Dear Folks:
The website is under reconstruction but until we finish it here are the upcoming outings for 2009 through 2011. Call me at 707 570-2187 and give me your snail mail address and I will be happy to send you a brochure.
For many of you international travel is a luxury, especially in times of economic uncertainty. I understand; I've lost half of my savings and I have a son in college. I have worked to keep many prices for upcoming trips the same by switching ground operators or insisting on new pricing. I employ only socially and ecologically responsive companies in the host countries I visit. This often results in a slightly higher price but one I am willing to pay. I am also one of the few ecotour companies in which the principal (me) goes on every single trip. If there is a problem- big or small- I am there to deal with it. Many travel companies are often no more than trip brokers, relying on local staff to lead their outings.
All the trips I offer in this brochure are those that I feel should be done in this lifetime. If there is a place you would like to go but I do not offer a trip that year, then please call me for information. I can point you in the right direction for your international travel using responsible companies.
If one of the Footloose Foray trips interests you, just give a call or e-mail and I will be happy to send you more details.
Sincerely,
Michael Ellis
Footloose Forays
The trips listed here are educational forays into the natural world. Most important, they are fun!
Who's Michael? A trip participant says it this way: "Start with an encyclopedic knowledge of all the sciences, especially botany, biology and etymology; add the ability to articulate this knowledge rapid-fire in lay terms, laced with humorous anecdotes; add an endless energy supply; add rapport with young and old; add genuine love of nature and teaching - Michael combines all these ingredients to enthuse people about nature."
Michael leads natural history trips independently as well as for a number of Bay Area organizations. His B.S. in Botany and Masters in Marine Biology are the formal stages in his lifelong process of information gathering. Since 1988 he has been a regular contributor to KQED-FM Perspective Series and writes the Ask The Naturalist column for Bay Nature Magazine.
— 2009 TO 2011 —
MONDAY FOOTLOOSE HIKING
Michael's flagship hiking series, which began in 1984, is called Footloose. It takes place Mondays 10:00 - 1:30 in two 14-week sessions, fall and spring. Discover interesting places in Marin, San Francisco and Sonoma counties, learn the natural history of the Bay Area and meet fascinating, fun people. What a good way to start the week! Warning: there is often a long wait list for this series. Current hikers get first priority; some have been hiking for 20 years in the group! There are two leaders sharing the series — Michael Ellis and Armando Quintero.
COST: $425 per series
DATE: Fourteen Mondays 10:00 to 1:30. Fall 2009
DATE: Fourteen Mondays 10:00 to 1:30 Spring 2010
THE MOJAVE AND DEATH VALLEY FULL!
The focus of this weeklong car camping adventure is the Mojave Desert. We stay the entire week at a private oasis along the Amargosa River near delicious hot springs, just outside Death Valley National Park. Here Willow Creek bubbles to the surface, attracting a plethora of wildlife. The old T and T railroad (the beds battered by desert floods and home now only to coyotes and rattlesnakes) used to run through here. We head north into Death Valley and surrounding wild lands on day trips. Here the names say it all - Badwater, Dante's View and the Devil's Palette. These areas contain some of the most fantastic scenery this side of Mars. Dramatic sunsets, eerie tree yucca forests, sand dunes, rugged mountains, volcanic craters, desert tortoises, chuckwallas, coyotes, golden eagles, and abundant desert wildflowers are all found here. Exploring on foot and by car we travel the backcountry of this still Wild West. It always fills immediately.
COST: $450 per person
DATE: March 28- April 3, 2010 or
DATE: April 4-10, 2010
CHIMPS AND GORILLAS
I am very excited about this trip to Uganda and Rwanda. A tremendous amount of healing has occurred in both countries after suffering through some very dark years. We will visit Murchison Falls National Park, the headwaters of the Nile River and the largest Park in Uganda. It is home for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion, hippo, crocodile, several antelope species and a lot of bird life. At Kibale NP we have the opportunity to visit a large chimpanzee group. Traveling south into Queen Elizabeth National Park and take a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel; it was the best hippo, croc and water bird photo opportunities I have ever had in Africa (and I have had a few of them). After finding the famous tree-climbing lions in Ishasha Park, we enter the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for our first encounters with mountain gorillas. WOW! Crossing into Rwanda to our comfortable lodge near the Virunga Mountains. This region, made famous by Dian Fossey, is home for 7 habituated gorilla families. We have another opportunity to visit an additional family of our close relatives. Finally we travel to Kigali with time for a visit to the Genocide Memorial. This was one of the most powerful museum experiences of my life.
