Best Wildlife Holidays for January 2022

Wildlife Trails have pioneered a certain bespoke design of gorilla and chimp safari, that brings together the best mid-range wildlife lodges – all of which we have personally visited – with our hand picked dirver/naturalists and their photographer friendly landcruisers with roof openings. Our tailored gorilla trekking holidays allow you to get under the skin of this wildlife rich and vibrant country, as your driver will not only be your expert naturalist; but also your friend and guide to all things Ugandan. This 10 day Gorilla and Chimp safari takes you from the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe to Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Mburo (see detailed map info); as you enjoy both chimp and gorilla treks in this primate focused Uganda wildlife holiday.

Corbett National Park was the first park to be brought under the ‘Project Tiger’ umbrella due to its magnificent scenery and large unspoilt wilderness area, which in turn supported a healthy tiger population. The reality for many visitors over the years had been occasional sightings glimpsed on elephant back and a feeling that the park is a better location for birders than more general wildlife enthusiasts; based on our visits in April 2006, April 2010 and March 2011 and our clients trips, we can confirm this view point is now completely redundant.

Not only does this beautiful park afford the visitor an excellent chance to see tiger, it also provides spectacular elephant sightings in the hotter months, with groups as large as 30 animals making the daily crossing over the Ramganga river. It is possible to view both wild elephant and tigers in a jeep safari from Dhikala, and the real highlight, is the rare chance to stay inside a Tiger Sanctuary at one of the simple lodges and you have a wildlife experience that rivals anything else in India.

How should the perfect Sri Lanka leopard safari be designed? Our wildlife safaris focus on longer stays in the national parks and with this one week Leopard safari at Yala national park, our approach is consistent with this ethical approach. We prefer to break up the long drive from Colombo to Yala with interesting stops en route. Not only will these stops give you a break from the car, they will also allow you to immerse yourself more fully in both the culture, food and scenic beauty of this amazing island.

Allan spent 2 months in Sri Lanka during 2022 and looked at all 3 access points to Yala national park. We now do not offer leopard safaris through the crazy busy Tissa gate to any of our wildlife clients; we only send them to Kataragama, or the spectacular Kumana national park. The drivers and guides we use in Sri Lanka are personal friends of ours and the feedback about them from oure regular clients is first class. A Sri Lanka wildlife holiday with Wildlife Trails represents incredible value for money and never disappoints.

Safari through the wilderness of Botswana. Experience the Okavango Delta by traditional dug-outs and the abundant wildlife of Moremi game reserve and Savuti. Explore Chobe NP by boat and enjoy wonderful views of Victoria Falls!

Two lucky clients will get the chance to take advantage of some ‘left over’ chimp habituation permits and gorilla permits from trips which could not take place during the pandemic. You must be able to travel for these specific dates in June, as we have already moved the permits one time before and cannot do so again.

Our tailored gorilla trekking holidays allow you to get under the skin of this wildlife rich and vibrant country, as your driver will not only be your expert naturalist; but also your friend and guide to all things Ugandan. This 10 day Gorilla and Chimp safari takes you from the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe to Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Mburo (see detailed map info); as you enjoy both chimp and gorilla treks in this primate focused Uganda wildlife holiday.

For our return to Uganda and Rwanda to celebrate my 40th birthday I was keen to bring an adventerous element to the trip and as well as camping in many of the beautiful national parks, we also included a few more strenous activities on top of the Gorilla Trekking we did in Nkuringo. These included paddling across Lake Mutanda, walking with the Batwa tribals at Magahinga and the absolute highlight of a full day trek up the beautiful Mount Sabinyo, which stands at an impressive 3600M. Not only did this provide us with the elation of achieving our goals, but it also took us away from some of the more mainstream locations on the Uganda wildlife circuit and provided more village life and colour into our Uganda wildlife holiday.

