If Jane Goodall and Jacques Cousteau rank among your personal heroes, Natural Habitat Adventures’ new citizen-science trips should be on your radar. The conservation-focused adventure travel company recently entered into a new relationship with Earthwatch Institute to assume management of revised brand Earthwatch Expeditions by Nat Hab, a collection of new trips launching in 2027 that pair travelers with Ph.D. scientists on active research projects.
Wildlife lovers will relish the opportunity to help track leatherback sea turtles on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, measure and tag sharks in Belize, photograph whales and dolphins in the Sea of Cortez, and listen for owl calls in the high-elevation forests of Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument. Travelers will work in small groups alongside Ph.D. scientists and their research teams, helping to collect real-world data and observations.
“At a time when science and data matter more than ever in shaping the policies that protect our planet, this kind of hands-on research is critical,” says Ben Bressler, founder and CEO of Natural Habitat Adventures (Nat Hab). “Together, we’re building on a legacy that has helped inform more than 1,200 environmental policies and wildlife management plans worldwide, backed by long-term research efforts that reflect a commitment to meaningful conservation.”
Itineraries start at $6,942 per person and offer rare access to research sites and field projects and behind-the-scenes insight into conservation science. Travelers get to see some of the world’s most beautiful places—like Kenya’s Greater Maasai Mara, the Upper Amazon, and Acadia National Park—while helping to preserve and protect what makes them special.
Tracking the impact of water levels on wildlife in Peru’s Upper Amazon helps scientists understand how water patterns affected by climate change are influencing animal movements, behavior, and habitat. Measuring permafrost thaw and surveying changes in the Arctic ecosystem near Churchill, Manitoba, offer insight on how polar bears and other wild animals are coping with warming temperatures. Observing the diets of Iceland’s orcas illustrates how changing prey affect killer whales’ health and survival.
Since 1971, Earthwatch Expeditions has conducted more than 100,000 hours of study a year and engaged more than 200,000 travelers as field research assistants. The new collaboration brings together Nat Hab’s expertise in eco-conscious nature adventures with Earthwatch’s leadership in participatory science. “We come together with shared core values, incredibly dedicated staff and scientists, and complementary skill sets to truly move the bar on wildlife conservation and the preservation of biodiversity in all its forms,” says Stan Rullman, director of research for Earthwatch Expeditions.
Ten itineraries are currently available for booking, with more coming soon. “At Nat Hab, we’ve spent decades proving that travel can support conservation,” says Bressler. “And Earthwatch has done the same through science. Together, we’re giving travelers a meaningful way to be part of that work.”
TourScoop takeaway: Traveling with purpose is always a good idea, and these trips take that idea to the next level. Wildlife watching becomes all the more special when your observations help support the creatures you’re admiring.
