Travel with GGAS

Visit the world’s largest wetlands in Brazil where you’ll not only see Hyacinth Macaws but also search for the elusive jaguar. Get up-close views of almost 50 species of mammals and 300 species of birds while on an African safari in Namibia and Botswana. Explore the wetlands and forests of Uganda in search of the Shoebill and the Mountain Gorilla or search for endemic species of birds, mammals, and reptiles in Madagascar. And closer to home, chase nearly three dozen species of warblers in Ohio during spring migration. You can experience these adventures and so much more with Golden Gate Audubon.

Do you want to expand your life list while experiencing a different environment or a different culture? If so, consider these upcoming guided trips, all designed especially for GGAS. For information, a detailed itinerary, and registration, please contact GGAS Travel Coordinators at travelprogram@goldengateaudubon.org. Each trip includes a registration fee that benefits Golden Gate Audubon’s conservation and environmental education programs. You will not only enjoy a terrific vacation, but you will help support Bay Area bird conservation!

GGAS recommends you purchase travel insurance for your trips. For more information, please go to the bottom of this page.

COVID-19 and GGAS Travel: We understand that you may have questions and concerns regarding the current health crisis and travel. GGAS collaborates with a variety of trip vendors to organize our trips. Currently, the status of each individual trip depends on the vendors. We are in direct contact with vendors, so if you have any questions regarding the status of your trip, please contact us at travelprogram@goldengateaudubon.org and we will do our best to assist you.

2023 TRIPS

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Lions and Tigers and Bears … & Birds!

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Dates: Feb 14, 2023 –

Feb 28, 2023

This program is aptly named. We start in Sasan Gir National Park, the only place in Asia where lions still exist. But Gir is also home to India’s other big cats such as leopards and lesser cats such as jungle cat, rusty spotted cat etc....

Utah’s Canyon Country

Dates: Apr 2, 2023 –

Apr 9, 2023

Southeastern Utah—part of the Colorado Plateau—is a geological wonderland. The layers of red rock here have been carved into a wild assortment of amazing landscapes. On this tour, we'll visit three national parks: Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef.

Greater Bustard by Pedro Marques

Birds & Culture in Southern Portugal

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Apr 11, 2023 –

Apr 22, 2023

Located in the southwest of Europe and sharing a border with Spain, Portugal boasts over 93 reserves to show off its 360 different bird species. Portugal offers a fantastic diversity of habitats and birds in a relatively small area. During 12 days of birding, you...

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, & Monasteries 1

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Dates: Apr 14, 2023 –

May 2, 2023

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at 150m...

South Texas Adventure

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Apr 16, 2023 –

Apr 25, 2023

Nature Trip has not run this very popular trip for us since 2020! But it’s back this year!Visit the famous avian migrant traps along the central & southern Texas Coast during the peak period of the Gulf of Mexico spring migration.

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, & Monasteries 2

This Trip is FULL

Dates: May 2, 2023 –

May 20, 2023

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at 150m...

Alaska

Dates: Jun 10, 2023 –

Jun 20, 2023

This is a repeat of a favorite GGAS trip with Wild Latitudes. The tour of Alaska showcases many natural highlights of the state. The itinerary is perfect for first-time visitors to Alaska, but also for returning nature lovers who want to learn more about this...

Monsoon Magic in Southeast Arizona

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Aug 20, 2023 –

Aug 26, 2023

Join Golden Gate Audubon Society and East West Birding Tours during the peak of SE Arizona’s famous “Second Spring” — the Monsoon Rain Season! Hummingbird numbers and diversity are at their highest... White-eared, Berylline, Anna’s, Costa’s, Violet-crowned, Rivoli’s, Broad-tailed, Lucifer, Broad-billed, Black-chinned, Calliope, Rufous, and...

Australia’s Top End

Dates: Aug 31, 2023 –

Sep 9, 2023

This outback safari explores some of the most iconic areas of Northern Australia, including Kakadu and the Kimberley. Some of our most sought-after birds—including Gouldian Finch and Hooded Parrot—inhabit some of our most stunning landscapes. Join Inala Tours on a journey across Australia’s Top End...

Intro to Tasmania Endemics

Dates: Sep 11, 2023 –

Sep 21, 2023

We’ll be traveling with Inala Tours, a Tasmanian-based tour company, to see the highlights of this unique island. These include twelve endemic bird species (you’ll have a good chance to see them all) and a number of elusive Australian mammals—platypus, echidna, and the Tasmanian Devil,...

