Myths & Mountains’ Laos with a Heart Tour Named a NatGeo Traveler 2015 50 Tours of a Lifetime

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - April 9, 2015 - PRLog -- Myths & Mountains’ new Laos with a Heart (http://mythsandmountains.com/trip/laos-with-a-heart/?utm_source=atms&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=natgeo) tour was just selected as one of National Geographic Traveler’s 2015“50 Tours of a Lifetime (http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/)”. Myths & Mountains is an award-winning experiential tour operator offering active lifestyle trips to Asia, Southeast Asia and South America. The ninth annual list of tours will be featured in the print, online and tablet versions of the May 2015 issue.

“Traveler’s philanthropy – giving back to the people and countries that have provided so much pleasure to our guests – has been a hallmark of Myths & Mountains trips to Asia, South America and Southeast Asia,” said Dr. Antonia Neubauer, President of Myths & Mountains. “We feel tremendously honored that National Geographic Traveler has recognized our effort both to provide adventurers with an opportunity to get inside the Laotian culture, while simultaneously supporting NGOs in Laos that are contributing to the country.”

National Geographic Traveler’s selection process was highly competitive and the editorial team worked long and hard to find 2015’s most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours.

“This year marks 10 years of our editors selecting the world’s best guided tours,” said Norie Quintos, acting editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler. “In that time, the types of immersive and experiential trips have only multiplied; tours are going farther and deeper than ever before. The trips and operators we selected are a model for the rest of the travel industry: They open the world to travelers and at the same time leave a positive impact on the destinations and its people.”

The new, experiential Laos with a Heart tour gives travelers a unique opportunity to give back to local people and their communities while traveling through this simply beautiful country. Use zip lines to scour the forest in search of illusive Black Gibbon at the Gibbon Experience, a conservation project funding forest protection and local programs in Bokeo Nature Reserve. Visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center, an institution preserving and interpreting traditional arts and lifestyles of the country’s diverse ethnic groups. Participate in a book party with Big Brother Mouse, an organization getting high quality books to rural readers who have often never seen a book before. Spend a day at the Elephant Village, a sanctuary geared toward protecting and rehabilitating elephants. Move on to the Plain of Jars where UXO Laos will show guests how the team clears unexploded WWII ordinance for agriculture, hospitals and communities. An optional stop is the COPE Center, a provider of free prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services. These activities are only a few of the many adventures offered on this amazing tour.

National Geographic Traveler magazine uncovers the best tours and outfitters for travelers as part of the magazine’s mission “to propel readers out of their armchairs and into the field.” National Geographic Traveler has the largest audience of any travel magazine, with more than 8.5 million readers.

The May issue arrives in homes and on the website April 9^th. The print issue will hit newsstands April 21^st and the tablet issue will be available starting April 29^th. For more information about Myths & Mountains’ Laos with a Heart (http://mythsandmountains.com/trip/laos-with-a-heart/?utm_...) tour, please visit www.mythsandmountains.com (http://mythsandmountains.com/?utm_source=atms&utm_med...) or call 1-800-670-MYTH.

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About Myths & Mountains

Veteran adventurer Dr. Antonia Neubauer founded Myths & Mountains in 1988 to foster intimate cross-cultural experiences, offering tours designed to take travelers to the very heart of the places they visit. The company’s mission to provide hand-crafted, experiential journeys has created a solid place for Myths & Mountains in the adventure travel industry. They were named as Trusted Travel Experts on the 2015 Wendy Perrin WOW List; Allie Almario is the WOW expert for Ecuador and the Galapagos, while Dr. Neubauer is the WOW expert for Bhutan and Nepal. Dr. Neubauer has also been Condé Nast Traveler’s Nepal Top Travel Specialist since 2011. Achievements: “Top Ten Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” – National Geographic Adventurer, 2009; “Ultimate Adventure Outfitters From Around the Globe” – Travel + Leisure Magazine, 2010; “50 Tours of a Lifetime” – National Geographic Traveler, 2013 and 2015.

READ Global

Established in 1991 by Dr. Neubauer, Rural Education and Development (READ) Global has become a catalyst for systemic and sustainable change in rural Bhutan, India and Nepal. READ libraries and resource centers are operated by the local community and give two million people access to books and trainings they would not have otherwise. In 2006, READ Nepal won the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Access to Learning Award in recognition of the innovative efforts to connect people to information. READ was also a recipient of Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Award for Development in 2010.