Wildlife Bucket List

Tigers are one of the biggest cats. At 3m + long and weighing over 600 pounds, they make a formidable and powerful predator. Despite having a diverse range (through Southern and Eastern Asia) and being adabtable to different habitats, Tigers are on the Endangered Species list and are protected, as with many of the animals on our list, the tigers' main threat is from humans, with their skins and bones being sought after, even today and conflicts with human population encroaching on their territory. Tigers' trade mark orange and black striped coat is ideal for ambushing prey in the grasslands and forest habitat they prefer. Tigers are one of the only cat species that swim strongly and the males are fiercely territorial.

Our place of choice to see wild tigers is Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Kanha, India. This park is within Madhya Pradesh - India's "Tiger State". This particular holiday from Responsibletravel.com, includes elements of conservation and allows you to get involved in different conservation activities during your stay which will give you a genuine insight into tiger behaviour an research.

Click the link for more information on how to visit Bandhavgarh: See Tigers in the Wild

Gorillas are one of our closes relatives and the largest primate. Only found in Central Africa and often in volatile and war torn countries, access and conservation of these wonderful animals is difficult and Poaching is still rife. The Ebola virus has also been a serious threat. Gorilla numbers are relatively low and despite some recent discoveries of fairly large and previously unknown populations in the Republic of Congo, they remain on the Endangered Species List and are a worthy entrant on our list.

Rwanda is the place to see Gorillas in the wild. The country has suffered in the past from years of war and Genocide and is slowly developing and with neighbouring Uganda is an excellent, if adventurous Safari Destination.

Click the link to see more information on visiting Rwanda: See Gorillas in the Wild

Polar Bears are Carnivores that primarily hunt for seals on ice flows within the Artic Circle. They are the largest bear, with male polar bears weighing up to 1500 pounds. Once threatened by over hunting, the bears main threat is now the reduction of its icy habitat by global warming. Typically adult polar bear live and hunt alone. Their main source of food is seals and they will often ambush them either by stalking the seals breathing hole on the ice or by swimming under or around the ice to get to their prey. Polar bears are very strong swimmers and have been seen miles out to sea.

Polar bears are only seen within the Artic Circle and unless you are a true polar explorer, the best chance of seeing a polar bear in the wild is on an Artic Cruise. Our recommended trip takes in Greenland, Iceland and the Spitzbergen Archipelago.

Click the link to see more information on the Artic Cruise: See Polar Bears in the Wild

The Jaguar is one of the rarest big cats. It's elusiveness, camouflage and the vast range and terrain of its habitat make it a difficult one on our list to see. Jaguars are present from Southern areas of North America, through Mexico, Central America and South America. It is currently rated as a Near Threatened species.

Typically a Rain Forest specialist and preferring solitude, it would be very difficult to spot one in its Jungle habitat. The North Pantanal, however, is the number one place to see a Jaguar in the wild, due to a relatively good density of these big cats and largely open terrain with lots of prey species and their affinity to stay near water. The best time to go is June to October. There is also a good chance to see a myriad of other exotic species such as Giant River Otters and Ocelots as well as a huge diversity of other mammals and birds.

Click the link to see more information about visiting the Pantanal: See Jaguars in the Wild

A personal favourite of mine. Whereas most people watched Jaws in the 70's and thought twice about ever going in the sea again, I was fascinated that such a creature lived in our waters and always dreamed of seeing them in the wild. A dream I have had the fortune of fulfilling a few years ago, off the Coast of South Africa, from the relative safety of a cage. Great White Sharks are the apex predator in the ocean and their preferred prey are seals. They are believed to live for 30 - 40 years and can be up to 5 metres in length. Great White Sharks have a very large range and are known to swim in most oceans with a water temperature of between 12 and 24 degrees Centigrade. This includes areas off the coast of California, Australia and South Africa.

Due to the frequency of sightings off Dyer Island in South Africa, this is the ideal location to plan a trip and a popular place to see a Great White. There are many tour boats that will take you the relatively short distance off shore to see Great White's swimming. For the more adventurous it is possible to go into a cage over the side of the boat and be in the the water within touching distance of these magnificent fish (I thoroughly recommend this - it's an experience of a lifetime!)

Condors are a species of vulture and there are two. For our list we mean the one that flies above the Andean Mountains, for reference the other is the Californian Condor. Condors are one of the largest flying birds and the Andean species has an incredible wingspan of up to 10 feet. With this wingspan they have trouble flapping their wings to fly and only tend to do this to take off. Mainly they soar high in the air looking for carcasses to feed on. This is the only bird on our list but the sheer size and the breathtaking (literally) territory of the Andean Mountains it inhabits make it a must see.

