Treat Dad to a Great Green Vacation

Your Dad has worked hard all his life, and never got to take enough vacation. This Father's Day, give him what he really wants: a chance to get away from it all. Many lodging and tour providers now offer the experience of a lifetime, while leaving a much smaller footprint on the earth compared to conventional tourism. Just don't forget to suggest to your eager traveler that he review ways to reduce his own impact. Give the gift of high adventure through Lindblad Expeditions, a name that has been synonymous with small group sizes, spectacular locations and care for the local environment since the 1950s. Tours are led by naturalists and experts in local culture. Dad can take a small-ship cruise among the icebergs of Antarctica, sea kayak among whales and rays in Baja California, or hike among the giant tortoises and other storied species of the Galapagos Islands (prices start at $2,890). Has Dad always wanted to take a big game safari? Give him the chance for an elephant-back tour of Camp Jabulani, a South African private game sanctuary and preserve. He''ll be able to get close-up photographs of the preserve's protected cheetahs, and stay in a thatched-roof (but air conditioned) luxury safari lodge, complete with stone swimming pool. Rates (starting at $1,180 double occupancy per night, with meals) directly support the endangered animals. Send Dad on a birding bonanza with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. VENT is the world's largest birding tour specialist, and visits more than 100 destinations, from all over America to Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa and beyond. Birding heavyweights Roger Tory Peterson and Peter Matthiessen helped shape VENT programs, and the company is well known for helping protect forest and partnering with various environmental groups, from the World Wildlife Fund to the National Audubon Society. Another great way for Dad to see some beautiful scenery, as well as find some well-deserved peace of mind, is to see the Old Country the old-fashioned way: on foot. Europeans have a long tradition of strolling along stunning coasts and hiking from one charming mountain pub to another. If he travels with Country Walkers, he can discover Tuscany's gorgeous wine country, or explore Ireland's many charms (trips start around $3,000). If your Dad thinks of himself as a real "man's man," why not send him off to real man's vacation, at Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge on the awe-inspiring Alaska coast? Built in the mid 1970's from hand-milled driftwood, the lodge can only be reached by water taxi, helicopter or float plane. Dad can discover his inner mountain man with rugged hiking, kayaking and wildlife watching, or simply relax in the wilderness solitude that is the hallmark of the small lodge ($350 a night in the summer).

More Ways to Appreciate Dad:

• The Stingy Dad's Great Green Guide
• Great Green Gifts For Father's Day
• Great Green Father's Day Meal (Including the Best BBQ Chicken)

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