Dolphins, Loggerhead Turtles & Cory's Shearwater
Home to 28 cetacean species (sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins) and nesting colonies of 75% of the world's Cory’s shearwaters.
Best: Jun–Aug. Also good: Jan–May & Sep–Dec.
Peak seasonal windows for predator tracking, migration crossings, and rare fauna encounters.
Tracking wildlife in the wild demands exact timing: dry seasons that concentrate animals at waterholes in the Serengeti and Kruger, quiet winter months for Patagonian puma tracking, and precise nesting windows for sea turtles in Oaxaca and Riviera Nayarit.
Dolphins, Loggerhead Turtles & Cory's Shearwater
Home to 28 cetacean species (sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins) and nesting colonies of 75% of the world's Cory’s shearwaters.
Best: Jun–Aug. Also good: Jan–May & Sep–Dec.
Manta Rays, Sea Turtles, Monk Seals & Nene
Protected habitats for endangered Hawaiian monk seals, Hawaiian green sea turtles (honu), and endemic Nēnē geese in Volcanoes National Park.
Best: Year-round.
California Condors & Desert Fauna
Release sites for endangered California condors with 9.5-foot wingspans, desert bighorn sheep, and desert tortoises.
Best: Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct. Also good: Jan–Mar, Jul, Aug & Nov, Dec.
Jungle Patrol Wildlife Tracking
Critical refuge for Asian elephants, pileated gibbons, and clouded leopards protected by Wildlife Alliance forest rangers.
Best: Jan–Mar & Dec. Also good: Apr, May & Oct, Nov.
Husky & Reindeer Safaris
Working indigenous Sámi reindeer herds and long-distance husky dog sled teams traversing snowbound taiga forests.
Best: Jan–Mar & Dec. Also good: Apr & Nov.
Iceberg & Whale Tracking
Spring iceberg drift corridors along Iceberg Alley and summer feeding grounds for over 10,000 migrating humpback whales.
Best: May–Aug. Also good: Mar, Apr & Sep, Oct.
Highland Tortoise Tracking
Giant Galápagos tortoises weighing up to 500 lbs roaming the humid highlands of Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal.
Best: Jun–Nov. Also good: Jan–May & Dec.
Arctic Foxes, Seals & Midnight Sun Fauna
Native Arctic foxes in seasonal white/brown coats, harbour seal colonies on the Ytri Tunga coast, and Icelandic horses in highland pastures.
Best: Jun–Sep. Also good: Jan–May & Oct–Dec.
Rainforest Wildlife Tracking
Subtropical rainforest harboring South American coatis, giant anteaters, jaguars, and over 400 species of vibrant butterflies.
Best: May–Oct. Also good: Jan–Apr & Nov, Dec.
Native Wildlife Tracking
Native Australian wildlife sanctuary with wild koalas, Kangaroo Island kangaroos, tammar wallabies, and Australian sea lion colonies at Seal Bay.
Best: Jan–Mar & Oct–Dec. Also good: Apr–Sep.
Hawaiian Monk Seals, Sea Turtles & Nene
Endemic Hawaiian waterbirds in Hanalei Valley taro fields and Hawaiian monk seals hauling out on protected north shore beaches.
Best: Jun–Sep. Also good: Jan–May & Oct–Dec.
Desert-Adapted Wildlife Safaris
Rare desert-adapted wildlife including desert elephants, gemsbok (oryx), springbok, and black rhinos surviving in hyper-arid sand terrain.
Best: Apr–Oct. Also good: Jan–Mar & Nov, Dec.
Mazunte & Palmarito
Major olive ridley and leatherback sea turtle nesting sanctuaries with nocturnal egg-laying and hatchling releases at La Escobilla.
Best: Jul–Nov. Also good: Dec.
Jungle Wildlife Tracking
Lowland jungle corridor home to spider monkeys, coatis, agoutis, and nesting sea turtles along the Akumal and Xcacel beaches.
Best: Apr–May. Also good: Jan–Mar & Jun–Dec.
San Pancho & Punta Mita
Protected nesting beaches for olive ridley and green sea turtles with community-led evening release programs from July through November.
Best: Jul–Oct. Also good: Jun & Nov.
