Bored with your usual holiday spots? Get ready for some of the most bucket list-worthy vacation ideas that will get you up close and personal with nature’s magnificent beasts.
"Bored with your usual holiday spots? Get ready for some of the most bucket list-worthy vacation ideas that will get you up close and personal with nature’s magnificent beasts."
FOLLOW MIGRATING WILDLIFE
Where: Tanzania, East Africa
Safari game drives are commonplace on the continent, but few do them like Tanzanian safari company Nomad Tanzania. Its camps are not only located in some of the most far-flung corners of the country, but are a mix of permanent sites, removable tents that disappear with the seasons, and mobile camps that mirror migration routes. Its Serengeti Safari Camp, for example, moves numerous times a year, significantly reducing how long it takes to drive out from base camp to track down the animals, and allowing visitors to be in the best possible location to view the herds and accompanying predators. The Entamanu Ngorongoro Camp, on the other hand, is constructed from easily dismantled panels, with efforts made to leave the surroundings completely undamaged. Watching massive herds of wildebeest and families of lions, and interacting with chimpanzees can be on your itinerary, depending on your choice of adventure. Jaw-dropping landscapes of the great African outback are, of course, a given.
Nomad Tanzania offers a series of safari options that can be tailored to your preference. For more information, visit www.nomad-tanzania.com.
INTERACT WITH ARCTIC WOLVES
Where: Wolf Lodge at Polar Park, near Narvik, northern Norway
Spending a night deep in the wilderness with visits from Arctic wolves may sound far too incredible, but it’s all very real – and very safe. Polar Park isn’t actual wilderness, but it’s built to mimic an authentic mountain habitat, where native wildlife including bears, lynx, reindeer and of course, Arctic wolves, roam free. Accompanied by a local expert guide, you can watch the wolves prowl right outside the cabin, and later, meet these magnificent creatures face-to-face – they have apparently been socialised to accept humans. A night at Wolf Lodge is part of the itinerary for a four-day, three-night holiday in Narvik, which also includes Northern Lights hunting (season permitting) and a fjord boat trip.
A trip to Narvik with Off the Map Travel is priced from £2,299 (S$4,505) for four people, excluding flights. The price includes all transfers, the various nature and wildlife experiences, accommodation and more. For more information, visit www.offthemaptravel.co.uk or www.Ilovenorthernlights.com.
SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS AND TURTLES
Where: Yucatan, Mexico
A place deemed nature’s playground is also home to some of the world’s best diving and snorkelling sites as well as biosphere reserves and national parks. A 10-day holiday by Jacada Travel to the Yucatan Peninsula offers maximum exposure to nature’s spoils with in-depth marine wildlife expeditions. Highlights include swimming with turtles and schools of tropical fish at Yalku-ito and Akumal Bay (the former is home to newborn fish and turtles, which are attracted to the halocline, a vertical salinity gradient formed from a freshwater and saltwater mix ), and snorkelling with gentle whale sharks. Interspersing these wildlife sessions with city tours and visits to Mayan ruins, the itinerary provides cultural nourishment too.
The private, 10-day Yucatan itinerary can be tailored to your preference. Jacada Travel offers a series of bespoke itineraries. For more information, visit www.jacadatravel.com.
