Visiting “Earth”

Experience species seen in the movie “Earth” up close with 5 amazing ecotours

Left, mother and cub stay warm in the Arctic (© Steve Morello); right, elephant family roams in Africa (© Caitlin Lepper).

Boulder, Colorado – May 7, 2009 – “Earth,” the acclaimed documentary from the new Disneynature series, brings distant destinations close through such powerful footage as polar bear cubs emerging from their den as their father struggles to survive on a melting ice sheet miles away, or a thirsty herd of elephants finally reaching water after weeks on the parched Kalahari. But no photography – however stunning – can compare with experiencing wildlife firsthand in its natural setting. Award-winning ecotour company Natural Habitat Adventures’ rare, small-group nature encounters follow sustainable travel practices that help ensure the future of wild destinations. The company’s family-friendly tours include 5 real-life adventures with species featured in the movie “Earth”:

1. Remember the whimsical scenes of swimming elephants in “Earth”? Botswana’s Okavango Delta on the “Expedition Botswana” trip (www.nathab.com/africa/expedition-botswana) was that life-giving oasis. See multitudes of elephants and more from private camps deep in the bush on this 11-day adventure.
2. An ice-bound wonderland 600 miles from the North Pole, Spitsbergen is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago and home to some 2,500 polar bears – part of the polar bear footage in “Earth” was filmed in the archipelago – as well as walrus, bearded seal, Arctic fox, reindeer, and seabirds. Cruise along narrow fjords and towering glaciers on the 10- to 16-day “Spitsbergen: The European Arctic” trip (www.nathab.com/expedition-voyages/spitsbergen), available June through August.
3. Polar bears mass in great numbers each fall near Churchill, Manitoba, awaiting the freeze-up of Hudson Bay and the start of the winter seal-hunting season – providing best-in-the-world polar bear viewing. Special tundra vehicles provide intimate access to the bears in their natural habitat on the four separate Churchill-based six- to eight-day itineraries (www.nathab.com/north) available in October and November.
4. In “Earth,” Adelie penguins coasted over the ice on their “built-in toboggans.” Antarctica is the realm of the penguin, as well as whales, seals, massive seabird colonies, indescribable landscapes and legendary history. The three-week “Classic Antarctica Expedition” (www.nathab.com/antarctica/classic-antarctica), provides a small-group immersion in this mystical white wilderness.
5. “Earth” tracks the migration of a mother humpback whale and her calf from their winter home in the tropics all the way to Antarctica. Humpbacks also migrate northward along the Pacific coast to summer in Alaska. On the nine-day September “Spirit Bears and Humpback Whales of B.C.” adventure (www.nathab.com/north/spirit-bears), kayak through sheltered waters where humpbacks play, as well as stalking the rare white kermode or “spirit” bear.

Natural Habitat Adventures gives back to the destinations it visits with economic initiatives, conservation education and sustainable practices. A member of Adventure Collection and exclusive Conservation Travel Provider to World Wildlife Fund, the company’s recent awards include a 2009 National Geographic Adventure Best Adventure Travel Company ranking, a 2009 National Geographic Traveler Tour of a Lifetime pick, and a 2008 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Tour Operator rating. All Natural Habitat Adventures trips are carbon neutral. For additional information, visit www.nathab.com.

Media Contacts: Matt Kareus, Natural Habitat Adventures, 303.449.3711, mattk@nathab.com; Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com

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