Looking to get away from the dark days of winter in the new year? There are some great value safaris to be found in Namibia in early 2012. Namibia is one of our favourite destinations, terrific scenery, more wildlife than you ever expect and some great lodges and camps. It is the green season too so the deserts may be blooming. You can enjoy the adventure either by self drive or by flying around the country. Both are excellent ways to enjoy a safari holiday exploring this beautiful country. For more details contact us.

We now have uploaded our images of nature taken during a research trip to Finland in September to our Facebook page. Next year we are planning to run some wildlife holidays to this area of northeastern Finland where bears and wolves can be found on the Russian border. The wildlife watching takes place from comfortable hides in wilderness locations. For more information on a European wildlife holiday do contact us.

Wildlife & Wilderness will soon be bringing a range of European wildlife holidays to the website as a recognised tourism partner of PAN Parks. PAN Parks is a Europe-wide organisation committed to saving the best wilderness areas of the continent. It is doing this through a sustainable tourism programme. As we fully support this initiative are introducing a range of wildlife trips in some of these specific areas soon. In the meantime if you wish to learn more click here.

PanParks is a European NGO that was founded by the WWF to protect the remaining wilderness areas of Europe. Many of these core areas are to be found in national parks from northern Finland to Portugal, Italy and Eastern Europe. They protect important large mammal species such as bear, wolf and lynx as well as much other flora and fauna and it is likely that you will be hearing much more about them in the coming year.

Wildlife & Wilderness director, Dr. Steve Banner, was invited out to the Central Balkans National Park in Bulgaria recently to help formulate the sustainable tourism model which will help provide much needed funds to help protect these important areas. The successful consultancy was carried out with other international tour operators and incoming agents who work in those countries currently with panparks protected areas.

In the coming months we will be introducing some exciting new programmes and each time you travel to one of these areas you can be sure that you are helping to protect the area you are visiting for future generations. For further information on panparks visit http://www.panparks.org/ or contact Steve at Wildlife & Wilderness.

Recent news is that some of the beavers released in Scotland have built their first lodge. Perhaps nothing special until you consider that the last beavers in the UK were present up until around 400 years ago. The current lodge, which cannot be visited by the public, demonstrates that they have settled in to their new environment and are ready to overwinter. If you wish to see beavers in the wild then it is possible in several countries to which we operate. Of course Canada springs to mind but closer populations can be seen on wildlife holidays in Finland, particularly in the northeast where bear, wolverine and elk also feature. Our Poland holidays also reveal good populations around the Bieszccady Mountains where bison, bear, wolf and lynx are also inhabitants and the Biebrza wetlands which is a great area for viewing elk, the king of the marshes.

As the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 is announced with an Iberian Wolf jumping a gate into a field under moonlight in search of food, we have clients in Poland tracking wolves in the Bieszczady Mountains. This area is often very productive for those interested in finding Europe’s elusive carnivore. Recent snows in the mountains of Poland have meant that wolf tracking early in the season has been quite rewarding  this week. From a village base where wolves were last sighted 4 days ago daily tracking takes place with our professional guide and the knowledge of local researchers and forest workers. Bear trails and bison are also readily seen at this time of the year too. So if you want the excitement of tracking these magnificent large mammals consider taking a holiday in Poland with us soon.

Shortly we hope to launch Arctic safari holidays for general wildlife enthusiasts. However, professional wildlife phototgrapher, Andy Rouse, has just completed the first of 3 trips this summer with Wildlife & Wilderness leading small groups in search of polar bears and other Arctic wildlife around Spitsbergen and the Svalbard archipelago in the high Arctic. On board a small ice-strengthened vessel that can reach locations no other ship can get to ensured the group got some spectacular wildlife encounters both with polar bears, walrus and other wildlife. None of more usual larger ships offer this type of initmate experience but unfortunately all of Andy’s trips for this summer are fully booked, not suprising given that these are probably the best Arctic safari holidays you can find. Some of his initial stunning images can be seen at www.andyrouse.co.uk/blog.

Steve writes “Having been back from Australia for a week or so now it is possible to reflect on a superb trip and on some tremendouos wildlife encounters in northern Australia.” Besides the phenomenal birdlife in the Top End of Northern Territories we also encounted 5m long crocodiles, dingoes, possums and plenty of agile wallabies. Little corellas regularly came to camp in good numbers and over in Queensland we encountered many thousands of egrets coming to roost on the Daintree River of an evening. The rainforest experience here is quiet unlike anywhere else and is special for being so primeaval.

However, the highlight of the trip was the incredible encounters snorkelling with whale sharks on the beautiful Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. The myriad of fish here is magnificent and we also snorkelled with manta rays, sharks and encountered dugongs and turtles. For April through to July when the whale sharks are on Ningaloo Reef it is a world class destination for a wildlife holiday and tourism here is helping the research on these mystical leviathans of the oceans.
This has been an excellent grounding for launching our Australia holidays and we are busy designing some very interesting trips to Australia which we hope to launch soon and which will be completely unique.

100sqkm of wetlands and over 1 million magpie geese. The honking is incredible as you go amongst them in the early mornings and it must be one of the great experiences of an Australian safari holiday. Here in the Northern Territories of Australia this is the land of big skies, woolly butt and paperbark trees, where the wallabies are calm and the saltie crocs almost invisible in the waters. Other bird life is impressive here too from blue-winged kookaburras, red-tailed cockatoos to the brolgas and white-bellied sea eagles. Birdwatching in Australia could become addictive, indeed we spent a good while with sacred kingfishers and  bar-breasted honeyeaters feeding young at a nest of entwined gum leaves hanging over snow-flake lilies in the flooded woodlands. Considering outback holidays in Australia? Then ensure you continue to read as we explore the great diversity of this continent nation and be sure to talk with us on our return!

Steve has just heard that the numbers of whale sharks swimming on Ningaloo Reef this year are some of the highest on record so he is about to head off to find out what the excitement is about! Australia is often forgotten as a safari destination but the diversity of both habitats and of the wildlife should encourage any nature enthusiast to visit. And with an increasing number of wilderness camps it is now easier to experience. At this time of the year, May-June, it is the best time to be in the north in places like Kakadu which is Australia’s largest National Park, the rainforests of Queensland and of course on the pristine reef of Ningaloo in Western Australia where besides whale sharks and myriads of fish, dugong and manta rays can be seen. Other posts from Australia are likely to be forthcoming at the Waterhole here over the next few weeks and you can discuss a wildlife holiday or a safari through Australia with Steve on his return.