Caltech Associates Travel Program

The Caltech Associates Travel Program is designed for the intellectually curious traveler who enjoys unique destinations and five-star amenities. Each experience is enhanced by a Caltech faculty guide whose expertise will illuminate the journey.

We work with premier tour operators to prepare itineraries incorporating the locale's scientific, cultural, and historical highlights. We frequently enjoy exclusive, private access to laboratories, museums, observatories, and other facilities not readily available to the general public. Every detail is arranged so that you may immerse yourself in the adventure.

President's Circle members receive priority registration for Associates travel, and some trips are exclusive to President's Circle members. You can upgrade your membership at any time to enjoy these unique opportunities.

Iceland and Greenland

June 8 to 17, 2026

Embark with us aboard a luxurious cruise ship to circumnavigate Iceland and explore the eastern coast of Greenland on an unforgettable adventure at the edge of the Arctic. Our faculty guide will be Zhongwen Zhan, professor of geophysics and the Clarence R. Allen Leadership Chair and director of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory. His expertise will illuminate the powerful, primal forces that continue to forge and reshape this magnificent landscape.

Our journey begins in the remote Westfjords region of Iceland, where we'll hike along the base of a fjord, discover a towering waterfall and breathtaking views, and encounter various wildlife. We'll visit Siglufjörður, the center of Iceland's once-thriving herring industry, to experience Icelandic culture.

Across the Denmark Strait lie the rugged shores of Greenland, where tidewater glaciers calve off the country's vast ice cap. If conditions permit, we'll explore the coast by Zodiac boat.

In the Highlands of northern Iceland, we'll travel to Húsavík, gateway to geological wonders like Goðafoss Waterfall, Lake Mývatn, Ásbyrgi Canyon, and Dettifoss Waterfall. We'll also cruise the coastlines of the Westman Islands, which were formed by undersea volcanoes between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago and are among the world's youngest archipelagos.

SOLD OUT

Science in the Sierra

October 8 to 12, 2026

Take an unforgettable trip by chartered coach through some of California’s most scenic and scientiﬁcally fascinating regions with Claire Bucholz, professor of geology. We’ll travel along iconic US Route 395, with overnight stays in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes, exploring the area’s unique geology and culture along the way.

Among the geologically significant areas we will visit is Red Rock Canyon State Park. The red sandstone landscape here has formed over millions of years through sedimentation, volcanic activity, tectonic uplift, and erosion.

A highlight of the adventure will be a tour of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) with its director. Known as the "Big Ears" by locals, OVRO is operated by Caltech's astronomy department and is dedicated to radio astronomy and astrophysics research, training the next generation of radio astronomers, and developing cutting-edge radio instrumentation.

We will explore Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, an ancient body of water over a million years old, where tower-like rock formations called tufa formed as calcium-rich groundwater flowed into the alkaline, carbonate-rich lake. We will also visit several other areas of scientific interest near Mammoth Lakes.

SOLD OUT

The Caltech Associates travel program has visited incredible locations around the world to explore the history and future of science and the humanities. Review a selection of our previous trips to gain a better understanding of the experiences we curate for our members.

View previous trips