Boulder, CO – Natural Habitat Adventures has been selected by Outside, America’s leading multimedia active-lifestyle brand, as a recipient of its second annual Active Travel Awards. Natural Habitat Adventures was honored with the top award - Best Outfitter. The full list of award winners will be published in the April issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands March 12, 2013.
"Outside magazine has long been one of the world's most trusted advisors for active and adventurous travelers," says Outside Editor Christopher Keyes. "In addition to truly award-worthy destinations and travel providers, this year we unearthed a handful of amazing new frontiers in active travel. Our annual awards honor the year’s best operators, trips, hotels, lodges, luggage, islands, and new destinations that will be an invaluable travel resource for years to come."
To select this year’s awards, Outside tapped its global network of correspondents, who spent months on the road traveling the globe to report this year’s definitive roundup of award winners.
“We’re thrilled to be recognized by Outside,”says Ben Bressler, Natural Habitat’s founder and director. “The award is a confirmation of our mission – which is to immerse small groups of travelers in the wonders of the natural world, guided by the best naturalist Expedition Leaders on the planet. When our guests get close to wildlife – whether it’s the polar bears of Churchill or India’s threatened tigers -- they become passionate about protecting it, and that’s a crucial goal of ours.”
Natural Habitat’s conservation commitment is furthered by its status as official travel partner of World Wildlife Fund. Since 2003 NHA has donated more than $1.4 million to the non-profit. And in 2006, NHA became the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company, paying to offset its trips’ carbon emissions.
The recent creation of Natural Habitat Expeditions, NHA’s higher-adrenaline slate of active adventures, also caught the eye of Outside editors, who named the company’s Antarctica: Ultimate Polar Nature Expedition “the best trip this year.”
The 18-day private sailing expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands features an exhilarating crossing of the Drake Passage aboard a 75-foot sailboat; nine days exploring the peninsula’s channels, bays, islands and icebergs by sailboat, kayak and on foot; camping on the ice among myriad wildlife; and a return flight to Punta Arenas, Chile. Two departures are planned for December/January 2014-15, accommodating just eight qualified guests on each.