Winter/Spring | 2015

SAFARI OF A LIFETIME With Brian Jackman & Jonathan Scott

Ship Ahoy! WILDLIFE CRUISES

Close Encounters WITH BEARS

DISCOVER Queensland’s Nature Coast

TOP PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS from the Pros

Five Greatest WILDLIFE LOCATIONS WELCOME

A warm welcome to our latest seasonal brochure.

here to start? As always, there’s lots happening! As I write, our winter season of Discover Wildlife evenings is well under way, with presentations across the south of England and northward, with dates in Manchester, W Newcastle, Edinburgh and York. You can also find us at Destinations consumer travel show in both London and Manchester, so there’s ample opportunity to come and meet us face to face and be inspired. Collectively we’ve been doing a lot of travelling in the last few months, with visits to Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, Namibia, Canada, and you will soon see the fruits of these trips… We have organised a very special trip to see the Marsh of the Masai Mara with Brian Jackman, award-winning journalist and author, and Jonathan Scott, renowned wildlife photographer and TV presenter. This is a unique opportunity to join Brian and Jonathan on this small group safari as they rekindle their relationship with the Marsh Lions after 30 years - see page 23 to read more. Our regular look at a taxonomic order of the animal kingdom focuses on our closest cousins, the primates. And if that doesn’t float your boat, our feature on wildlife cruising certainly should! Photographer Nick Garbutt provides some handy tips for budding wildlife photographers, while the geographical range extends yet further as we visit Canada to hear of a heart-stopping moment in the forests of British Columbia on a walk to seek grizzly bears. Back in Africa we celebrate the seasonal arrival of the waters in the Okavango Delta, which last year was admitted as the one thousandth entrant to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. Meanwhile our portfolio of family and small group trips has expanded considerably, (see pages 16-17) and we’re working on a number of other exciting ideas for the future - watch this space! We look forward to welcoming you on your next wildlife holiday.

Chris Breen Founder, Wildlife Worldwide

Contents Welcome & Discover Wildlife Events 2/3 Zambian Safari 18/19 Walking with Bears, Canada 4/5 Okavango Watery Wilderness, Botswana 20/21 Whale Tales from Québec 6/7 Self Discovery on the open road, Namibia 22 Life Story in the Americas 8/9 The Marsh Lions Revisited, Masai Mara 23 Costa Rica Pura Vida! 10/11 Primates of the World 24/25 All Aboard, Wildlife Cruises 12/13 Australia’s Nature Coast 26/27 Wildlife in Focus, Photography tours & tips 14/15 Predators of Asia 28/29 Small Group Experiences 16/17 Greatest Wildlife Locations 30/31

All holiday prices in this brochure are based on two persons sharing, including flights from the UK, accommodation and transfers. (Except where specified). For full details call our expert Wildlife team. Prices correct at time of going to print.

2 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays SAVE THE DATE

Destinations, the holidays & travel show in Manchester & London Visit our stand and immerse yourself in a world of unlimited travel inspiration for your next wildlife adventure.

15-18 January at EventCity, Manchester - Stand E38 29 January-1 February at Olympia London - Stand AF12 We are delighted to offer you a pair of complimentary tickets - to claim two tickets to the show visit DestinationsShowTickets.com and quote DST40 We will again be exhibiting at Whalefest in Brighton so do come along and visit us on the 14th/15th March.

Discover Wildlife - Evenings to inspire Featuring presentations by our own wildlife experts together with guest speakers from around the world, our Discover Wildlife evenings appeal to all travel and nature lovers. If you would like some inspiration for your next wildlife holiday you will have the opportunity to meet our team and share your experiences with like-minded travellers who share your passion. The evenings are completely free of charge. To book your place simply complete the registration form online wildlifeworldwide.com/journal/discover

Date Discover Wildlife Presentations Location Art safari evening with photographer Nick Garbutt & 13 Jan Winchester Sculptor Nick Mackman 15 Jan Whale watching around the world and Manchester 20 Jan Discover Zambia and Guyana Swindon 29 Jan Discover Namibia London 3 Feb Whale watching around the world and Discover Namibia Newcastle 4 Feb Whale watching around the world and Discover Namibia Edinburgh 12 Feb Whale watching around the world York 18 Feb Discover Namibia and Guyana Chichester 26 Feb To be confirmed Winchester 4 Mar Where to see whales and Discover Zambia Norwich

Swarovski will also be joining us in Manchester, Newcastle, York and Chichester so you have the chance to talk about the best optics for your wildlife holiday.

Visit Us We are based in the charming and historic city of Winchester and welcome you to visit us in our central offices. We are open from 9-6 Monday to Friday and on Saturday morning from 9-1 during January, February and March.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 3 Walking With Bears The real thing

Earlier this year wildlife consultant Amanda DeSimone travelled to a seldom visited area of Canada, where she was taken on a guided walk to see grizzly bears, with heart-stopping encounters…

t was my first visit to the Cariboo Mountains, a vast, that rose on my neck - I was reassured by Gary’s calm reaction. pristine wilderness an hour’s flight north of Vancouver, and an area often overlooked by European visitors in In fact, after over 30 years experience among the grizzlies, Gary favour of British Columbia’s more familiar parks. I was even thinks like a bear now. To communicate with them he Ithere for a unique experience not offered anywhere else - a speaks in a soft monotone, with the odd stern note of command chance to interact with wild and unhabituated grizzly bears when necessary - “Hey, bear, how’s the fishin’?” or “Enough in their natural habitat with ‘bear whisperer’ Gary Zorn. bear, back off now!” This particular bear remained hidden in the bushes, its growl a warning not to come any nearer - one that we Gary has devoted his life to studying the habitat, behaviour, body heeded. language and social hierarchy of these magnificent creatures, while communing with them on their turf, and he offers visitors a Instead, we headed back across the river into magnificent first once-in-a-lifetime experience of joining him as he walks upriver growth until we literally stumbled across a sleeping into their favourite feeding grounds. While chatting to Gary and bear, tucked up in a hollow in the roots of a tree. We saw piles of his wife Peggy at my after-dinner briefing, they conveyed such freshly dug dirt, and Gary suggested a hasty (but quiet!) retreat; respect, love and affection for the big bears that it brought tears he knew this bear, and it was old and grumpy - definitely not to my eyes. one we wanted to wake! Another heart-stopping moment of excitement for me was the realisation that we were, literally, My wilderness adventure began predawn with a one-and-a-half surrounded by bears that were tolerating our presence. hour boat ride across the lake. We kitted ourselves out in waders and boots before jet-boating up a remote mountain river. Even at Due to an unseasonably warm spell for October, the bears’ some distance from the river mouth the stench of rotting fish was thick coats and salmon-stuffed stomachs made them unusually palpable, and on entering the river we were surrounded by signs drowsy. Visitors usually stay for three or more nights and no-one of bears: piles of half-eaten salmon carcasses, bear trails, as well in the entire season has left without sighting a bear at least once, as scat and paw prints on the sandy banks. and usually more often. Some clients have seen as many as six in a day! We jetted upstream until the boat could go no further, then continued on foot, crossing a huge log jam and wading upstream I don’t think that I have ever had such an intense and thrilling to a place with signs of very recent bear activity. Gary knows the wilderness experience. As one of Gary’s clients whispered to him bears so intimately that he can talk about each one’s temperament, excitedly on seeing her first bear “This is it, isn’t it? This is the habits, family unit and colouring, so when a long, low growl real thing!” issued from the bushes just a few feet away - despite the hairs

4 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features 28 bear-watching trips and almost 30 bear locations in the Americas and that we can use to tailor-make your own wildlife holiday

NEW Grizzlies of Khutzeymateen Explore the remote Khutzeymateen, the world’s first Grizzly Bear Sanctuary aboard an exclusive chartered vessel. See grizzly bears, humpback whales, orcas, sealions and dolphins. Small group departure, 9 Jun 2015 10 days, from £4,195

The Bear Essentials Focus on British Columbia’s largest carnivore - the brown or grizzly bear - in a variety of locations, reached by float plane for a real wilderness experience. Tailor-made, May-Oct 8 days, from £3,595