Iberian Lynx Wildlife Tour – one of the rarest cats in the world and have generally been regarded as very challenging to view in the wild. However a combination of recent conservation initiatives in Spain, depopulation of rural Spain and a strong passion for this beautiful cat from local wildlife guides, has resulted in increased knowledge of its few remaining strongholds. Wildlife Trails has teamed up with a local Spanish wildlife company with many years of leading successful tours to this beautiful region.

Allan did this exact trip in January 2023, so can provide you with detailed information on both the setup of the hides, chances of see this stunning feline (sightings on 3 out of 4 days including mating pairs!). Everything has been done here on this private land to the highest professional level, from the quality of the photographic glass, the location of the hides to see the Lynx walking straight towards the camera and the background work in partnership with WWF, to improve the local rabbit population and encourage more breeding pairs in the area. There is quite high demand for these dates and I am a little late with this newsletter due to my African travels, so if you are interested, please contact us ASAP.

India is famous in wildlife circles as the place to see wild tigers, but is also home to some lesser known but even rarer and more endangered species like the Asiatic Lion, Asiatic Wild Ass, and Great Indian Bustard. India also boasts an impressive array of canids including the Striped Hyena, Indian Wolf, Jackal, Indian Fox, and Desert Fox. This bespoke Gujarat wildlife holiday will take you to an India which few explore and will reward you with rare wildlife, stunning landscapes and a tribal culture that shines brightly in the desert.

Back in the early 2000’s, rumours drifted across from rural southern Rajasthan, that there was a new big cat paradise in India and this was one where the Leopard – not the Tiger – ruled! It is important to remember that tiger sanctuaries are far from the best place to see leopards as they are out competed by their striped cousins. A visit to the Bera region of Rajasthan, is like stepping back in time two hundred years. The traditional Rabari trbes still make a living from their colourful goat herds and it is these goats that form a large part of the Leopards diet. Astonishing levels of tolerance by local villages to see beautiful spotted cats have created an unofficial sanctuary for leopards and it has become one of our very favourite wildlife locations in India – Yes, we are regular visitors!

Sleep out with the Muskox in Norway under the Northern lights in this short 3-day tour from Oslo to Oppdal.

Wildlife Trails first visited Khajuraho and Panna tiger reserve way back in 2002 and during the last 17 years there have been more ‘downs’ than ‘ups’ in this beautiful reserve bordering the idyllic Ken River. Like Sariska, Panna lost all its tigers in the mid-2000’s and it is now one of the main recipients of translocated tigers from famous tiger reserves like Bandhavgarh and Kanha, as they attempt to recapture former glories. For us, Panna was never just about the tigers, as we enjoyed starting our trip with time wandering around the beautiful temples at Khajuraho, before the short drive to our wilderness lodge at Panna. Here we will not just enjoy morning and afternoon jeep safaris, but also boat safaris on the Ken River and two nights of nocturnal drives in the buffer area – not permitted in most national parks in India. From there we head to the world famous Bandhavgarh tiger reserve – on a much better road these days thankfully – before enjoying 7 jeep safaris in a park that is just exploding at the moment with tiger action.

Safari vehicles will have a maximum of 4 guests per jeep.  At Bandhvagarh we have handpicked a specialist local naturalist to accompany all safaris.

After spending 30 days in West Bengal and Assam during April 2018, Allan Blanchard and his friend and expert wildlife guide, Avijit Dutta, wanted to bring together the very best wildlife experiences these two beautiful states have to offer and put together a completely unique and unmatched Wildlife Trails small group wildlife tour of North East India. The result is a beautiful overland trip, visiting some of the regions most iconic wildlife sanctuaries; including Gibbon Sanctuary, Kaziranga, Manas, Pakke and Nameri. Far fewer international and domestic visitors make it across to these beautiful national parks and as a result we have the chance to enjoy the amazing wildlife without the crowds that can affect your enjoyment in north and central India.

Join us on a 7-day photography adventure focused solely on Chilean Puma sightings. Other animal extensions are available upon request.

