BBC wildlife travel 2023
Planning your adventures for next year? Our round-up of destinations and experiences will help you make choices that count for wildlife.
Make it count
When Covid-19 struck and international travel collapsed, serious conservation problems emerged. Reserves no longer received entrance fees to fund protection and illegal poaching reportedly increased. Conservation organisations reliant on tourism revenue were suddenly in trouble.
At its best, wildlife tourism is able to benefit conservation through direct and indirect financial contributions, and awareness-raising. At its worst, it can be carbon-intensive, negatively impact wildlife and generate socio-economic problems. So what choices can we make to ensure our holidays count as much as possible?
Obviously, travelling locally and on public transport helps enormously when it comes to carbon counting. But if we do choose to fly, there are measures we can take. We can offset our emissions; we can plump for ‘slow travel’ rather than rushing around; and we can spend in local communities and protected areas, eagerly paying reserve entry fees, booking local guides and buying local products. The more we spend locally, the more value we provide to the wildlife we’ve come to see.
When it comes to accommodation, we can prioritise lodges that directly fund conservation or benefit local communities, including those run by conservation bodies or community groups. We can favour ‘ecolodges’ that minimise resource use, source locally and are built using recycled materials. We can then contract local tour companies who aim to ‘travel for good’, drawing on research by organisations such as Responsible Travel and Terra Incognita. If travelling with UK-based companies, we can choose those that ‘give back’ to conservation. We can also give back as individuals through ‘voluntourism’, and pay to take part in conservation projects.
Bringing all these threads together, here are 10 ideas for beneficial wildlifewatching experiences across the globe, from blue sharks off the Cornish coast to hummingbirds in the rainforests of deepest Peru.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Lowen is a naturalist and travel writer whose books include 52 European Wildlife Weekends. See more of his work at jameslowen.com.
GREAT FOR CUTTING CARBON
Wildlife staycation in Cornwall
You don’t always have to travel long-haul for incredible wildlife. A trip to the southwest of the UK will likely reward you with some wonderful marine species – and you can get there using public transport. In west Cornwall, Penzance is literally the end of the line: the town where the Great Western Railway terminates – and, from a wildlifewatching perspective, definitely culminates.
The station is adjacent to Mount’s Bay, a superlative destination for marine wildlife. Hop onto a sailing catamaran operated by local company Marine Discovery for a windpowered excursion so silent that you’ll be able to hear common dolphins whistle as they bowride. You may see ocean sunfish, a pelagic wanderer that, bizarrely, swims on its side, as well as grey seals, harbour porpoises and basking sharks.
Talking of sharks, Blue Shark Snorkel offers a WiSe-accredited (wildlife-safe) underwater experience with the blue sharks now frequenting the coastal waters of south-west England (including Mount’s Bay). Operations for snorkellers follow a strict code of conduct.
Back on dry land, the Land’s End peninsula offers ample wildlife interest – much of which can be reached through an impressive local bus network. Hike along the dramatic South West Coast Path to look for choughs, a red-billed crow that has recolonised Cornwall after 50 years’ absence. In late summer, take your telescope to Porthgwarra or Pendeen to see passing seabirds such as the European storm petrel and great shearwater. Finally, jump on the local train to Hayle, checking the estuary for Mediterranean gulls and passage waders.
GREAT FOR RAIL TRAVEL
Mountains and meadows in France
An overseas holiday need not mean flying – UK tour companies including Wildlife Travel (whose profits fund county Wildlife Trusts) offer European tours based on rail travel. So, minimise carbon emissions by taking the Eurostar and TGV through France to Nîmes. Then venture west into the Cévennes and Grands Causses – spectacular protected areas blessed with dramatic gorges, limestone plateaus and river valleys, where the montane greets the Mediterranean.
Though the region offers year-round nature interest, spring and early summer provide the most intense experiences. Meadows brimming with pheasant’s-eye daffodils and yellow gentians complement rocky heathlands with several local rarities. The floral highlight, though, is the sheer diversity of orchids: seeing 30-plus types is eminently possible. Alongside familiar temperate species, such as the military and monkey orchids, grow southern plants including the violet limodore and smallleaved helleborine. There are even two orchids found nowhere else in the world – Aymonin’s fly orchid and Aveyron orchid.
With an abundance of nectar, butterflies abound. Sought-after species include the Piedmont ringlet, two-tailed pasha and nettle-tree butterfly. Rock-loving birds are plentiful too. Look at ground level for the citril finch and rufous-tailed rock thrush, then up into the sky for all four European vultures: Egyptian, cinereous, griffon and bearded. Vultures have benefitted from succesful local reintroduction schemes, and you can learn all about the conservation of these charismatic birds at the Maison des Vautours (House of Vultures).
