Wildlife in Europe travel guide

Most wildlife tours in Europe are small group holidays – all the more eyes for spotting animals with. You’ll follow a set itinerary steered by pro guides, and travel with a group of 6-25 people who are as excited about the polar bear sniffing around your hull or Dalmatian pelican ruffling its feathers as you are. Small ship cruises to the Arctic welcome the greatest passenger numbers – around 120 on an Arctic expedition ship – and inspire instant camaraderie. You’ll break off into smaller groups for Zodiac boat trips and hiking excursions.

Tailor made wildlife tours have a recommended itinerary that can be adapted to your likes, budget, group numbers – and children’s attention spans. They’re also great for wildlife afficionados who have a check-list. While no one can guarantee viewings, your guide will tweak your itinerary to give you the best chance of spying your wish list species.

Accommodation, transfers and some meals will be booked for you on both small group and tailor made holidays. You’ll also be matched with guides who are often conservationists or experts in the animals you’re looking for.

Martin Royle, from our partner Royle Safaris, explains the perks of travelling with a local guide: “A guide will know the recent movements of animals. Sometimes subtle changes in weather and local conditions can affect the movements and habits of wildlife. A local guide will be aware of these changes and adapt the plan accordingly. It is often very hard to keep abreast of these small movements and recent sightings of animals if you are just in the area for a few days.”

The best way to see marine wildlife in Europe is to hop on a cruise. Small ships are key: they can explore skinny Scottish lochs and dock at tiny Greek turtle bays that big cruise ships can’t reach. That means peace and quiet for you and the animals – after all, the aim of our wildlife watching tours in Europe is always to disturb them as little as possible. The largest ships only carry around 120 passengers, and some have strengthened hulls built for exploring Iceland and the icy Arctic to seek out orcas, polar bears and belugas.

The blue whale, which at 26m long and 190,000kg is also the largest animal ever to have existed on our planet. You can see them flip their flukes in the Azores, Canary Islands and Iceland. The biggest land mammals are the 3m-tall European bison, followed by the polar bears of northern Norway and Russia.

Bison, wolf, brown bear, wolverine and lynx are often said to be the European equivalent of the African safari’s “Big Five”. But what about orca and whales? Or polar bears? Or the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and regal eagles? Although it’s useful to have an idea of animals to look out for, we’re not big believers in only aiming for the headliners. Lesser-known animals are often the ones that surprise and charm you the most.

Humans! We’ve impacted European wildlife the most, hunting species like great auks and Pyrenean ibex to extinction. Polar bears are the next most powerful predators in Europe, as well as killer whales, bears, lynx, grey wolves and birds of prey. Whether it’s their keen sense of smell (polar bears can sniff out seals from over 30km away) or hunting together (in the case of grey wolves and orca), they’re all finely tuned to catch their prey.

Over 70 mammals are only found in Europe – or “endemic”. They range from tiny Sardinian long-eared bats that have to be seen to be believed to endangered Iberian lynx and Mediterranean monk seals. Islands are especially prone to endemic bird species, such as the navy chaffinches of the Canaries and Scottish crossbills.

There are around 200 endemic fish species, including Atlantic herring (a favourite of orca and fish and chip shops) and European conger eels that lurk under seaside piers. Around 56 amphibian species are endemic; they’re mostly found sunbathing in Southern Europe. Natterjack toads hunker down in moorlands, toxic fire salamanders warn you off with their neon prints, and a range of region-specific crested newts could pass as mini dinosaurs. The hikers among us at Responsible Travel know to watch out for venomous adders snoozing in our grassy English chalklands in summer too.

It all depends on what you’re looking for. Whales feed in the wide Atlantic Ocean of the Azores, Canaries, Iceland, Scotland and Arctic. You’ll also find enormous seabird colonies up north. Like their North American cousins, brown bears and lynx favour mountainous forests and clover meadows found in the Carpathians, Alps and Pyrenees. Bison are also forest dwelling; the biggest herd is in Poland. Polar bears hunt seals and dig dens in deep snow, so you’ll find them in the Norwegian and Russian Arctic. Sea turtles and endangered monk seals, meanwhile, need the warmer waters of the Greek Islands and Peloponnese. Read more about what wildlife you can see where in Europe.