2009 - 2010 Educational Travel Programs:
Destinations and Dates

Location

The Enchanted Galapagos Islands and
Andean Highlands

This trip has reached maximum capacity--registration closed.

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form

Registration Form Only

After our time in the highlands, we will fly west of the mainland and board ship for a four-day, three-night nature cruise among the Galapagos Islands, one of the planet’s most fascinating ecosystems. Teeming with wildlife, including blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, giant tortoises, and the only penguin species north of the Equator, the Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s great treasures, protected both as a wildlife sanctuary and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each day we disembark on a different island to explore, hike, swim, snorkel, and view the remarkable wildlife. The program will conclude with a return to Quito for our final night in Ecuador and a goodbye to new friends.

Cost per person:

$6,690 (Adults)
$6,590 (Children 12 – 17)
$5,990 (Children under 11)

$500 deposit per person due upon registration

 Saturday,
 December 26, 
 2009 -

 Tuesday,
 January 5,
 2010

 MAXIMUM
 CAPACITY
 REACHED--
 REGISTRATION
 CLOSED

Winter Science Adventure: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form

Online Registration

Planned in partnership with Teton Science Schools, this CTY family adventure will connect you to the natural wonders of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Since its founding in 1967, Teton Science Schools has been educating, training, and inspiring students of all ages about the natural world.

This program will immerse you in the winter ecology of the Jackson Hole region, including the majestic Grand Teton National Park. While participating in fun recreational activities including cross country skiing, dog sledding, hiking, and snow shoeing, your family will learn about how plants and animals survive Wyoming winters, how to track animals in the snow, and the science of a snowflake. Throughout our journey, you will encounter many amazing species of wildlife such as big horn sheep, bison, and elk in their natural habitats. We hope to see you at this unique and exciting program.

Cost per person:

$2,345 (Adults and Children)

$500 deposit per person due upon registration

 Monday,
 December 28, 
 2009 -

 Sunday,
 January 3,
 2010

Thailand—Trains, Treks, and Tribes

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form

Experience the trip of a lifetime with your family this summer on an in-depth, action-packed adventure that explores Thailand’s northern hill tribe cultures. Through hands-on experiences, your children will soak up concepts from geography to natural history to world religions in lessons much more memorable than any textbook could impart.

Explore Bangkok by longtail boat, gliding past glittering gold palaces and floating fruit markets. See a performance at the Children’s Dance Academy and learn about traditional textile weaving at an art studio. A train to Chiang Mai will access the beautiful, lush northern hills. Meander through the bazaar, visit a sacred mountaintop temple, take a leisurely bicycle journey along the Ping An River, and try your hand at the delectable local cuisine with a cooking class.

At the Elephant Camp, feed, ride, and bathe a gentle Asian elephant, and learn about these intelligent, emotional creatures. Take a zip line ride through the rainforest on a spectacular and gradual downhill course that provides a thrilling way to get up close with the area’s wildlife. Visit tribal Palaung people on a village trek, and take a bamboo raft trip. At the Children's Garden Home, meet orphaned and disadvantaged children who are trained as gardeners in a compassionate environment. In the Golden Triangle area, interact with friendly local tribal people and Buddhist monks. Local guides will provide insightful interpretation throughout the journey. Exquisite, culturally authentic accommodations complement a superb itinerary.

Cost per person:

$4,350 (Adults) 
$4,150 (Children 12-17)
$3,850 (Children 11 and under)

$500 deposit per person due upon registration

 Saturday,
 June 19 -

 Wednesday,
 June 30, 2010

Colorado Dinosaur Discovery

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form 

What could be more thrilling for young students than the chance to dig for dinosaur fossils deep in Colorado’s red-rock country? We invite you to join us in western Colorado this summer on an exclusive, exciting expedition designed for families to discover the world of paleontology in one of the richest dinosaur domains in the country.

On this program, we hike the “Trail Through Time,” where dinosaur skeletal fragments have remained embedded for 145 million years, and dig side-by-side with scientists in a quarry where incredible discoveries have been made, including bones from eight species of dinosaurs.

Based in the beautiful Grand Valley of the Colorado River – a region teeming with dinosaur fossils – this program, reserved especially for CTY families, will take us from prospecting to quarrying to laboratory preparation of fossils. The enthusiastic field staff is expert at tailoring instruction for all age levels, with emphasis on both fun and learning. Our expedition also includes a wonderful array of activities outside the dinosaur quarries. We will take an enjoyable rafting trip on the spectacular Colorado River, hike in awe-inspiring Colorado National Monument, and ride horses through a beautiful, secluded valley.

