10 Amazing Wildlife Destinations
The wildlife traveller is utterly spoiled for choice these days! How about seeing some charming meerkats in the Kalahari Desert in Namibia, or meeting up with some orangutans and gibbons in a primary rainforest in Borneo?
Get together with wild dolphins and dugongs in Shark Bay in Australia, and wolves, grizzly bears and moose in Yellowstone, USA. Meet a giraffe for breakfast at Kenya’s Giraffe Manor, and see the Big Five in their natural habitat in South Africa’s vast Kruger Park. Discover the extraordinary tree-climbing lions of Uganda, or watch the soaring flight of golden and white-tailed eagles on the West coast of Scotland.
Enticed? Here are just some of those incredible destinations:
1. Alaska
Vast Alaska is superb for seeing both land and marine animals in their pristine natural habitats. These include moose, bald eagles (and they’re not really bald!), caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly, black and brown bears. Humpback whales, orcas and sea lions thrive in its icy waters. Katmai National Park is world-renowned for its salmon-catching bears during the annual salmon run!
2. Australia
Australia is a superb wildlife destination with a whole range of unique endemic animals. These include koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingos, platypuses, as well as the fearsome but endangered Tasmanian devil! Unique Australian birds include cassowaries, kookaburras, fairywrens, rock parrots, Nankeen kestrels, barking owls, extraordinary tawny frogmouths, and lots and lots and lots of budgies! Australia’s Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and the Kakadu National Park are all unmissable for wildlife lovers.
3. Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest immediately springs to mind as a wildlife destination and rightly so. Its incredible biodiversity includes 427 mammal, 1300 bird, 378 reptile, 400 amphibian, 3000 freshwater fish and a staggering 40,000 plant species! Jaguars, sloths, harpy eagles, capybaras, spider monkeys and rare pink river dolphins all proliferate here. And not to forget the beautiful but lethal poison dart frogs! Manaus Zoo,Tambopata and Rio Negro Reserves are all great for wildlife viewing.
4. Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands’ unique wildlife include iguanas, penguins, seals, sea lions, and their famous giant tortoises, of course! It’s an ideal twitcher’s destination with more than 60 recorded bird species. The Charles Darwin Research Station, North Seymour Island and Isabela Island are all excellent places to enjoy the wildlife.
5. Scotland
You might not immediately list Scotland as a wildlife destination, but it has beautiful landscapes and fascinating wildlife. These include the country’s iconic highland cattle, golden eagles, red deer, endangered red squirrels, pine martens and plenty of cute but invasive grey squirrels. Scotland is also the last stronghold of the endangered Scottish/European (Felis silvestris) wildcat. Several seal species are seen here as are humpback whales. Scotland’s diverse birdlife includes puffins, gulls, razorbills, gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots, oystercatchers, fulmars and the magnificent reintroduced sea eagles. Cairngorms National Park, the Isle of Mull and the Trossachs are all great places to enjoy Scotland’s wildlife.
6. India
With habitats ranging from wetlands to deserts to mountains to extensive coastal areas to forests, India’s wildlife is extraordinary. Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, the great Indian bustard, the Nilgiri tahr, freshwater dolphins, Asiatic lions, red pandas, barasingha swamp deer, lion-tailed macaques, Kashmiri red stags, snow leopards, one-horned rhinos – India’s impressive list just goes on and on! Nagarahole, Kaziranga, Keoladeo and Satpura National Parks are all great for enjoying this bounty.
7. Africa
Africa is pretty much synonymous with wildlife and wall-to-wall opportunities to see animals in their natural ecosystems. Some of the iconic names that spring to mind immediately are Kenya’s Masai Mara, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and the Kruger National Park in South Africa. And if luxury, excellent service and world-class cuisine are important to you, this is it – the Kruger Park Safari Lodges are amongst the best on the planet.
8. Canada
Canada’s wide variety of animals include the Algonquin timber wolf, Vancouver Island marmots, bison, caribou, and the gorgeous blue long-crested Steller’s jay. Fish like Atlantic whitefish and the Vancouver lamprey thrive here. Don’t miss the superb Banff National Park where you might spot a critically endangered Banff longnose dace.
9. Yellowstone National Park
Apart from black bears and large numbers of grizzlies, Yellowstone is also home to more than 60 mammal species. These include grey wolves that were reintroduced in 1995 and now excitingly already stand at about 100 strong. The Park also houses moose, bison, elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep and the fleet-footed pronghorn antelope, as well as lynx and wolverine. And, of course, don’t forget the Park’s spectacular hydrothermal geysers – more than 500 of them!
10. Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a sought-after wildlife destination with an impressive array of both sea and land creatures. Tapirs, coatimundis, peccaries, monkeys, sloths, ocelots, rhinoceros beetles, the astonishing Jesus Christ lizard that does actually run on water and the enchanting white-faced capuchins are all found here. Don’t miss the Tortuguero, the Arenal Volcano and the Manuel Antonio National Parks.
Visiting wildlife destinations don’t just rejuvenate your body and mind – they also often benefit the planet. Many wildlife destinations are associated with and contribute to conservation initiatives in cooperation with the indigenous populations. So your wildlife holiday will also help our planet and its vulnerable animals.
Now – do you need any further justification for booking that wildlife safari of your dreams?
