Philanthropic Safari

Sure, your globe-trotting friends or relatives have gone on safari before, but we’re betting that they’ve never been on one quite like this. Organized by the experts at Natural World Safaris, the Journey to Nature’s Edge goes far beyond the Big Five—but don’t worry, your recipient will definitely catch sight of their fair share of lions and elephants—by whisking a group of two or more guests on a 111-day (dates and stops can be adjusted to the traveler’s schedule) do-good trek around the world in search of the most endangered animals on Earth.

As they work their way across Africa—stopping on the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya to search for the northern white rhino, in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park to look for mountain gorillas lounging in bamboo, and down south to spot playful lemurs in Madagascar, to name a few— guests will get an up-close look at the conservation efforts underway in each destination. They’ll spend days working alongside researchers, getting a chance to see firsthand the 18 species the trip hopes to track, and peek into what it takes to save them from extinction. When it comes time to jet off to the next destination, a portion of the trip’s cost (up to 10 percent) will be donated to each participating conservation project.

In total, the journey will visit 12 countries across five continents. The travelers will go as far south as Antarctica to watch the penguins waddle and as far north as Churchill in Arctic Canada to catch a glimpse of the polar bears— and in between they will tail tigers in India, orangutans in Borneo, and jaguars in Brazil. And while it’s not guaranteed that each species on the list will be spotted, what is sure is that your recipient will walk away with a newfound appreciation for the natural beauty of our planet. $1 million for two guests. Natural World Safaris, sales@naturalworldsafaris