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There are few experiences as enriching as seeing animals in the wild. One glance and you’ll be hooked. Imagine the thrill of watching polar bears in their natural habitats or hearing the thundering hooves of zebras in the Great Migration. So for this year, we have collected the best wildlife adventures that take you beyond the wild and into the wonder.
January: Finland
Head to the snowy stillness of Riisitunturi National Park, one of the most sparsely populated places in Europe, to meet a pack of huskies – born for winter with thick coats, boundless stamina and a love of the trail.
On our Finnish Wilderness Week, you visit a husky farm, learn how the team is cared for, then harness up and drive your own sled through silent, frost-laced forest (grins guaranteed). Back at base, the wilderness continues: snowshoe beneath the northern sky, master the ancient art of building your own quinzee and warm up in a Finnish sauna.
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Mixed activity week in a remote part of Finland
February: Namibia
February is Namibia’s green season – and it’s wildly underrated.
After the rains, the landscapes flush emerald, the air turns crisp and clear, and the photography is next-level: dramatic skies, golden sunsets and desert dunes glowing against fresh greenery.
It can also be prime time for newborn antelope (and the predators that follow), while migratory birds arrive in force, making Etosha a real spectacle.
On Discover Namibia – Lodges, you travel lodge-to-lodge from Sossusvlei to the coast and into Etosha, with game drives for elephant, lion and giraffe, plus rhino tracking on foot and a visit to the Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre to learn about cheetah conservation up close.
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Vast open spaces, shifting desert scenery and wildlife
March: Ecuador & the Galápagos
March is a brilliant time to go: warm seas make snorkelling a joy, the islands look freshly washed, and wildlife is busy getting on with life.
On our Highlights of Ecuador & the Galápagos, you combine mainland icons – Quito and Cotopaxi – with a two-night Amazon stay, then island-hop with an official naturalist guide across San Cristóbal, Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz.
Expect green sea turtles in peak nesting season, marine iguanas piled on lava like mini dragons, and (on Isabela) the chance to spot Galápagos penguins — the world’s only penguin this close to the equator.
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Experience diverse wonders, from the Amazon Rainforest and volcanoes to the wildlife of the Enchanted Islands
April: Borneo
April is Borneo at its best: marking the beginning of the drier season, the rains have eased, the rainforest is electric-green and wildlife spotting is in full swing.
On our Borneo Wildlife Discoverer, you seek out proboscis monkeys in coastal Bako, watch the famous bat exodus spiral out of Deer Cave in Mulu, and cruise the Kinabatangan River at dawn and dusk for crocodiles, hornbills and other rainforest regulars.
Add a visit to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (plus optional sun bears) and time in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and you’ve got a month that packs in Borneo’s biggest natural highlights — with fewer crowds and beautifully fresh jungle scenery.
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Showcasing the best of Borneo – wildlife, rainforests and beaches
May: Svalbard (High Arctic Norway)
May is a sweet spot in Svalbard because the sea ice still fringes parts of Spitsbergen — and that’s where the polar bears want to be.
They use the ice as a hunting platform (especially for seals), so sightings can be more reliable than later in summer, when melt can push bears further north and the search becomes more of a game of Arctic hide-and-seek.
May is a great month for birdlife too. Breeding season for migratory seabirds starts, so you can see the cliffs come alive with kittiwakes, guillemots and little auks in their thousands.
It’s also the beginning of the midnight sun, meaning wildlife-watching isn’t limited to a tidy “morning or evening” window – if something appears, you go. On Svalbard Explorer: Best of High Arctic Norway, you cruise the fjords and glacier fronts of Spitsbergen with Zodiac landings for walrus haul-outs, Arctic foxes and reindeer.
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Explore the remarkable Svalbard Archipelago in Norway in 24 hour daylight
June: Botswana
June is when Botswana’s safari season hits its stride: the rains have eased, the bush thins out, and wildlife starts gathering around the Delta and river channels – which is excellent news for your binoculars.
On Wildlife & Wilderness of Botswana, you drift the Okavango in a mokoro, scanning papyrus fringes for hippo, crocodile and fish eagles, then swap serenity for game drives in Moremi and Savuti, where lion, leopard and cheetah are all possible.
Expect elephant and buffalo in serious numbers, plus zebra, giraffe and red lechwe threading through the floodplains. Add a Chobe River cruise and Victoria Falls, and you’ve got a safari that keeps raising the bar.
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Safari through Botswana's best wildlife reserves and Victoria Falls
July: Romania
With long daylight hours and warm summer evenings, July is prime time for bear watching in the Carpathians – and you’ll be in excellent hands.
Bear encounters are led by local foresters and wildlife trackers who know these forests inside out, from fresh paw prints on the path to the best hides for dusk activity.
