Be Inspired

Mountain Travel Sobek's Historical Commitment to Conservation and Sustainable Travel:

A different kind of travel organization, Mountain Travel (USA) has been established through the combined interests of mountaineers-explorers Barry Bishop, Leo Le Bon, and Allen Steck–all members of the American Alpine Club, Sierra Club, and other organizations, for the purpose of creating backcountry wilderness trips where foot travel is the only means of access. Emphasis is on genuine exploration of the many remote areas of our planet that fortunately have not yet been touched by modern civilization or commercial development. Many of these wild and beautiful places need protection, which can only be accomplished through awareness by enlightened citizens.- 1970 Mountain Travel catalog

One of the great joys we experience at Mountain Travel Sobek is that you, our valued guests, often get inspired to help the people and places you visit after your MTS adventure. Many of you decide to sponsor a student, donate funds to local health clinics, or contribute to other worthwhile projects. Besides doing our part in the field in order to preserve and sustain the world's unique cultures and delicate environments, we are proud to support a number of worthy organizations that contribute to the betterment of societies around the world. You'll find many of these organizations listed below and on the pages of our catalog.

• Alaska Conservation Foundation Alaska Conservation Foundation works to ensure that Alaska's inspiring and extraordinary wilderness will retain their beauty and viability for generations to come. Mountain Travel Sobek supports the ACF through corporate membership and through donations from our guests to Alaska Discovery's "Dollar-a-Day" program.
• The American Himalayan Foundation Mountain Travel Sobek is a proud longtime supporter of the American Himalayan Foundation. One of the foundation's major initiatives is the restoration of ancient monasteries in Mustang and training local artisans to continue the work themselves. Nuns and monks receive a traditional education to ensure the monasteries continue to maintain the old ways. AHF also provides a safe and nourishing environment for children in Mustang while their parents work in the fields.
• The Breast Cancer Fund Climb Against the Odds~ Mount Shasta, July 2008 Join Mountain Travel Sobek in supporting the Breast Cancer Fund's ninth major mountain expedition. MTS Himalayan guide Cathy Ann Taylor will be lending her climbing expertise for the eighth time to help eliminate environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer. To apply or to sponsor a climber, visit www.breastcancerfund.org or call 866-760-8223, ext. 30.
• Carbon Emissions Offset In 2007, we increased our environmental commitment by partnering with Sustainable Travel International to make our office carbon neutral. STI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and a global leader in sustainable tourism development. Our goal is to offset the greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, which are associated with our trips and internal operations. Specifically, we're investing in worldwide renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, including reforestation in Ecuador's Amazon and renewable energy sources in the Himalaya. We are now also providing you with an option to offset your air travel with clean and sustainable sources of energy, which can help us become completely carbon neutral. To learn more about carbon offsetting, and how you can offset the emissions from your air travel, please visit www.mtsobek.com/carbonoffset.
• Conservation International Mountain Travel Sobek and Conservation International are working together to develop and implement good practices guidelines for rainforest and marine ecosystems, and have recently collaborated on a guide to good practices in mountain ecosystems with the United Nations Environmental Program. This initiative is part of our broader sustainability program to green our supply chain and encourage the adoption of sustainable practices by all our partners.
• FLOW - For Love Of Water We donate a portion of the proceeds from The Great Bend of the Yangtze and The Upper Mekong River adventures to FLOW (For Love of Water), a non-profit established by our river guides to facilitate the development of locally owned and operated river-based ecotourism that can contribute to the region's ambitious sustainable development initiatives. This is an outgrowth of a previous collaboration with The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Chinese government on planning and implementation of a conservation and sustainable development initiative for Northwest Yunnan. Come join us for an adventure of a lifetime and be a part of this great project!
• Friends of the River Friends of the River works to sustain, preserve and restore the many streams, creeks and rivers of California. Founded by river guides in 1973, FOR knows that our wild and scenic rivers need our support if they are to survive. Mountain Travel Sobek supports FOR through participation in and promotion of the California River Awards.
• The Fund For The Tiger The Fund For The Tiger works to help prevent the extinction of one of the world's most magnificent animals by providing support for work in Asia to protect the tiger and to help maintain a level of public awareness of the magnitude of this problem. MTS has been supporting this program through an annual "giving back" trip, Save the Tiger. Together with our guests, we have raised $140,184.
• Galápagos Conservancy The Galápagos Conservancy formerly known as Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc., advocates for the lasting protection of the Galápagos Islands through programs of constituency building, education, and fundraising in North America. GC raises more than $2 million annually to fund the conservation work of the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the Galápagos National Park Service (GNPS), and supports local actors in Galvpagos that work in partnership with the CDF and the GNPS. Galápagos Conservancy manages $4.5 million in endowed funds to support conservation in Galápagos. Mountain Travel Sobek groups visit the GC research station in Puerto Ayora on all trips.
• Save the Albatross The wandering albatross, as well as many other albatross species, are at a crisis point due to the impact of long line fishing. Each of our cruises hosts an auction toward the end of the voyage and the proceeds go to IAATO's (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) Save the Albatross campaign, which works toward alleviating this crisis while ensuring the survival of local fishing communities. Mountain Travel Sobek guests have been regular participants in these auctions, often placing the highest bids on many items!
• Friends of Timboni Feeder School Through our partnership with Iain Allan, MTS and our guests have raised several thousand dollars toward construction of a bore-hole well and windmill for Timboni School, which our guests on The Great Walk of Africa and Kilimanjaro & Beyond trips visit en route to the coast. Guests have also brought basic items to support the school, like blackboard chalk, crayons, and notepads.
• WildAid Working together, WildAid believes that the governments and communities of the world can reverse the devastation our our planet's wildlife. Our goal is simple and specific: to decimate the illegal wildlife trade within our lifetimes, allowing threatened species to recover to safe levels.
• The Wildlife Trust Through our partners in southern Africa, we contribute to The Wildlife Trust, an organization that addresses the needs of existing wildlife populations, seeks solutions to save endangered species, and provides education and training for local people and their communities. Current projects include rhino relocation and reintroduction in Botswana, anti-poaching efforts in Zimbabwe, rural school projects, and "Children in the Wilderness," a program that aspires to educate the youth of Africa and help them to appreciate and protect their magnificent natural heritage. A portion of the proceeds of each Botswana Flying Safari and South African Trails are contributed to the Trust (between March and November 2006, approximately $100,000 was donated to projects throughout southern Africa by the Trust!). Ask us about ways to make tax-deductible contributions.