Craving something different from your next animal-watching adventure? Swerve the classic safari and consider one of our off-the-beaten-path wildlife experiences.
Whether you’re spotting Christmas iguanas in the Galapagos or searching for snow leopards in the high Himalaya, you’ll experience nature through the eyes of our industry-leading trackers, naturalists and conservationists. But they don’t just show you wildlife, they help you read the landscapes, follow tracks and understand the teeming ecosystems that sustain them.
1. Watch the Bat Exodus From Deer Cave in Malaysia
As dusk falls in Gunung Mulu National Park, Malaysia, head to the mouth of Deer Cave to witness one of nature’s most mesmerising spectacles: millions of bats streaming into the sky in search of food.
On our Borneo Wildlife Discoverer trip, this moment becomes even more powerful with insight from our expert local guides. They’ll help you understand the behaviour of the bats, the unique ecology of the Deer Cave system, and the sheer scale of this nightly ritual. What might seem like chaos at first becomes a thrilling, coordinated dance, something most travellers might overlook without a knowledgeable eye pointing out the wonder.
2. Track jaguars in the remote Pantanal wetlands of Brazil
In the remote Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, tracking the elusive jaguar is a wildlife experience like no other. On our Land of the Jaguar trip, our expert local guides use years of knowledge of the landscape and animal behaviour to give you the best chance of a sighting.
Travelling by boat along winding waterways, fringed with thick reeds and overhanging trees, you’ll explore one of the few places on Earth where jaguars are regularly seen in daylight. With our guides’ keen eyes and understanding of subtle signs, such as fresh paw prints or the calls of alarmed birds, what may begin as a tranquil river journey can turn into a heart-pounding encounter with one of the most striking cats in the world.
3. Spot Christmas iguanas Changing Colour in the Galapagos
Among the many unique creatures in the Galapagos Islands, the Christmas iguana stands out, not just for its name, but for its vibrant colours. This subspecies of marine iguanas can only be found on Española Island. During mating season, which typically runs from December to March, these creatures shift from dark, volcanic tones to bright reds and greens making it an incredible sight to behold.
On our Galapagos & Amazon Archipel I trip, our expert naturalists explain this remarkable transformation. They’ll tell you how the iguanas absorb heat, feed underwater, and display colour changes linked to social signals and breeding. With their guidance, every detail, from behaviour to biology, adds more depth to an already dazzling encounter. While you’re on Española Island, you can also marvel at the large Galapagos sea lion colony sunbathing on Gardner Bay.
4. Follow the Pawprints of Brown Bears in Romania
Deep in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, you’ll follow expert trackers through the wild forests of Transylvania, a region rich in biodiversity and myth. On our Carpathian Walking & Bears trip, you’ll explore Piatra Craiului National Park, where our guides teach you how to track brown bears by identifying fresh paw prints, claw marks on trees, overturned rocks, and bear scat. These subtle signs reveal the bears’ movements through the forest.
One of the most memorable moments on the trip comes in the evening of Day 3, when you spend time in a remote bear hide deep in the forest. After a scenic walk into the Barza Valley, followed by a peaceful ride in a horse-drawn cart past mountain views and traditional villages, you’ll hike uphill to a secluded area where a local forester leads you to a managed hide. Operated by the Romanian Forestry Commission, these hides are carefully positioned in areas where bears are known to roam. With patience, stillness, and a bit of luck, you may see wild brown bears emerge to feed or explore. Undoubtedly, this intimate and thrilling encounter with one of the most iconic predators in Europe will stay in your memory long after the trip is over.
5. Spend a Precious Hour With Mountain Gorillas in Uganda
Spending time with endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is arguably one of the rarest and most moving wildlife encounters in the world. Fewer than 1,100 remain in the wild, and they don’t survive in captivity, making Bwindi one of only two places on Earth to see them in their natural habitat.
On our Chimps & Gorillas of Uganda trip, our team secures your strictly limited gorilla permit, then leads you on a guided jungle trek, tracking the gorillas through dense forest. Your rangers and expert local guide usually track these gentle giants by broken vegetation, fresh dung and nesting sites, often using advanced trackers who locate the gorilla families earlier in the day and relay their position via radio. These majestic animals move daily, so you’ll find that no two treks are ever the same. But rest assured our local guides enrich the experience, helping you to interpret every movement and connection during this powerful, once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
6. Search for Snow Leopards High in the Himalaya
For something a bit different, venture into the remote heights of the Indian Himalaya to join our Search for Snow Leopards With Valerie Parkinson trip. Exploring the remote Ulley Valley of Ladakh is a beautiful experience in itself, but with the help of your expert guide, Valerie, and her local spotting team, you’ll hopefully spot the elusive snow leopard in the wild.
Using a combination of spotting scopes, local knowledge, fresh tracks, animal alarm calls, and radio intel from advance teams, they pinpoint likely locations where the ‘ghosts of the mountain’ may be lurking or stalking blue sheep on high ledges. Estimates show there are fewer than 7,000 left in the wild, so seeing one in person is wonderfully rare. Spotting this pale-coated cat with its smoky rosettes and piercing gaze, perfectly camouflaged against the snow-dusted cliffs, is a wildlife encounter few ever experience.
The best time to go is February to March when snowfall drives prey, and snow leopards, closer to lower elevations. Our guides’ sharp eyes and deep local expertise bring this magical, high-altitude experience to life.
7. Witness Turtles Nesting on the Beaches of Costa Rica
On the remote beaches of Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, a rare wildlife spectacle unfolds from late July to October: endangered green turtles come ashore under the cover of night to lay their eggs in the sand. This extraordinary sight can be experienced on our Discover Costa Rica trip as an optional night excursion. Some turtles weigh more than 440lb (200kg), so watching them haul their massive shells ashore and carefully dig their nests is a moving, humbling experience.
Earlier in this trip, you and your group visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy Museum, where you’ll learn all about hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles’ nesting habits, migratory patterns, and the vital conservation work that’s being done in the region to protect them.
If you’re searching for even more incredible wildlife experiences with us, check out our fantastic collection of wildlife adventures.
