Top 10 wildlife experiences

It’s no wonder that wildlife vacations are so popular. Watching animals feeding, playing and interacting with their natural surroundings is a great way to get back to nature and escape everyday life. With so many wildlife vacations on offer in so many fabulous locations it’s hard to decide where to go or what species to see. So we’ve put together our top 10 wildlife watching vacations around the world – some in the remote wilderness, and some closer to home.

Whether you have three weeks to spare or three days, there’s a wildlife vacation to suit you. As many species featured on this list are endangered, we make sure that these trips are run responsibly and respectfully. Many of our partners are actively involved in conservation projects so you can rest assured that your wildlife vacation will look after the wildlife as well as you.

Watching gorillas is often described as one of the most life-changing of all wildlife experiences. It’s often a moving experience too – perhaps because of their intimidating size combined with their unexpected gentle grace, or because they behave so much like us. And whether you want to see mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or in Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains, we have a responsible gorilla safari for you.

Tiger safaris awaken something magical within. They can transport us back to childhood dreams and recall poetry in motion. And there’s something spiritual about seeing this most iconic of big cats prowling its natural territory, especially when one considers how endangered they are, with around 3,900 tigers left in the wild. Our responsible tiger safaris in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh can offer unforgettable sightings, of course. But they also help to ensure that these magnificent creatures will still be around for new generations to admire.

Grizzly bears, a subspecies of brown bears, are amongst the eight remaining bear species on the planet. Many of the bear species, such as the sloth bear, are endangered or vulnerable but brown bears aren’t among them, so hopefully spotting one shouldn’t be too tricky! Watching a creature so huge and powerful can be an awe-inspiring experience and if you go to the right place at the right time of year, you might just be lucky enough to spot some little bear cubs out to play. Your best bet is to take a look at our bear watching vacations.

Europe’s wildlife may not feature on many travel posters (polar bears aside), but it is no less impressive than other places around the world. Whether you want to see reintroduced bison in the primeval forests of Poland, sea turtles in the Greek Islands, wolves and moose Sweden, or lynx in Romania, we have an exciting range of almost 200 wildlife vacations in Europe.

Don’t forget that all of our trips have to meet our criteria for environmental, social and economic responsibility, which means that they minimise their environmental impact and benefit the local community. They also abide by strict codes of conduct so as not to distress the wildlife (say, not getting too close and ending encounters when animals leave, rather than following them). Also, many of our wildlife watching specialists regularly donate to and support conservation projects to protect and preserve endangered critters. Read our stances on wildlife tourism issues to find out more.