INCLINE VILLAGE, NV (September 2006) – In 2007, Myths and Mountains continues its tradition of offering journeys of a lifetime. The selection of new trips brims with adventure options, among them biking in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, exploring India’s ancient Dravidian culture, searching for tigers in Nepal, hiking around a holy mountain in China, indulging in Ecuadorian spas, summiting the highest peak in the Americas, and lending a helping hand in the Galapagos.

Journeys of a Lifetime Myths and Mountains’ total collection of journeys numbers more than 100 itineraries in Asia, Southeast Asia, South and Central America and Antarctica. Many feature both scheduled departure dates and the availability of custom dates. The company also designs personal journeys to suit the tastes of individual, group and family travelers.

“In 2007 we’re celebrating responsible travel and making meaningful contributions to those places that we visit,” says Dr. Antonia Neubauer, Myths and Mountains founder and president. “For example, India is not only the setting for three new journeys that take travelers inside the culture – it’s also the country we’re investigating as the site of the next venture for READ Global, Myths and Mountains non-profit arm.”

The price for every Myths and Mountains journey includes a comprehensive travel insurance policy and a $50 donation to READ Global to support educational, economic and community development in rural communities around the world. READ Nepal, a project of READ Global, is the 2006 recipient of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Access to Learning Award.

Accent on Added Adventures in Asia
In Myths and Mountains’ 2007 line-up, India is hot, Cambodia and Vietnam sizzle with excitement, Nepal offers warm hospitality, Thailand and Laos are cool spots for hill tribe village visits and in China, a temperate trail around a holy mountain awaits.

India: The Real South India
Highlights: Exploring the ancient Dravidian culture – dance, architecture, religion and water ecology – in southern India near Madras; experiencing ayurvedic massage and yoga; learning about healing herbs; viewing the countryside from a houseboat; lodging in heritage properties; and if you’re lucky, catching the snakeboat races. 17 days, 16 nights _ 2007: February 4-20, August 1-17 _ Land cost per person: From $5,520 _ Internal air: $275 _ Custom dates and prices available.

India: The Secret Tribal World of Chhattisgarh and Orissa
Highlights: Roaming the rarely visited green heart of India, home to the tribal worlds of Chhattisgarh and Orissa; experiencing tribal cultures whose distinctive dances, dress, jewelry and ways of life remain unaffected by the 21st century; taking part in a “hat,” a lively open air market; beholding a wealth of temple architecture. 16 days, 15 nights _ 2007: February 2-17, November 2-17 _ Land cost per person: From $6,895 _ Internal air: $740 _ Custom dates and prices available.

India: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland
Highlights: Taking in the renowned wildlife parks of lightly traveled east India; exploring the home of the nature-worshipping Khampti; cruising the Brahmaputra in search of dolphins; visiting the famous Assam tea factories; strolling on the world’s largest inhabited river island. 17 days, 16 nights _ 2007: April 7-23, December 1-17 _ Land cost person: From $4,995 _ Custom dates and prices available _ Note: This region requires groups of at least four people and a special permit.

Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Siem Reap – The Famous and Secret Temples of Angkor
Highlights: Wandering in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, where cultural relics and scars from the Khmer Rouge co-exist; visiting Battamband, home to rarely visited temple and silver villages; boating to Siem Riep to explore some of the vast network of temples dating back to the 7th century. 8 days, 7 nights _ Customized for individual travelers _ Land costs per person: From $1,395.

Nepal: Khair Lake – The Untrekked Annapurnas
Highlights: Trekking off the beaten path in the popular Annapurna region; visiting the Annapurna Conservation Project; setting up base camp in a glacial bowl surrounded by waterfalls and stunning views of Himalayan peaks; ascending to the sacred lake of Khair, setting for an annual Hindu pilgrimage. 20 days, 19 nights _ 2007: March 25-April 13, October 14-November 2 _ Land cost per person: From $1,995 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Nepal: Portrait of a Country
Highlights: Getting inside the Nepali culture; sitting down with a Living Goddess; taking in the palaces of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur; lodging at Tiger Mountain Resort in the shadow of Machapuchhare and Tiger Tops Lodge in Royal Chitwan Animal Park; searching for tigers and riding elephants; visiting Lumbini, birthplace of Buddha. 13 days, 12 nights _ 2007: February 18-March 2, November 4-16 _ Land cost per person: From $3,495 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Nepal: Mountains and Monasteries – A Solu Explorer
Highlights: Trekking in view of Everest and other spectacular snowcapped mountains; glimpsing some of Nepal’s most intriguing monasteries; getting acquainted with friendly Sherpas; hiking to Dudh Kund, a 16,000-foot glacial lake at the base of one of Nepal’s most important pilgrimage lakes. 13 days, 12 nights _ 2007: April 15-27, October 7-19 _ Land costs per person: From $2,295 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Nepal: Thorung La and the Annapurnas
Highlights: Following the banks of the Kali Gandhaki in northern Nepal; meeting the Brahmins, Chhetris, Thakalis and other tribes living along the riverbanks; exploring the sacred shrines of Muktinath; visiting libraries developed by READ, Myths and Mountains non-profit project; taking in some of Nepal’s most spectacular scenery. 23 days, 22 nights _ 2007: April 1-23, September 30-October 22 _ Land cost per person: From $2,995 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Thailand and Laos: For the Connoisseur – Village People and Their Lifestyles
Highlights: Wandering in the hill tribe villages between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, learning how they live, celebrate and raise their families; exploring bustling markets and magnificent temples in city and country; traveling to the exotic cities of Luang Prabank and Vientiane; lodging in stunning hotels off the beaten path. 17 days, 16 nights _ 2007: March 2-18, November 2-18 _ Land cost per person: From $3,695 _ Internal air: $300 _ Custom dates and prices available.

