Winter/Spring | 2019

NEW: CHILE Mammals & Birds of Patagonia

BBC’S DYNASTIES See the stars of the show yourself

NEW: RAJA AMPAT CRUISE Birds-of-paradise

KATE HUMBLE IN BORNEO Deramakot Reserve

Welcome Festival of Wildlife We hope you enjoy our latest seasonal brochure which is packed with ideas to inspire your holidays for the year ahead. Spitsbergen 2020 If you’ve been enjoying the BBC’s Dynasties series, we have an article about how you can see these amazing Our specially chartered Festival of Wildlife: Spitsbergen 2020 animals for yourselves, as well as a special feature on wild dogs. In addition, we introduce eight new tours, cruise has been timed to maximise our chances of seeing polar including a mammal and bird trip to Chilean Patagonia, a cruise to Indonesia’s stunning Raja Ampat islands bears on the pack-ice, and in this article Team Member Chris Smith in search of birds-of-paradise, and a wild dog tour to describes the thrill of seeing a polar bear in its natural habitat. Botswana. If seeing polar bears is high on your travel wish-list then why not join our team of expert naturalists, expedition crew and photographers on our Festival of Wildlife to ur ship sliced through pinnipeds, allowing us fantastic Spitsbergen in 2020 aboard the specially chartered Ocean Adventurer, and timed to maximise our chances of the calm, inky black opportunities for photography. seeing polar bears on the pack-ice. waters of the ocean. Walruses really are mighty creatures: It was early morning, full-grown males can weigh more than We also have articles about our range of dedicated Oand yet it was broad daylight as we two tonnes and their tusks can reach wildlife photography tours – to Peru’s Manu Reserve as sailed high above the Arctic Circle more than a metre in length. well as many other destinations, along with the results of in midsummer. This was the closest our annual Wildlife Photography Competition. to the North Pole I had ever been. We returned to the ship after what we Finally, we’re delighted to welcome naturalist and popular We were sailing north from the tip thought was the end of an exhilarating Tour Leader Nick Acheson to our team, and in this issue of Spitsbergen. Another, smaller morning of wildlife watching in the Nick reveals a few of his travel and wildlife secrets. island of the Svalbard Archipelago Arctic wilderness. However, no sooner appeared as a faint speck on had we sat down to lunch, there was a Wishing you happy travels in 2019 and beyond. the horizon. Slowly, the island message sent over the ship’s tannoy – became more distinct, and two ‘Polar bear spotted onshore’! We raced snow-capped peaks burst through straight back to our cabins to layer up the misty cloud that cloaked this again; the Zodiacs were relaunched Chris Breen, Founder isolated landmass. The peaks grew immediately. It was time to see the larger and larger as we approached, great wanderer of the Arctic. until we passed right between the Contents two towering mountains, imposing As before, we approached as stealthily Festival of Wildlife 2020: Spitsbergen 2/3 ‘guardians’ of this High Arctic as possible. A large female polar Finland’s Bears, Wolves & Wolverines 4/5 world. We dropped anchor in the bear grabbed our attention – she Raja Ampat: Coral, Birds & Paradise Islands 6/7 serene waters of a sheltered cove had been attracted to the beach by a China: Sichuan’s Mammals & Birds 8 behind these rock goliaths, the only walrus carcass. Having eaten her fill, Kate Humble: Borneo’s Deramakot Reserve 9 sounds those of waves breaking she made herself comfortable on the and bird calls echoing around the beach, lying down and surveying her Chile: Mammals & Birds of Patagonia 10/11 mountains. surroundings. This was our chance Jaguars of Brazil’s Pantanal 12/13 to get closer. Our excitement had Exploring Costa Rica 14/15 Focus on British Columbia 16/17 Scanning the beaches around our reached a whole different level and Festival of Wildlife: Spitsbergen 2020 ship we quickly spotted the