Ben Sander
A born world-traveler, Ben is passionate about combining education and travel, while also protecting the environment. He has worked in ecotourism ventures in Costa Rica, Kenya, Tanzania, Peru and Pohnpei, Micronesia. His love of ecotourism also led him to be a bike tour guide in Washington DC offering bike tours of the national memorials.
Most recently, prior to joining us, he spent 7 years managing the travel program for the National Parks Conservation Association connecting members with the best in educational travel to the US National Parks (which is, ahem, how he first met us). He has taken part in Climate Ride five times to help raise awareness around climate change, bike advocacy, and national park protection.
Ben is also an avid hiker and has thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Bay Area on foot joined by his beloved dog, Vida, as much as possible. He has visited over 140 national park units (his favorites are Glacier, American Samoa, and Mojave) and loves to connect Black Sheep travelers to amazing experiences in our national parks and public lands on foot and via bike.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I have been to over 140 national parks and led and/or designed tours to over 25 national parks in the U.S. I believe in getting guests out of the vehicle and onto the park trails to experience the park up close and allowing each guest to connect to their park in their own way. Also, we optimize guides who have a long history of guiding in the park so that guests can really understand the cultural and natural importance of the park they are visiting."
How did you get involved in travel?
"My introduction to travel was as a bike tour guide in Washington, D.C. for 5 years to help pay for the bills during my education. I then worked at an eco-lodge in Costa Rica during my time in graduate school. My professional planner career began in 2010 when I joined National Parks Conservation Association which led me to join Black Sheep Adventures in 2017 where I am the lead planner on our national park journeys."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"I will never forget my time guiding at Rara Avis eco-lodge in Costa Rica. Every day was an adventure hiking through man-eating mud pits, finding venomous snakes, admiring huge waterfalls, and educating guests on the importance of protecting our natural heritage.
The most unique had to be when I led a group down to the waterfall which required us to go down a stone staircase after 2 hours of hiking one way. Once at the bottom it felt like the Garden of Eden including a perfect pool to cool off in. The guests were enjoying their time in the pool when I noticed out of the corner of my eye one of the guests laying on a rock starting to turn a bit pale. Once I got to her she was going into a shock possibly due to the drastic temperature change. After giving her Tylenol and Benadryl I ran up the staircase and used my machete to build a stretcher while two of the guests carried her up to me. The stretcher actually held for most of the hike and we got her back to the lodge and she was looking much better by that time. A lesson that you always need to be prepared and also what adrenaline can do to you."
Ben's favorite itineraries and travel advice
Top itineraries and travel advice
Enjoy two of the many sides of Alaska on this eight-day wilderness itinerary. You will explore the forests, rivers, and snow-capped mountains of Denali National Park and the...
Start in Rocky Mountain National Park to see alpine lakes and towering peaks, then continue to Colorado National Monument to see red rock canyons and the ancestral land of the...
Discover the highlights of Utah and southwestern Colorado's National Parks and Monuments on this eight-day itinerary. Perfectly combining natural landscapes with cultural...