Top 10 wildlife experiences

It’s no wonder that wildlife holidays 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 holidays 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 holidays 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 holiday 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 tour operators are actively involved in conservation projects so you can rest assured that your wildlife holiday 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. Being face to face with a wild gorilla is on many people’s ‘must do before you die’ list. Whether it’s because of their intimidating size combined with their unexpected gentle grace or because they behave so much like us, it’s easy to see why gorilla tracking is such an amazing experience. Whether you want to see mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, we have a selection of responsible holidays for you. Take a look our gorilla safaris here.

An African safari is one of the most varied of all wildlife experiences. Go for a classic jeep safari in East Africa, following the Great Migration across the savannah, or opt for a self drive holiday in South Africa and Namibia. The intrepid can even step out of their vehicles in Botswana and Zambia for a Big Five bush walk, accompanied by an expert guide - or pole a dugout canoe along the Okavango Delta. The Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, black rhino) tend to take centre stage , but don’t forget that other creatures such as hippos, hyenas and zebra can be just as thrilling to see. Check out our African safaris here.

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. Take a look at our bear watching holidays here.

You don’t have to travel too far from home to find a great wildlife experience. Europe's wildlife may be little celebrated - but it is no less impressive than other more exotic locations. Whether you want to see birds or bears, wolves or whales we have an exciting range of wildlife encounters in Europe. Take a look at all our wildlife holidays in Europe here.

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, benefit the local community or provide employment in the local area. They also abide by strict codes of conduct so not to distress the wildlife (for example not getting too close, and ending encounters when animals leave, rather than following them). Also, many of our wildlife tour operators regularly donate to and support conservation projects to protect and preserve endangered wildlife. You can find our criteria here and the campaigns we support.