Classic Polar Bears See polar bears at close quarters in Churchill amidst the snowy winter wilderness for an awe-inspiring and unforgettable wildlife encounter. Small group departures, Oct-Nov 7 days, from £4,495 “The whole experience was exhilarating, challenging, exciting, Great Bear Rainforest majestic and peaceful. On this small ship adventure, search for We had a wonderful time and saw the legendary all-white spirit bear and grizzlies and black bears and were humpback whales deep in Fiordland lucky enough to see the spirit bear, Conservancy. twice! We gazed upon the spirit bear, Small group departures, Jul-Oct who came quite close to us, black 12 days, from £4,745 bears fishing for salmon just a short distance away, and grizzlies. Your Yukon’s Ice Bears organisational skills were perfect, everything fell into place without a Each autumn grizzlies come to Bear hitch - in short a most wonderful Cave Mountain, where thermal springs experience that will stay with me for warm the Salmon Branch River as it the rest of my life.” flows through the icy landscape. Ms Hill travelled to Canada Tailor-made, Sep-Oct Sep 2014 13 days, from £10,950

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 5 Whale Tales from Québec

Founder Chris Breen recounts some of the highlights from his self-drive family holiday to Québec earlier this year.

ur route took us out of Québec City in an easterly direction to Le Bic National Park - a small sliver of land on the St Lawrence River. In such a small space it crams in ‘the spectacular’, and though we saw plenty of seals, for which the park is famous, I will Oremember it for its breath-taking, rugged coastal beauty. Continuing up the coast to Matane we kept an eye out for whales, then turned inland and drove through beautiful forested countryside to the entrance of the reserve and our cabin. To our amazement, we had a brilliant moose encounter along the way - a first for me, and with some 3,000 or so in the reserve, Matane is the place to see them in this part of Canada - and they’re big!

Our substantial log cabin stood on the edge of a crystal-clear lake. We had our own mooring and two rowing boats, kayaks were available for our use, and there are some great trails for walking. Our guide spoke excellent English, had a great sense of humour and in addition to teaching my girls how to talk ‘moose’, he managed to give us some great sightings.

Further on, in Gaspésie, we did the self-guided caribou trail to a point with spectacular views out across the park. We did this in driving rain, but it was a fabulous walk which everyone enjoyed as we were so excited at the prospect of seeing caribou.

Our next journey had us return along the coast road to Rimouski where we boarded a ferry to Forestville - but not before lunch at the Jardins de Métis - a beautifully presented sensory explosion served in an idyllic setting.

In glorious summer sunshine harbour porpoises accompanied our ferry, and in the low evening sunlight we saw a huge flock of common nighthawks catching insects, before we finally arrived at the vibrant and bustling town of Tadoussac - Québec’s centre of whale-watching excellence.

After an early breakfast we headed out into the St Lawrence and, of course, we saw whales - and plenty of them: harbour porpoise and belugas almost straight away, then minke, fin, humpback, and the most fabulous of all, blue whale! I never really thought we would see one. In fact, this year nine blue whales apparently spent the entire summer in the St Lawrence, enjoying the cold, deep water and rich food pickings.

That afternoon, accompanied by a private guide and followed by porpoises, we paddled two-man kayaks out to the deep waters where we stopped in silence. We listened to the tranquil sound of minke whales feeding around us, porpoises playing, and the colossal sound of a blue whale breathing. How far away it was I don’t know, but it stirs great emotions even now as I remember it - perhaps due to the fact that its very existence lies in the balance, a balance which lies in our hands.

6 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features a choice of over 27 locations and 25 suggested itineraries in Canada that we can use to tailor-make your wildlife holiday

Québec’s Bears, Whales & Moose NEW Wilderness Québec NEW Whales of Tadoussac & Saguenay Fjord This self-drive begins in Québec city Ideal for families - drive at your own before driving to Reserve des Laurentides pace and enjoy varied activities in Highlights of this self-drive itinerary for bear, moose and beaver viewing. Quebéc on this safe, comfortable and in Québec include watching whales - The route then takes in St Falgence adventurous quest for black bear, charismatic beluga plus blue, fin and before heading south to Tadoussac for beluga whale, moose and caribou. minke - and enjoying the delights of spectacular whale watching. Tadoussac and surrounding area. Tailor-made, Jun-Sep Tailor-made, Jun-Sep 15 days, from £2,995 per adult and Tailor-made, Jun-Sep 9 days, from £2,195 £2,195 per child 10 days, from £2,495

SPECIAL OFFER Book a tailor-made wildlife holiday to Québec & receive a FREE seaplane excursion in Tadoussac (Terms and Conditions apply – see website for details)

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 7 WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features 13 countries and over 100 locations throughout the Americas that we can use to tailor-make your own wildlife holiday

NEW Dominican Republic - Snorkelling with Humpbacks on Silver Bank Enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with humpback whales in the warm waters of their Caribbean breeding grounds. Small group departures, Jan-Mar 11 days, from £3,395

Canada - Polar Bear Mothers & Cubs The summer feeding grounds for polar bears offer fantastic opportunities to view the intimacy between mother and the playful cubs. Small group departures, Aug-Sep 8 days, from £7,295

Mexico - Festival of Whales 2016 Join Mark Carwardine on Baja California’s Pacific Coast to celebrate the annual gathering of grey whales in their breeding grounds. Small group departure 1 April 2016 10 days, from £4,995

Guyana - Lost Land of the This adventure penetrates the forested interior of Guyana, the ‘land of many waters’, travelling by light aircraft, vehicle, boat, dugout canoe and on foot. Tailor-made, Sep-Apr 13 days, from £4,195

Ecuador - Wildlife of Ecuador & the Galápagos The combination of Amazon rainforest and the islands of the Galápagos offers an opportunity to witness two of ’s finest wildlife destinations. Tailor-made, Jan-Dec 12 days, from £4,895

Chile - Puma-tracking in Southern Chile The focus of this small group trip is tracking and photographing pumas and in the company of an expert wildlife photographer. Small group departures, Oct-Apr 11 days, from £3,795

8 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Life Story in the Americas

Further west, grey whales head from their Arctic feeding grounds to winter in the balmy waters of the Pacific. Here, along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, they give birth in shallow, sheltered bays and coastal lagoons to calves up to five metres long and weighing in at around 900 kilos. Positively courting the attention of human onlookers, they demonstrate a strong maternal bond - often stroking calves with their flippers - a bond that will defend the calves from marauding orcas during their migration north and will last until they are weaned.

The humpback whale breeding season takes place during winter in the tropics or sub-tropics. Males sing long, complex songs which evolve from year to year to attract females. Calves are born between December and April, and spend a year with their mothers before becoming independent. Each February and March, humpbacks gather on the Silver Bank, in the Caribbean north of the Dominican Republic, where you can enjoy close ‘in-water’ encounters from a liveaboard boat.

Back on mainland South America, on the Rupununi savannah in Guyana’s deep south, on a recent visit our very own Chris Smith witnessed a remarkable sight: a female giant anteater carrying its offspring on its back - which it does until they are weaned. Although these curious insectivorous creatures live in overlapping home ranges, they are mostly solitary - except for he eternal cycle of life and death continues mothers with their young. unbroken but is often tied to particular seasons to ensure optimum conditions for the survival At almost whatever time of year you visit the Galápagos of the newly-born. Watching the young of Islands, there is always something going on. On this far-flung Tany species as they take their first wobbly steps, play, archipelago, one thousand kilometres off Ecuador’s Pacific experiment and learn, can be a richly rewarding - and coast, you can walk through a nesting colony of waved often humorous - experience. albatrosses, see the giant red throat-pouch that a male frigatebird inflates to attract a mate, witness the strutting, Yet that journey to independence is also the most risky period foot-stamping mating dance of the blue-footed booby, or the of a young animal’s development, fraught with danger as it ungainly antics of booby chicks. Contemplating this wildlife set learns to compete in an adult world and struggles to come to Darwin musing on the differences between different species, terms with everyday life. The lessons learned in youth are the and led to the publication of his seminal work, The Origin of foundations of the future, as the young face new challenges, Species. such as finding a home and raising a family. Finally, at the southern tip of the continent, Patagonia’s shy Along the coast of Canada’s famed Hudson Bay in Manitoba pumas generally give birth in December at the height of Province, polar bears come ashore from the melting ice floes the austral summer, when weather conditions are at their where they have given birth, to forage opportunistically during best. Only the mother is involved in parenting and the best the lean summer months. Mother bears and cubs remain opportunities to see a mother with her young occur in March confined to the mainland until the sea freezes over once again, and April against the magnificent backdrop of the Torres and it is a good time to see them at close quarters until, at the del Paine massif. By this time the cubs born the previous onset of winter, they head back out onto the ice to hunt for their December are old enough to follow their mother out into the preferred food - seals. wider world.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 9 WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features over 70 locations in Latin America across 11 countries that we can use to tailor-make your own wildlife holiday

