A New Way To Meet Animals: Airbnb Launches "Animal Experiences" As a Fun Travel Subcategory

Life's better with animals—and now there's a new way to meet them!

In an effort to offer consumers a more complete travel experience, Airbnb has expanded its Airbnb Experiences platform to include a new subcategory called 'Airbnb Animal Experiences.' Just as the name suggests, these are immersive travel experiences that involve all types of animals.

Airbnb Animal Experiences is a new branch of the Airbnb platform that lets travelers choose from more than 1,000 different animal-oriented experiences. The experiences are hosted in locations around the world and feature all different kinds of animals.

Airbnb sets a new standard for animal tourism - All of the experiences were created with the animal's welfare in mind according to a new animal welfare policy created in collaboration with World Animal Protection. As Airbnb explains: "Airbnb Animal Experiences are hosted by caring experts as an antidote to typical tourist attractions that are notorious for ethical concerns. You will never find an Airbnb Experience where you can kiss a dolphin or ride an elephant."

Here are some exotic examples from their website.

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01
Bears in the Wild Brasov (Brasov, Romania)

via airbnb

Watch these hibernation experts in their natural habitat from an observatory - "The visit is taking place in the wild in a remote forestland area. We will be waiting for bears to pup up at any time in the opening in the evening from inside a specially design observatory. The guide is a forester and the bears are wild. You are out of a telephone signal. The guide will be focused on the trail, sometimes communicating by a gesture or using short words or transmitting behavior restrictions to assure success of the visit. Silence is crucial once inside the observatory. Bear Watching is a waiting game.
02
Horse Whispering with an Equine Therapist (Barcelona, Spain)

via Airbnb

Learn to understand horses and discover the message behind the whispering - "This activity is every animal lover's dream and a very unexpected experience. You will have a memorable horse experience with your beloved ones or on your own. Upon arrival at the stables, I will introduce you to our horses and show you how to approach them with respect and trust. Then, you'll go to the arena and I will give you tips to develop a collaborative relationship with the horse we are connecting with.
03
The African Penguin Walk (Cape Town, South Africa)

via Airbnb

Visit secret spaces to learn about Cape Town's best dressed birds- "Over the space of an easy, 2 hour-walk across beach, tarred road and wooded boardwalk, we will go "behind the scenes" and into secret spaces seldom seen by others as we discover these amazing birds at all different stages of their lifecycle"
04
A spooky London bat walk after dark (London, UK)

via Airbnb

Wander the city at night and discover the wonder of nocturnal wildlife- "As dusk falls, mysterious creatures emerge from under bridges and out of old trees to hunt. Surrounded by myth and misconceptions, bats are a truly unique group of animals and much misunderstood. The focus will be on learning all about bats and their unique biology, why they are so important as ecological 'keystone species', how they navigate in the dark and how each species is highly adapted to its way of life.
05
Discover the arctic foxes (Súðavík, Iceland)

via airbnb

Follow these four-legged creatures in their natural habitat - "We will begin by studying the mores, habitats, visions of the polar fox by walking towards our places of observation. We will be two groups, observers and photographers. Observers will have the privilege of seeing everything from a distance and they will warn photographers who will hide to try to take the most beautiful shots of polar foxes. On the way back, we will enjoy a wonderful hike with the opportunity to see seals, eagles, whales and Gyfalcons."