2024 TRIPS

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Araucana Lodge in Colombia—a Home Base trip

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Dates: Jan 20, 2024 –

Jan 27, 2024

This seven-day trip is designed for birders who haven’t traveled abroad previously AND it offers the best of everything for birders who are on a tight schedule. Both beginning birders and seasoned veterans will be able to enjoy this birding tour and perhaps tick off...

Santa Marta

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Dates: Jan 27, 2024 –

Feb 3, 2024

This trip is designed for birders who haven’t traveled abroad previously, but its wide variety of target birds makes it suitable for both beginning birders and seasoned veterans. It can be combined with the Araucana Lodge trip, but it’s a self-contained itinerary—a trip that will...

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 1

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Apr 14, 2024 –

May 2, 2024

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at...

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 2

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Dates: May 2, 2024 –

May 20, 2024

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at 150m...

Intro to Southern Africa

Dates: May 30, 2024 –

Jun 10, 2024

Join us on a comfortable birding and wildlife safari in South Africa and at the Victoria Falls. This fabulous “introduction to Africa” trip will allow you to get your first taste of Africa (or, if you’ve been before, you’ll surely see some birds and mammals...

Borneo: Special Birds, Unusual Mammals

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Dates: Jul 13, 2024 –

Jul 24, 2024

Rhiniceros Hornbill by Liew Weng Keong Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, is also one of its most biodiverse wildlife havens. With over 50 island avian endemics found across pristine dipterocarp forests, montane cloudforests, riverine habitats, and mangrove swamps we’ll enjoy an amazing time on this...

Uganda: Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and LOTS of Birds!

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Dates: Jul 14, 2024 –

Jul 30, 2024

Uganda has been called the Pearl of Africa and on this trip you’ll see why: we’ll see an amazing array of birds and mammals. We’ll also see spectacular scenery, including Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria; and Murchison Falls where the Nile plummets...

Past Trips

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Araucana Lodge in Colombia—a Home Base trip

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Jan 20, 2023 –

Jan 27, 2023

Colombia is the birdiest country on earth, with 1,930 species—almost 20% of the world’s total in 1% of its landmass, with new species still being discovered and new records being announced regularly. It is easy to see why. Colombia is tropical yet it also has...

Palm Deserts and the Salton Sea

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Jan 23, 2023 –

Jan 27, 2023

On this five-day tour, explore California’s unique Mojave and Coloradan desert systems to search for specialized avifauna and other wildlife adapted to thrive in arid conditions PLUS the wildly scenic and wonderfully eccentric Salton Sea. Travel as a small group with desert-experienced nature & bird...

Santa Marta

This Trip is FULL

Dates: Jan 27, 2023 –

Feb 3, 2023

This tour takes us to a different part of Colombia than our excursion to Araucana Lodge, It begins and ends in the city of Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain in the world and one...

We welcome suggestions for future trips. If you have been on a birding trip that was especially wonderful, experienced a terrific guide, or have a suggestion of an area to visit, please email Dawn and Eric at travelprogram@goldengateaudubon.org

A Note on Travel Insurance:

The GGAS Travel Program STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that you buy travel insurance for your trip. When we plan our birding holidays, we can easily overlook the many things that can go wrong: delayed flights, lost luggage, severe weather, medical emergencies. Travel insurance can mitigate these worries. We don’t endorse any particular insurer but rather we suggest that you check out as least two so as to have a sense of what’s offered. After all, travel insurance is like many things in life—you get what you pay for. So to find a plan that’s right for you, don’t just look at the premium, but look closely at what’s covered. Spend a little time doing your research. If you are paying to go on a great trip, you want to protect that investment.

Some things to consider when comparing travel insurance options:

What is the plan’s dollar limit on medical coverage? Are there any exclusions?
Does the plan include emergency evacuation? If so, under what conditions? What is the dollar limit on this coverage?
Does the plan provide a 24/7 hotline to call for help anywhere in the world?
Does the plan include coverage for baggage delay?
Does the plan include identity theft resolution services?
If I have to cancel my trip due to health concerns will I be reimbursed for the entire cost of the trip or does your policy have a deductible (or conditions that would prevent you from being eligible for reimbursement)?
If my cruise get cancelled because of a pandemic, will I be reimbursed for flights?

Any questions regarding insurance? Contact us at travelprogram@goldengateaudubon.org