Growing up in southeastern Pennsylvania, there was neither an ocean nor was the term biodiversity ever used. But I was fascinated with fish. Like my Dad and Grandpa Grove, I loved to go fishing in the local streams and the Susquehanna River for rainbow trout, shad, and bass. During summer vacations on the Atlantic coast, croaker, blue fish, and flounder danced in my dreams, and sometimes on the end of my line. I was also enthralled watching fish in aquariums; I even had one of my own in...
Beyond the DestinationYour World. Our Perspective.

Zegrahm Expeditions Travel Resources
Welcome to the Zegrahm Expeditions resources page! Here you will find inspiration for your next adventure and information from your last adventure, produced by our field leaders, Seattle office staff, and contributing writers. From blog posts and field reports (daily recaps of a past expeditions with images) to photo galleries and videos, explore your world from our perspective.
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In 1960, George F. Bass, then a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, learned to dive in order to excavate a Bronze Age shipwreck off Cape Gelidonya, on Turkey's southern coast. This was the first scientific excavation of a site beneath the water, and not only represented a revolution in archaeology, but also helped rewrite scholars' understanding of ancient trade in the Mediterranean three thousand years ago.
The example...
If it's a given that the best moments of a journey happen spontaneously, then the Expedition Stop day on a Zegrahm itinerary is surely serendipity in its finest hour. In our brochures, among the carefully crafted day by day descriptions, those words dangle a tantalizing lure to those of us easily reeled in by the promise of adventure.
I recently had the pleasure of joining my first Zegrahm voyage-Brunei to Bali-aboard the Clipper Odyssey. First times to any...
Kim Saunders has lived in Hong Kong and Indonesia and is a current resident of Singapore. A passionate student of Asian culture, with a special interest and expertise in regional textiles, she is a frequent lecturer with Zegrahm, energetically leading groups into local markets, and promoting appreciation for locally produced handicrafts.
I've been hooked on Indochina for a long time now, and our recent October journey to Cambodia and Vietnam served to emphasize the...
What plant appears to walk out and over water, grows its roots upward to "breathe," has seeds that germinate before they fall, eliminates salt from its pores, and serves as a nursery for baby tropical fish?
Why, the incredible, inter-tidal, flowering mangrove, of course! This tropical and sub-tropical tree boasts a unique adaptability that allows it to make a happy home in the harshest of conditions--a twice-daily immersion in salt water, and heavy, stinky mud without oxygen to...
Dr. Ralph Eshelman is a specialist in maritime history, polar exploration, and paleontology. He has served as geologist and historian for Zegrahm Expeditions and has traveled extensively through Greenland and Labrador. In our Q & A below, he offers us insight into the wonders of seldom-visited Labrador.
Labrador is often referred to as "a last great wilderness frontier." What gives it this designation? Labrador is largely unpopulated by humans except...
Borneo, Sulawesi, Sumba, Sumbawa, Bali...For me, few places conjure up the magical essence of the tropics like the islands in the western South Pacific. This is among the most foliage-rich and photogenic regions on earth and one I return to often with great anticipation of what I might next discover.
Active volcanoes seem to soar out of the sea and hover overhead, emitting occasional plumes of steam and smoke. Rainforests provide pristine habitat for the man-like orangutan,...
A remote tropical jungle, populated by "primitive" peoples, New Guinea is the largest island of Oceania and a place of extremes. Geographically hostile terrain, vast rivers, and scattered islands, this is home to over 800 ethnic-language groups. The country of Papua New Guinea is situated on the eastern portion of New Guinea, while on the other side, West Papua is a province of the Republic of Indonesia.
The hypnotic sounds of the New Britain Baining fire dancers were still...
Many people are familiar with the story of Jason and the Argonauts. Yet, how many know Colchis, Jason's destination in his quest for the Golden Fleece, is actually situated in present-day Georgia, a country steeped in legend and myth, ruggedly beautiful, rarely visited by outsiders, and one of the unique destinations offered on our voyage Circumnavigation of the Black Sea?
As an expedition leader for Zegrahm, I had the good luck to be called upon to lead our own Black Sea odyssey,...
To me the perfect icon for Oceania's tropical island people would be the common canoe, crafted from a single log and fitted with an outrigger for balance. This ubiquitous little boat typifies not only the craftsmanship of island people, but is a world-class example of environmental sustainability at its very best. The canoe of today, virtually identical to those described by Captain Cook, is still constructed of local natural materials and recycled when its journeys are finished. These boats...