Contact: Laura Stegman
310/470-6321

Take a Wild Adventure to Exotic India
with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association

The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) offers a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity to discover the unique wildlife, landscapes, and exotic culture of India on an adventure presented by Classic Escapes from November 2 - 18, 2008.  Travelers on INDIA: A Wild Adventure are accompanied by Indian guide Dinesh Verna, a professional naturalist with more then 25 years of insightful experience  and knowledge of the region and its fauna, flora, and culture.
 
The trip is operated by Classic Escapes, whose mission is to provide educational and entertaining experiences that nurture and directly support diverse wildlife and cultures around the world.  The firm has established the Classic Escapes Conservation Fund, which provides a percentage of profits to support conservation and wildlife researchers performing their critical work in the field.
 
Departing from Los Angeles, the adventure begins with two days in Delhi including opportunities to explore such landmarks as Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial and Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India (completed in 1656), as well as the Red Fort, India Gate, Humayun’s Tomb and the soaring tower of Qutab Minar, the tallest minaret in the world.  Next is a flight to Nagpur and a vehicle trip to Kanha National Park, the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s famous Jungle Book novel. This environmentally conscious park has been noted for its preservation efforts of the rare swamp deer and the doubling of the tiger population.  Also featured is a search by 4x4 vehicle of the terrain for wildlife such as tigers, barking deer, mongoose, jingle cat, dhole (wild dog), jackals, and 200 species of birds. 
 
Next, two days in the  Bandhavgarh National Park include exploration in 4x4 vehicles or on elephant to see up to 22 additional wildlife varieties as well as a historic ruins of the mythological era of Ramayana and the Kalchuri period.  A scenic journey the next day to Khajuraho is followed by train trips to Jhansi and Agra to see temples, tombs, and the famous Taj Mahal.  Two days through rural India permits travelers to view the Red Sandstone City of Fatehpur Sikri, built in the late 16th century, on the way to Bharatpur and the Ranthambhore National Park, one of the best places in the world to see tigers.  Safaris there also spot wildlife such as jackal, mongoose, sloth bear, leopard, marsh crocodile, graceful Sambar and spotted deer, and blue bull and Indian gazelle, as well as some of the area's 272 bird species.  Travelers return to Delhi via train, then fly that night via New York to Los Angeles.
 
Two optional trip extensions are available, including a three-day pre-trip extension to Kaziranga from October 28 to November 3, which offers exploration of wildlife in Kaziranga National Park (a World Heritage site) in open-top 4x4 vehicles and by elephant.  Three daily meals are included.  The five-day post-trip extension to Rajputana, from November 17 – 25, explores temples, palaces, and archaeology of Western India, including trips to Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur and the lake city of Udaipur.  Daily breakfast and some other meals are included.
 
Itinerary and sequence subject to change.
 
The 16-day trip is $7,595 plus taxes of $200 (subject to change) per person, double occupancy.  A single supplement is $2,595 per person.  Included in the package are round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Delhi, all land travel, superior (or similar) accommodations, breakfast daily and other meals as noted, entry fees to places of interest on sightseeing tours indicated in itinerary, and hotel taxes and gratuities for baggage handling.  The optional three-day pre-tour extension to Kaziranga is $2,395 per person, double occupancy, and $495 per person, single room supplement.  The optional five-day post-tour extension to Rajputana is $3,395 per person, double occupancy and $1,595 per person, single room supplement. 
 
This trip is one of many programs presented by the private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, founded in 1963 to raise money for the City of Los Angeles-owned Zoo.  The year 2008 marks more than four decades of GLAZA's success in supporting the Los Angeles Zoo's work as an educational resource for the citizens of Los Angeles, and as an international center for the conservation of endangered wildlife.  GLAZA provides support for Los Angeles Zoo exhibits, conservation, capital projects, education programs, community outreach, research, and more through fund-raising and an endowment, membership, special events and more.  GLAZA currently has 65,000 member households, the second largest non-profit organization membership in Los Angeles.  Many of its nearly 300,000 individual members have sustained their GLAZA support for more than 20 years. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is an international leader in the conservation of endangered species and one of the city's major cultural and entertainment resources.
 
For detailed descriptions of INDIA: A Wild Adventure including a free brochure and more information, please call Melissa Grossenbacher at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, (323) 644-4792, or visit http://lazoo.org/calendar/travel/index.html.

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