The Holbrook Explorer
Where we travel
Photo of the Month: January 2019
I must admit that the one bird I was most eager to see in the Galápagos was the Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii). Luckily, we saw our first glimpse of those bright blue feet on our first full day. That was the only Blue-footed Booby for the next few days, as we were treated to many Nazca Boobies,...
Holbrook's 2019 Calendar
Each year we ask our travelers to submit their favorite photos from their journeys with us for a chance to be featured in our annual calendar. This year we had many great submissions, and it was a challenge to narrow it down. We're excited to share the finished result! Thank you to everyone who...
Photo of the Month: December 2018
Our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education Expedition marveled at these spectacular hexagonal basalt columns along the black sand beach in Reynisfjara, Iceland. From beehives to columnar basalt formed by slow cooling of lava, mathematics finds its way into science...
Photo of the Month: November 2018
The picturesque fishing village of Hermanus, South Africa, is one of the few places in the world where you can stand on land and get really good looks at southern right whales, humpbacks and Bryde’s whales. In fact, it’s one of the twelve best whale-watching spots in the world. The leviathans...
Photo of the Month: October 2018
The iconic Hotel Nacional de Cuba sits high above the Malecón, Havana’s inimitable seaside boulevard and promenade. A steady procession of classic American cars shuttles guests to and from the hotel, day and night. I made this 30-second night time exposure of the front entrance using a tripod-...
Chile: A Paradise for the Adventurous Soul
Find out why Chile is one of the latest top travel destinations Stretching 2,653 miles in length and only 150 miles across at its widest point, Chile’s unique geography is what gives rise to its extraordinary appeal as a travel destination. Named Lonely Planet’s #1 destination for travel in 2018,...
Photo of the Month: September 2018
Sunrise at the Jaguar Flotel on the Three Brothers River in the Pantanal Jaguar out hunting in the Southern Pantanal on a day trip up the river from The Jaguar Flotel Aaron Winters Brazil | Gustafson Photo Safari: Quest for the Jaguar
Photo of the Month: August 2018
On the second day of our Holbrook Costa Rica birding trip, we made a stop at a small roadside restaurant at Cinchona Mirador to watch the bird feeders. At first, the Northern Emerald-Toucanet was retiring until the bananas were replenished. Unable to resist temptation, he finally came in for...
Tanzania: Pride of Africa
From the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, to the grassy lion-filled plains of the Serengeti, to the Maasai people of the North region, Tanzania is home to not just a few, but countless natural and cultural phenomena. We sat down with Holbrook’s in-country operations director Lucas Mhina to get some...
Namibia: A Land of Superlatives
Namibia is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. As a republic, it's relatively young—it gained independence from South Africa in 1990—yet it's home to the world's oldest desert, as well as some of its highest sand dunes and clearest night skies. It holds the largest population...
Photo of the Month: July 2018
This lioness appeared among the yellow wildflowers, which I later learned were bidens and aspilia, at the bottom of the Ngorongoro Crater. It was a bright sunny morning, and the vast sea of yellow flowers against the blue walls of the crater was just beautiful. She was stalking two adult Cape...
Photo of the Month: June 2018
During a work trip for caye inspections in Belize, I was struck by the sheer number of conch shells that littered the white-sand beaches. I saw conch shells doubling as property dividers, as pathways, and even as a sort of natural sandbag to help with beach erosion. I heard tales of the beautiful...