Cloud Forests & Mountains Natural Highlights NEW Costa Rica Family Adventure Enjoy Costa Rica’s spectacular flora and Wildlife abounds on this exceptional trip A family trip with plenty to see and do: fauna on this fantastic trip that takes which provides plenty of opportunity see turtles hatching, watch white-faced in the best of the country’s to see Costa Rica’s diverse flora capuchin monkeys and sloths, or and coastlines. Visit the forests of and fauna! Discover nesting turtles, zip-line through the rainforest canopy Sarapiqui and Los Quetzales National monkeys, prolific birdlife and much in search of toucans and Park and discover the biodiversity of more - all amid a tapestry of forests, hummingbirds. Monteverde’s cloud forests. beaches, lagoons and waterfalls. Tailor-made, Jan-Dec Tailor-made, Jan-Dec Tailor-made, Jan-Dec 16 days, from £3,195 per adult 14 days, from £2,645 14 days, from £2,395 £1,295 per child

10 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Costa Rica Pura Vida! Product Manager Brian Wood reflects on the success of conservation during a recent trip

he expression ‘Pura Vida’, used by all of early morning bird walks, boat trips and rainforest Ticos (as Costa Rica’s inhabitants are treks offers ample opportunities to see and learn about called), literally means ‘pure life’ – that the various habitats and their occupants. says it all. T No other tropical country has made such an effort to Costa Rica positively brims with life and is home to a protect the environment, and since the government staggering 894 bird species - more than the USA and stepped in to protect the remaining areas from a Canada combined. Some 600 are residents, while many history of logging, and a growing monoculture of winter migrants from North America are drawn to the destructive banana, pineapple and palm oil plantations, warm climes by the diversity of habitats, which extend its programmes of protection and reforestation have from mangrove swamp on the Pacific coast to the helped ensure that 50% of the country is now under rainy coastal plain of the Caribbean side, divided by a forest again. mountainous spine rising to 3,500 metres. Across the border in Panama, I recently spent a couple Of course Costa Rica has many mammals too, of days in Bocas del Toro archipelago. This was a including jaguar, jaguarundi and tapir - but revelation - and in the company of two fantastic wildlife these are notoriously difficult to spot, so guides I saw 112 bird species in a single day, plus a most wildlife watching focuses on monkeys, group of tucuxi dolphins as we made our way back sloths, amphibians such as its famous frogs, across open sea. Not bad for a quiet weekend, and easy reptiles, insects and marine life - especially to add to any Costa Rica trip as Bocas is now served by turtles. a daily flight from San José.

Established in the 1960s, Costa Rica’s With its fascinating flora and fauna, innovative approach national parks have now expanded to to conservation, and range of comfortable and fun include conservation areas, refuges accommodation, Costa Rica is an ideal place to and reserves, protecting almost introduce children to the joys of the natural world. It’s 30% of the country - an enviable safe, there’s lots of variety, the distances are relatively record! In addition, literally hundreds small, and the food is good - sufficiently different to be of other privately-owned reserves interesting, but with lots of familiar options as a fallback. and properties offer sanctuary to flora and fauna, making Costa Rica so rich in Wherever you go in the country there’s a huge choice biodiversity that it is estimated the country of exciting outdoor activities ranging from zip-lining to protects an astonishing 5% of the world’s wildlife whitewater rafting, nature walks to horseriding, and species! birdwatching to boat trips that will keep everyone in the family interested and engaged. Our new family At times it seems like the entire nation is obsessed with adventure makes an excellent starting point for a conservation; legions of young wildlife guides staff the tailor-made itinerary to see the best of this remarkable lodges, reserves and parks, providing knowledgeable small country. commentary in generally excellent English. And a menu

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 11 WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features over 20 locations and 40 cruises from the Arctic and Antarctic, to the Galapagos Islands, Canada, Alaska, Mexico and Dominican Republic

NEW Alaska - Bubble-net Bonanza Antarctic Odyssey Fly & Sail 8 day first class Galápagos Highlights Witness humpbacks bubble-net feeding Retracing Shackleton’s route from from the comfort of the 12-berth Snow Elephant Island to South Georgia, Spend a week exploring some of the Goose, an exclusive Wildlife Worldwide and ending in the Falklands, this larger islands of the Galapagos chartered vessel at the ultimate time to comprehensive itinerary reveals on-board the motor cruiser Beluga, with see this remarkable sight. Antarctica’s icy scenery and the landings to see penguins, giant tortoises exceptional wildlife of South Georgia and a host of unique bird species. Small group departure, 14 Aug 2015 11 days, from £6,295 Group departures, Dec-Jan Small group departures, Jan-Dec 18 days, from £8,538* (voyage only) 8 days, from £2,450 (voyage only) Arctic - Around Spitsbergen Classic Antarctic Canada - Orcas, bears & Totems Navigate through a wonderland of mountains and glaciers and enjoy This incredible voyage visits prime Enjoy spotting orcas and watching wildlife encounters in the land wildlife sites in the Antarctic Peninsula grizzly bears on this breathtaking of the polar bear - a paradise for and South Shetland islands, making a trip to British Columbia, in an area of birdwatchers. perfect introduction to the Antarctic! outstanding natural beauty. Group departures, Jul-Aug Group departures, Nov-Mar Small group departures, Jul-Aug 10 days, from £3,637* (voyage only) 10 days, from £3,802* (voyage only) 10 days, from £4,495 SPECIAL OFFER Save 20% in March 2015 * Prices based on a triple share

12 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays All Aboard WILDLIFE CRUISES

here’s something magical and timeless about travelling by boat - you board at one end and disembark at the other, and in between there’s virtually nothing you can do to affect how the trip unfolds. You literally have to go with the flow, and concentrate on relaxing and enjoying yourself - as well as making the most of the wildlife you see along your chosen course. And Tthroughout the trip you’re generally looked after - even cossetted! - by a crew whose sole objective is your comfort and welfare. Now that’s a holiday!

Each ship and each voyage has its own rhythm and highlights. These inevitably depend on factors such as weather, wildlife sightings, and the company of your fellow-travellers, and are thus impossible to predict. Daily shore excursions create highlights that punctuate the constancy of ship-board life, and keep you entertained. A diet of talks and lectures invariably fills the down time, ensuring you have an opportunity to learn as much as you wish about the habitat and its wildlife.

The polar regions at either extremity of our planet are areas that are difficult to explore other than by boat. Those vessels used in such extreme environments are largely ones that had a former life as oceanographic and scientific research ships, but have now been remodelled and refurbished to offer expedition cruises. While still by no means luxurious, they offer surprising comfort and carry no more than one hundred passengers (indeed some rather fewer), offering a warm, safe and homely base from which to explore the Arctic or Antarctic wildernesses.

In complete contrast, our summer trips in search of bears and whales off the coast of British Columbia and southern Alaska use comfortable ketch-rigged motor-sailers that carry up to 16 passengers or a motor vessel with capacity for 12. In either case you are accompanied by a skipper, mate and chef - many of whom are naturalists in their own right - plus a naturalist guide. Smaller in size, these vessels allow you to enter every twist and turn of the estuaries and bays, and maximise the time spent communing with nature.

To see the best of the Galapagos Islands you simply have to sail - no other way offers the same in-depth perspective. Most sailing is done overnight, and you generally emerge on deck with a new island landing site waiting to be explored. This gives you virtually the entire day to enjoy a couple of shore visits with your naturalist guide, with only a short sail between them during daylight hours - so no time is wasted! Although there are vessels of all sizes, we prefer smaller ones that carry around 16 passengers, as they allow maximum flexibility - within the constraints of an itinerary enforced by the park authorities.

