Page 47 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

Wildlife travel in 2016

Travel expert

Dan Free is an operations manager at wildlife tour provider, Naturetrek
Wildlife holidays are becoming ever more popular, as people are
becoming more keen to see wildlife and visit wild places. Increased
media coverage of the natural world is one reason; programmes
such as BBC One’s Springwatch and Big Blue Live entice people Map key
to go and watch wildlife both in the UK and abroad. Running in 1 Sea Turtle Conservancy, Tortuguero, Costa Rica
tandem with this is an opening up of viewing opportunities in the wild, such as 2 Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard, Norway

a floating hotel in the Pantanal to see jaguars, and fantastic birdwatching from 3 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
eco-lodges in Honduras and the Gambia, for example. And with photographic 4 Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, Sabah, Borneo
equipment becoming more and more affordable, people want to see and record 5 Eastern Cape, South Africa

these life-changing experiences for themselves! These holidays are what dreams 6 Caye Caulker, Belize
are made of… and people are waking up to the idea that they beat a fortnight 7 Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar
spent sweating on a crowded beach!

Belize Svalbard, Norway Borneo
Manatees prefer shallow waters and can It’s thought there are as many as 3,000 polar bears Malaysian Borneo
be found in rivers, lagoons, and along the in Svalbard, meaning you are likely to get a glimpse is a great place to
coasts. As the waters are warm enough in of one. Polar bear season is relatively short and the see orangutans as
Belize, they don’t need to migrate, so they best time to see them is in July and August. the area has some
can be seen all year round. Hop on a boat of the largest
to Caye Caulker, where there are plenty of sanctuaries in
companies offering manatee tours. the world.
2

6
1
4
3
Costa Rica
The six species of Uganda
sea turtle found in 7 There are no
Costa Rica have been 5 mountain gorillas in
around since dinosaurs captivity anywhere
roamed the Earth. in the world. So
Females return to your only chance
these shores year after to see one is in the
year to lay their eggs. wild, in the forests
Madagascar of Uganda.
There may be no
Eastern Cape, South Africa lemurs left in the

Sardines may not sound exciting at first wild in 25 years’ time,
but the sheer number that gathers in South according to experts.
Africa is staggering. The hub of activity So now is the best time
attracts so many sharks and birds it’s been to go and contribute to
dubbed ‘the greatest shoal on Earth’. lemur-saving charities.

Responsible travel

Travel is one of life’s greatest pleasures and nothing is more exciting
than venturing out into the unknown and seeing animals in the wild
that you’ve only previously seen on television. The idea that we have
a greater duty of care to protect the places we explore is gaining
momentum and thankfully it’s becoming much easier to travel
responsibly – there are numerous ways to make your wildlife
holiday as eco- and animal-friendly as can be. Have a read of our
top tips on how to reduce your impact and if you’re searching
for inspiration, we’ve looked ahead to some of the most exciting
wildlife experiences you could have in 2016.

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