Austin-Lehman Adventures' New Panama Trip

BILLINGS, MT, October 2007 - Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA), destination specialists in the Americas, report that for the third consecutive year editors of National Geographic Adventure magazine have included an ALA multi-sport adventure in its "25 Best New Trips" roundup.

ALA's first-ever venture into Panama, Boquete to Bocas Adventure, is singled out this year in the magazine's November 2007 Adventure Travel Issue featuring the world's top up and coming trips.

NGA's Best New Trips for 2008, says correspondent Bonnie Tsui, is an "essential guide to the most spectacular trips on the globe ... innovative, exploratory, action-filled and guaranteed to change your life."

"This acknowledges that year after year ALA is considered to be one of the top adventure travel tour companies in the world," says Dan Austin, co-founder and director of operations. ALA's Okanagan Wine Country Adventure in BC, Canada, and their Oaxaca Adventure in Mexico received identical recognition in 2007 and 2006 respectively.

About Panama, Austin says the country is just blossoming as an adventure destination. "It's still a place where you can easily recapture the feelings and sensations you had on your first trip to Central America. Our Panama adventure is carefully crafted to hold on to that sense of discovery, while still providing the comfort, ease and fun that Austin-Lehman Adventures has refined to an art."

"Our approach to active travel is to inspire bodies that like to stay fit and to massage the mind at the same time. Panama provides the perfect setting for this," Austin adds.

Panama: Boquete to Bocas Adventure 2008 trip dates are April 19-27, July 12-20, Oct. 11-19, Dec. 20-28. The per person rate based on double occupancy is $2,998, exclusive of air to and from Panama City. A single supplement is $680.  Single guests can avoid paying the customary lodging surcharge if they let ALA know at the time of booking that they want a roommate. If the company can't find one, the client still gets a private room but enjoys a 50% reduction off the usual single supplement price. Rates include all meals (but 1 dinner), accommodations, ground transportation, all specialized equipment, expert guides and the services of local naturalists and archeologists.

The 9 day / 8 night jungle-to-beach experiences include hiking through the misty cloud forest surrounding Baru Volcano, a night at one of the region's finest working coffee farms, tackling the rapids of the Chiriqui River, mountain biking the rolling hills of the Pacific slope and snorkeling off the islands of Bocas del Toro. Guests meet indigenous peoples still living much as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago and explore Boquete, one of the most modern cities in Latin America.

As ALA enters its 23rd year in the industry, they continue to receive prestigious recognition for their trips, quality customer service and expertise in the world of adventure travel.

This year, Dan Austin and Paul Lehman were invited by Forbes Traveler to join a panel of distinguished travel experts and offer their insights and opinions on the Top Hotels in the World and the Best of Mexico for 2007. In October 2007, ALA's Montana Big Sky Adventure was included in the "Tours of a Lifetime - 50 of the World's Best Trips" from the editors of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

For a copy of the 2008 catalog as well as information on ALA's 40 unique luxury, multisport, adult and family active adventure travel itineraries please call toll-free 1.800.575.1540, or e-mail info@austinlehman.com.

You will also want to take a look at the company's newly renovated and upgraded website, launched this week. Log onto: www.austinlehman.com to review current trips, schedules, photos and itineraries.

Austin-Lehman Adventures specializes in upscale multi-sport adventures to iconic destinations throughout the Americas and, as of 2008, also to southern Africa.  Most of their small group vacations are six days and five nights in duration, and combine such guided outdoor activities as hiking, biking, rafting, canoeing and horseback riding with nights spent at a series of distinctive inns and lodges.  Lunch is usually served gourmet picnic-style along the trail, and breakfast and dinner take place in a given region's finest cafés and restaurants. Prior experience is not a prerequisite and adventures cater to a wide range of ages and abilities.

ALA is also a founding member of the distinguished travel consortium, Trusted Adventures (www.trustedadventures.com), which mixes and matches its clients to adventures in the Americas as well as in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The alliance offers 300 unique trips to over 80 destinations worldwide.

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