About Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
Celebrate our 30th Year of Safaris with Us!

Our Philosophy

In 1975 during Doug Cheesemans' summer hiatus as a zoology and ecology college professor, he and naturalist wife, Gail, led their first expedition to the Pacific Ocean waters of Baja. Both had a contagious passion for nature and all living creatures, and they soon found themselves leading incredible safaris each summer to international destinations like Africa, South America, and beyond. Doug and Gail wanted to share their unique experiences and enthusiasm for wildlife with others, so Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris was born in 1980 with a goal of providing a higher standard of wildlife travel. Tours were designed specifically to provide participants with maximum time in the field to experience nature and to inspire travelers with the values of conservation and education.

Doug, Gail, and Ted Cheeseman

Catching his parents' passion for wildlife, Ted Cheeseman joined Doug and Gail in leading international wildlife tours in 2000. As a boy, Ted grew-up with the business, often accompanying his parents on their international adventures. His contributions have been extensive as he combines his years of experience in the wild lands of the world and his graduate degree in conservation biology with his technical and computer savvy.

We travel only to the richest wildlife areas whether the habitat be savanna, forest, reef, or ocean. Each of our tours is scheduled during the best time of year for viewing wildlife and is organized so participants can experience a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and fish along with their unique behaviors. Each trip includes local leaders residing in the destination area to insure the best wildlife observations while also allowing an opportunity to give back to the local communities. Every leader is carefully selected by us to achieve the goal of serving the inspired traveler, the motivated tourist, and all who want to see and experience more.

It is our hope that all trip participants will contribute in their own way to wildlife conservation and habitat preservation and restoration. We try to set a good example with our long history of supporting many conservation efforts around the world and at home. Read about some of the more recent conservation efforts that we support. Our goal is to do everything in our power to follow a responsible code of ecotourism.

Please contact us for references from people who have traveled with us.

Ecology is our Middle Name

Did you ever wonder why "Ecology" is our middle name? Here's what Doug says about his choice of the name back in 1980: "It's animal behavior! We look for action! It turns us all on! Great for photography, great for understanding survival, great for watching interactions! We give you the time to take it all in with top notch leaders who can explain all that is happening." With that in mind, we offer you a choice of unique destinations, one of which is sure to interest you.

Our company philosophy provides you with:

• a focus on watching all wildlife and birds.
• maximum time in the field. We often leave before breakfast and come back in the early evening, allowing us to travel further to experience more each day.
• the best opputunites for good photography. Being out in the field during the soft morning and evening light, and for the maximum amount of time, allows for fantastic photography.
• a non-smoking policy! All our trips are for non-smokers only.
• small groups. On rainforest tours the total number of participants is 8 to 12. In Africa, group size is 15 to 18 with two to three leaders. In Antarctica, our smaller groups allow everyone to go ashore at the same time without concern for timed shifts.
• high leader/participant ratio. On all tours we hire local resident guides who are experts on the native birds and mammals to complement our very knowledgeable tour leaders.
• window seats for each participant on safaris that depend on vehicles, such as to Africa.
• quality accommodations.
• personalized attention. Your individual needs will not be ignored as they might with a large, impersonal corporation. Our office staff is standing by to help you.
• a tour that is customized for the best time of year to see the most wildlife. Itineraries are improved every year - we have no repetitious, tired itineraries. We pay attention to your feedback.
• a small company. We have intentionally maintained a small company size in order to maintain our standard of quality.
• education. As professional educators, we want to help you learn as much as you want about nature in your destination.
• conservation. As lovers of natural habitats, we want to make our tours a positive force in conservation.
• the attention to the smallest details. For example, we arrange carpools for the Monterey Bay pelagic day trips. Please let us know anything that concerns you.
• a personal investment in quality. We want to enjoy the trips too, so it's in our best interest to design a great itinerary.
• let us repeat, we provide the maximum time in the field.

Register Early

Early registration is important so you can have plenty of time to prepare for our in-depth tours. Space is definitely limited since our tours often fill over a year in advance. To register, follow the insturctions in each itinerary. After registration, we will send you complete travel materials to help you prepare and maximize your experience. Contact us so we can answer your questions and help you in any way possible.

We are Committed to Honorable Business Practices

Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris is a member in good standing of the Silicon Valley Better Business Bureau. Please check our record to see that we stand by our commitment to honorable business practices.

Our Leaders are Tops

Each expedition includes local leaders who reside in the destination area to insure the best wildlife observations and to allow the opportunity to give back to local communities. We also carefully select leaders who are tops in their field to insure that your experience is the best it can be. A complete support staff is included on our larger expedtions, such as to Antarctica.

Notice

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. The right is reserved to cancel the cruise prior to departure, in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. Termination of this expedition in progress for any reason will not necessarily result in a refund, and no refund will be made for partially used portions of air tickets or land arrangements. All rates are based on current tariffs and exchange rates and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. Baggage is at the owner's risk.

Return to top

Updated in June 2009

All material © Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris.
All photos © Doug or Ted Cheeseman, unless otherwise credited.
Home | Current Trips | Site Map | Contact