The Andes stretch approximately 4000 miles (nearly 7000 km) and reach a height of over 22,000 feet (nearly 7,000 meters) but our choice of destination to spot Condors is the Colca Canyon in Peru. It is home to about 50 Condors and the Canyon itself is a spectacle, being the second deepest canyon in the world. Why not combine a trip with a visit to Machu Picchu?

Click the link for more information on visiting the Andes: See Condors in the Wild

Yes, it's another bear and this one is fairly accessible for the wildlife enthusiast and not on the endangered list, but as one of the largest apex predators in the western world I think it deserves its place on the list.

Their territory ranges through Canada and North America. Male Grizzlies can weigh over 1,000 pounds and stand over 6ft tall if standing erect. They are immensley powerful creatures. Much of the power in their paws comes from the distinctive hump of muscle on their back, between the shoulders, which they need for digging for roots.

There are not many places in the West where you can get up close and personal to a large predator like a Grizzly but in Yellowstone National Park you can hike and camp in the back country, right in the heart of Grizzly Bear territory. For the less adventurous, there are log cabins and hotels! Yellowstone is full of other wildlife and natural phenonmenon to see and it is not impossible to see Grizzly Bear, Black Bear and even the recently reintroduced Wolf from the comfort of your car. For the real experience though, take a hike on one of the well marked trails, the experience and anticipation of not knowing what might be round the next bend in the trail, or behind the next tree is unlike any other.

We were lucky enough to visit Yellowstone in 2010 and despite hiking over 50 miles and covering a lot of miles in the car and spending over a week in the park we did not see a Grizzly Bear.... but then perhaps that is the way it should be..... It was still an absolutely wonderful place to visit for the outdoor and wildlife addict and we did see a lot of other wildlife including the Black Bear in the video below.

Click the link for more information on visiting Yellowstone and the other National Parks: See Grizzly Bears in the Wild

The Giant Panda is firmly on the endangered list. Limited in habitiat to areas of South Western china and threatened in the past by hunting and currently habitat destruction. There are estimated to be approximately only 3000 Pandas left in the wild. Resembling a giant teddy bear and with a suitably placid nature who could fail to adore Pandas? Strangely, although Giant Pandas are classed as Carnivores they live almost entirely on Bamboo. The effect of eating a food from which they derive so little nutrition, is that a Panda has to eat vast quantities of Bamboo (over 20 pounds a day) and keep its digestive system full.

The Foping Nature reserve in Qinling Mountains, south of Xian, China has the highest concentration of Giant Pandas in the world and is therefore the place to go and see them in their natural environment. This trip from Responsibletravel.com takes in Changqing and Foping Nature Reserves and will give you the best chance of spotting a Giant Panda as well as Clouded Leopard, Takin, Goral, Tufted Deer and many other mammals and bird species.

Click the link for more information on visiting China: See Giant Pandas in the Wild

The Whale Shark is the largest fish in the sea. Unlike the Great White Shark, however, this is the gentle giant of the ocean. It can weigh up to 40 tonnes but, incredibly, feeds mainly on plankton. The Whale Shark uses its massive mouth to vacuum up these tiny creatures. It is a migratory fish and will follow the plumes of plankton though most tropical regions, with particular congregations, in spring, off the coast of Western Australia. Some countries fish for Whale Sharks commercially and it is listed as Vulnerable.

Due to the large congregation of Whale Sharks off the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia in Spring each year, this has to be the number one place to spot a Whale Shark. For a specific trip to dive with these gentle giants, try responsibletravel's trip to Southern Thailand.

Click here for more information on seeing Whale Sharks in Thailand: See Whale Sharks in the Wild

OK, so no one said it was going to be easy to see everything on the list! This must rate as one of the hardest and so we've saved it till last. Extremeley rarely sited and inhabiting extremely remote locations. I am an avid wildlife fan and self confessed Discovery Channel addict but I must admit I hadn't heard of Snow Leopards until a couple of years ago. I believe the program I saw "Snow Leopard - Beyond the Myth" was first aired in 2008 after 3 years of filming and was one the first films of a Snow Leopard to be shown.

Snow Leopards live in Central Asia at high altitude (above 3000 metres) and they are perfectly adapted to living in this harsh environment, with thick fur, small ears and large paws to distribute weight in the snow. They also have large nasal cavities which assists with breathing at high altitude. Their prey consists of mountain sheep, goats, Ibex and deer.

Snow Leopards have quite a large range within the Himalayas, including Bhutan, which is a mystical country and is opening up to tourism but is still relatively remote and therefore, infrequently visited. From a personal perspective this is the Country I would like to visit. Responsibletravel.com offer trekking and other holidays to Bhutan, but not specifically to see Snow Leopards. So if you prepared to sort out the wildlife spotting details yourself, we recommend Bhutan but for a readymade trip specifically aimed at spotting Snow Leopards then visit the Hemis National Park in Ladakh.

Click the link for more information on visiting Hemis National Park: See Snow Leopards in the Wild