Wildly Unique Animal Encounters
The best vacation gives you an adventure to talk about, even years later. Trips that introduce your children or grandchildren to a new country, fun foods, and different cultures are not soon forgotten. Throw in an up-close-and-personal wildlife experience and you’ve hit the vacation-memory sweet spot.
That’s why many families are incorporating unique animal adventures into their trips. Seeing wildlife in the wild is an increasingly rare occurrence, so get your urban family out into the wild blue yonder and explore.
Meerkats – Botswana
Safaris in Botswana will lead you to the Okavango Delta to look for leopards and elephants, but outfits near the Kalahari Desert and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans can bring you much closer to adorable meerkat colonies that don’t mind if humans hang out around their neighborhood.
Sloths – Costa Rica
Few animals embody “pura vida” better than the slow-moving sloth. In Costa Rica, families can venture into cloud forests or sanctuaries to spot these adorable, camouflaged tree-dwellers. Patient guides will point out how they blend into the treetops, and with luck, you may even catch a rare glimpse of a mother sloth carrying her baby.
Penguins – Antarctica & South Africa
From emperor penguins in Antarctica to the African penguins at Boulders Beach near Cape Town, these tuxedoed birds delight travelers of all ages. Watch them waddle across the ice or swim alongside you in the surf. At Boulders Beach, you can stroll along wooden walkways built right through the colony, giving an insider’s look into their daily routines without disturbing their habitat.
Whale Sharks – Mexico & the Maldives
Swimming alongside the world’s largest fish is surreal yet safe. In Isla Holbox, Mexico, or the Maldives, snorkel with these gentle giants in turquoise waters. Whale sharks migrate seasonally, so traveling with a knowledgeable guide ensures you’re in the right spot at the right time to see them gracefully glide past in slow motion.
Spirit Bears – British Columbia, Canada
White-furred bears are rare in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, but a recessive gene in the Black Bear species that lives here makes them a favorite of locals and visitors to the region. Spirit bears don’t blend in but survive because they catch more salmon than their black-furred cousins – the fish don’t recognize them as a threat.
Giraffes & Elephants – Kenya & Thailand
Two of the world’s most iconic animals offer surprisingly personal encounters. In Nairobi, Rothschild giraffes at Giraffe Manor often poke their heads through windows to share breakfast, creating playful moments that also support conservation efforts. In northern Thailand’s Golden Triangle, elephants roam protected reserves where guests can watch them graze at sunset, sleep in clear jungle bubbles as they wander past, and learn from mahouts and guardians dedicated to their care.
Orangutans – Borneo & Sumatra
In the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, you can trek with guides to spot orangutans swinging through the treetops. Rehabilitation centers like Sepilok give families a chance to see these great apes up close in semi-wild habitats. Their human-like mannerisms make the encounter unforgettable.
Let your advisor run wild and lead you to rare encounters.
Happy Travels!
