6 Tourist Destinations With Impressive Wildlife

Guest post by Diana Smith

Wild animals are truly majestic creatures. However, they are majestic only when they are free and allowed to live their lives in their natural habitat. The best way to witness their majesty is to visit them in their homes. You will be rewarded with a truly amazing experience and a holiday you will remember for the rest of your life. So, let us take a look at some of the best holiday destinations that will allow you to marry your love for animals and your love for traveling.

Germany
Let us start with one of the less obvious choices. Why? Well, when we are talking about wild animals, Europe and its amazing wildlife usually end up being pushed into the background. It is time to right these wrongs and head to Germany. Here, you will get an opportunity to visit romantic landscapes of Franconia (area between Main and Danube) and meet Germany’s lush fauna that includes wild boars, deer, polecats, and buzzards face to face.

Poland
We’ll stay in the neighborhood for a while and use the opportunity to visit Poland, the country that shares many similarities with Germany (at least in regards to its animal life), but features one major difference – bison. Yes, although they are usually associated with regions across the Atlantic, Europe had, at some a point, a very rich bison life, and the last few of them are still freely roaming Bialowieza Forest. But the bison is not the only animal that makes this European country special. Narew Marshlands (a.k.a. Polish Amazon) are home to elk, beaver, otter, and martens.

Chile
Heading out to South America and Torres del Paine national park located in Chilean Patagonia. The place of soaring pinnacles, vast blue lakes, and white glaciers, Torres del Paine also hosts one of the most beautiful cats in existence – the puma. Other inhabitants of this stunning national park include emu-like rhea, guanacos, and enormous condors, so you will have your hands full trying to catch all these amazing animals on camera.

Rwanda
Rwanda is a country haunted by a very tragic past. Rwandan mountain gorillas share the same tragic background. With no more than 700 gorillas alive, these peaceful vegetarians are one of the most endangered species of today and getting an opportunity to meet them in person is a life-changing experience. If you ever wanted to pay a visit to Africa, don’t miss a chance to stop by Rwanda, go to Virunga Mountains, and try out gorilla tracking. You won’t regret it.

South Africa
On the other hand, if misty jungles are not the first thing that pops to your mind when thinking about wild Africa and you prefer sun-bathed savannas, you should most definitely book a ticket to South Africa. Here, you will get a chance to meet the Africa’s big five (elephant, buffalo, lion, black rhino, and leopard). Or you can just take out your wildlife camera and try to capture the amazing African sunset. This continent and this country have to offer something for anyone.

India
Given the fact that India is such a vivid country full of diversity it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that its animal life reflects this colorfulness. And truly, India is inhabited by rhinos, elusive snow leopards, buffalos, monkeys, wolves, and the list goes on and on. Still, the main star here is definitely the beautiful Bengal tiger. Going face to face with Shere Khan maybe doesn’t sound like fun, but believe us, it is.

These are some of the most interesting tourist destinations you should visit if you are interested in wildlife and nature in general. Maybe the understanding of the fact that we’re not alone in this world and that we are only a part of a much bigger picture is just what we need to fall in love with life again, and make our own lives better as a result.

All photos in this post were selected by Diana Smith and are licensed under creativecommons. Diana Smith is a full-time mom of two beautiful girls and a big travel lover. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new and exciting destinations with her family. Be sure to follow her on Twitter and Google Plus.