And if you’re at all worried by the prospect of sea- sickness (let’s be realistic, it does happen from time to time!), fear not - modern remedies are highly effective! A small stick-on patch behind the ear is enough to protect you from any discomfort, while most medicines no longer mean suffering the awful drowsiness that used to blight their beneficial effect. So take the plunge and cast off: the world’s oceans offer a feast of marine highlights and are waiting to be explored…

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 13 Photography Tours with Nick Garbutt

“Wonderful trip which lived up to expectations. Nick catered for our differing photographic levels and interests and each of us came back having learnt new things and keen to learn more. The wildlife was abundant and there was a good variety of photographic opportunities. The guides Jombi and Faisal were terrific and their knowledge and enthusiasm really made the trip memorable. The combination of Nick and the guides and of course the wildlife made it a great trip.” Ms Henry travelled on the Serengeti Migration trip to - March 2014

Country Tour Name Departure Date Duration Price From Sweden Golden Eagles in Winter 26 Feb 2015 4 days £1,395 Tanzania Serengeti Migration 12 Mar 2015 18 days £6,695 Namibia NEW Namibia in Focus 9 May 2015 16 days £6,695 UK NEW Badger Photography Workshop 29 May & 3 Jul 2015 2 days £385 (workshop only) Austria NEW Close-up on Alpine Nature 20 Jun 2015 7 days £1,345 (excl.flights) The Pantanal - Brazil's Wetland Wonder 17 Aug 2015 17 days £7,725 Borneo Rainforests & Rivers 12 Sep 2015 19 days £5,995 Madagascar An Island Apart 13 Oct 2015 21 days £6,595 Zambia NEW Luangwa & a Blizzard of Bats 15 Nov 2015 11 days £5,195 Zambia NEW South Luangwa Art & Photo Workshop 27 Nov 2015 11 days £4,995 USA Wild West Winter Wonderland 15 Jan 2016 16 days £5,195 All prices are per person, include flights and are based on two people sharing a twin room unless otherwise indicated.

14 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Wildlife in Focus Join award-winning photographer and author, Nick Garbutt on a wildlife photographic trip. These unique trips provide an opportunity to develop your technical skills through workshops and due to the small group size benefit from Nick’s expert personal tuition.

s well as leading his own trips, Nick has teamed up with other experts to bring additional dimensions to his range of photography trips. In the Austrian Alps, Nick is joined by macro photography expert Alex Hyde, whose incredible images allow the capture of intimate portraits of insects and plant life in their natural habitat. Whilst in Zambia’s South Luangwa, he co-hosts a wildlife art safari with award- winningA sculptor Nick Mackman, whose field sculptures aim to get under the skin of the animal and give each its own personality.

Here are some of Nick’s top wildlife photography tips…

Familiarise yourself completely with your camera before Consider your viewing angle and engage with the you travel. Too many times I’ve seen people come on a subject. Photos taken from an eye-level perspective trip with a new camera and no understanding of even always look more natural and create a better connection the most basic operations. A first game drive or forest with the subject. walk is not the time to open the instruction manual. The background is every bit as important as the subject. Always support your camera properly. This generally A distracting background can ruin an otherwise good means using a good tripod or, if you are in a vehicle, photo. Consider your position carefully to influence the a bean bag. Unless you do, sharp photos will remain choice of background. elusive. Hand-holding a camera should not be your Give your subject space and allow it to ‘breathe’ in the default position, and you should only consider it in picture. Don’t always assume that getting in close and certain specific circumstances and conditions. filling the frame is best. Often the most dramatic photos Light is the architect of all photos, and considering its show the main subject small in the frame, but set in a influence is crucial. Direct light (sunny conditions) is broader context. only good when the sun is low in the sky and the light Don’t forget to turn the camera on its side - many is warm in colour (early morning or late afternoon). In subjects lend themselves to portrait (vertical) format the middle of the day, direct light is blue, harsh and cold photos. which produces flat, bland pictures. Cloudy, not sunny, conditions are much better, and produce soft, even lighting, with no deep shadows or harsh highlights - ideal for showing subtlety and detail. When focusing, always use the head or eye of an animal as the focal point.

And here are two excellent DSLR macro tips from Alex Hyde…

If using manual focus, zoom in on your subject using the camera’s live view feature to check the focus is exactly where you want. Many DSLR’s give you the option to zoom into x5 or x10 in live view. Use a small piece of aluminium foil as a reflector - it’s perfect for getting light into tight spots.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 15 Small Group Experiences

For the last 23 years we have specialised in hand-crafted tailor-made itineraries to suit your precise holiday requirements, but we have always run a limited selection of specialist small group departures. Some of these are led by highly regarded British naturalists, and others by local naturalists who we have hand-picked over the years.

Over the course of the coming months you will see a significant growth in our range of group-based wildlife holidays, particularly within Europe, but also in Asia, Latin America and Africa.. so watch this space and keep an eye out on our website and eNewsletters!

“Monfragüe National Park in Spain’s Extremadura “The trip was amazing and sightings were way region always turns up trumps with Spanish imperial above my expectations. eagle being top of a long list. We once saw one swoop under a tree, pick up a snake and pass it to The second night in the photographic hide is an its mate in the air. experience that I will remember forever - incredible. The sounds, the smells, the whole experience Such happenings do not occur on every trip but of being on your own so close to the bears was there are always ‘Attenborough moments’ to make amazing. Overall an amazing experience - each tour memorable.” I would love to go back again.” Tim Earl - Tour Leader Mr McDougall travelled on the Explorer - June 2014

16 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Small Group Departure Calendar

Group Price Country Tour Name Departure Date Duration Size From USA Yellowstone Ultimate Wolf & Wildlife Safari Jan-Feb 8 days 14 £4,145 North America Canada Whales & Dolphins of the Haida Gwaii May-Aug 11 days 16 £4,595 Canada NEW Grizzlies of Khutzeymateen 9 Jun 2015 10 days 13 £4,195 Canada Newfoundland Adventure Jun-Aug 9 days 20 £3,145 Alaska Brown Bears of Kodiak Jun-Sep 9 days 8 £6,895 Alaska Bears and Whales in South East Alaska Jul 15 days 15 £6,195 Canada Whale Study Week Jul 9 days 20 £3,995 Canada Beluga Whales & Polar Bears Jul-Aug 9 days 12 £7,895 Canada Orcas, Bears and Totems Jul-Aug 10 days 13 £4,495 Canada Great Bear Rainforest Jul-Oct 12 days 16 £4,745 Canada Canada's Big Five 4 Aug 2015 9 days 18 £5,395 Alaska NEW Bubble-net Bonanza 14 Aug 2015 11 days 12 £6,295 Canada Polar Bear Mothers & Cubs Aug-Sep 8 days 12 £7,295 Canada The Festival of Bears 21 Sep 2015 9 days 20 FULL Canada Caribou Migration & Great Bear Adventure Sep 10 days 15 £8,745 Canada Tundra Lodge Adventure Oct-Nov 8 days 28 £5,795 Canada Classic Polar Bears Oct-Nov 7 days 15 £4,495 Canada The Festival of Bears 19 Sep 2016 9 days 20 £5,795 Chile Puma-tracking in Southern Chile Jan-Apr & Oct-Nov 11 days 6 £3,795 Latin America Dominican Republic NEW Snorkelling with Humpbacks on Silver Bank Jan-Mar 11 days 18 £3,395 Mexico The Festival of Whales 20 Feb 2015 10 days 24 FULL Peru NEW Manu’s & Woolly Monkeys 3 Jul, 25 Sep 2015 17 days 12 £4,195 Guyana NEW Rainforests, Savannahs & Wetlands 15 Nov 2015 14 days 14 £5,995 Falkland Islands NEW South Atlantic Wildlife Spectacular 13 Jan 2016 15 days 8 £7,695 Trinidad & Tobago NEW The Asa Wright Experience 11 Feb 2016 13 days 12 £3,995 Mexico The Festival of Whales 1 Apr 2016 10 days 24 £4,995 Mexico NEW Whales and Birds in the Sea of Cortez 6 Apr 2016 14 days 28 £5,495 Iceland Orcas and Northern Lights Jan-Mar 5 days 25 £1,157 Europe 31 May, 14 Jun, 19 Jul, Finland Brown Bear Explorer 8 days 12 £1,695 2 Aug 2015 Azores Sperm Whales & Bottlenose Dolphins Jun-Sep 6 days 12 £1,425 France NEW Camargue & Pyrenees 29 Aug 2015 8 days 12 £1,745 Sardinia NEW Birds & Wildlife of the Meditteranean 5 Sep 2015 8 days 12 £1,845 Spain NEW Extremadura in Autumn 26 Sep 2015 8 days 12 £1,695 Spain NEW Spanish Lynx Quest 24 Oct 2015 8 days 12 £1,695 Asia 7 Mar, 28 Nov 2015 & Sri Lanka Blue Whales & Dolphins 14 days 12 £2,595 5 Mar 2016 Botswana Highlights of Northern Botswana Jan-Dec 13 days 9 £4,195 Africa Namibia Faces of Namibia Jan-Dec 12 days 6 £3,195 Rwanda A Weekend with Apes in Rwanda Jan-Dec 6 days 10 £3,145 South Africa Rhino & Survey in Kwazulu Natal 20 Mar, 10 Jul, 11 Sep 2015 10 days 10 £2,195 Zambia Classic Luangwa Walking Jun-Sep 14 days 6 £5,395 Uganda Gorillas & Chimps Jun-Oct & Dec-Feb 15 days 10 £6,695 Uganda A Weekend with Apes in Uganda Jun-Oct & Dec-Feb 7 days 10 £2,795 South Africa NEW Kalahari & Cape 16 Aug 2015 17 days 8 £3,995 South Africa NEW Birds and Big Cats 31 Aug 2015 13 days 10 £4,295 NEW The Marsh Lions Revisited 24 Sep 2015 10 days 16 £6,495 Zambia Carnivores of South Luangwa 13 Nov 2015 11 days 6 £3,895 For a detailed travel plan and further information please visit our website or contact our expert wildlife team.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 17 Zambian Safari Founder Chris Breen relates why Zambia is his first love wildlife destination…