By day you walk through wildflower meadows, forest trails and quiet mountain villages; by evening you’ll settle into a purpose-built hide and watch the landscape come alive, with bears sometimes appearing to feed – and, if luck’s on your side, cubs and white-tailed eagles too. These experiences are close-up, respectful and quietly thrilling.
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Explore majestic mountains and villages looking for brown bears
August: Tortuguero, Costa Rica
August is one of the best months to catch the green turtle nesting season (late July to October) – and on our Discover Costa Rica trip, it slots in beautifully.
After travelling by boat into Tortuguero National Park, you’ll explore the canals on a guided wildlife cruise, where it’s not uncommon to spot scarlet macaws, caimans and three-toed sloths.
In the afternoon, you’ll visit Tortuguero village and can pop into the Sea Turtle Museum, then, if you’d like, join an optional night excursion to witness turtles nesting on the beach. To see these aquatic creatures crawl from the water and dig a deep hole where they can lay their eggs is an extraordinary and moving experience.
And the best bit? Tortuguero is only the opener. This itinerary keeps building – from rainforest walks and lava landscapes near Arenal (with time for La Fortuna waterfall), to a misty guided hike in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, then on to Manuel Antonio for white-faced capuchin monkey sightings, and white sand beaches you’ll struggle to leave.
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Join eagle-eyed guides for a wildlife-watching trip through the mountains, rainforest and coast
September: Masai Mara
September is when the Masai Mara really earns its reputation. The Great Migration is still surging through the ecosystem – around 1.3 million wildebeest, joined by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelles, making it the largest mass movement of land mammals on Earth.
It’s also a brilliant month because the dry season concentrates wildlife around reliable grazing and water, so the herds are often in (or still around) the Mara, feeding hard and drawing the predators right into the same space: lions, cheetahs, hyenas and leopards on high alert.
The best part is that it’s never a single “moment”: the herds shift, bunch, scatter and regroup, and your expert local guides know how to read the signs (dust clouds, alarm calls, the sudden stillness) to put you in the right place at the right time.
On our Kenya and Tanzania Adventure, the Mara is just one of several big-hitter stops; you also track rhinos in Lake Nakuru, then head south to the Serengeti and down into the Ngorongoro Crater for even more game-rich encounters, before finishing with a well-earned exhale in Zanzibar.
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Excellent game viewing, scenery and Zanzibar
October: India
October is when India’s tiger season begins again; the monsoon has moved on, the parks reopen, and the forests are freshly washed and green (but not so dense you can’t see what’s prowling through them).
On our India Tiger Safari, the odds are stacked in your favour with 15 included game drives across three of India’s best tiger reserves – Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh – each with its own mix of sal forest, open meadows and waterholes that draw in the wildlife.
Bengal tigers may be famously elusive, but October’s cooler temperatures mean more activity, especially in the early mornings. With expert naturalist guides on every drive, you’ll learn to spot the clues: fresh pugmarks on the track, alarm calls in the trees, and the sudden hush that says something is moving.
And it’s not just tigers on the agenda: look out for leopards, monkeys, wild boar and a whole supporting cast of birdlife – plus the perfect change of pace with a visit to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World: the Taj Mahal.
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A comprehensive wildlife tour of India's best tiger parks
November is when Antarctica’s wildlife season begins in earnest – penguin colonies spring back into life, seals bask on the ice, and the first whales of the season start to appear. On our Antarctic Explorer, you sail from Ushuaia and cross the legendary Drake Passage with the expedition team on deck to help spot whales and seabirds, and to share the stories behind what you’re seeing.
Once you reach the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, the highlight is daily Zodiac cruises and landings to explore icy bays, visit a research station and spend time with gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie penguins. Keep an eye out for Weddell, fur, crabeater and leopard seals, plus humpbacks – and, if luck is on your side, orcas.
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Towering blue icebergs, vast penguin colonies, whales, seals and glaciers right in the heart of the peninsula
Mid-December marks the start of the Maldives’ drier season, when the seas tend to calm down, and the water turns gloriously clear – ideal conditions for snorkelling (and for spotting what’s gliding beneath you).
On our Marine Wildlife of the Maldives trip, you spend six nights aboard the MV Felicity, cruising between atolls and hopping into the water for guided snorkels over coral gardens.
You also spend dedicated time in the South Ari Marine Protected Area in search of whale sharks, with briefings linked to the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), so you know exactly how to swim alongside them responsibly.
December is also when manta rays start gathering at cleaning stations, giving you the opportunity to observe them up close for longer.
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Amazing marine wildlife including whale sharks and manta rays
Ready to swap the screen for the wild? Explore our full collection of expert-led wildlife trips, from polar adventures to jungle safaris, and find your next extraordinary encounter.
