With the return of holidaying abroad – travel tours are now back in full swing. Imagine for a moment: the pandemic has passed and you are scrolling through pages and pages of mesmerising, impossibly wonderful places to visit. Restriction free. Images of you watching the sun rise over the Serengeti as you head off for your first safari, seeking out the iconic ‘big five’, passing giraffes grazing on strange trees, herds of zebras, powder-pink flamingos, and having that first sighting of wild lions. Or the feeling of the crisp Arctic air as you are pulled along on your Huskie-drawn sled. Experience the humbling encounter of man with Polar Bears in their natural habitat. It could be a flash of colour and unfamiliar bird calls across the tree tops as you explore the jungles of Costa Rica. Then think of a plunge into an underwater world to be a part of the lives of sea creatures that remain unchanged for millions of years…
The Aurora Borealis
The near neon glow of greens, purples and oranges that dance through the night sky, has fascinated and been marvelled at by humankind for thousands of years. The light show is only seen in the Northern Hemisphere and is a spectacle for anyone’s eyes. A glory of Mother Nature that should be on many a bucket list of experiences. Head for Iceland and Finland between late September and March, where much of the north is dark for the majority of the day.
Visit the regions to see the lights, but too for equally star activities like ice-fishing, lounging in hot tubs on the shores of frozen lakes, dog-sled touring, cross country skiing and more…
An underwater world of Whales, Sharks, Dolphins
Touring on land is only half the story – beneath the deep blue seas there is a revelatory kingdom of unique aquatic life, that to some, affect greater awe than the creatures we find on land.
If you are up for an authentic swimming experience with dolphins, head out to Kaikoura in the South Island of New Zealand. Here you can swim with hundreds of wild dolphins in their natural environment. (Although many places in other parts of the world offer dolphin swimming, take care to check that the dolphins are not semi-captive or indeed, captive – this practice is not to be encouraged because the mammals are miserable). Kaikoura is also home to virtually all species of whale at different times of the year, so sighting whales in their element is highly likely. For those who want to be in and on the water as much as possible, it is worth hiring kayaks as it is easy to paddle year round the Kaikoura peninsula with the fur seals.
Everyone is charmed by sea turtles – maybe we all have a Finding Nemo soft spot, but these incredible creatures can be found on the seas around every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. You can seek these beautiful reptiles in places like Turtle Town in Maui, Hawaii and Akumal in Mexico however, Gili Trawangan in Indonesia reigns supreme as the top place for turtlespotting. The seas here are blessed with crystal clear, turquoise water so visibility is ideal – with turtle sanctuaries nearby, you might also be fortunate in seeing turtle hatchlings helped to the ocean. Weather-wise, it is best to visit the Gili Islands between May and October – also a great time to visit neighbouring Bali, well, just for being in Bali.
Head to either Port Lincoln in South Australia or Cape Town in South Africa (or both places) for some shark diving. This is Great White Shark territory and most assuredly not for the faint-hearted as the idea is for you to be in a reinforced metal-barred cage, while the sharks swim freely around and about you. Some people hate the idea, but others positively go for the experience of coming eye to eye with the apex predator of old.
The Polar Bear
The time to see a Polar Bear in their natural habitat is now! They say you never forget your first encounter with a polar bear – the world’s largest land-based carnivore and undisputed King of the Ice. In the wild, Polar bears spend their life in some of the world’s most remote corners – primarily on ice flows. With the ice caps melting by the day, due to global warming, these opportunities to see these striking creatures are becoming increasingly rare.
First up, look into Churchill on the Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, as this is the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’ and also one of the most accessible parts of the world where you can see the bears. Many companies offer tours, including Audley Travel’s The Great Polar Bear Gathering.
Safari & Big Cat
In Swahili, the word safari means journey and taking one is both romantic and thrilling. From spectacular Serengeti safaris in Tanzania to the seemingly infinite sands of Namibia and the breath-taking plains of Kenya’s national park, there are many reasons to get up-close and personal with nature and take a walk on the wild side on an African Safari. – imagine seeing the Great Migration in Tanzania, where the sheer size of the herds of wildlife cause the ground to rumble and shake. Or perhaps, trekking across the seemingly infinite sands of Namibia – like a intergalactic experience on Mars, though here on our very own planet.
The legendary Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya boasts wildlife few safari parks can rival. The abundant plains, bustling with extensive populations of prey attract large prides of lion, leopards, cheetahs, and even elephants. Masai Mara National Reserve is globally renowned for exceptional sightings that makes it perfect for a memorable family trip. In Tanzania, grassland forms the vast open planes of the Serengeti National Park. Tanzania’s rivers are bursting with hippopotamus and crocodiles, with lions and cheetahs regularly spotted here too. However, Tanzania is home to some of the best leopard sightings in all of Africa.
Look to Rwanda and explore the eerily, human-like demeanour of the gorillas. Known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’, it is far removed from the scenes of the African savannah. Here lies a land of lush mountains and bustling rainforests – Africa at its most sublime, this is where you can experience wild mountain gorillas on guided treks through the Volcanoes National Park. With strict restrictions, Gorilla trekking is an exclusive, emotive experience, as too is watching closest living human ancestor, the chimpanzee. Rawanda is also home to magnificent birdlife – over 300 species.
We recommend staying in well appointed, if not luxurious tented safari camps or lodges so you can relax and be cared for after relatively tiring days out being in nature with the animals.
Finally, bird watching. Avid watcher or not, finding yourself in an exotic and new part of the world puts you in a perfect position to see some of the most glorious colours, spectacles and hear song in nature. The Amazon Rainforest is known for such exoticism, but birds are everywhere to be seen from the Pacific Islands to the jungles – New Zealand, once, many thousands of years ago, a land of only birds, with no land animals, produced the Kiwi, a non-flight bird evolved to scavenge on the ground.
Costa Rica is another bird-watcher paradise with over 850 species of bird and in the Carara National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest, you will find birds, plants and animals not found anywhere else in the world.