Spot the beautiful two-tailed pasha… 
…and orchids such as the violet limodore
GREAT FOR RAIL TRAVEL
City break to wild Berlin
Berlin may not be an obvious wildlife watching destination, but it is certainly a good one – and you can minimise carbon emissions by taking the train. Even the journey is pleasant.
The capital’s star species is the goshawk – a raptor that is scarce and shy in the UK, but excitingly common and unexpectedly extrovert in Berlin’s parks and cemeteries, where 100 pairs now reside. Seeing these magnificent birds of prey sitting bold as brass in Tiergarten Park’s pathside trees, an uncertain sun toiling to dissipate spring’s early-morning chill, is a pretty memorable experience.
Other parkland wildlife includes the hawfinch, red squirrel, wild boar and striped field mouse. Northern raccoons emerge after dark, though the presence of this non-native carnivore is not universally appreciated by residents. Heading west by bus, look for moor frogs, sand lizards and nesting common cranes at Grunewald. To the south-east, the Müggelsee area holds breeding black terns, great reed warblers and red-breasted flycatchers. Even beavers have returned after a long absence: look for them around Tegeler See.
Finally, given the carbon you’ve spared by not flying, you might consider indulging in a day’s car hire. If so, you can do worse than head 80km west to Havelländisches Luch, home to Europe’s northernmost population of great bustards. Your visit celebrates the conservation action that has doubled this mighty bird’s numbers in just two decades.
GREAT FOR SUPPORTING SCIENCE
Whale shark research in Mexico
There are many places worldwide where you can snorkel with whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea. But by joining leading marine scientists on Responsible Travel’s week-long voyage near the Yucatán Peninsula, you can be sure that your presence does not disturb this marine behemoth, which gathers here in aggregations of up to 200 individuals. The cost of your holiday funds research that you help to carry out, examining photo-ID catalogues, recording behaviour and observing which marine species use sharks as mobile habitats.
Other species being studied include what the Marine Megafauna Foundation suspects could be a new species of manta-ray. Even if the hunch comes to nothing, your underwater world will still abound with wonder: bottlenose, spinner and Atlantic spotted dolphins are routinely spotted from the boat, and you can snorkel with both green and loggerhead turtles over spectacular seagrass beds.
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GREAT FOR FUNDING CONSERVATION
Birding at Point Reyes, California
Migration offers thrilling birdwatching. In spring and autumn, many species are on the move, turning certain locations across the globe into veritable avian airports. One hotspot is Point Reyes National Seashore, an expanse of protected coastline in California, whose long peninsula acts as a funnel, ushering birds along its length.
In April, why not attend the Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival? Run by a local non-profit and raising funds for local conservation, the event coincides with the northwards passage. Explore Bear Valley for various flycatchers, vireos, sparrows and warblers, and keep an eye on the sky for raptors such as the red-shouldered hawk and northern harrier. Out to sea, sightings may include the pigeon guillemot, surf scoter and Brandt’s cormorant.
Point Reyes hosts marine mammals too: Californian sealions feed offshore, young northern elephant seals recline on beaches and grey whales mooch past.
GREAT FOR CLASSIC ECOTOURISM
Cloud forest and quetzals in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has long been a leader in global ecotourism. During the 1970s, this Central American nation suffered one of the world’s highest deforestation rates, yet thanks to the government implementation of a series of pro-environment policies, forests now cover more than 60 percent of its land, with more than a quarter of the country protected through reserves. In addition, renewables provide 99 percent of its energy.
A key destination is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, where you can embark on a quest to see the resplendent quetzal and venture along canopy walkways to spot toucanets and tanagers at eye level. Gaudy butterflies such as the malachite abound, and you can also volunteer your time helping Earthwatch scientists investigate threats to invertebrates.
Plenty of lodges vie for your attention, so take time to compare their sustainability credentials, contribution to conservation, and wildlife-watching infrastructure.
GREAT FOR FUNDING CONSERVATION
Hummingbird heaven in Peru
South America boasts a bulging portfolio of lodges that support nature conservation, with offerings across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, some brigaded through an American Bird Conservancy initiative known as Conservation Birding. Choosing such accommodation ensures that your tourist dollars go towards protecting threatened habitats.
Peru is a great place to start. Stay at the Huembo and Owlet Andean rainforest lodges and you’ll be funding reserves managed by conservation charity ECOAN (Association of Andean Ecosystems), which reinvests tourism profits in conservation projects. The star attraction around Huembo is the marvellous spatuletail, a hummingbird with an extraordinary appendage. An ecological easement (an agreement between landowners) protects the forest in this area, with profits shared between communities.