Our quest for not only a good location in Costa Rica to see Tapir, but also how to organise the day by day activities, has been a long but enjoyable one for Wildlife Trails. There are many companies who talk about ‘the chance’ to see Tapir, but 90% of the time you are going to be disappointed. We realised that the Osa Peninusula was one of the best places to see Tapir in Costa Rica, but without our clients pre-booking specific wildlife trails with expert guides, their chances would still be quite low. So, this tour not only gives you the best chance to see Tapir when visiting Costa Rica, but also includes some amazing Humpbacj, Dolphin and Quetzal action enroute. Enjoy the ride!

We have been visiting Ranthambhore since 1997 when the owner Allan Blanchard spent a month there looking at conservation projects in the buffer zone areas the park. His fascination and love for the area brought him back many more times, and along with local guides that are now close friends, he has developed many interesting side trips away from the park to help spread the income from tourism further afield. There is a great road from Ranthambhore which takes you to the village of Bhoori Phadi and the small but beautiful Banas River; which forms one of the boundaries of Ranthambhore National Park. There are activities here organised by local people, such as boat and camel safaris and the chance to camp wild for the more adventurous. In addition, you can take a wonderfully rural 4-wheel drive route from Ranthambhore to the imposing Ramathra Fort, and create a tiger safari with a twist. Don’t just go to Ranthambhore with a standard tour operator and stay locked behind your hotel walls when not on safari. Go with Wildlife Trails and see a side of this park and the surrounding country that few get to see.

The historic Ramathra Fort stands on the Daang plateau between Ranthambhore and the Chambal River Valley, with spectacular views of the villages and countryside below.  The surrounding landscape is characterised by a network of gorges, scrubland and small traditional farms, and on evening drives there is a chance to see Indian Fox, Jackal and Hyena. It is just 10 minutes away from a large lake which attracts a wide variety of bird species and on which a leisurely boat safari can be taken.

In terms of timing Kaziranga has a relatively short season compared to the north and central parks; it reopens after the monsoon in November and closes at the end of April.  The main migratory bird season is mid-November to late February.  During late December and early January the early morning chill can result in some rather misty conditions that can hamper wildlife viewing (lifted by midday), and Christmas/ New Year is best avoided due to increased domestic and international visitors.  During January the process of grass burning begins, working on contained patches the elephant grass (and any invading trees) are burned, so for a short time mammals become more visible as they graze and move more openly on the new growth but within a few months it regains its enveloping height, meanwhile vegetation levels in the forest and riverine areas become more sparse. So on balance the best times can be mid-November to mid-December (if birds have a strong appeal) or mid February to late March (for increased mammal visibility) – the rhinos can be seen in all months.

This very special Ugandan gorilla holiday gives you the opportunity to see 3 of Uganda’s most iconic animal species. We start off with a short drive to the Mabamba wetlands on the outskirts of Kampala, where we enjoy a gentle private dugout boat safari looking for the beautifully bizarre Shoebill Stork. From here you wil drive to Queen Elizabeth national park and enjoy both private game drives and boat safaris on the scenic Kazinga channel. We may be lucky to catch a glimpse of a leopard or lion, before driving south to the Ishasha sector; home to the famous tree climbing lions. We then enjoy a long but spectacular journey to the remote community of Nkuringo on the Nteko ridge and if the weather is clear, we will have stunning views of up to 8 Volcanoes, which ‘straddle’ the Uganda, Rwanda and DRC borders. It’s time for you to experience that life changing 1 hour with a Gorilla family before driving to Lake Mburo national park and staying at the stunning Mihingo Lodge. Lake Mburo now enjoys regular leopard sightings during their unique night time drives and is home to many different antelope species within the park. You will enjoy a final breakfast overlooking the park before driving back to Entebbe.

