a passenger donates to one of these funds, Lindblad awards him or her a discount of the same amount (up to $500) towards that person's next cruise.
On Antarctica sailings, Lindblad donates one passenger cabin to Oceanites, a research group that is studying the penguin populations on the seventh continent. This shipboard-based research is the only non-government funded research occurring in Antarctica; it allows passengers the opportunity to partake in and witness science in action. In addition to being named the number one small-ship cruise line (Travel & Leisure's World's Best Value Awards 2006), Lindblad has received numerous environmental honors, including the United Nations Environmental Programme Global 500 Award and an award for sustainable tourism achievements in the Galapagos. In 2007, the company accepted the prestigious Global Tourism Business Award in recognition of its environmental conservation work.
Read the complete Lindblad Expeditions Review
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Read More About Lindblad Expeditions Ships:
National Geographic Endeavour
• National Geographic Explorer
• National Geographic Polaris
• Sea Bird
• Sea Lion
• Sea Voyager
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