Leopards of Luangwa Rivers & Rainbows Bats, Rhinos & Reptiles This is our single most popular safari – Enjoy a totally different view of this Kasanka plays host to a remarkable you’ll take early morning, afternoon and wildlife paradise in the green season annual wildlife spectacle when from night drives with an expert naturalist just after the rains have come to mid-November onwards an estimated guide and enjoy magnificent walking an end, when the bush is lush and 12 million fruit bats arrive to feast on safaris. brimming with life. newly ripened fruit. Tailor-made, May-Nov Tailor-made, Jan-Apr Tailor-made, Nov-Dec 11 days, from £4,295 11 days, from £3,495 13 days, from £6,295

18 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features over 18 suggested itineraries to Zambia that we can use to tailor-make your own safari.

here’s an inherent problem with the Luangwa Valley. In fact, come to think of it, there’s a problem with Kafue National Park, the Lower Zambezi and Kasanka as well - and, of course, Livingstone and the Victoria Falls. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that there’s a real problem Twith Zambia as a whole. It’s just so good!

It’s quite reasonable to ask why this should be a problem, and the answer is simply that once you’ve been, you’ll compare everywhere else to Zambia. It will become the standard from which all other cloth is cut - the accommodation, the guiding, the wildlife, the birds… And, you’ll want to keep on going back, again and again until you get it out of your system. But you never will get it out of your system - it’s an itch that will never go away.

Take Kasanka, for example, a small park in the north-east of the country that I have been visiting for nearly 30 years - a biodiversity hotspot that is literally ‘living on the edge’. Lying at the crossroads of the Southern African and East African ecosystems, and close to central Africa’s rainforests, it’s a place to see many of Southern Africa’s mammals such as impala, puku, zebra and elephant, but also some of East Africa’s wonders, including yellow-backed duiker, blue monkey and sitatunga (in staggering numbers!). If you were to visit sometime in November then you’d also witness the greatest mammal migration on earth - the arrival of some 12 million straw-coloured fruit bats that descend on the park from all over Africa to feed on its rich fruits.

If your interest is bent towards the avian world, then you’ll find such delights as Anchieta’s barbet, red and blue sunbird and Bohm’s bee-eater. And, Kasanka combines perfectly with the Bangweulu Swamps where you’ll not only find tens of thousands of black lechwe, but also harriers, ducks, geese, more waders than you can shake a stick at, and of course shoebill - the ‘holy grail’ for many a birder!

Kafue National Park is one of the world’s biggest national parks - covering a breathtaking 22,400 square kilometres - and is now really easy to combine with other parks in Zambia. The camps here are getting better and better, and the wildlife is really wild. On the Busanga Plains in the north there are huge numbers of lechwe, as well as Defassa waterbuck, , and tree-climbing lions. And further south, at certain times of year, there are staggering numbers of elephants. I was there towards the end of last year and was privy to an elephant sighting to end all others, when a herd of over 350 individuals casually made its way across the verdant plains. Silently, quietly, gently, gracefully...

Luangwa Valley & Lower Zambezi And the great Luangwa Valley - where should I begin? Should I tell you about the grazing lawns between the Luangwa River and its oxbow lagoons that support a great Discover the varied animal and birdlife population of small and medium-sized antelope, and in turn the most visible population of Luangwa Valley and explore the of in Africa? Or would you like to hear about beautiful bush camps that can Lower Zambezi by boat, watching only sleep six to eight people? No, then maybe it’s the night-time safaris to look for elephant and huge herds of buffalo owls, civets, genets, mongooses and, of course, hunting predators to which I should be along the riverbank. introducing you, or the classic walking safaris for which the Luangwa is famous… Or Tailor-made, Jun-Sep perhaps you should just go there and see for yourself why, in my view, this is the best 13 days, from £5,995 safari destination in Africa.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 19 Okavango’s watery wilderness UNESCO recently declared Botswana’s Okavango Delta the world’s 1000th World Heritage Site. We celebrate the delta and tell its story…

Though the water’s arrival is but once a year, the Delta offers outstanding wildlife viewing throughout the year, and for a complete understanding of its diverse habitats, the ideal is to mix a stay at a ‘dry’ camp, which offers safari’s by vehicle and possibly on foot, with some time at a ‘wet’ camp surrounded by water, with excursions by mokoro or boat.

Highlights of Northern Botswana Kalahari in Bloom Return of the Rivers Explore northern Botswana, from the Explore some of Botswana’s finest Watch wildlife in areas that were open vistas of Linyanti through crystal wildlife destinations during the green impossible to reach until the once clear waterways of the Okavango Delta season, as the arrival of the rains dried-up waterways started to flow to Victoria Falls. brings the landscape to life. again. Small group departures, Jan-Dec Tailor-made, Nov-Mar Tailor-made, Apr-Nov 13 days, from £4,195 12 days, from £4,745 7 days, from £4,445