China: Yunnan and Sichuan – Kawakarpo, the Inner Pilgrimage
Highlights: Joining other pilgrims to walk the perimeter of Kawakarpo in the province of Shangri-La, one of the three holiest mountains to Tibetan Buddhists, to accrue merit for the next life; lodging in guesthouses; sipping salt tea with monks; visiting “eternal waterfalls.” 14 days, 13 nights _ 2007: July 15-28, September 9-22 _ Land cost per person: From $3,655 _ Internal air: $235 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Vietnam and Cambodia: From the Mekong Delta to Angkor Wat
Highlights: Sampling the Vietnamese Mekong world and the magnificence of Cambodia’s Khmer civilization; strolling the markets of Saigon; peeking into the Cu Chi Tunnels; boating along the Mekong to Phnom Penh; exploring the temples of the Angkor civilization at Siem Riep. 13 days, 12 nights _ 2007 dates: December 24, 2006-January 5, January 21-February 2, November 4-16, December 23-January 4, 2008 _ Land cost per person: From $2,999 _ Custom dates and prices available.

South Vietnam: Bicycles and Beaches
Highlights: Cycling the Mekong Delta on new 21-speed Taiwanese bikes; traveling as the Vietnamese do – visiting markets, eating and sleeping in homes and hotels along the way; enjoying the pace of local life along the Mekong; spending two luxurious days on the beach in Phu Quoc, an island on Vietnam’s southern tip. 12 days, 11 nights _ 2007: March 4-15, November 4-15 _ Land cost per person: From $2,495 _ Custom dates and prices available

New South America Sojourns
Feel the African rhythms, say “spaaah,” summit the highest peak in the Americas, trek to Machu Picchu lodge-by-lodge, and lend a helping hand in the Galapagos. New Myths and Mountains adventures in South America offer these experiences and more. Here’s a new trip round-up:

Chile: Climbing Aconcagua – Conquering The Roof of America
Highlights: Ascending 22,840-foot Aconcagua – the “Stone Sentinel” – highest mountain in the Americas and tallest outside of Asia; pacing suited to novice climbers; camping in spectacular settings surrounded by rugged peaks. 12 days, 11 nights _ 2007: January 26-February 6, February 23-March 6, March 9-20 _ Land cost per person: From $3,695 _ Custom dates and prices available

Galapagos: Volunteer in the Galapagos
Highlights: Giving back to the people of the islands by helping out a the health clinic, tutoring children, teaching basic computer skills; cruising in the Galapagos Islands; walking the talk and practicing true “sustainable tourism.” 9 days, 8 nights _ Land cost per person: From $3,450 (Quito/Galapagos roundtrip airfare included) _ Custom dates and prices available.

Ecuador: Spaaah! Ecuador
Highlights: Savoring the ultimate in soft adventure travel; indulging in hot springs and daily spa treatments; overnighting in superb lodgings including a mountain retreat and luxurious rainforest resort; shopping for bargains at handicraft markets; hiking to sacred waterfalls; birding in a cloud forest; photographing rare orchids. 8 days, 7 nights _ 2007: February 3-10, March 3-10, September 15-22, October 6-13 _ Land cost per person: From $3,250 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Ecuador: Ecuador’s African Pulse
Highlights: Experiencing Ecuador’s African influence through music and handicrafts; traveling from the Chota Valley deep in the Andes to the coastal beaches of the Esmeraldas province; listening to payadores-improvisational poets – and the rhythms of handmade drums; canoeing to Choco Lodge in one of the world’s most bio-diverse regions. 10 days, 9 nights _ 2007: February 16-25, July 20-29, October 19-28 _ Land cost per person: From $3,125 _ Custom dates and prices available.

Peru: Trans-Andean Lodge-to-Lodge Trek
Highlights: Being among the first to trek the “other” route to Machu Picchu; staying in cozy mountain lodges with fine dining and Jacuzzis to soak tired muscles; trout fishing in a glacial lake; boarding a first-class train for the last leg to Machu Picchu after a four-day trek. 12 days, 11 nights _ 2007: July 28-August 8, August 11-22, September 29-October 10 _ Land cost per person: From $3,450 _ Custom dates and prices available.

A Wealth of Travel Experience
Founded in 1987 by Dr. Antonia Neubauer, Myths and Mountains designs illuminating journeys inside the cultures of Asia, Southeast Asia, Antarctica and South America. Adventures typically feature a theme such as cultures and crafts, wildlife and the environment, folk medicine and traditional healing, and religions and holy sites. A selection of trips is timed to take advantage of colorful festivals; others are designed especially for families.

Dr. Neubauer and Vice President Allie Almario – with more than 35 years of collective travel experience – work one-on-one with travelers to create unique personal journeys. In addition to custom trips, scheduled departure dates for families, friends and other small groups are also offered in many destinations.

For More Information
For detailed information on all Myths and Mountains journeys or to request free copies of the 2007 Journeys of a Lifetime catalog, contact Myths and Mountains at 800-670-MYTHS (6984) or http://www.mythsandmountains.com.

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Media Contact: Allie Almario, 800-670-6984; allie@mythsandmountains.com