Epic Wildlife Adventures You Need To Take Once In Your Life

Get reacquainted with your wild side on Culture Trip’s once-in-a-lifetime nature adventures, featuring close encounters of the animal kind.

Safari guide in jeep as two wild rhinos walk before him

National parks and safari lodges

You’ll struggle to do better than South Africa when it comes to wildlife encounters. Our epic 11-day tour of the country’s gorgeous Garden Route won’t disappoint. After a bit of cultural exploration and a Table Mountain ascent in Cape Town, you’ll get the chance to go kayaking with penguins off the coast of Simons Town. After a boozy detour to the Cape Winelands we’ll continue our journey, first to the ostrich capital of the world, and later the luscious Tsitsikamma National Park. We save the best until last, though, with two nights at a luxurious lodge in the heart of Gondwana Game Reserve. You’ll get to go on up to four safari drives in search of the Big Five – lions, leopards, rhino, elephant and African buffalo – but if you hang out long enough at the infinity pool, the elephants might even come to you.

From US$2899

Next available from 3rd Feb 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Cape Town, South Africa

ENDS AT

Cape Town, South Africa

DURATION

11

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

View Trip

Elephant spotted on a safari in Sri Lanka

Encounter leopards and walk with elephants in Sri Lanka

Venture into the authentic heart of Sri Lanka on this 12-day wildlife expedition. You’ll embark on a world renowned train ride through the splendid tea plantations of Kandy and Ella, dine on street food delights in Colombo and discover the remarkable Sigirya rock fortress. Animal lovers will be counting down to day eight, when we head to Udawalawe National Park, which is home to leopards, crocodiles and deer. It’s also the best place to spot elephants in the wilds of Sri Lanka, so our afternoon safari is bound to bare fruit. Don’t worry if not, as we’ll also be visiting a local sanctuary that rehabilitates orphaned baby elephants from the park.

From US$1679

Next available from 9th Mar 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Colombo, Sri Lanka

ENDS AT

Colombo, Sri Lanka

DURATION

10

GROUP SIZE

12

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

View Trip

Wildebeest crossing the great mara river

Witness the great migration of wildebeest in Kenya

The Maasai Mara of Kenya, an extension of the Serengeti, is perhaps the ultimate safari destination. That’s because, as well as being home to all the classic savannah creatures you remember watching on Attenborough docs, it’s also where the seasonal great migration of wildebeest takes place. If you book our eight-day trip between July and November you’ll have a chance to see this extraordinary mass movement for yourself. Having already spotted rare birds in the Aberdares and witnessed pink flamingos wading with the rhinos of Lake Nakuru, we’ll spend a few nights at a luxurious campsite in the Mara, with a full day dedicated to exploring the savannah by safari.

From US$2959

Next available from 11th Apr 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Nairobi, Kenya

ENDS AT

Nairobi, Kenya

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Light

STYLE

Discovery

View Trip

Hang out with the sloths in Costa Rica

This Central American paradise is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Our eight-day trip takes you from the geothermal hot springs of Arenal Volcano National Park to the mystical cloud forests of Monteverde and, eventually, the Pacific coast. Fuelled by world-class coffee and a hot spring soak, we’ll embark on a sloth-spotting trek through the jungles of Arenal – luckily this shouldn’t be too hard, since they’re going nowhere in a hurry. Then, up in Monteverde, we’ll head out on a nighttime cloud forest walk in search of howler monkeys and pumas. In the laid-back surf town of Tamarindo you can either explore the coastal jungle wildlife, or simply chill on the beach – we won’t judge, you deserve it.

From US$2199

Next available from 6th Apr 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

San Jose, Costa Rica

ENDS AT

Tamarindo, Provincia De Guanacaste

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

View Trip

Nick Dauk, Richard Collett and Louis Rabinowitz contributed to this article.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

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