20 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features over 13 countries and almost 115 locations throughout Africa that we can use to tailor-make your own African safari

he ‘Jewel of the Kalahari’, as it is known, is the world’s largest inland delta - a pristine wilderness that is home to a huge diversity of wildlife. Extending for more than 16,000 square kilometres across northern Botswana, this watery wonderland is surrounded by the grasslands of the Kalahari Desert - making its presence all Tthe more remarkable. With the passage of the seasons, the delta offers an ever-changing panoply of scenery and wildlife experiences. As its emerald waters thread through the arid landscape it offers succour to the region’s people and animals, providing huge contrasts in landscapes and culture. In its meandering journey of more than 1,600 kilometres, the complex Okavango system is fed by two principal tributaries that have their origins in Angola. The western most of these, the Cubango, floods after the summer rains trigger a heavy flow towards the south, flooding vast areas between May and September and forms a natural border with Namibia. The eastern arm, the Cuito, flows in a more leisurely fashion, ensuring a year-round supply of water that underpins the livelihoods of many local inhabitants, before flowing into the Cubango at an intersection of the Caprivi Game Park and Bwabwata National Park. United as one, they flow into Botswana, giving birth to the Okavango River. The initial narrow section that constrains the wide meandering main flow is the panhandle, which is crucial in regulating the direction of the spreading channels whose waters fan out into a myriad of unique habitats. On reaching the delta, the floodwaters twist and turn to form a labyrinth of waterways, resulting in an almost triangular cone - known as the alluvial fan - dotted with thousands of tiny islets that rise above the water. As the rising water creeps along the channels of the delta, the parched earth is resuscitated and vegetation re-emerges vibrant and prolific, drawing a flood of life. The vegetation is lush, flocks of birds arrive at their annual nesting sites, and wildlife starts to arrive from the south in large numbers. There is plenty for all and mammals, birds and aquatic life flourish; the shimmering delta takes on the colours of sky-blue and emerald-green - seen from the air, the beauty is breath-taking. By the time the floodwaters finally reach Maun (‘the place of reeds’ in Setswana), its inhabitants have been waiting almost nine months - and their excitement is reflected by their by jubilant cries of “The water is coming!” Business comes to an almost complete standstill as people rush to the riverbanks and wait expectantly for the advancing flow to cover the dry riverbed before their very eyes! Depending on where you are you will see everything from plains game such as impala, tsessebe, giraffe and to elephant and buffalo herds. Red lechwe, reedbuck, waterbuck and sitatunga are seen closer to the water, while predators include , leopard, spotted hyena and African wild dog. Crocodiles and hippo’s inhabit the waterways and, with a list of some 450 recorded species that includes the rare wattled crane and Pel’s fishing owl, the birding is spectacular. By October, barely three months since coming into full flood, the waters start to recede and the Kalahari regains the upper hand. Animals depart to seek refuge elsewhere; some, however, leave it too late and are left trapped - unable to make it through to next year’s time of plenty. At this time the landscape is littered in gruesome fashion with carcasses and skeletons. Catfish struggle as pools dry out into muddy wallows before disappearing altogether, and the land gasps for water. But the cycle will repeat, and when the rains return life-giving waters will once again breathe colour and motion into the Okavango Delta…

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 21 Self Discovery on the open road In the first of an ongoing series of articles featuring destinations suitable for a self-drive itinerary, director Nick Joynes explains why he feels that Namibia makes such a good choice for an African self-drive.

Land of Contrasts Driving into the ancient Namib Desert, exploring ephemeral rivers in search of desert elephant and finishing in Etosha National Park, this is Namibia at its very best; a wilderness destination of outstanding beauty at every turn. Tailor-made, Apr-Jan 18 days, from £3,945

Game Trails Self-Drive Take this classic self-drive around the country’s ‘northern circuit’ and enjoy some fantastic game-viewing and photographic opportunities at Okonjima (home of the Africat Foundation) and Etosha National Park, before immersing yourself in the landscapes. Tailor-made, Jan-Dec 14 days, from £2,995

t was the end of the day. I had spent the afternoon at And don’t be put off by the prospect of spending entire days at a the Desert Research Centre in Gobabeb, exploring the time sat behind the wheel. Etosha National Park may be several remarkable ‘end of the desert’ along the Kuiseb River, hundred kilometres north of Sossusvlei in the heart of the Namib, which forms a natural barrier to the great dunes of the but there’s plenty to see and do in between. Swakopmund’s Iancient Namib. coastal wildlife (flamingos, dolphins, seals and occasionally whales) and the multitude of cultural and scenic highlights in My chosen campsite was Mirabib - an inselberg that rises out of a Damaraland (Spitzkoppe and Twyfelfontein to name but two) beautiful, flat, grassy, desert plain, 50 kilometres from the dunes. make for fascinating stops and are just a couple of hours apart. My roof tent was popped, my mattress inflated and sleeping bag ready. The spit and crackle of the braai was easing into a satisfied By alternating between self-camping and lodges, you can hiss, and the sun was dying, generously sharing the very last draw upon the knowledge you acquire from local guides, when of its kindness with a golden glow. I was completely alone. No enjoying the more independent phases of your itinerary. For wonder Stanley Kubrick filmed Part I - The Dawn of Man of 2001: example, embarking on a local lodge’s desert-elephant tour into A Space Odyssey here; it’s an awesome place! the ephemeral rivers of the Palmwag conservancy, provides a fascinating experience before a self-drive safari in Etosha. The Self-driving in Africa is not something I’d necessarily recommend same is also true of taking a fly-in safari to one of the remote and for everyone, but Namibia is one of the very few places where it luxurious camps along the barren Skeleton Coast. really is worth it. In a land of incredible scenery - where unbroken landscapes stretch to the horizon - the yearning to explore is The diversity of this remarkable country offers much more than uncontrollable, and having the flexibility to detour can really just wildlife. A fly-in safari might be the ultimate way to experience enhance the sense of freedom that a Namibian self-drive affords. Namibia, but you won’t find a better self-drive destination on the continent.

22 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Self Discovery The Marsh Lions on the open road revisited With Brian Jackman and Jonathan Scott This unmissable group trip takes you to where the story was born, in the convivial company of Brian and Jonathan, as they revisit their former stamping ground, rekindle their special relationship with the Marsh Lions, and see how they have fared.

hen Jonathan Scott and I decided to collaborate on a book about lions we never dreamed it would become a wildlife classic. First published in 1982 The Marsh Lions is set in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve andW is a true story, following the lives of the Musiara Pride whose core territory is centred around an expanse of reed swamp between Governor’s Camp and the open plains.

The lions we knew then are long gone but the pride is still there and we have followed their fortunes ever since, together with the leopards, and other animals that would later achieve even greater fame as the wildlife superstars of the BBC’s hugely popular TV series with Jonathan as a regular presenter.

No wonder the Mara has been called one of the great natural wonders of the world. Not only does it offer unrivalled opportunities to observe all the big cats at close quarters, but every year from July to October it also stages the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth when it becomes the dry season refuge for the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration.

Although Jonathan and I have remained the best of friends and have travelled widely all over Africa ever since, this is the first safari we will have undertaken together for 30 years. Much has changed in the Mara in those intervening decades, but for both of us it will always be Africa’s finest big game stronghold. EXCLUSIVE The Marsh Lions Revisited Travelling with the authors, and being able to tap Planned to coincide with the peak of the migration season, this safari will into their special knowledge and personal experience, show you the best of it, with four days among the Marsh Lions at Little is guaranteed to provide profound insights into the Governor’s Camp and three days at Elephant Pepper Camp in the adjoining lives of this very special group of lions. Mara North Conservancy, which includes Leopard Gorge and is also renowned for its healthy lion population. You stay at two key locations in the Masai Mara ecosystem - both renowned for their comfort and facilities - at the time of the famed migration. Small group departure, 24 Sep 2015 Max group size: 16 Brian Jackman 10 days, from £6,495

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 23 WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features a choice of 16 countries and 80 locations throughout the world where you can view primates

Uganda & Rwanda Gorillas & Chimps Track mountain gorillas on the equator to observe these majestic and beautiful animals, and visit Kyambura Gorge to see in their natural habitat. Small group departures, Jun-Sep & Dec-Feb NEW Peru - Manu’s Jaguars & 14 days, from £6,695 Woolly Monkeys

Madagascar Lemurs Aid conservation by helping to assess the impact of human behaviour on the Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean, is jaguar population and collecting data home to a unique range of bizarre on forest regeneration in the habitat of endemic species, including its most the woolly monkey in Manu Biosphere distinctive residents - the many Reserve. varieties of lemur. Small group departure, Jul & Sep Tailor-made, Jan-Dec 17 days, from £4,195 15 days, from £4,095 Borneo - Sabah & Sarawak Costa Rica - Pacific Coast Journey Adventure Discover the natural wonders of Costa Head into the interior of Borneo and Rica’s cordillera and Pacific coastline, explore the remote rivers and dense and come face to face with white- jungles of Sabah and Sarawak in faced and capuchin monkeys and the search of orangutan and wonderfully charismatic two-toed sloth. weird proboscis monkeys. Tailor-made, Jan-Dec Tailor-made, Jan-Dec 13 days, from £2,745 15 days, from £3,095

24 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Monkey Business Primates of the World Our fascination with primates is easy to understand. After all, these creatures are the most closely related to us, homo sapiens, of all the animal kingdom, and in them we see something of our recent evolutionary past.