The Grand Junction area is also the perfect region from which to extend a family vacation to other destinations in the West. The phenomenal National Parks of Utah, the incredible ruins of Mesa Verde, and that most western of towns, Durango, Colorado are a few of the nearby possibilities.

Cost per person:

$3,380 (Adults)
$2,750 (Children under 16)

 Saturday,
 June 19 – 
 

 Friday,
 June 25, 2010

Tanzania Family Safari

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form

We are pleased to offer you a wonderful travel opportunity designed especially for CTY families. Join us as we take you on a real insider’s look at one of the most fascinating and unspoiled destinations on the planet: Tanzania. Here, where one quarter of the stunningly beautiful land is protected, you and your family will experience the wonders of nature up close and touch the local culture in a way no one else can.

On this exciting family safari, we’ll ride out into the Serengeti plains in specially designed safari vehicles, where we’ll safely encounter a host of wildlife—perhaps leopard, lion, cheetah, gazelle, zebra, giraffe, ostrich, and so much more. We’ll also descend 2,000 feet to the floor of Ngorongoro Crater, where thousands of species of birds and animals have made their home for centuries.

Children will have the opportunity to write to a Tanzanian pen pal prior to the trip, and then meet him or her at a local school. You will also be introduced to the friendly Maasai people, who will share with us their traditions, arts, culture, and everyday lives. And all along the way, we’ll stay at quality lodges and well-appointed tented camps, which blend the spirit of outdoor adventure with modern-day comforts.

Join us for this in-depth exploration of exotic Tanzania, the world’s greatest wildlife wonderland!

Cost per person:

$6,790 (Adults)
$6,490 (Children 12 – 17)
$5,890 (Children 11 and under)

Egyptian Odyssey

Daily itinerary and registration form coming soon

From our first introduction to ancient history in grade school, the grandeur and mystery of Ancient Egypt, its elegant and geometric monuments and tales of its mighty Pharaohs have captivated us. Together with your family, journey to a land where this ancient history, against a backdrop of astounding natural wonders and modern life, co-exist to create a most enchanting and surprising tapestry of sights, colors and sounds.

This itinerary, designed with families in mind, is filled with activities intended to interest all ages. Experience Cairo’s bustle, the majesty of the Temple of Karnak and the mystery of the great Sphinx. Learn about the boy-king Tutankhamen and view his be-jeweled death-mask at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities; explore the Khan-el-Kalili on a competitive scavenger hunt; discover the meaning of the still brightly painted hieroglyphics lining pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings; relax on the sun deck of the Tamr Henna as you cruise the Nile; and interact with Egyptian children as they demonstrate the intricate art of weaving.

Join us on this unforgettable journey through time and experience the adventure of a lifetime!

Cost per person:

$7,110 (Adults)
$6,300 (Children 12 and under)

Important: Unlike the other travel programs listed, the above costs do include international airfare from New York to Cairo.

Marine Studies in the Highlands of Scotland

Daily Itinerary and Registration Form

Online Registration

CTY is proud to partner with the renowned Aigas Field Centre to use their in-depth knowledge and passion for sharing and preserving the marine treasures of Northern Scotland and the Highlands region. Aigas is located east of the Highland mountains, west of bustling Inverness and the North Sea, and just a few miles north of famed Loch Ness. Its location enables us access to many diverse marine environments with ease. Our program will include a blend of natural history and culture, focusing on the wonders of the natural marine world, with open-ended and child-led interpretive art projects.

Through a variety of on-site presentations, hands-on activities, and engaging projects, families will interact with a variety of marine life and explore diverse marine environments. What is learned at Aigas will literally come to life during our daily trips to various coastal and inland marine locations including rugged coastlines, pristine lochs, and sandy beaches. Weather permitting, we will enjoy several boat rides enabling an even closer glimpse of seals, dolphins, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and more.

Throughout this journey, students and parents are sure to learn together and cultivate new interests. Whether observing a frolicking bottlenose dolphin, watching a summer sunset at 10:00 in the evening, listening to melodic Scottish bagpipes, or enjoying local culinary delights, families will build memories to last a lifetime. We hope to see you in Scotland!

Cost per person:

$2,100 (Adults)
$1,300 (Children 11 and under)

 Saturday,
 July 24 – 
 
 Saturday,
 July 31, 2010