Our experiences with the local guides, the lodge staff and the wildlife were awe-inspiring. I want the world to know that these two countries are very safe to visit. By bringing tourists we are helping to preserve the highly endangered wildlife of this part of Africa. And if you have been to other game parks in Africa you will be delighted at the lack of other vehicles in the world-class national parks.
COST: $7000 land costs. $2100 non-refundable deposit (two gorilla and one chimp trek)
DATE: October 3 to 22, 2009
BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS
The return of the waterfowl to California's Great Central Valley has been described as one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, and it happens every winter. We'll visit the famous Gray Lodge Refuge to see thousands of Snow Geese joining Canada and White-fronted Geese. Around the defunct volcanic Sutter Buttes we'll see aerial displays of the sandhill cranes and tundra swans. We'll hike around the Colusa Wildlife Refuge and then to the Sacramento Refuge for more avian delights - ruddy ducks, pintails, shovelers, bitterns, night herons, mallards, harriers, rough-legged hawks, gallinules et al. Not only will we learn how to identify these birds, but also we'll learn about their evolution, behavior and physiology. Discover why so many people make this an annual trip. It's fun! You'll need to arrange your own lodging for Saturday night after you receive a list of the area's accommodations.
COST: $200
DATE: December 8-9 or December 10-11 or December 12-13, 2009
GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: THE SERENGETI
I hate to say it but if you ever plan on going to this part of the world you'd better do it soon. Tanzania, not Kenya, has the best wildlife show left on the planet. And we will be there at the peak of the wildebeest calving season -- 1 million animals giving birth in a 3-week period! Giraffes, elephants, lions, gazelles, oryx, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, dikdiks and zebras; and more birds than you can possibly imagine -- flamingos, storks, pelicans, white-crowned shrikes, bee-eaters and ostriches --- all make their home in the parks we'll visit. Comfortable tent camping combined with cozy lodges make this a perfect trip. Resident Tanzanian naturalists accompany us throughout the trip while we visit Arusha National Park, the Serengeti Plain, Tarangire National Park, Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater. This is truly the trip of a lifetime; you owe it to yourself. I have been leading trips to the Serengeti every February since 1992! It remains my favorite all time natural history experience. Every visit is superb and perfect in every way. No one ever regrets going to Tanzania, they just wonder what took them so long and when can I return?
COST: $8300 land cost
DATE: February 9 to February 26, 2010
BHUTAN = SHANGRI-LA
The little-known kingdom of Bhutan, approximately the size of Switzerland, is one of the last strongholds of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. Although isolated for centuries by its geographical situation, bound, as it is on the south by dense tropical jungles and to the north by the mighty Himalayas, in the last fifteen years it has slowly opened its frontier to a few privileged visitors and tourists. Last year there were only 20,000 tourists allowed in the entire country. The only way to travel into this untouched peaceful land is with a government-sanctioned travel agency. This moderate touring trip with numerous day hikes provides a wide, nearly comprehensive overview of the Kingdom of Bhutan with a particular emphasis on the flowering plants and trees for which the Himalayan region is so well known. Few places on Earth can match the breathtaking splendor of Bhutan -- a region of incomparable biological richness and natural beauty. Its lush, temperate cloud forests of pine and rhododendron provide sanctuary to for a great variety of flora and fauna. Bumthang, located in the geographical heart of the Kingdom, is comprised of four high valleys covered in forests that embrace small monasteries, chortens, traditional stone houses and markets. Few places on Earth can match the breathtaking splendor and unique botanical and ornithological diversity of Bhutan. While this is not a trek you must be in moderately good shape to participate. We will be hiking at elevations that range between 4500 and 11000’ on steep trails that may not be well maintained.
