For more than a century Field Museum scientists have conducted field work around the world. Field Museum Tours continues this tradition by offering our members scientific study tours that visit exciting, exotic, and remote areas of the world. Share the thrill of discovery with distinguished Field Museum curators, educators, and special guest lecturers. Hundreds of proposals are reviewed every year in order to develop a handful of exceptional programs. We invite you to review our travel opportunities, compare Field Museum Tours quality and value, and then join us for an incredible journey! Field Museum Tours at a Glance: The Road to Timbuktu & Coastal West Africa November 30-December 27, 2010 Field Museum Leader: Dr. Deborah Mack We are privileged to invite you to Timbuktu, and to admire the nine-centuries’-old Mosque of Djenné, as the culmination of our revelatory voyage along the coast of West Africa. Sailing from Casablanca, you will first explore the medinas, souks, and minarets of Morocco’s medieval cities. You will also travel deep into the Sahara and enjoy tea with traditional Berbers at an oasis amid the rippling dunes. In exotic Dakar, you will catch the colors of the arts and markets, then delve into the rain forests of The Gambia—and stride above them upon a treetop walkway. You will also have the very rare opportunity to explore Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monrovia, Liberia—both emerging quickly into modern, dynamic cities. And with three days in Ghana, you will have ample time to explore this vibrant country with vast nature reserves—where monkeys, elephants, birds, and antelopes abound—and Accra, one of the most exciting and artistic cities in Africa. Finally, you will fly over the difficult terrain, and rough roads, to wander the ancient halls and sandy streets of Timbuktu, the epitome of the exotic, secret, distant land. More Information: Download and print a brochure with detailed information about this trip (PDF format). The Road to Timbuktu & Coastal West Africa file size=0.9 mb *This is an Adobe Acrobat file, in order to view this file you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download from adobe.com Egypt's Valley of the Kings January 15-30, 2011 Field Museum Leader: Nigel Hetherington Luxor, located along the Nile in central Egypt, offers perhaps the greatest concentration of spectacular archaeological sites in the world. This unique tour spends ten nights in Luxor so that we can see nearly 30 extraordinary royal tombs that are closed to the public as well as magnificent mortuary temples that are "off the beaten path." Luxor deserves an extended stay and this program provides it. Travel with Field Museum guest lecturer and host Nigel Hetherington and a small group on this unique, in-depth exploration of the extraordinary Valley of the Kings. Avoid long lines and enter stunning tombs that are closed to the public. In addition to the royal tombs and the mortuary temples of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, Ramses II (the Ramesseum), and Ramses III (Medinet Habu), we will explore a number of other important pharaonic sites in Luxor and Cairo. Visit the awesome Karnak and Luxor Temples, and spend a full day on the Giza Plateau, including visits to the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Solar Boat Museum, and the Sphinx. In Saqqara, visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Pyramid of Unas, and the Pyramid of Teti I. To complement our explorations, we will also visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum. More Information: Download and print a brochure with detailed information about this trip (PDF format). Egypt's Valley of the Kings file size=0.9 mb *This is an Adobe Acrobat file, in order to view this file you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download from adobe.com Tanzania Safari January 31-February 13, 2011 Field Museum Leader: William Stanley and Mary Anne Rogers Our classic Tanzania Safari takes you to several of Africa’s premier wildlife parks and reserves: the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Arusha National Park, and Olduvai Gorge. We have timed our visit to take advantage of the seasonal migration of wildlife into the southern part of the renowned Serengeti ecosystem. Spend four full days in the region of this world-famous park where every year hundreds of thousands of plains animals gather during this time, and enjoy two full days exploring the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. This 14-day journey to Tanzania gives you the opportunity to observe an impressive array of exciting wildlife, including elephant, black rhino, cheetah, giraffe, gazelle, and perhaps the largest concentration of lion on the African continent. There are estimated to be 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, 500,000 Thomson’s gazelle, and more than 18,000 eland in the Serengeti ecosystem at the height of the migration. in addition to the fascinating wildlife, you will experience the beauty and diversity of the African terrain, with its great stretches of treeless plains, acacia-dotted savannas, riverine bush, and forests. More Information: Download and print a brochure with detailed information about this trip (PDF format). Tanzania Safari file size=0.4 mb *This is an Adobe Acrobat file, in order to view this file you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download from adobe.com Egyptian Odyssey February 12-26, 2011 Field Museum Leader: Dr. Hikadi Along the Nile River you will discover perhaps the most remarkable concentration of antiquities found anywhere in the world, as the ancient Egyptian penchant for building enormous monuments in stone has left a legacy of mysterious and imposing pyramids and temples. The practice of burying pharaohs, nobles, and others with precious and practical objects for use in the afterlife has resulted in a rich treasure of artifacts well preserved by the desert climate. You will learn firsthand about this extraordinary civilization situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe. This program is a comprehensive introduction to a variety of Egypt's most important sites. In Cairo, tour the outstanding Egyptian Museum, plus the Giza pyramids and Sphinx, Saqqara's Step Pyramid of Djoser and the Pyramid of Teti, Old Cairo, and much more. At Luxor, your explorations include the vast temple complex of Karnak and the stunning tombs of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. Cruise the legendary Nile aboard a luxurious riverboat from Luxor to Aswan, stopping to visit several remarkable temples and observing timeless pastoral scenes of farmers, herders, and village life. Aswan provides many highlights including a felucca (sailboat) ride and noted archaeological sites. From Aswan, take an excursion to the wondrous temple of Abu Simbel with its colossal statues. More Information: Download and print a brochure with detailed information about this trip (PDF format). Egyptian Odyssey file size=0.6 mb *This is an Adobe Acrobat file, in order to view this file you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download from adobe.com