Animal Kingdom Alive: 6 Wildlife Holidays

The spring season, usually a quieter time, offers several advantages to travel exactly this time of year. In many places, you will find wild animals being out and about, making this an excellent season to undertake a wildlife holiday.

Travel in Spitsbergen this May or June to spot polar bears, find sloths hiding in Costa Rica’s forests all year round, take a primate trip on foot to see gorillas in Uganda, discover different types of lemurs in Madagascar or visit Borneo’s rainforests that are one of two homes of the rare orang-utan. Read on to get six ideas of where to spot which animal on one of these wildlife watching holidays.

Sloth | Costa Rica

If you’re after remarkable wildlife, Costa Rica is the place to be. When visiting the Central American country, you may spot sea turtles, birdlife, and different types of sloth. Explore the pristine scenery, volcanoes, coast and cloud forest of Costa Rica. Few countries can offer such a wide variety of nature - Costa Rica has it all.

The 8-day Best of Costa Rica trip departs daily year round >>

Polar Bear | Spitsbergen

The island of Spitsbergen, just 900kms from the North Pole, is home to an incredible array of flora and fauna. While Polar Bear at this time of year make their way along the retreating ice in search for food, we make zodiac landings to try and spot them. With sweeping views across the vast glaciated inland, this is a wildlife holiday of a lifetime.

Spring departures of the 8-day North Spitsbergen on Ortelius in Search of Polar Bear trip are in May & June >>

Spring departures of the 8-day North Spitsbergen in Search of Polar Bear trip are in June >>

Gorillas | Uganda

Encounter mountain gorillas and chimps in the wild. Tracking the mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is an incredible bucket list experience culminating in the thrill of standing within metres of a male silverback and his family. Enjoy game drives, boat cruises and bird watching on these unforgettable journeys. Travel in April or May for a low season gorilla permit reduction.

Spring departures of the 10-day Best of Uganda trip are in March until May >>

Spring departures of the 7-day Primates and Wildlife of Uganda trip are in March until June >>

Note that these trips also have departures from July until February.

Lemurs | Madagascar

The Island of Madagascar is synonymous with the exotic, if not the quirky. Separated from Africa millions of years ago with the breakup of Gondwana, Madagascar has its own unique cargo of endemic plants and animals. Lemurs being probably the most well-known of all! Daily wildlife adventures in three national parks contrast with the comfort of pleasant hotels and tented accommodation, combining the best of local style and French colonial charm.

Spring departures of the 11-day Unique Madagascar trip are in March until June >>

Orang-Utans | Borneo, Malaysia

An adventurous trek through virgin rainforest with opportunities to spot wild orang-utans in their natural habitat. Other wildlife to spot are pig-tailed macaque and giant squirrels. The rainforest of Borneo is one of only two places on earth where orang-utan still live in the wild, the other one is Sumatra in Indonesia. Visit remote Iban communities and learn jungle survival skills on parts where few other people go to increase your chance of spotting orang-utan.

Departures of the 5-day Red Ape Trail trip are daily year round >>

Interested in longer trips in Borneo? Have a look at this overview of Borneo adventure holidays

Blue Footed Booby | Galapagos, Ecuador

Cruise the magical Galapagos Islands aboard the charismatic yacht, Beluga. Accommodating just 16 passengers, this trip will certainly provide an intimate view of the world’s most exotic islands and unique wildlife. Think of the famous blue footed booby, but also penguin, seals, tortoises, iguanas an lizards. Discover the landscape and lifeforms that inspired Darwins 'Origin of Species', an experience you will never forget.

Departures of the 8-day Galapagos Islands on Beluga trip are every Friday year round >>

For more information, please check the trip notes on the wildlife holiday of your choice. For bookings and to talk to one of our travel experts around the world, please find contact information here.