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12 of the Best Wildlife Experiences on the Planet

Combine activity with the ultimate i-Spy during a family wildlife holiday. Here’s our guide to 12 of the best wildlife experiences on the planet. Enjoy as part of a small group or on your own tailor-made adventure.

  • Marine Life

  • Whether it’s the funky blue-footed booby, the dapper Humboldt penguin, the giant tortoise or the pink-skinned marine iguana, there’s plenty of weird and wonderful wildlife for you and your family to observe while cruising the islands of the Galapagos.

  • Camels

  • Although they look like they’ve got the hump, camels are in fact extremely good natured, rarely showing aggression. With over 160 words for ‘camel’ in the Arabian language, see how many you can learn as you ride on a camel safari in Morocco.

  • Whales

  • Pop stars of the ocean, male humpback whales create melodies lasting between 10 to 20 minutes which they repeat for hours on end! Although you may not able to hear it, you will hopefully be able to see them so remember your binoculars. Visit Costa Rica.

  • Orangutans

  • Orangutans spend 90% of their lives up in the trees, even sleeping in nests made of leafy branches. We share 96% of our genetic makeup with orangutans, and that becomes abundantly clear as you observe the ‘person of the forest’ in its natural habitat.

  • Tigers

  • Unlike their smaller feline cousins, tigers love the water and are good swimmers, regularly cooling off in lakes during the heat of the day. No two tigers have exactly the same stripes, so you’ll always remember which tiger you saw in India.

  • Sloths

  • One of the slowest animals on the planet, the sloth is world famous for its lazy lifestyle and cute looks. 11,000 years ago, elephant-sized sloths used to roam South America but you can see their much smaller cousins relaxing in the Costa Rican sun.

  • Cheetahs

  • The fastest land animal in the world – you’ll have to think fast if you want to snap a photo as cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just three seconds! You can, however, see them at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Etosha National Park.

  • Pandas

  • Eating almost exclusively bamboo, pandas spend two-thirds of their day feeding and the remainder resting. You’ll be able to see for yourself when you volunteer to help these gentle giants during a visit to the Giant Panda Centre in Bifengxia.

  • Giraffes

  • Giraffes are the tallest mammals in the world, so you’ll have no problem viewing these spotty characters on a Tanzanian safari. Spending most of their lives standing up, giraffes even sleep upright although that is for only between 10 minutes and two hours a day!

  • Dolphins

  • Go dolphin watching off the coast of Muscat – the most common type you’ll see is the spinner dolphin. They leap three metres into the air; spin around, somersault or flip backwards before hitting the water with a splash.

  • Clown-fish

  • Clown-fish hide from predators within the tentacles of sea anemones. Usually, the anemone would sting a fish but clown-fish are immune because they have a mucus coat. A clown-fish can grown up to 18cm in length while the smallest can be just 10cm.

  • Husky Dogs

  • Your children will be howling with excitement as they ride huskies sleds through Lapland’s snowy wilderness. The dogs have extremely thick, soft coats and are especially friendly making them ideal companions for family fun in the snow.