Next Level Safari: Extreme Tours With Wild Animals

• Reindeer in Russia

  
  via NPR

  Ever fantasized about making that childhood dream come true and hanging out with Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer? Well these ones don't have glowing red noses and can't fly (as far as we know), but they are reindeer. The indigenous Nenets people who live in northern Russia, have been reindeer herders for time immemorial and live lives inseparable from reindeer, using them as transport, food and goods for trading. 

  If you're keen on sleeping in a yurt on an arctic tundra, being pulled along (fast) by reindeer in a sled, fishing, hiking and living with the Nenets, you can do it! There's a bunch of different tours you can do, ranging from a few days to weeks. Just make sure you have a warm enough coat for those -58 degreed Fahrenheit temperatures!

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• Elephants in Gabon

  
  via New Travelist

  We've all done elephant rides in Bali, but have you ever seen a wild, untamed African elephant in the depths of the African jungle - without crowds of photo-snapping tourists? If you crave a *real* experience with the magestic elephant and other jungle animals like the chimpanzee and gorilla, this tour is for you. Set in Ivindo National Park in Gabon, a country on the Atlantic coast of central Africa, a tour here will take you packrafting, hiking and camping in the deep jungle. These kind of tours eco-friendly, meaning that it's a human powered adventure reserved for the fit. Adventurers must reserve a tour with travel agents in Libreville before setting off into the jungle.
  

• Fossa in Madagascar

  
  via MNN

  Before the movie Madagascar came out, I'm sure most of us weren't aware that lemurs had a predator, but we all remember the wide-eyed lemurs running for safety as the fossas entered their territory. Fortunately, humans are a bit larger than lemurs and don't need to be afraid of fossas (although I wouldn't advise getting too friendly with one either). If you like the sound of spending eight days in the Madagascan jungle searching for lemurs and fossas, this Madagascan safari is exactly what the doctor ordered.
  

• Gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo

  
  via Never Ending Footsteps

  I have always wanted to meet a gorilla. The animals are intelligent, empathetic and gentle, not to mention they're our closest ancestors in the animal kingdom. If you feel the same as me, the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo is a World Heritage site and has one of the last groups of eastern lowland gorillas. Travellers can experience the magic of meeting a gorilla in person, there are a few tours that go through this national park as well as other destinations in Central Africa.
  

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• Polar bears in the Arctic

  
  via Brittanica

  Polar bears are only found in the Arctic Circle, so if you want to keep away from zoos, this is the only place you'll be able to see them in their natural habitat - along with other animals like seals, walruses, reindeer and the elusive beluga whale. If this magical white land has always called to you (and you don't mind the cold), an Arctic expidition could be exactly what you've been looking for. Hop on a ship and prepare to live like the early explorers of the modern world (with a few creature comforts they didn't have). This kind of tour is not for the light hearted, and if you change your mind half way through, there aren't any buses you can catch home (unless you count reindeer sleds).
  

• Penguins in Antarctica and South Georgia and Falkland islands

  
  via Oceanwide Expiditions

  Contrary to what seems right, penguins aren't found in the Arctic along with polar bears. They are found on the other end of the earth, in the Antarctic, and other places like South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. If you fancy standing in a colony of friendly king penguins with their beautiful yellow markings, a little boat trip could be exactly what you need to see how penguins really live (outside the zoos).
  

• Snow leopard in India

  
  via Phys

  The snow leopard is one of the most elusive animals on earth. Only a handful of people can claim to have seen the Ghost of the Himalaya. If you have a secret desire to become one of the few people to witness the beauty of a snow leopard with your own eyes, a trip through Ladakh in India could be your ticket to joining the exclusive club of those who have seen snow leopards.
  

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• Giant panda in China

  
  via Fact Animal

  Although they live in zoos all around the world, giant pandas only live in the wild in one place: China. If you want to see these bamboo-munching teddy bears (well, not really bears) in their last natural habitat, head into the Minshan Mountains of Sichuan, a WWF protected area. This tour will take you to a place that few travellers have been to - so you don't have to worry about any crowds. Only crowds of pandas.
  

• Whale sharks in Dijbouti

  
  via www.bbc.com

  Does your sense of adventure call you to the most wild place on earth, the ocean? Perhaps swimming with whale sharks, which have mouths up to 4 feet wide and lengths up to 46 feet, will get your adrenaline pumping. And don't worry, these guys only like to eat plankton, so no matter what size you are, you should be safe. The Bay of Ghoubbet, west of Djibouti, is one of the best places in the world to swim with these gentle giants, as well as other sea creatures like manta rays, dolphins, sharks and whales. The Sheraton Dijbouti has tours that will get you up and close with these beautiful creatures.
  

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