COST:$5900 per person
DATE: April 17 to May 5, 2010
THE LAKES BASIN
A little known biological region is tucked away in the northern Sierra Nevada and I can take you there. While most people are crowding into Lake Tahoe or Yosemite Valley, the Lakes Basin area of the Feather River is virtually empty. Located near Yuba Pass along Highway 49 this area is home to over 23 lakes. From our comfortable group campsite we are right in the center of numerous streams, lakes and waterfalls. The summer wildflowers literally spill from lake to lake. We hike through the montane meadows and open forests to high mountain vistas. We will visit the nearby Sierra Valley; one of the premier birding spots in California It is the largest alpine valley in North America, part of the continental crust that was dropped by the same faulting that raised the Sierra Nevada. Here are abundant Sandhill Cranes Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Wilson's Phalaropes, Black Terns, and a host of ducks and other marsh-birds. Another great highlight is a tour of the Plumas-Eureka State Park, Jamison Mine and historic Johnville. Some of us can take the challenging hike up the Sierra Buttes. Evenings are spent stargazing, sitting in front of the big fire and at least one night hike. We will spend a week thoroughly discovering this wonderful part of the world.
COST: $450
DATE: Sunday, July 25 to Saturday, July 31, 2010
MOUNT LASSEN
We spend long summer days exploring California's least visited National Park - Mt. Lassen. This geothermal wonderland last erupted in 1917, a blink of a geologic eye, and until Mt. St Helens blew in 1980 it was the only active volcano in the contiguous US. In many ways Lassen Volcanic National Park is like our own little Yellowstone - remote high country with sulfur springs, boiling mud pots, steam vents and abundant wildlife and bird activity. Four Native American tribes intersected here. And Ishi, the so-called last wild Indian, came from this region. In August there will still be beautiful wildflower displays. The flora is a delightful mix of the Cascade Range and the northern Sierra. The weather will be perfect for incredible stargazing and a lot of hiking. We will have the option to climb Lassen Peak at 10457 '. We are based at one group camp on the peaceful east side of the park, right on Juniper Lake. But if you don't like to camp, there is a motel option.
COST: $400
DATE: Monday, August 23 to Friday, August 27, 2010
MADAGASCAR
The world’s fourth largest island is home to an increasingly threatened population of unique, rare and endangered plants and animals. This 600 mile long island has been separated from the African continent for the last 165 million years and 80% of the plants and animals that evolved in this isolation are found no where else in the world. Madagascar’s most famous mammals are its lemurs – 14 species of primates that range in size from the tiny nocturnal mouse lemur to the huge black and white Indris. Lonely Planet says: "Madagascar's forests are a shimmering, seething mass of a trillion stems and dripping leaves and slithering, jumping, quirky creatures out of nature's bag of tricks: lemurs, periwinkles and baobabs, aloes, geckoes, sifakas and octopus trees. Sadly, they are threatened by aggressive deforestation"
This deforestation is from humans that only arrived in Madagascar 1000 years ago. And they did not come from Africa but rafted west from Malaysia! I spent the entire month of July 2007 exploring this country. Our itinerary includes most of the best preserved areas where our chances of seeing the diversity of bizarre baobabs, changeable chameleons, leaping lemurs, and bodacious birds are best. This trip is limited in number, which makes wildlife spotting (lemurs!) in the dense forest much easier for everyone.
COST: $6200 land costs and internal air (same price as in 2008!)
DATE: September 16 to October 2, 2010
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, QUITO AND THE UPPER AMAZON BASIN
Not just one but three trips in one! Six hundred miles off of Ecuador, right on the equator lay the Galapagos Islands. Every person interested in the wild things of the planet must make at least one trip to this amazing place. Giant prickly pear cactus, tree ferns, and monstrous daisies lend a surreal aspect to the landscape. The exotic fauna shows little fear of humans. Giant tortoises, marine iguanas, penguins, blue-footed boobies, lava lizards, sea lions, fur seals and even the fish are friendly. Our boat, one of the top ships in the Islands, has air conditioning, a fresh water maker, and even an ice machine. In the Highlands is dramatic Quito at 9200'and surrounded by the Andes. We shop at colorful Indian markets and clamber on the slopes of snow capped volcanoes. Next we fly into the upper Amazon Basin for a stay at a comfortable lodge. You will swear you are on a Hollywood set. There are jaguars, crocodiles, piranhas, monkeys, sloths and more exotic tropical plants and birds than you can imagine. We will venture daily into the surrounding jungle on foot and by canoe. What a trip!