An hour away, a visit to Owlet Lodge places you deep within the 10,000ha rainforest reserve of Abra Patricia, home to the royal sun angel – a hummingbird as sumptuous as its name suggests – and the once-mythical long-whiskered owlet.
To complete a hat-trick of conservation supporting lodges, head south-west into Peru’s arid lowlands. Check in to the Chaparrí Ecolodge (established by the local community in 2001 to help save white-winged guans and reduce poverty through sustainable livelihoods) and explore the threatened Tumbesian dry forests.
Start the day by admiring myriad hummingbirds bathing in a stream beside the dining room or by walking out to observe Andean (or spectacled) bears feeding. Then, relax inside hides overlooking a waterhole frequented by Peruvian white-tailed deer and a feeding station attended by Andean condors.
GREAT FOR VOLUNTOURISM
Make time for turtles in the Seychelles
Nestling in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles is renowned as an island paradise, but choose to base yourself on Curieuse Island and you can give back to nature conservation while enjoying the white sands and turquoise waters.
Barely the size of Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Curieuse lies only a short boat ride from the main tourist island of Praslin, but might as well be in a different world. There are neither roads nor shops here, enabling you to enjoy a nurturing, recuperative break away from the rigours and business of daily life at home.
Not that you will be lounging around, of course. You are here to volunteer your time and experience to the Seychelles National Parks Authority, while staying at a beachfront research station operated by voluntourism company Global Vision International (GVI). GVI commits to operating only locally driven, collaborative projects whose objectives are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Trips last between one and 12 weeks. Depending on when you visit, your contribution will likely involve studying nesting success in green or hawksbill turtles, helping turtle hatchlings to reach the sea, assisting with a ‘catch-and-release’ study of baby sicklefin lemon sharks, recording the rate of coastal erosion or counting Aldabra giant tortoises.
A day at the office complete, you can relax by snorkelling in the company of eagle rays and reef sharks, by hiking uphill to admire the coco de mer palm trees that grow only here and on Praslin, or by looking for birds such as the white tern or endemic Seychelles blue pigeon.
GREAT FOR SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Ethical safari in Kenya
East African safaris do not always generate positive press: a recent viral video provided shocking footage of dozens of ‘ecotourist’- toting four-wheel drives aggressively pursuing wildebeest around the savannah, splitting up the herds. Yet there is now increasing competition among safari lodges and conservancies to demonstrate their environmental, socio-economic and cultural credentials – so where you stay matters.
The luxury tented camp at Sasaab lies in a private wildlife conservancy near Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya. It’s run in partnership with the 10,000-strong Samburu community, ensuring that locals benefit directly from wildlife tourism. Three quarters of staff hail from Samburu villages and a foundation offers further support. Visitor fees also go towards the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, which seeks to conserve an endangered equid whose population has slumped by 80 percent in 50 years.
This all makes staying here worthwhile, even without Samburu’s excellent wildlife. Over and above the safari staples such as African elephants, giraffes, lions and cheetahs, game drives offer opportunities to see Kenyan specialities such as gerenuk, beisa oryx and the Somali ostrich.
GREAT FOR PROTECTING FORESTS
Camp out in Cambodia
With the tagline, “Your stay keeps the forest standing”, the Cardomom Tented Camp in Cambodia’s Botum Sakor National Park helps to keep 180km2of forest safely out of the hands of loggers, poachers and sand-dredging operations. Located in the Cardomom Mountains, the camp’s revenues support the conservation efforts of the charity Wildlife Alliance, with additional profits invested locally.
The camp has an impressive approach to minimising its environmental impacts, from generating solar power to recycling and grey-water management. Meals will include a portion of Ibis Rice, whose producers receive a premium for conserving habitat for the critically endangered giant ibis.
For wildlife adventures, you can join guided walks through Botum Sakor’s rainforests and grasslands, or boat along the Preak Tachan River to spot species such as the pileated gibbon and giant black and Cambodian striped squirrels. Around the camp, birders can look for evocative Asian species such as the oriental pied hornbill, black-and-red broadbill and perhaps even the globally threatened green peafowl. Guests may also assist rangers by checking camera traps to reveal evidence of reclusive mammals such as the red spiny rat.
Cardomom Tented Camp encourages visitors to book excursions with Sam Veasna Conservation Tours, which has been running ethical birding and wildlife trips in Cambodia since 2006. Partnering with the Wildlife Conservation Society, its mission is to sustain the country’s wildlife and communities through ecotourism.