When you explore the Tinggly collection you’ll discover dozens of incredible wildlife experiences scattered around the globe. Watching animals in their natural habitat offers spectacular and memorable moments that can be as life-affirming as they are breathtaking.
But just as importantly, such activities can also spur people on to getting involved in conservation efforts, as well as encouraging local people to protect endangered animals by putting money into community-organised tours.
Incredible wildlife experiences are available in any country of course, but here are six of the greatest…
The Serengeti Migration
Timing is everything with one of nature’s most spectacular events. The great Serengeti migration is a never-ending cycle, with vast herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope moving clockwise across the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystem, mating, calving and feeding as they go. Naturally, with over a million animals making the journey across rivers and savannah and plains, they are tracked throughout by predators including lions, cheetahs, leopards and crocodiles, leading to epic scenes of confrontation. It’s useful when planning a trip to watch the Serengeti migration to book with a specialist safari company to ensure you have the best chance of finding the animals, as if you’re even a few days out, you may end up looking at a great patch of nothing instead.
Turtle-Watching
There are many places around the world where you can watch sea turtles coming on to the beach at night to lay their eggs in the sand, with Costa Rica especially well-known. However we recommend going to Malaysia if you can. Here on islands such as Pulau Tioman conservation efforts are really struggling against poachers and the encroachment of beach resorts whose lights and noise disorientate the hatchlings. By joining an organised tour, you’ll be making a much-needed contribution to protecting these incredible animals which already face a tough battle for survival in the ocean.
Hanging with Orangutans
Another animal which is sadly in a great deal of trouble is one of our closest relatives, the orangutan. Often known as the old man of the jungle, orangutans face a range of threats, the most dangerous being rapid habitat loss caused by timber logging, agriculture and road development. Their numbers are already dwindling but you can still see these gentle orange giants perched high in the trees in Borneo and Sumatra. Responsible orangutan-watching tours are led by guides that ensure visitors keep their distance while educating them about how they can help, such as by trying to avoid products that contain palm oil, which is one of the principal causes of deforestation.
Cage Diving with Sharks
Not many wildlife experiences are as sure to get your heart pumping as cage diving with sharks in South Africa. Imagine seeing a Great White shark swimming just inches in front of your face, the only thing keeping you from being lunch a couple of hopefully solid steel bars. The coast of Cape Town is one of the best places in the world to see Great Whites, and again it’s always best to do it with a responsible operator who will not only educate you about the sharks and conservation efforts, but also remember to close the cage door properly.
Polar Bear Tracking
“The White Sea Bear” is another incredible animal that is sadly endangered by habitat loss, but you can still see them in the wild with small group tours in various parts of the Arctic. Naturally you’ll be watching from a distance – you don’t want to get too close to a polar bear especially if he’s hungry – but with luck you might see them swimming between icebergs, or even hunting for fish or seals. These giants of the frozen wastelands are the size of a small car and simply breathtaking to watch.
Swimming with dolphins
Dolphins are as playful and curious as they are beautiful, and will often come very close to snorkelers and scuba divers. Swimming with dolphins in New Zealand is one of the most popular wildlife activities in a country that’s packed with them, and we suggest Akaroa, a protected marine sanctuary, as a good place to try it. The best time to swim with dolphins tends to be May to September, when the prospects of finding a pod are good, and the water is warm enough to spend a fair bit of time in.