An epic safari experience doesn’t require a flight to Africa. Guided wildlife encounters are turning up across the world in destinations not typically associated with game drives, from North America to the Scottish Highlands, India, and beyond. Sharing a look at how top travel brands are putting their own spin on the safari, taking travelers well beyond the traditional African game drive.
A Celtic Safari with Coos, Cliffs and Highland Wildlife (IMAGES)
Across Ireland and Scotland, Celtic travel experts Brendan Vacations swap the Big Five for Highland cattle, red deer, golden eagles, and Atlantic puffins, offering guided wildlife experiences across their range of customized self-drive and private-driver itineraries. The private Hairy Coo Safari puts guests face-to-face with the famous Highland cows on Rothiemurchus Estate, with guides covering the breed’s history alongside sightings of deer and native birds. A Land Rover Safari through the Highlands runs off-road with a kilted guide, tracking red deer and golden eagles through glens and forest tracks that standard coach tours don’t reach. On the water, a Loch Tay boat safari adds ospreys and red squirrels to the list, paired with local folklore from the surrounding clans.
Under-the-Radar Wildlife Safaris in North America
Travelers looking for wildlife viewing closer to home can embark on safari adventures with Natural Habitat Adventures in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In the fall, venture to Churchill, Manitoba, for Canada’s Premier Polar Bear Adventure, where travelers will spend multiple days traveling across the tundra on a Polar Rover looking out for polar bears, arctic foxes and more with expert Expedition Leaders helping to explain the big bears’ habits and lives in the Arctic. In Mexico in the winter, witness the monarch butterfly migration and spot millions of monarch butterflies as they roost within protected sanctuaries in Mexico’s Central Highlands on Kingdom of the Monarchs. Summertime means brown bears in Alaska. On Nat Hab’s Ultimate Alaska Wildlife Safari, travelers will fully immerse themselves in the last frontier with opportunities to spot coastal brown bears as they hunt for fish, play and nap amongst breathtaking sites from Denali National Park to Brooks Falls or Nat Hab’s very own Alaska Bear Camp.
India’s Best Safari Is Just Beyond the Golden Triangle
Friendly Planet Travel‘s 12-day Best of India guided small-group tour adds a true wildlife safari to the country’s classic cultural circuit. In Ranthambore National Park, a former royal hunting ground turned protected tiger reserve, travelers venture into the jungle on two safari drives to view the park’s wildlife, including elusive Royal Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears, pythons, crocodiles, monkeys, and hundreds of bird species. The experience is woven into a broader journey through India’s most significant cities, including Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi, proving that one of the world’s most memorable safari experiences can unfold between visits to some of the country’s most iconic cultural landmarks.
