What is the Outward Bound Guest Expedition Experience?

Outward Bound programs around the world help people discover and develop their potential to care for themselves, others and the world around them by engaging in challenging experiences, in new environments.

Outward Bound International (OBI) Guest Expeditions offer adventure and renewal with congenial companions while supporting the worldwide Outward Bound mission. Our programs are conducted by the 35 licensed Outward Bound Centers or carefully selected outfitters.

Why Support Outward Bound International?

OBI licenses and supports Outward Bound starting in new countries (10 in progress). AOBI also strives to enhance the safety and quality of existing Outward Bound educational services through various audit and best practice programs.

As a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, OBI relies on donations to conduct much of our work. What better way to support our cause and deepen your understanding and experience of the benefits of Outward Bound programs than to join us on a Guest Expedition?

Listed below are current and past Guest Expeditions.

The Expedition You’d Like is not Listed Here?

The list of potential expeditions could be extended indefinitely! The key factor to the trip being a success is the enthusiasm of one or two people to "host" the expedition and recruit friends and colleagues. Let us know where you've always wanted to go, and we'll make it happen!

Please contact: expeditions@outwardbound.net

What are Guest Expeditions?

Guest Expeditions are journeys to exotic locales with a special purpose: to promote the understanding of the mission and programs of Outward Bound, to build support for the work of OBI, and to provide a "taste" of the programs in a unique and meaningful way. By utilizing the staff of the global network of Outward Bound, OBI is able to offer a personal experience of Outward Bound and provide a forum for sharing ideas and culture between board members, their colleagues and friends worldwide. With Outward Bound schools on six continents, we are able to offer a variety of adventures.

How do Guest Expeditions support OBI financially?

Part of the cost of Guest Expeditions is a tax-deductible contribution (usually about US$1,500) to OBI. The total cost is often similar to a commercial expedition. The contribution may be shared with the inviting board member's own Outward Bound school.

Galapagos Islands Expedition

Come and visit this window into the past where strange species flourish on remote islands surrounded by water, protected by wind, distance and ocean currents.

Come relive the journey that inspired Darwin to a place that time seems to have forgotten. Visit this little world within itself on foot, by boat and in the water. Swim and snorkel the turquoise waters amongst brightly colored fish, rays and sea turtles. Laugh at the antics of the curious sea lions while they frolic in the surf with their pups and delight when they decide they want to play around you. Maybe catch sight of a Manta ray or a pod of Orcas from the bow of your boat. View Marine Iguanas or a Night Heron on the lava rocks or enjoy the dancing blue footed boobies on the beach.

Our itinerary takes us to three main islands where you'll encounter a wealth of wildlife and different ecosystems. We walk and snorkel where other, more intrusive modes of transport would not take us, and we are rewarded by not only what we see but by the thrill and satisfaction of getting there. The Galapagos is an interactive must see destination for young and old alike.

This Expedition has filled to capacity

Oman

One of the great successes of Oman’s transition into a sophisticated country has been the preservation of the cultural and traditional elements that make it distinct from any other country in the region. It is this distinctive culture, together with a varied landscape that now increasingly draws discerning travelers from around the world. Oman has 1,700 km of coastline, mountains that reach 9,000 feet altitude, green frankincense forest caressed by the summer monsoon and the world’s largest sand desert, the Rub Al Khali, or Empty Quarter, spills over the border from Saudi Arabia.

Led by senior Outward Bound Oman staff, we will journey south from the capital city of Muscat to the Sharqiya (Eastern) Sands, a sea of sand the size of New Jersey. Leaving the relative luxury of our desert camp, we will spend three days, moving slowly on foot and by camel through the sands where, in the company of our Bedouin guides and camel handlers we will have the opportunity to learn about this rich culture. The journey will be conducted at a slow pace, with regular breaks for Arabic coffee and dates. We will visit Bedouin camps, and for three days you will live the simple life the Bedu.

OBI Board member Peter Britton has been a long time supporter of Outward Bound in the Middle East and he has designed this expedition to support the launch of the first Outward Bound School in the region.

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Kilimanjaro

Join Outward Bound International on our most popular Guest Expedition and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The expedition begins with your flight into Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania just minutes from the trailhead. Two nights in a luxury hotel and a 1-day safari, get you rested for the 6 day climb.

The itinerary is designed to give ample time for acclimatization and maximize the chance reaching the summit and enjoying the experience! We take “the route less travelled” for two days, missing most of the crowds. At the Barafu high camp (15,100’) we take a full day of rest and acclimatization, while other parties gasp past. Our climb to the 19,330’ summit begins in the middle of night so we arrive on top for sunset and great views from one of the “Seven Summits”.

Ian Wade, Executive Director of Outward Bound International, will accompany the expedition. Ian has climbed Kilimanjaro sixteen times, leading Outward Bound groups. He is past President of the American Mountain Guides Association and an Everest summit climber.

Kilimanjaro expeditions are best arranged in the dry season (mid-November – mid-March or mid-May to September). Many climbers have arranged a safari afterwards to such amazing parks as Serengeti or Ngorongoro. Stays can be arranged in luxury hotels or tent camps. Other places to relax are Zanzibar (a 45-minute flight from Kilimanjaro) or even the Seychelles.

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Amazon Expedition

Few places on the planet have escaped the touch of man but Ecuador offers a country lush in nature’s gifts like the Enchanting Wilderness of the Amazon Rainforest. Outward Bound Ecuador and OBI have designed the ideal adventure for your family and friends. Travel down rivers into the Amazon wilderness area, where both shores are covered in the magnificent tangle of vegetation at the water’s edge and the opportunities to visit with some of the most spectacular and exotic wildlife in the world exists. From Pumas to Howler Monkeys, Pink Dolphins to Piranha. Watch as the confluence of the cappuccino and espresso colored waters churn together into what is the wonders of the Amazon Rainforest and find out that this once in a lifetime adventure is the perfect way to view the Amazon rain forest and gain hands on perspective to this unique ecology.

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Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Outward Bound School operates in very diverse terrain that is easily accessible from San Jose. Expeditions can be customized for 4 – 14 days and include any of the following activities: -

• Hike miles up majestic mountains and through exquisite cloud and rainforests surrounded by exotic plants and animals. Discover the complex ecosystem of Costa Rica. See monkeys, sloths, parrots and maybe even the endangered tepezquintle.
• Stay with local families in villages deep in the rainforest and get a rich taste of a different culture and lifestyle.
• Explore the summit of an active volcano, raft down class III/IV rapids and bike on trails that slice through dense tropical forests.
• Visit natural hot springs and glide through the trees high above the canopy floor on zip-lines.
• Explore isolated tropical islands and white, sandy coves while kayaking through the warm waters of the Pacific.
• Perform a service project before leaving that will allow you the opportunity to be actively involved in preserving the rainforest and the culture that depends upon it.

Alternatively expeditions can be organized to Cuba where caving and sea kayaking complement discovery of an unfamiliar culture. Or Panama where sailing, snorkeling or scuba diving from the Bocas del Toro archipelago will offer remarkable experiences.

Rainforest Expedition

Multi-Element Expedition

Cuba Expedition

Panama Expedition