Experts on Costa Rica rainforests and ecosystems all acknowledge that mammal viewing in this species rich country is far from easy and many of the original Costa Rica eco lodges were set up more for birding groups, than mammal enthusiasts. Therefore a tour focused on viewing sloths, monkeys and other mammals species in Costa Rica needs to be carefully planned and include longer stays at the key habitat locations for primates and other mammals. With our ‘Sloths and Monkeys’ tour we have consulted wildlife photographers, our own trips and that of our clients to bring together all the elements required for some great mammal viewing.

In the last few years, the mountainous Spiti Valley in the state of Himachel Pradesh has become a hotspot for sighting Snow Leopards. Although a winter trip to this valley, presents serious logistical challenges and is not for the faint-hearted; the rewards are considerable – when it comes to photography of this beautiful feline. I have seen many amazing photos of Snow Leopard taken by our Indian guide in Spiti and am very confident that this trip will produce some exceptional sightings. However, it is not uncommon for there to be delays reaching the valley due to weather conditions and road closures due to landslides, so people joining this Snow Leopard safari, need to have a flexible, open mind and a real sense of adventure. Once we reach the valley, we will have a very comfortable, heated local homestay; which we will use as our base to explore the mountains. Expect a lot of long walks and the need for patience, as we try to track down the grey ghost of the mountains.

A specialist Costa Rica photography tours designed with careful consideration to the wildlife lodges and the quality of their facilities to enable the best photographic opportunities for our clients. The lodges have specialist hides and equipment which allows us to get up close and photograph species like bats, and King Vultures.

5 day specialist photographic safari in northern Greece, focussing on Dalmatian pelicans, with other birds species including pygmy cormorant, spoonbill and many birds of prey, such as the Lesser Spotted and Bonelli’s Eagle, Great Spotted Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Hobby, Levant Sparrow Ηawk and Northern Goshawk plus resident coypu and Greece’s largest herd of water buffalo. Glorious land, lake, mountain and sky scapes.

Very few people in the world attempt to see wild tigers and snow leopards in the same trip. This bespoke Wildlife Trails tiger and snow leopard safari takes Allan and a small group of adventurous souls back to Ladakh where he was lucky enough to see 7 snow leopards on his first visit in 2012. Since then he has returned to both Ladakh and visited Spiti Valley and always enjoyed excellent encounters. Some of our regular clients have asked for more comfortable accommodation than basic tents or homestays, so this small group Indian wildlife holiday specifically addresses that issue and takes your Christmas and New Year celebrations to another level!

Our first visit to Sri Lanka way back in 2002 included visit to Bundala, Uda Walawe and Yala national parks. While Yala is very much the jewel in the crown of Sri Lanka’s wildlife sanctuaries it is important to be transparent with visitors about excessive visitor numbers which have been caused by the building of a ferry/ cruise ship terminal just 1 hour away by road. Given we are writing this during the middle of the Corvid-19 pandemic, the future of the cruise industry is far from certain, but what is certain in that Wildlife Trails has its finger in the pulse of all wildlife sanctuaries in the country and has already designed this tour in such a way, as to avoid the busier areas of the park and provide our clients with the most natural and exciting wildlife safari experience possible. As well as including a short extension to Uda Walawe national park before arriving in Yala, we also take you right into the heart of the Central Highlands. Enjoy the clean mountain air, authentic bungalow accommodation and choose a walking tour which suits your abilities and interests. After your leopard safari in Yala and experiencing the beautiful eastern side of the park; with its mangrove forests and amazing bird life, you will drive west to Mirissa for your small boat whale watcing safaris looking for the largest animal in the world – Dondra Point is one of the best places to see the Blue Whale.

