Emeryville, CA-September 18 2006-Adventurous travelers will have more exciting trip choices than ever as they begin planning their travel for the coming year: Mountain Travel Sobek, North America’s leading adventure travel company, has added 47 new adventures to their total roster of more than 135 worldwide group programs, not including nearly 30 special programs designed especially for private individual travel.

New adventures include:

¨ Treks in Patagonia, Tibet, India, and an inn-to-inn trek to Machu Picchu

¨ Sea kayaking on Portugal’s Douro River and in the islands of Panama’s Kuna Yala

¨ Multisport adventures in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Vancouver Island, and Australia

¨ Sailing trips in Antarctica and Fiji

¨ Hiking trips around the Matterhorn, to Slovenia, and in Wales

¨ Active cultural adventures in Laos

¨ Overland desert adventures in Egypt, Mauritania, and Mali

¨ Rafting the Río Novo in Brazil, the Zanskar in India, and a return to Turkey’s Çoruh River, one of the Sobek river classics

Mountain Travel Sobek’s Top Picks

Hike the Great Trails of North America! Mountain Travel Sobek will offer group departures of the Appalachian Trail, Colorado’s Continental Divide, and Alaska’s Chilkoot Trail to complement their award-winning John Muir Trail trekking adventure. Each showcases a special aspect of the American wilderness and introduces hikers to the joys and rewards of long-distance trekking. On all trips, most of the gear is carried by mules, llamas, or porters (the Appalachian Trail is hut-based). As an incentive, MTS is offering free passage on their Hiking the Grand Canyon to anyone doing all four of these trips with them within five years!

Across Mauritania: From Timbuktu to the Sea. This rugged four-wheel-drive journey across the legendary Sahara desert is trackless adventure at its finest. Participants will join veteran Sahara explorer Alberto Nicheli and follow in the footsteps of the ancient salt caravans. As they make their way overland from the desert north of Timbuktu to the seacoast of Mauritania, they will pass the archaeological remnants of ancient trading cultures, and come face to face with modern camel convoys and nomads still plying their trade.

Kingdom of Laos. Surrounded by China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand, Laos is the untouched jewel of Southeast Asia. Though closed for decades, the rich ethnic diversity of this tiny nation is now open for travelers to explore, and Mountain Travel Sobek’s new adventure focuses solely on this fascinating country. Ornate temples and secret wats await in this devoutly Buddhist nation, where participants will have the opportunity to board a handsome teakwood houseboat for an enchanting float along the Mekong River.

Nicaragua: Volcanoes, Lakes & Rainforest. Nicaragua is the next great ecotourism destination, and this new adventure trip will get you there first! Guides who are conservation leaders and expert naturalists will show trip members cloud forests, brooding volcanoes, and the oceanic expanses of Lake Nicaragua with its archipelago of tiny islets. By kayak, foot, and motorboat participants will seek out spider monkeys, toucans, and great green macaws while experiencing the stunning biodiversity of Central America’s undiscovered gem.

Follow the Leader!

Introduced in 1999, Mountain Travel Sobek’s “Follow the Leader” trips are a chance to share in the true spirit of adventure, discovery, and exploration. Each year, the company asks selected guides to pick a favorite trip-or one they’ve always dreamed about-and take a few people along for the fun (MTS clients literally follow their favorite leaders to the ends of the earth!). Two of the highlighted adventures for 2007 include:

Montenegro: Jewel of the Adriatic. Visit one of the world’s newest countries! In the capable hands of Sobek co-founder John Yost, trip members will experience the diverse cultural traditions of the former Yugoslavia and explore a corner of Europe still undiscovered by tourists. Activities include running the Class III/IV rapids of the Tara River, exploring medieval walled villages, and hiking the gorgeous peaks of Montenegro.

Chile: The Aysén Glacier Trail. This challenging trek with senior mountain guide Sergio Fitch-Watkins showcases the wonders of Patagonia at its most beautiful-and most remote. Fewer than one hundred people have trekked this pristine circuit in the land of glaciers and old-growth forest. The beauty of Patagonia is legendary, and the chance to get this far off the beaten path is rare indeed!

For more information about additional “Follow the Leader” trips, or to inquire about Mountain Travel Sobek’s new annual catalog of exciting adventures, call 1-888-MTSOBEK (687-6235) or visit the website at www.mtsobek.com.

Mountain Travel Sobek has been in operation since 1969, with a deep commitment to creating experiences ranging from the never-been-done to those that illuminate the world in ways not seen before. The company is well known for the classic adventures they have pioneered since the late ’60s-treks in the Himalayas and the Andes, safaris to Africa, adventure cruises to the Galápagos Islands, rafting the Zambezi, Tatshenshini, Alsek, and Mekong Rivers.