8 Best Up-Close Animal Encounters

Cecil the Lion made news when American hunter Walter Palmer baited and killed Zimbabwe’s beloved human-loving lion illegally on private land. To say Tim and I are saddened and outraged in an understatement. We’ve been on safarai, and even if we hadn’t, we just can’t fathom how anyone could kill our majestic and endangered species like Cecil the Lion (or the polar bear, rhino, leopard and other number of species Palmer has killed) just for a trophy on their wall.

There are lots of ways to enjoy our planet’s wildlife, but there’s no need to bring home a trophy. You don’t need it. Trust us, the memories of up-close animals encounters will be as vivid as the day you had them for the rest of your life. And if you need something to bring home (or put up on social media for bragging rights) “shoot” as many animals as you want – WITH A CAMERA. To give you a little inspiration, we rounded up the best up-close animal encounters where you can capture plenty of brag-able photogenic moments.

Lions

Where to find them: Serengeti National Park

When to go: Year round

How: By vehicle

The Serengeti is vast and has plenty of food for the King of the Beasts. We saw so many lions in our five days in the Serengeti that we lost count. They were everywhere. We saw them hunting, napping, playing, climbing trees and making a little love. We even heard them roaring as they called their pride to come feast on an elephant that had died near our safari camp. Elewana maintains two permanent luxury safari camps inside Serengeti National Park (Serengeti Migration Camp and Serengeti Pioneer Camp) and it is definitely worth a couple of nights at each.

Polar Bears

Where to find them: Churchill, Manitoba

When to go: October – November

How: By Tundra Buggy®

The Churchill Wildlife Management Area is said to be the best place in the world to see polar bears up close. We have a number of friends that have gone on the Tundra Buggy® excursion and they’ve all seen polar bears. We, on the other hand, have been to Svalbard where the polar bear population outnumbers the human population and didn’t spot any. Frontiers North offers a Churchill Polar Bear Enthusiast 5-day trip with two full days of Tundra Buggy® excursions tracking polar bears.

Grizzly Bears

Where to find them: Katmai National Park, Alaska

When to go: June – September

How: By foot

We’re a bit bear obsessed and regularly watch the Brooks Falls webcam. Each summer grizzlies flock to the Brooks River to fish for salmon on their spawning run. The Brooks Falls webcam can provide us hours of entertainment, so no doubt having a front row seat on the viewing platform would be a thrill. The Brooks Lodge offers 1 – 3 night bear viewing packages and the lodge is walking distance from the viewing platform.

Stingrays

Where to find them: Stingray City, Antigua

When to go: Year round

How: By boat

The highlight of our visit to Antigua was our visit to Stingray City. Southern Rays swim and feed on a coral reef in the crystal clear waters off the Caribbean island and speedboats whisk you out to it. We had an amazing time feeding the rays squid right out of hands. Their mouths are like vacuums that suck the squid right up. Stingray City tours last about 4 hours and are great for both cruise ship passengers or visitors staying on the island.

Snow Leopards

Where to find them: Ladakh, Northern India

When to go: Winter

How: By foot

You’ll need some clementine cake to bribe the warlords to pass in to ungoverned Afghanistan. Just kidding. But you will have to traverse the rugged Himalayas in Northern India to spot the most elusive big cat in the world. This one is truly for the adventurous as you camp in the Himalayas while tracking and searching for evidence of the cats. Natural World Safaris offers an 8-day Quest for the Snow Leopard safari.

Giraffes

Where to find them: Nairobi, Kenya

When to go: June – April

How: By foot

Giraffe Manor has a resident tower of Rothschild giraffes and it’s the only hotel in the world where you can feed a giraffe right from your bedroom window. The tower (the name for a herd of giraffes) lives in the 140-acre forest sanctuary of the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife’s (AFEW) Giraffe Centre in Nairobi and often visit the hotel in the morning or evening time looking for a treat. Of course, if you want to get up close with giraffes in the wild you go on safari, though none definitely came to eat out of our hands.

Penguins

Where to find them: Antarctica

When to go: November – February

How: By cruise

Penguins are curious, often checking out the passengers that get to step foot on the seventh continent. If you sit quietly, the penguins might even crawl right in to your lap, poke at bootlaces or playfully pull your hair. Quark Expeditions, the leader in Polar travel, offers the option to camp on the continent and get up-close with a variety of penguin species.

Giant Pandas

Where to find them: Chengdu, China

When to go: March – September

How: By foot

I couldn’t round out this list of the best up-close animal encounters without including another of our favorite bears. Sadly, there are only around 1600 pandas left in the wild and nearly half of their population can be found in the Minshan Mountains. This area of the world isn’t the easiest to explore on your own, but Natural Habitat Adventures offers a 12-day Wild Panda Nature Odyssey trip that includes time for getting panda hugs at Chengdu’s Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and heading out in to the wild panda reserve to try to get a look at them in their natural habitat.