Bucket List
Wildlife
50 Wildlife Experiences
I’m not sure there’s anywhere we’d rather be than immersed in the wild. At a time when technology has us hyper-connected, stepping into the wild presents an opportunity to be hyper-present. To wake-up to the sound of wolves howling near our camp or sit motionless in a hollowed-out tree as more than 600 mandrills march past.
There are so many extraordinary opportunities to explore the earth’s wild side. Opportunities that include paddling with orcas, camping amongst lions and hyenas, tracking mandrills, and diving with humpbacks.
What follows are our top 50. Below you’ll find a list of essential wildlife experiences that spans 7 continents and samples the world's rich biodiversity.
As noted on other lists, bucket list items we've completed are marked with a strikethrough. In some cases, we've written a blog post that discusses a bucket list item in greater detail and provides useful planning information and links. You can view a post by clicking on a bucket list item below.
1. Katmai's Bears
Katmai Nat'l Park, Alaska
2. Free Dive w/ Humpbacks
Tonga, South Pacific
3. Mandrill Tracking
Lope, Gabon
4. Tigers in Ranthambore
Ranthambore Nat'l Park, India
5. Lamar Valley's Wolves
Yellowstone, Nat'l Park, USA
6. Walk w/ Wild Dogs
Mana Pools Nat'l Park, Zimbabwe
7. Kayak w/ Blue Whales in Baja
Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico
8. Track Lowland Gorillas
Lope Nat'l Park, Gabon
9. Take an Antarctic Wildlife Cruise
Antarctica
10. Dive Raja Ampat
West Papua, Indonesia
11. Search for Lemurs
Madagascar
12. The Okavango by Mokoro
Okavango Delta, Botswana
13. Pumas in Patagonia
Torres del Paine Nat'l Park, Chile
14. Arctic Wildlife in Greenland
Greenland
15. Dive w/ Whale Shark & Mantas
Tofo, Mozambique
16. Polar Bears in Svalvard
Svalvard, Norway
17. Forest Elephants in 'Africa's Last Eden'
Gamba / Petit Loango, Gabon
18. Winter in Yellowstone
Yellowstone Nat'l Park, USA
19. The Great Migration
Maasai Mara, Kenya / Serengeti, Tanzania
20. Desert Elephants
Namib Desert, Namibia
21. Orangutans in Borneo
Tanjung Puting, Indonesia
22. Tracking Chimps in East Africa
Kibale Nat'l Park, Uganda
24. Track Snow Leopards
Ladakh, India
25. Penguins in the Falklands
Falkland Islands
26. Observing Wildlife at a Bai
Langoue Bai, Gabon / Mbeli Bai, Congo
27. Mountain Gorillas
Volcanoes Nat'l Park, Rwanda
28. Kayak w/ Beluga Whales
Churchill, Canada
29. Explore Wild Tasmania
Australia
30. Kasanka Bat Migration
Kasanka Nat'l Park, Zambia
31. Swim w/ Wild Dusky Dolphins
Kaikoura, New Zealand
32. Wolves & Bears in Scandinavia
Sweden (Central)
33. Macaws of Buraco Das Araras
Bonito, Brazil
34. The Amazon & Guianas
Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana
35. Kayak the San Juans (Orcas)
San Juan Islands, Washington, USA
36. Whales & Dolphin Mega Pods
Central California Coast, USA
37. Dive the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, South Pacific
38. Flamingos in the Rift Valley
Lake Nakuru, Kenya
39. Bonobos in DRC
Lomako Yokokala, Democratic Republic of Congo
40. Kayak the Galapagos
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
41. Explore Wild Costa Rica
Costa Rica, Central America
42. Brown Bears in Siberia
Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
43. Indian Rhinos
Royal Chitwan Nat'l Park, Nepal
44. Overland Wild Australia
Kakadu to Kangaroo Island, Australia
45. Botswana's 130k Elephants
Chobe, Moremi, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
46. Arctic Wildlife on the Dalton
Dalton Hwy, Arctic Circle, Alaska
47. Wild Sri Lanka
Wish List
Sri Lanka
48. Live in the African Bush
Multiple African Countries
49. South Georgia's King Penguins
South Georgia Island, South Atantic
50. Wild Patagonia
Argentina & Chile