Travel tips aren’t only about where to go and what to buy - sometimes the best advice is how to behave. You can check Intrepid’s tips on how to be be a responsible traveller and here are ways to help you enjoy harmonious wildlife viewing in Africa…
Respect the ‘personal space’ of the wildlife, this is their habitat. If a visitor/vehicle causes an animal to alter its behaviour, then the visitor has invaded its space and influenced its normal behaviour. Observe nature as it occurs naturally and not as to how it responds to your presence there.
Speak quietly - do not call out, whistle or in other ways try and attract the attention of animals. Noise disturbs them and may antagonise fellow visitors.
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If there was an award for being on the most Seven Wonders lists, then Galapagos Islands could get that gong! Natural travel wonders, underwater world and a New Seven Wonders of Nature finalist, Intrepid’s Daniela Palacios gives this amazing archipelago her seal of approval…
“Having recently spent time in the Galapagos Islands, I must say that I was fascinated by pretty much all the wildlife there, but one of my favourite things was to watch the sea lions in action.
First of all, in the Galapagos you find fantastic beaches where the sea lions relax after the excitement of fishing. A white sand beach in Espanola Island, called Gardner Bay, is a great place to see a sea lion colony. The dominant males are around with their harems and you can always see lovely sea lion pups.
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Valued for their milk, ploughing and pulling capabilities, the cow continues to be considered sacred in India.
Many Hindu gods and goddesses incarnate in the form of a cow, plus in Hindu mythology Shiva rides an ox called Nandhi and a sacred cow called Kamadhenu is said to have given its milk to Lord Vishnu. Cows are an intrinsic part of Indian culture, and as Intrepid’s Michelle Van den Hove discovered, chat with the cows and you’ll meet the real India…
“Whilst staying in the small medieval town of Chanderi, we were sitting down to a lovely breakfast in the garden of our hotel. A cow walked in and came over to the tables. The hotel staff shooed it away, but she stayed in the garden opposite. After breakfast I gathered the uneaten fruit and banana peels and wandered over to the cow. I showed her what I had and she came over to quickly devour the scraps. I told her to come back the next day and I would give her some more. The staff looked suitably impressed - they love to see foreigners feeding their sacred cows, and my Intrepid group were amazed.
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Watching a mountain gorilla from only metres away is a priceless real life experience. In the forest of Rwanda and in the company of these majestic creatures, Intrepid’s Dara Leonard enjoyed a precious hour that will last a lifetime…
“Within ten minutes of leaving the national park office we were engulfed by the forest. The guard at the front of the group hacked away at the bush and undergrowth while we followed closely behind, eagerly looking for tell-tale signs that the gorillas were nearby. After about an hour our guides spotted an area where the gorillas had slept the previous night, so we knew we were close. A few steps further and our small party of eight quickly stopped - peering through the brush we could see a female gorilla. After a lot of hushed ooohing and aaaghhing and frantically taking our first photos, suddenly a 6 foot Silverback appeared and walked right in front of us, followed by the rest of his family!
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In the Galapagos Islands the wildlife has right of way. Seeing the amazing animals in their natural habitat is what makes these islands so unique, and as Sean Kennaway discovered when he travelled on Intrepid’s Active Galapagos adventure, you don’t have to look hard to uncover the wonders of these remote islands…
“The Galapagos has always painted dazzling images in my mind of an unaffected wildlife sanctuary containing unique and wonderful examples of evolution. My only real understanding of the islands were that they contained an extraordinary diversity of creatures that could be seen at close proximity, and there were examples of animals that gave reason to believe that we are the product of adaption, and ultimately survival as a species. This is the reason why most people come to these islands off the coast of Ecuador, to be part of history and see where Darwin got his inspiration from.
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Alaska is one of those wild frontiers that gets the superlatives flowing - with formidable mountains, impressive glaciers and magnificent national parks, it really is North America’s nature utopia. Alaska is where the wild at heart come to watch the wildlife at play, as Express reader Sharon Eldridge discovered…
“When we arrived at Denali National Park we were told two things by the local bus driver - only 30% of visitors get to see a clear view of North America’s highest mountain and 20% of us will see bears. But that didn’t dampen our spirits at all, because the surrounds were absolutely spectacular and we were excited to explore this amazing wilderness area.
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Swimming with playful sea lions and seeing giant tortoises in slow motion have to be right up there for amazing real life experiences! In the astounding Galapagos Islands Intrepid’s Summer Davis discovers that the underwater world is equally as colourful and exotic as the fantastic sights above ground…
“Swirling under a cyclone of bubbles, a spirited sea lion stares sweetly into your snorkel mask, its puppy dog eyes pleading to play with you. Almost twice your size, you freeze with fear then realize this hefty mammal means no harm as it dives down in circles below you.
Unthreatened by man, the animals of the Galapagos Islands don’t fear human interaction. Hammerhead sharks cruise carelessly around scuba divers, proud frigate birds pose for photographers and marine and land iguanas lie motionless on the warm rocks and paths of the islands’ explorers.
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Do you think you could throw spears and dance like a true Masai warrior? Meeting the proud Masai people and appreciating their traditional village life in Kenya was all part of the amazing Africa experience for Intrepid’s Dyan Mckie…
“I can understand why most travellers are inspired to visit Africa to see the unbelievable animals. I too was extremely excited to see white and black rhinos, giraffe running across the road in front of our truck and the Masai Mara lion who decided to check us out from only two feet away. Plus I will never forget the cheetah who stalked a gazelle, but made a last-minute decision to leave it alone only yards from our 4WD! The animals are why people go to Africa, but with some surprise my Africa was more about the people.
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The Intrepid Foundation’s volunteer administrator, Anna Wade, recently travelled to Cambodia with her husband, two twelve-year-olds and her adventurous septuagenarian parents and one of the highlights for them all was visiting The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB)…
“ACCB was established in 2003 to help conserve the local wildlife and to educate people on the need to protect their indigenous animals. Located 30 km (18 miles) north of Siem Reap, ACCB endeavours to rehabilitate some animals to return to the wild and care for those who couldn’t survive without their help.
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