Gorillas - Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo Found throughout tropical Central and South America, howlers These ground-dwelling, herbivorous apes inhabit the tropical are the biggest of the New World monkeys. You can hear the cloud forests of central Africa that clad the Virunga Volcanoes distinctive call of the males at dawn or dusk, when it may carry along the border between Uganda and Rwanda in Parc National for several kilometres. Unlike Old World monkeys, they have a des Volcans or Bwindi National Park. Their DNA is highly similar prehensile tail they can use as an extra arm – particularly useful to ours, making them our next-closest living relatives after if, like them, you prefer to remain high in the canopy. chimpanzees, so few experiences are as powerful as sitting face- to-face with the largest primate of all – a giant male silverback. Woolly monkeys - Peru The four species of woolly monkey originate from the rainforests A team of guides and trackers locates one of the habituated in the northern part of South America. Like other New World groups in the dense undergrowth at altitudes of between 2,200 monkeys, they have a long, thick, prehensile tail capable of an d 4,300 metres. The gorillas have the run of the mountains supporting their body. Although they live in social groups 10 to 45 so, as you might imagine, on occasion this can take some time. strong, you might observe smaller groups of two to six individuals Once the gorillas have been found, your group of eight people heading out to forage together - each one headed by an alpha is allowed to approach for a pre-determined period to sit quietly male. with them, watching them go about their business. Although it is now considered endangered (IUCN status), Lemurs - Madagascar Geoffroy’s woolly monkey, the species you can study in Manu These fascinating primates are endemic to the world’s fourth Biosphere Reserve, is still hunted by indigenous people for food largest island (not including the continent of Australia), lying off and also the illegal pet trade. the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Since arriving there more than 60 million years ago on mats of vegetation borne by Orang-utan and proboscis monkey - Borneo ocean currents, lemurs have lived in isolation and evolved to cope In the language of Malaysia and Indonesia orang-utan means with the highly variable climatic conditions. ‘person of the forest’ and today you can see these highly intelligent, long-haired primates – close relatives of humans – Nowadays nearly 100 species – ranging from tiny mouse lemurs only in the jungles of island Borneo and Sumatra. They forage by to indris, the largest of all – are scattered throughout the island’s day, mainly for fruit and leaves, sleeping in nests made from leafy forested national parks. Many have only been discovered (or branches and using large leaves as umbrellas to shelter from rain. at least given full taxonomic status) since the 1990s. They Males in particular are generally solitary – you can hear their call take their name, from the lemures (ghosts or spirits) of Roman up to two kilometres away, which helps them stay out of each mythology, although this was first applied to the slender loris due other’s way. Mothers, however, remain with their young for some to its nocturnal habits and slow movements, and only later to six or seven years until they develop the skills to survive alone. Madagascar’s endemic primates. The endangered proboscis monkey survives only in Borneo – for Howler monkey and white-faced capuchin example along the banks of the Kinabatangang River – where it monkey - Costa Rica is protected. Only males develop the distinctive, fleshy, pendulous Four species of monkey are native to Costa Rica: white-faced nose that gives them their name and serves to impress females capuchin, mantled howler, Central American squirrel monkey and and attract a mate – with proboscis monkeys size really does Geoffroy’s spider monkey. Corcovado National Park, on the Osa matter! They are prolific swimmers, frequently leaping from trees Peninsula, is the only place where you can see all four together. into the water with an inelegant but comical belly-flop. The medium-sized, white-faced capuchin, is native to Central America and the extreme north-west of South America. Named after the white cowls of Capuchin friars, they are intelligent and one of the best known of all monkeys.

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 25 Australia’s Nature Coast

Wildlife consultant Isabel Ashworth has recently returned from Queensland, Australia where she experienced a superb (and surprising) diversity of wildlife.

ueensland’s Sunshine Coast is full of surprises, gateway to Fraser Island. Accessible by ferry and navigable by but perhaps none more so than its incredible 4-wheel drive, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world’s diversity of flora and fauna. Most people are quick largest sand island and is recognised for its exceptional natural to point out the world-famous beaches, but the beauty. 250 kilometres of sandy beaches stretch as far as the eye immense variety of natural wonder astounds both locals and can see and spectacular dune blow-outs - the dunes are constantly visitors alike. Just a few kilometres from the busy coastal on the move in the prevailing winds - feature alongside ethereal towns, you’ll discover nature is bursting with colour, intricate rainforest. Wallum heathland, towering eucalypt forest, inviting azure textures and evocative sounds and smells. and emerald-coloured freshwater lakes, and mangrove swamps all contribute to this wonderful mosaic landscape. Australia’s Nature Coast makes up part of the Queensland coast from the Sunshine Coast, through to Fraser Island and also incorporates One of Fraser Island’s most famous inhabitants is the dingo. Similar the magnificent Lady Elliot Island. to a domestic dog in appearance, it is in fact more closely related to the Asian wolf. Those found on Fraser Island are believed to be Around 90 minutes drive north of Brisbane, the Blackall Range is some of the most genetically pure in Australia. The island is home host to some of the most dramatic terrain in Queensland, where you to another 47 species of mammal, many of which are nocturnal - can enjoy spectacular views of the Glass House Mountains and lush these include swamp wallaby, small-eared mountain possum and valleys to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is also home the delightful sugar glider (a marsupial possum). The wide range to Kondalilla National Park, where you can stroll amongst verdant of habitats provides for more than 350 species of birds. Dolphins, rainforest, tall eucalypt trees, cascading waterfalls, deep gorges and dugongs, stingrays and turtles are regularly sighted off the island’s boulder-strewn creeks. There is plenty of bird life to enjoy including, shores, and from July to November migrating humpback whales among others, a variety of honeyeaters, cockatoos and parrots. Listen frequent the surrounding waters. for the distinctive call of the eastern whipbird and enjoy watching peregrine falcons soaring below the cliff-tops. Closer to the ground, Kingfisher Bay Resort is the perfect base from which to explore the keep your eyes peeled for echidna, goannas and frogs. island and a whole range of activities enable you to explore on foot, by kayak, 4-wheel drive vehicle, and even from the air. Narrow’s Escape Rainforest Retreat is the perfect hideaway from which to explore the whole area. Set against a backdrop of Another gem of the area is Lady Elliot Island - the southern-most subtropical rainforest, the six luxurious cottages complete with large island in the Great Barrier Reef. Here you can snorkel with manta private verandahs allow you to immerse yourself in nature. Awake rays which inhabit the waters year round. Turtles nest on the island to the delightful dawn chorus and relax in a hammock while king between November and March, whalesharks and humpback whales parrots chatter on a nearby feeder. Frequent night-time visitors visit, and it is a paradise for birders. include ring-tailed possum and sugar glider. Australia’s Nature Coast really is full of surprises - but don’t just Three hours easy drive further north you reach Hervey Bay, the take my word for it, go and find out for yourself…!

26 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features suggested itineraries and locations in Australia that we can use to tailor-make your wildlife holiday.

