World Wildlife Fund WWF Travel Blog

Our spotlight on travel stories from WWF staff members continues. This week we highlight a senior administrator for WWF’s Information Technology department who caught the travel bug while studying abroad. Caitlin Moore talks about remote nights where only stars and the sounds of the Amazonian rainforest surrounded her.

During her travels to East Africa, photographer Robyn Gianni fell in love with the baby elephants that inhabit an orphanage outside Nairobi. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a sanctuary for orphaned animals, most especially elephants. It’s one stop on WWF’s tours in Kenya. In this essay, Gianni tells us what she learned about the rehabilitation of abandoned baby elephants and why the orphanage holds so much meaning for her.

The narrow wooden boat glides smoothly through the Philippine waters. Nervous tension hangs in the air; your eyes scan the waters for signs.

Signs of what?

This summer we're again bringing you travel stories from WWF staff. First up: Sybille Klenzendorf

Damaraland Camp in Namibia has been selected as one of National Geographic Traveler’s “25 Best Ecolodges” for 2013. The designation honors lodges that embody the spirit of exploration and commitment to the environment.

Damaraland Camp is a joint venture between Torra Conservancy and Wilderness Safari, showcasing the success of communal conservancies in ecotourism. With WWF’s support, these conservancies have restored populations of lions, cheetahs, black rhinos, zebras and other native wildlife and generated sustainable income for their communities.

You can visit the Damaraland Camp with WWF by joining our Epic Botswana & Namibia Safari.

Read more about WWF’s work in Namibia.

Conserving Polar Bears in the Arctic (presented by WWF & Eric Rock)
Tuesday, May 21st @ 3pm Eastern (12pm Pacific)
Register for the Webinar

Learn more about WWF’s work protecting the Arctic home of polar bears during a special webinar co-hosted by WWF and our tour partner, Natural Habitat Adventures. Sybille Klenzendorf, managing director of WWF’s species conservation program, will review the threats to polar bears, outline what WWF is doing to protect them and discuss ways you can help, too.

In addition, NHA staff naturalist Eric Rock will paint a vivid portrait of the adventure that awaits when you go on a tour to see polar bears in the wild.

Register and tune in to stay up to speed on the latest conservation issues facing polar bears and the Arctic.

Learn how you can join a trip to see polar bears in the wild.

Sandra Elvin always thought she would grow up to be a veterinarian. Sandra acquired her love for nature from her father, who after spending one day in Canada’s open spaces, decided to move his family there.

In celebration of 40 years of conservation work to secure a future for polar bears, WWF is giving away a Classic Polar bear Adventure trip for two in Churchill, Canada, courtesy of Natural Habitat Adventures.

The peaceful waters surrounding the quiet Indonesian islands of the Raja Ampat Archipelago are a magnet for diverse and abundant marine life. This region contains more than 1,000 fish species and 100s of types of coral. The Coral Triangle itself is a marine wildlife hotspot teeming with almost 600 species of reef-building corals and housing six of the seven marine turtle species found in the world. For first-time travelers to the islands, it’s an incomparable sanctuary.

Finally! The jarring rattling stopped. The infinite, bouncing commute across rocky elephant trails came to a halt. No more thorny branches threatening to scar my face with a snappy whip through the windows of our trucks. No more desert dust in my teeth. Finally.

We had arrived at the Ongava Game Reserve near Etosha National Park in northern Namibia after a long desert drive. The amiable lodge staff greeted us in the driveway with fresh juice and with cool washcloths we could use to swab our dusty faces.

But wait!