COST: $6600 (est) land cost
DATE: January 14 to 31, 2011
GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: THE SERENGETI (see above)
COST: TBD
DATE: February 2 -20, 2011 (approximate)
BAJA BY BOAT
This was the first international trip I ever lead way back in 1980 and it remains one of my favorite natural history experiences. This 12-day tour includes hiking and birding on remote islands and whale watching with the gray, blue and humpback whales of the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California, plus an extension into the southern Sea of Cortez where blue, humpback, fin, and sperm whales are found. Up to a dozen different species of whales and dolphins, four species of pinnipeds, and scores of sea and shorebirds are possible on this itinerary. We snorkel with tropical reef fishes, invertebrates, and sea lions at a variety of island and peninsula locations in the Sea of Cortez. Passengers board The Searcher in San Diego and fly home from Cabo San Lucas.
DATE: Wednesday, March 9 to Saturday, March 20, 2011
COST: $3800 (est.). $500 non-refundable deposit
THE TURQUOISE COAST AND EXOTIC TURKEY
The Eastern Mediterranean was the cradle of civilization almost 10,000 years ago. The alphabet and our numerical system originated here as well as most of the great religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. To travel in Turkey is to explore the roots of modern day civilization itself. This exotic country, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, boasts magnificent Greek and Roman antiquities as well as the extraordinary legacies of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Now it is a dynamic, modern, democratic nation with friendly people, delicious cuisine, fantastic shopping and beautiful scenery. In addition to visiting Turkey's most important historical and archeological landmarks, we will spend five days sailing the famed Turquoise coast. The sea is crystal clear and the coast is lined with pretty fishing villages and pristine beaches. Our local guide is my dear friend, Yasemin. She is currently writing a guide to the wildflowers of her remarkable country. She is also one of the cultural highlights of this trip!
COST: $6000 (est.) land cost.
DATE: May 19 to June 6, 2011
THE PANTANAL AND THE AMAZON
In southwestern Brazil lies one of the world's most extraordinary natural areas: the Pantanal. It is an enormous wetland the size of South Dakota. Some biologists compare it to the African savanna with its vast prairies divided by lazy meandering rivers forested at the water's edge. This area teems with life and is a refuge for many of South America's largest mammals - tapirs, jaguars, capybaras, marsh deer and giant anteaters. It is a true gathering ground for South American ecosystems. The flora and fauna of the Amazon and Atlantic forests of the north, the Chaco grasslands from the east and west and the pampas to the south all intersect in the Pantanal to create one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. We stay in comfortable lodges and explore by vehicle, on foot and by boat. Next we fly north into the Amazon Basin. We stay at beautiful Cristalino Jungle Lodge, nestled in a private forest reserve. It borders the Cristalino State Park and is part of an extensive protected area that extends northward into the adjacent state of Pará. This unique region contains many species found only in this part of the Amazon. The area contains pristine forest and aquatic habitats that support a very rich fauna and flora. The lodge is internationally known for its diversity of birds and butterflies. The number of tourists visiting Cristalino is limited to ensure a minimal environmental impact.
DATE: June 19 to 30, 2011 (approximate)
COST: TBD.
NAMIBIA
Namibia is a country of startling contrasts that straddles two great deserts: the Namib (after which it is named) is the oldest desert on the planet, and its sea of red sand lies along the Atlantic coastline, and in the eastern interior lies the Kalahari, a vast and sparsely vegetated savannah that sprawls across the border into neighboring countries. Namibia is celebrated for its vast open landscapes - an abundance of space in which to inhale deeply and bask in an infinite supply of blue skies, sun-drenched weather and tranquil starry nights. This safari explores four distinct regions: the sands and red dunes of Sossusvlei; the icy, life-filled coasts at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay; the stark plains of Damaraland, with their desert-adapted elephants; and the amazing wildlife abundance on the Etosha savannah. It concludes with a breathtaking scenic flight over dramatic desert landscapes to the exclusive Skeleton Coast Camp situated in a private concession in the Skeleton Coast Park. This is one of the most inhospitable but hauntingly beautiful places on the planet: desolate and uninhabited. It has everything, from roaring sand dunes, windswept plains, towering canyons and saltpans to seal colonies and shipwrecks. Full-day explorations in 4x4 Land Rovers will take all these in, picnicking on the way. Included are cultural visits to the remote villages of the Himba people.
DATE: November 5 to 21st, 2011
COST: TBD