It is true to say that if you include a visit to Murchison national park in Uganda, you need to add a lot more time to your Uganda gorilla trekking holiday – but what’s the rush? If you avoid the holiday weekends you will see few other visitors here and the wildlife encounters, including huge Wild Elephants, Hippos, Lion, Leopard and the iconic Shoebill, can often be amazing. From here, it’s a long but scenic drive up the escarpment and down the other side to Kibale, where you will have two amazing chimp trekking opportunities in the stunning forest. You then have time for more savannah wildlife viewing at Queen Elizabeth national park, before then heading to two seperate and stunning gorilla trekking locations in Bwindi and then Nkuringo. We then include some well deserved chill out time at the surreal Lake Bunyonyi, before heading back to Entebbe to connect with your onward flight.

Compared to the very popular Yala national park, Wilpattu will always be the ‘path less travelled’ and here it is more about the quality of your wildlife encounters, rather than the number. Accommodation near the park remains largely a choice of mobile tented camps on private land, but there is also now a slightly more traditionally built option (the Kulu bungalow is available as an upgrade). The real pay-off is the escape from the crowds and that more intimate connection with nature and wildlife. Kalpitiya became famous for Sperm Whale sightings, but between December and April it is also an incredible location for the resident spinner dolphins. You can have that perfect combination of a relaxed beach stay with marine wildlife tours that are not overly commerical and can often deliver amazing wildlife encounters.

Beginning with a night in Kalpitiya, and ending with stay in Tangalle can give you that perfect combination of a relaxed beach stay with marine wildlife tours that are not overly commerical and can often deliver amazing wildlife encounters. In between you have safaris at Wilpattu, which will always be the ‘path less travelled’, and here it is more about the quality of your wildlife encounter, rather than the number of sightings (versus the very popular (and prolific) Yala national park). The real pay-off is the escape from the crowds and that more intimate connection with nature and wildlife. En route there is time for cultural diversions, with the Dambulla cave temples and Sigirya Rock fortress, and further off the beaten track safaris by boat at Gal Oya hoping photograph to ‘snorkelling’ elephants, before the highlights that only Yala can bring.

Sri Lanka leopard safaris in Yala national park remain one of the best big cat experiences found in Asia. On an island where they are the top predator bar none, they are much more diurnal in behaviour than in India’s wildlife sanctuaries, which thus provides much better opportunities for our wildlife photography holidays to Sri Lanka.  We have been travelling to Yala since 2002 and the safari camp we have hand picked has been chosen because it allows us to access the park from other gates and not have to queue at the main entrance gate which serves the larger hotels. Although we are likely to experience a Yala national park from decades ago, when there were only 10 to 12 jeeps driving around the 5 different zones. Each traveller will have access to a window seat and plenty of space for their camera equipment in a vehicle adapted for wildlife photographers. Ten jeep safaris in Yala will allow us to experience the entire park and focus on leopards, wild elephants and sloth bears.

Yala National Park consists of dry-mixed evergreen forests and scrublands along with open grasslands, water holes, brackish water lagoons and riverine forests. This park’s diverse habitat supports large numbers of mammals, such as spotted, barking and mouse deer, sambar, wild boar, water buffalo and the endangered sloth bear. This is also one of the best places in the country to see wild elephant and the rare leopard. Large water holes and lagoons support the high density of endangered crocodiles. You can also see large flocks of migratory and resident birds—142 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Of particular note is the rare black-necked stork, the largest bird in the country.

Please note, that this tour can easily be extended on a private basis to visit other wildlife sanctuaries or cultural locations of personal interest.

Sri Lanka leopard safaris in Yala national park remain one of the best big cat experiences found in Asia. On an island where they are the top predator bar none, they are much more diurnal in behaviour than in India’s wildlife sanctuaries, which thus provides much better opportunities for our wildlife photography holidays to Sri Lanka.  We have been travelling to Yala since 2002 and the safari camp we have hand picked based on personal recce trips in 2022 is based away from the maddness of the Tissa gate and all the package hotels. Ten jeep safaris in Yala (with some of them full days with packed lunches) will allow us to experience key zones and focus on leopards, wild elephants and sloth bears.

Please note, that this tour can easily be extended on a private basis to visit other wildlife sanctuaries or cultural locations of personal interest.