We're proud to work with expert tour leaders who bring years of first-hand experience in wildlife watching, photography, art and travelling to some of the world's most remarkable wild places. In this guide, a selection of our leaders have chosen one wildlife experience from around the world that sits firmly on their bucket list. These are personal recommendations, shaped by their experience in the field and their passion for seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. Continue reading to find inspiration for your own next adventure.
Image by Nick Garbutt
Few animals better encapsulate the concept of ‘cute and cuddly’ more than the red panda, yet seeing them in the wild is so often very challenging. I have tracked them down in the mist-shrouded broad-leaf forests of Singalila on the border of Nepal and India. Here, with expert help from local guides, I’ve clambered amongst dense stands of oak and bamboo in search of the pandas. Some views have been distant and fleeting, but others have been close, prolonged and exhilarating, where pandas have sat in front of me or climbed around me in a completely relaxed way. It’s an experience that’s hard to beat.
Red Pandas & Tigers Photography
India’s Red Pandas, Rhinos & Tigers
India’s Tigers, Snow Leopards & Red Pandas
Image by Harry Read
As I meandered across the swamp towards a Finnish hide, a sleek, dark shape floated like a ghost from the treeline. Fox? Pine marten? No - too large, too muscular, standing with authoritative poise. It advanced, staring me down as I nervously watched. The bouncy gait of a mustelid revealed it as one of Europe's rarest, most elusive mammals: the wolverine.
With a thick brown coat, cream-coloured flanks, broad head and bushy tail. A close relative of the honey badger, Finland's wolverines are fiercely tenacious, often clashing with wolf packs, tough enough to survive brutal injuries. With only around 400 left in Finland, encountering one in its boreal home is a rare privilege. It stared at me curiously for a few short moments and then it was gone. It melted away into the murk as quickly as it had appeared.
Boreal Predators Photography in Early Spring
Bears, Wolves & Wolverines Self-drive
Boreal Predators Photography in Summer
Boreal Predators Photography in Autumn
Brown Bear Photography in Finland
Image by Nick Mackman
Wild dogs are my favourite animal! I love sculpting them and being in their company. On one memorable animal sculpture safari in Zambia, a pack of 14 dogs stayed local for the whole week, so we got to see them every day. Wild dogs are restless and can never keep still for very long. Even the grown-ups are fidgety, but I think what I love most is their joie de vivre. These precious moments fuel a lot of future wild dog sculptures and, when I'm back in my studio in Devon, I aim to capture their wildness but also their sense of fun. These amazing experiences live on beyond the safari, not just in memories but also through art.
South Luangwa Wildlife Art Safari
Festival of Wildlife Costa Rica
The Ultimate Snow Hill Expedition
Image by Ed Drewitt
Leaving the farmland behind, we climbed into the welcome cool air and rocky terrain on the Senetti Plateau close to 4,000 metres above sea level. I was amazed by the sheer number of grass rats scuttling across the ground or darting into burrows, also evidenced by numerous eagles, augur buzzards, harriers and lanner falcons. Finding a wolf initially felt like seeking a needle in a haystack. Then we spotted one walking away, its distinctive orange coat visible in the distance - wow! Over the next few days, we enjoyed ten separate sightings, some remarkably close as the wolves hunted.
Ethiopia's Wildlife Highlights
Image by Sean Weekly
Few wildlife encounters compare to witnessing humpback whales bubble-net feeding in the wild. Working together, the whales dive beneath huge shoals of herring, using bubbles and calls to concentrate the fish before exploding through the surface together, mouths wide open. During one incredible encounter in Alaska, we positioned ourselves at a distance from the bubble ring. Two minutes later, the whales erupted alongside us. Hearing their calls echo through the surrounding mountains before watching these enormous animals burst from the water is something I’ll never forget. It’s wildlife photography at its most unpredictable and spectacular.
Alaska’s Humpback Bubble-net Bonanza
Seldom Seen Alaska Photography
Bears & Whales in South-east Alaska
Image by Christina Gu
While Michael Bond’s marmalade-loving bear supposedly came from deepest, darkest Peru, Paddington’s wild cousins are invariably easier to track down in the cloud-forest and high-altitude grassland of neighbouring Ecuador. So much so, that in my three previous Wildlife Worldwide tours to this biodiverse South American country, it has delivered bears on every occasion.
While any sighting of an Andean bear should be treasured, the views obtained in 2025 could not only be described as one of the highlights of my guiding career, but also of my life. On this occasion, an astonished and slightly startled group were given the opportunity to watch a mother and two cubs feeding from just a few metres away. It was, in essence, an experience that everyone who was there will remember until their dying day.
Ecuador’s Birds & Mammals with Mike Dilger
Andes to Amazon Rainforest Photography Workshop
For further holiday inspiration, use our holiday search or browse our tour calendar. To start planning your future wildlife holiday, contact our team today.
If you're inspired by this article, you may be interested in the following:
Group Tour
Join acclaimed wildlife photographer Nick Garbutt in search of the red panda in the spectacular wilderness of Singalila National Park, on the Indian-Nepalese border, before travelling to Kanha National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary to photograph iconic Indian mammals such as the majestic tiger. Find Out More about Red Pandas & Tigers Photography
Group Tour
This iteration of our Boreal Predators Photography tour ventures to northern Finland, when the magical boreal forest remains blanketed in snow. From specialist photography hides, we aim to capture striking images of brown bears newly emerged from hibernation, as well as wolf and the elusive wolverine. Find Out More about Boreal Predators Photography in Early Spring
Group Tour
Hosted by award-winning sculptor Nick Mackman, this 7-night safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park promises to inspire a new appreciation of wildlife in you whilst developing your artistic skills in one of Africa’s finest wildlife locations, with a host of mammals and birds to admire. Find Out More about South Luangwa Wildlife Art Safari
Group Tour
This 15-day small group tour discovers the extraordinary country of Ethiopia, a destination with wildlife and landscapes unlike any other in Africa. With a focus on its endemic mammals and birds, this tour takes in wonderful and little known national parks in the south of the country. Find Out More about Ethiopia’s Wildlife Highlights
Group Tour
Under the expert guidance of Sean Weekly, photograph humpback whales bubble-net feeding in the scenic waters of Sitka Sound, in Alaska. Witness multiple pods of humpback whales co-operating to force shoals of herring to the surface, where whales and fish erupt in a frenzy of activity. Find Out More about Alaska’s Humpback Bubble-net Bonanza
Group Tour
This small group tour to Ecuador explores some of its major habitats to enjoy the sheer abundance of life that can be found in this biodiverse nation. Led throughout by TV naturalist Mike Dilger, we will experience the cloudforest, Amazon rainforest and the Andean páramo during our two-week trip to Ecuador. Find Out More about Ecuador’s Birds & Mammals with Mike Dilger
British Travel Awards
Awarded Silver in Favourite Tour Operator for Nature & Wildlife 2024 & 2025
Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards
Awarded Bronze in Best Travel Company for Wildlife & Nature Holidays 2024