NEW Australia’s Nature Coast Visit Fraser Island, home to dingos, humpbacks and over 40,000 migratory birds. Get up close to the wallabies, possums and birdlife in the Kondalilla National Park and discover the rich marine biodiversity of Lady Elliot Island. Tailor-made, Aug-Oct 10 days, from £2,795

NEW Mantas of Lady Elliot Located in a protected zone of the Great Barrier Reef, this eco-resort is a sanctuary for marine life and top destination for manta ray encounters. Ideal for snorkellers and divers, this is a must for your Australian adventure. Tailor-made, Jun-Oct 8 days, from £1,095 (land only)

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 27 WE CREATE OUTSTANDING WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS

Our website features a choice of over 40 countries and 250 locations throughout the world that we can use to tailor-make your wildlife holiday

“Amanda organised everything excellently. Our naturalist Rachid - is one of the best we have ever found - seven game drives - six tiger sightings. Brilliant holiday! Some really unique tiger sightings! Congratulations and thanks to Wildlife Worldwide from us both!” Mr and Mrs Brown travelled to - April 2014

India - Tiger, Tiger Our most popular tailor-made itinerary in the subcontinent visits India’s finest national parks and offers the best opportunity to see tigers. Tailor-made, Nov-May 16 days, from £3,445

Sri Lanka - Elephants, Blue Whales & Leopards This superb wildlife itinerary takes you to see Sri Lanka’s big three; elephant in Udawalawe National Park, leopard in Yala National Park, and blue whales off the coast of Mirissa. Tailor-made, Nov-Apr 10 days, from £2,195

Nepal - Nepal Wildlife This two-week itinerary visits a trio of national parks in the low-lying Terai region, along the border with India, for a chance to see Bengal tiger, one- horned rhino and elephant. Tailor-made, Oct-May 13 days, from £3,145

28 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Predators Of Asia Predator (prɜdǝtǝ) noun 1. Zoology: any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms; an animal that lives by …

Continuing our series of articles describing predators of the world, started in our previous brochure in August, we move away from the Americas and focus on the most renowned big cats that can be found on the Indian sub continent.

redators catch and kill other animals for food, using As in Africa, these lions live in prides, though smaller with just two all sorts of different techniques to maximise their adult females. Male coalitions defend a home range with one or chance of catching prey, and balance the energy they more groups of females, only associating when mating or on a expend in catching it with the energy they gain from large kill – possibly due to the size of the most common prey: the Peating it. Some execute long chases and outrun their prey, chital, which weighs only around 50 kilos. while others ambush or even hunt in groups. Some construct elaborate traps and yet others have subtle mechanisms for Lions generally prefer larger, heavier prey and hunting as a group stunning or poisoning their victims. Predators fascinate us… enables them to take down large animals. Yet in Gir they generally take smaller ones, which reflects their opportunistic hunting Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) behaviour. Domestic cattle once formed a major component of The national animal of India - also found in Nepal and Bhutan – is their diet, but as villagers have removed their livestock, most kills the most numerous tiger subspecies, however with a decreasing now occur in villages outside the sanctuary. total population of fewer than 2,500 individuals the official IUCN status of the Bengal tiger is Endangered. Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) Although this subspecies has been classified as Near Threatened The basic social unit for tigers is mother plus offspring, by IUCN since 2008, its status may be downgraded to Vulnerable otherwise adults are generally solitary, meeting only when as the population continues to decline, due to habitat loss, conditions – such as a plentiful supply of food – allow. Otherwise poaching for the illegal trade in skins and body parts, and they hunt individually in forest and tall grasslands, preferring persecution due to conflict with humans. large ungulates such as chital, sambar and gaur, although they sometimes take smaller prey and, due to human encroachment, In the Indian subcontinent they are widespread, their range domestic livestock. defined by topographical barriers: the Indus River in the west, the Himalayas in the north, and the lower Brahmaputra River Stalking its victim silently to get as close as possible, a tiger and Ganges Delta in the east. Within this area leopards are pounces and bites the animal’s throat, before dragging the found throughout India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and parts of carcass - sometimes several hundred metres - into cover to eat. Pakistan. This hunting method and the availability of prey results in ‘feast or famine’ feeding, and a tiger may consume as much as 40 kilos of In Sri Lanka, leopards live in tropical and dry-deciduous meat at a time. rainforest, temperate forest and even northern coniferous forest, and the island’s Yala National Park in particular is internationally Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) renowned for its healthy population. The rare Asiatic (a.k.a. Indian or Persian) lion was once found throughout Persia, Arabia and Baluchistan as well as India. In the Himalayas, leopards co-exist with snow leopards up to Nowadays, however, you can find it only in Sasan Gir National altitudes of 5,200 metres, otherwise they can be found with other Park in Gujarat state. This lion is listed as endangered, however predators such as Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, black bears and since it was protected the tiny population has shown steady sloth bears, or canids such as wolves, striped hyenas, wild dogs increase and now consists of more than 400 individuals – more and jackals, most of which are also widely spread and may kill a than double the all-time low of 1974. leopard cub given a chance.

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The grassy plains of East Africa The Carpathian Mountains Yellowstone National Park The vast acacia-dotted plains and I find it incredible that you can still see Remaining forever nostalgic for the magnificent Rift Valley of East Africa are bears (and if you are lucky, wolves!) in first place I travelled to alone, I’ll never truly timeless and, for me, the sheer Europe among the lofty peaks of the forget my first sight of American bison wealth of wildlife in the Serengeti and Carpathian Mountains, close to the grazing in Yellowstone. The thrill of the Masai Mara has no equal. Devoid timber-clad houses of villages that look seeing these huge, brown, shaggy, of human development to obstruct the as if they have come straight out of a snorting beasts evoked a time before annual cyclical march of millions of fairytale. Here, in spring and summer, Europeans arrived, when vast herds wildebeest, this is the setting for the you can watch bears forage in virgin roamed freely across North America’s ultimate classic safari; traditional tented forest, and in early spring go tracking prairies. Since then, wolves have been camps, Masai guides, outdoor dining lynx and wolves. And only a short successfully re-introduced, which and drifting off to sleep at the end of drive away is the extraordinary watery has brought predator/prey ratios back the day to the sounds of the African ecosystem of the Danube Delta - all into balance and Yellowstone is now night, while listening to lions roaring in this just three hours flying time from considered the best place in the world the darkness outside. the UK. to see them.

Tanzania - Spirit of the North Romania - Bears in the Carpathian USA - Yellowstone Ultimate Wolf & Mountains Wildlife Safari Take in all the major wildlife highlights and contrasting locations of northern This short trip over a long weekend Enjoy an unforgettable winter safari Tanzania on this classic safari including offers the possibility of spotting brown that tracks and observes wolves and Lake Manyara, the Serengeti plains, bears and other animals in Piatra other wildlife in the white and silent Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire Craiului National Park, in the Carpathian splendours of some of North Americas National Park. Mountains. greatest national parks. Tailor-made, Jan-Dec Tailor-made, Apr-Oct Small group departures, Jan-Feb 10 days, from £3,395 4 days, from £1,045 8 days, from £ 4,145

30 Over 23 years experience in designing the finest wildlife holidays Greatest wildlife Locations Continuing the series started in our autumn brochure, wildlife consultant Amanda DeSimone recommends some of her favourite locations and most memorable wildlife encounters

South Africa I was fortunate to live and work here, so can more traditional African wildlife. And, being honestly say that South Africa offers wildlife malaria-free and time-zone-friendly, it’s an ideal in some of the most beautiful landscapes destination for a family safari. I have experienced; the emerald hills of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, the spiky Drakensberg Zululand & Swaziland Self Drive range, the waterways of St Lucia’s wetlands KwaZulu Natal is a true South African gem and the massive Kruger National Park, all when it comes to wildlife, with a great mix of offer outstanding wildlife, birdlife, scenery and ‘first class’ reserves and breathtaking scenery. luxury. Even a self-drive along the Garden Route offers the opportunity to encounter meerkats, Tailor-made, Jan-Dec penguins, whales and sharks, as well as the 11 days, from £3,495

India I discovered India late - after a six year love lion, wild asses and the immensely rich birdlife affair with the African continent - and although provide many other highlights for wildlife lovers. it offers an experience very different to an African safari, I have always found it every bit India’s Big Five as rewarding. Here, you can see the landscapes See all five of India’s big mammal species in and animals immortalised in Kipling’s Jungle three beautiful and contrasting national parks, Book while staying in luxurious lodges, camps Sasan Gir, Kanha and Kaziranga. and palaces that hark back to the days of the Raj. But of course, the big draw is what many Tailor-made, Nov-Mar consider to be the most beautiful big cat of 15 days, from £3,695 all - the magnificent tiger - although Asiatic

[email protected] 01962 302 055 wildlifeworldwide.com 31 AN EXCLUSIVE SAFARI TO KENYA’S MASAI MARA Join author Brian Jackman & Big Cat Diary presenter Jonathan Scott

The Marsh Lions Revisited Small group departure, 24 Sep 2015 10 days, from £6,495 (See page 23 for further details)

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