Discover your wild side at these amazing wildlife destinations

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Escape the metropolitan jungle and step inside a real one. There’s a whole world of thrills and excitement waiting for you. All you need to do is pick a destination and get ready to see exotic animals that till now have been on display only on NatGeo documentaries.

Presenting, without further ado, some of the best wildlife destinations of the world. Your wildlife holiday begins right here.

Below are the list of wildlife destinations across the globe:

• Serengeti, Tanzania
• Borneo
• Jim Corbett National Park, India
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Namibia
• Sea of Cortez, Mexico
• The Amazon Basin
• Rainforests of the Atsinanana, Madagascar
• Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
• Churchill, Manitoba

1. Serengeti, Tanzania

Beautiful Serengeti is on every wildlife traveller’s mist-visit list. Not just ‘endless plains’ (as its name means in the language of the Maasai), the Serengeti is a land of rich forests and misty swampland. Most of the land is divided into several national parks and preserves. If a wildlife safari is on your to-do lists, then this is the place for you to visit. Nothing beats the thrill of watching the migration of massive herds of wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra. And then there are the predators – lions, leopards, cheetahs and crocodiles. Add elephants and giraffes to the mix, and what you get is a wildlife experience unlike any other.

2. Borneo

Borneo is the world’s third largest island and is split between Malaysia, Indonesia and tiny Brunei. Your visit to this stunning island will expose you to hundreds of species, including the Asian elephant and Sumatran rhinoceros. Borneo is also one of the last natural homes to the endangered orang-utans. Every year the local environmentalists discover new species. Till date the count of the bird species alone stands at 400. You can also head to the Malaysian state of Sabah to climb Mount Kinabalu and view the gorgeous lands below. You can snorkel in the surrounding seas or, if you time it right, watch sea turtles laying their eggs on Selingan Island.

3. Jim Corbett National Park, India

If you’ve still not seen a tiger in real life, then you’ve missed something. And no, zoos don’t count. You need to see this elusive creature in the wild. The majestic tiger is in grave danger of extinction and there aren’t many places where you can see them. Head to Corbett National Park nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas. You can stay in the park in special cottages and go on early morning safaris to try your luck in spotting this amazing animal. A good guide makes all the difference, so don’t scrimp on that. Don’t feel bad if you don’t spot a tiger; the herds of elephants, deer, crocodiles, sloth bears, over 600 species of birds and leopards could quite make your day.

4. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Perhaps the most famous of the planet’s wildlife destinations, the Galapagos Islands are 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. For countless years scientists and environmentalists have kept the islands sheltered from interaction with the outside world. This has led to an explosion of unique species that will leave you gasping when you set your eyes on them. Swimming vegetarian iguanas, penguins, giant tortoises and so much more awaits you here. The creatures on these islands have never encountered humans, so they aren’t as wary of this two-legged species. You don’t need a zoom lens to capture some amazing picture. In fact, you might need to step back a bit for some shots.

5. Namibia

The rhinoceros, black as well as white, has been ruthlessly poached over the last many decades. But today this almost extinct animal has been offered refuge in Namibia. The Etosha National Park is the country’s best maintained wildlife reserve. Besides the rhinos, here you can spot majestic lions, elephants and giraffes, plus an occasional cheetah or leopard. A massive quarter of the park is now a dried-up salt pan which fills up with water briefly when it rains. You can also visit Cape Cross on the Skeleton Coast and spend hours watching a colony of over 200,000 cape fur seals frolicking in the water.

6. Sea of Cortez, Mexico

Sitting quietly between the long narrow peninsula of Baja California and the Mexican mainland is a nutrient-rich sea that has been attracting a wide variety of marine life since eons. Today it has been designated as a World Heritage Site, and tourists flock to the waters to spy the dolphins, whale sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, ten species of whales, colonies of sea lions, and a variety of shorebirds. You wouldn’t even need to take too much effort to spot them; the waters and surrounding land is literally teeming with these gorgeous creatures. You can join a whale watching tour or paddle by yourself in a kayak to get close to them. If you feel brave, you can even snorkel with whale sharks. If you get lucky, the largest creature on earth – the blue whale – might join you for a swim.

7. The Amazon Basin

We all think that the Amazon River is in Brazil, but do you know that only 40% of the area irrigated by the mighty Amazon River is in Brazil? The massive, never-ending forests and tributaries can be visited from Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Columbia. Book your stay at any of the many eco-lodges near the Napo River in Ecuador. This will place you right in the middle of the jungle and along waterways where you can feast your senses on stunning local flora and fauna. Walk above the canopy, swim in a secluded lagoon and walk along jungle mud-and-boardwalk paths, only in the Amazon Basin.

8. Rainforests of the Atsinanana, Madagascar

The Madagascar Islands are as beautiful as the animated movie of the same name makes them out to be. There are six national parks in Madagascar, all which are part of this World Heritage Site. The islands are home to a diverse and rich ecosystem that has evolved without interruption or interference from humans for over 60 million years. You will spot a wide variety of primate species here, including as many as ten different types of lemur. Trek the lowland rainforests and also climb the slopes to the cloud forest for a surreal experience.

9. Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

Along Costa Rica’s Pacific coastline sits this national park, home to cloud forests, old-growth wet forests, and mangrove swamps. You can visit this region by yourself or join guided tours. This is an eco-destination and every effort is taken to create the perfect habitat for the four species of native monkeys, over 100 kinds of butterflies, more than 400 species of birds and four species of sea turtles in the world that come to the park’s beaches to lay their eggs.

10. Churchill, Manitoba

Get up close with Beluga whales at Churchill, in Canada. Sitting tucked in among parks and preserves, this is where you can actually snorkel with these gentle water babies. Hop aboard a tour to go see the mighty polar bears in their natural habitat. While you must see both these stars of the Churchill landscape, the area is also known for boreal forests, wetlands, wet and dry tundra, estuaries, creeks, and a coastline that is home to over 250 species of birds.

If we have whetted your appetite for the wild, may we suggest booking your tickets today? Where do you wish to start?