Upcoming Trips

2024

January 23 – February 4
Sri Lanka
Leopards & Blue Whales + Endemic Mammals & Birds

February 4 - 23
India Wildlife Safari
Land of the Tiger

March 8 - 18
Ecuador
Tropical Wildlife and Ecotourism Expedition
Private student trip – Not open to the public

April 3 - 9
The Wildlife and Astronomy of Texas
Bats, Birds and Wildlife of the Rio Grande Valley PLUS the Total Solar Eclipse

June 9 - 22
Tanzania Safari
The Best of East African Wildlife with optional 6-Day pre-trip extension to Rwanda for Mountain Gorillas (June 3 – 8)

July 7 - 21
Galápagos
The Islands of Enchantment

July 19 – August 5
Wild Indonesia
Bali, Komodo and Borneo: Dragons, Temples and Coral Reefs

August 25 – September 9
Iceland and Greenland: Lands of Fire & Ice
The Wildlife, Scenery and Aurora Borealis of the Arctic North

September 17 – October 2
Wildlife of the Pantanal
A Journey to Brazil's Wetland Jewel

October 14 - 27
Botswana Safari
Wildlife of the Delta in the Desert

Australia

This trip is open to the public and spaces are available. For a more detailed itinerary and/or a copy of the initial trip information packet (which contains information on costs, inclusions/exclusions, airline ticketing, etc.) please contact EcoQuest Travel by email at: info@ecoquesttravel.net.

AUSTRALIA 2022

The Wildlife of Queensland & The Outback

 

17 Day Natural History Itinerary November 5 – 22, 2022

 

Optional 3-Day Pre-trip Extension to 
The Great Barrier Reef November 2 – 4, 2022

Australia is an extraordinary continent with incredible landscapes, remarkable people and fantastic wildlife – most of which is unique to the Land Down Under. Australia is blessed with vast tracts of wilderness – from the rainforests of coastal Queensland to the temperate woodlands of Tasmania; from the arid deserts of the “red center” to the tropical wetlands of the far north; and from the warm seas of the Great Barrier Reef to the cold waves of the Southern Ocean. Once it broke away from Gondwanaland, Australia remained isolated and this isolation led to the evolution and specialization of many unusual lifeforms – the great majority of which are endemic to Australia with a few shared with neighboring New Guinea. Most of us are aware of Australia’s unique mammals – the egg-laying monotremes like the Platypus and Echidna; and the pouched marsupials like kangaroos, Koalas and Tasmanian Devils. However, the birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates and plants found in Australia are also unique and varied.

EcoQuest Travel is proud to invite you to join us on this special wildlife odyssey to explore the Land Down Under. Australia is vast and no single trip can fully encompass the breadth of wildlife experiences Australia has to offer. With this in mind we have chosen to concentrate our efforts in two of the most diverse regions – Queensland and the Northern Territory. In Queensland, we will begin in the subtropical forests of Lamington National Park south of Brisbane and work our way north to the tropical rainforests of Daintree National Park lying just below the Cape York Peninsula. This part of the trip should provide some exciting experiences – stalking elusive Albert’s Lyrebirds inLamington; finding Platypus in the clear streams of the Atherton Tablelands and searching for Southern Cassowaries in the dense forests of the Daintree just to name a few. From Queensland we will fly to the “Top End” of the Northern Territory and the wonders of Kakadu National Park. This huge park filled with billabongs, eucalyptus woodlands and aboriginal rock-art sites will be a great way to end our trip. We will also offer a pre-trip extension to explore and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef at Lady Elliot Island. The Great Barrier Reef is spectacular with a dazzling diversity of marine life. Lady Elliot Island lies on the outer edge of the reef and as such is a great place to see pelagic species like Manta Rays mix with the denizens of the reef.

Day 1 and 2 – Saturday & Sunday, November 5 & 6: Home Cities to Los Angeles and on to Brisbane, Australia
Day 3 – Monday, November 7: Brisbane to Lamington NP
Days 4 & 5 – Tuesday & Wednesday, November 8 & 9: Lamington NP
Day 6 – Thursday, November 10: Brisbane to Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands
Day 7 – Friday, November 11: Atherton Tablelands
Day 8 -Saturday, November 12: Atherton Tablelands: Granite Gorge, Shared Earth Reserve & Kingfisher Park
Day 9 – Sunday, November 13: Mount Lewis, Mount Carbine & Maryfarms
Day 10 – Monday, November 14: To Daintree
Day 11 – Tuesday, November 15: Daintree National Park/Cape Tribulation
Day 12 -Wednesday, November 16: Daintree/Cape Tribulation to Cairns
Day 13 – Thursday, November 17: Departure for Darwin
Day 14 & 15 – Friday, Saturday & Sunday, November 18 – 20: Kakadu National Park
Days 16 – Sunday, November 21: Kakadu to Darwin and Darwin to Brisbane
Day 17 – Monday, November 22: Departure for the US

* Please note that EcoQuest Travel, Inc. will make every effort to adhere to this itinerary, but dates, times, activities and prices are subject to change depending on scheduling and availability.

GREAT BARRIER REEF – Pre-trip Extension

Day1 & 2 – Wednesday & Thursday, November 2 & 3: Home Cities to Los Angeles and on to Brisbane, Australia
Day 3 – Friday, November 4: : The Great Barrier Reef – Scenic Flight to Lady Elliot Island
Day 1 (of the main trip) – Saturday, November 5: Lady Elliot Island & the Great Barrier Reef
Day 2 (of the main trip)Sunday, November 6: Lady Elliot Island and back to Brisbane

 

* Please note that EcoQuest Travel, Inc. will make every effort to adhere to this itinerary, but dates, times, activities and prices are subject to change depending on scheduling and availability.