Channel Islands Wildlife
Channel Islands National Park sanctuary featuring endemic island foxes found nowhere else on earth, elephant seals, and sea lions.
Best: Apr–Oct. Also good: Jan–Mar & Nov, Dec.
Peregrine Falcons, Elk & Desert Fauna
High-desert riparian wildlife in Oak Creek Canyon including javelinas, Coues white-tailed deer, mule deer, and peregrine falcons.
Best: Apr–May & Sep–Oct. Also good: Jan–Mar, Jun–Aug & Nov, Dec.
Manta Ray & Dolphin Tracking
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at Hanifaru Bay hosting the world's largest seasonal aggregations of reef manta rays and whale sharks.
Best: May–Oct. Also good: Jan–Apr & Nov, Dec.
Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley & Grand Teton
North America’s premier megafauna corridor in Lamar Valley featuring gray wolf packs, bison herds, grizzly bears, and moose.
Best: May–Oct. Also good: Jan–Apr & Nov, Dec.
Sea Otters & Grey Whales
Thriving southern sea otter kelp beds in Garrapata and Point Lobos State Marine Reserves, plus migrating grey whales along the cliffs.
Best: Jan–Mar & Dec. Also good: Apr–Nov.
Grizzly Bears, Mountain Goats & Bighorn Sheep
Dense grizzly bear concentrations, mountain goats on sheer cirque cliffs, and bighorn sheep along Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Best: May–Sep. Also good: Jan–Apr & Oct–Dec.
Sea Eagles, Orcas, Puffins & Humpbacks
White-tailed sea eagle nesting cliffs in Trollfjord and offshore winter feeding pods of killer whales (orcas) in Vestfjorden.
Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Aug & Nov–Dec. Also good: Mar–May & Sep, Oct.
Pumas, Guanacos & Andean Condors
Top tracking destination for wild Patagonian pumas stalking guanaco herds across the steppe outside Torres del Paine National Park.
Best: May. Also good: Apr & Oct–Dec.
Chamois, Ibex, Golden Eagles & Marmots
Alpine chamois and alpine ibex inhabiting scree slopes above 6,500 feet, alongside golden eagles and alpine marmots in the Parco Naturale.
Best: Jul–Sep. Also good: Jun & Oct.
Bear & Whale Tracking
Coastal black bears foraging intertidal shorelines at low tide and resident killer whale (orca) pods in Clayoquot Sound.
Best: May–Sep. Also good: Mar, Apr & Oct.
Sloths, Monkeys, Caiman & Tapirs
Three monkey species (howler, spider, capuchin), two-toed sloths, and caimans concentrated around the Peñas Blancas river basin.
Best: Jan–Apr & Dec. Also good: May–Nov.
Corcovado
Holds 2.5% of the world’s entire biodiversity, with four monkey species, Baird’s tapirs, jaguars, and scarlet macaws.
Best: Jan–Apr. Also good: May–Aug & Nov, Dec.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking
Rare mountain gorilla trekking with strict 1-hour viewing permits with habituated gorilla families on the forested slopes of the Virungas.
Best: Jun–Sep. Also good: Jan–May & Oct–Dec.
Wildlife Tracking & Game Drives
Big Five game drives across private concessions with off-road tracking rights for leopards, lions, rhinos, and African wild dogs.
Best: Apr–Oct. Also good: Jan–Mar & Nov, Dec.
Plains Predator Game Drives
World-renowned predator concentrations with over 800 lions, cheetahs hunting in open savannah, and the Great Migration crossing the Mara River.
Best: Jun–Oct. Also good: Jan–May & Nov, Dec.
Endless Plains Game Drives
The 1.5-million-strong wildebeest and zebra Great Migration, massive lion prides, and leopards lounging in sausage trees across the endless plains.
Best: Jun–Oct. Also good: Jan–May & Nov, Dec.
The iconic Mara River crossings in Kenya’s Masai Mara and Northern Serengeti typically occur from late July through October, when over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebras navigate predator-filled waters.
The dry winter months from May to September offer the highest visibility as vegetation thins and animals congregate along permanent riverbeds and waterholes.
Sea turtles nest predominantly from May through September, with hatchling releases occurring throughout late summer and autumn (July through November).