DESTINATIONS TOURING & ADVENTURE | WINTER
LIKE THIS? SAFARI IN KENYA
Kenyan safaris are best between June and October, when you can guarantee dry, cloud-free days perfect for early-morning game drives and when wildlife gathers around the waterholes. It’s also time for the much-anticipated Great Migration, when huge herds of wildebeest make their annual transit from the Serengeti to the vast Masai Mara.
TIGER-SPOTTING IN INDIA
WHAT TO EXPECT: Ranthambore National Park is a true success story for wildlife conservation. In 1972, there were fewer than 2,000 Bengal tigers across India, with hunting and habitat loss the prime reasons for their decline. Then came Project Tiger and Ranthambore was one of several reserves established to give these impressive animals a safe place to roam. Now, there are 88 tigers prowling its forests (a sixfold increase in just 50 years) offering an alternative safari experience from the open plains of Africa. WHY GO IN WINTER: To avoid the hot, humid summer months – and the risk of monsoon rains washing out the paths of the national park – visit between November and April, when the temperatures are at their most pleasant. Keep an eye out for more than 300 bird species, including wild peacocks and painted storks, along with sambar (a type of antelope), wild boars, sloths and leopards. BOOK IT: Riviera Travel’s 2025 programme includes a new 11-day tour, The Heart of India aboard the Deccan Odyssey, which takes in the sights of the Golden Triangle along with small-group game drives in Ranthambore and a luxury train journey, from £5,999 in January 2025 including flights, transfers, accommodation and most meals.
rivieratravel.co.uk
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WHALE WATCHING IN CANADA
From milky-white belugas in the waters of the St Lawrence and the polar bear playground of Churchill, to the summer migration of gray, minke, blue and humpback whales off the shores of Vancouver Island, Canada is a whale watcher’s paradise. Look out, too, for endemic species including white spirit bears in Great Bear Rainforest, BC, and narwhals off the coast of Nunavut.
INDIGENOUS SPECIES IN AUSTRALIA
WHAT TO EXPECT: Few countries do native wildlife better than Australia – from cute-as-a-button quokkas on Rottnest Island to fearsome Tasmanian devils, via kangaroos, emus and even the elusive cassowary, it’s perfect for wildlife-filled adventures. Go in search of little penguins on Phillip Island, see kangaroos bounding through the outback at Alice Springs, watch marine life flit through the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and along the way, learn the significance of these indigenous species to Aboriginal peoples. WHY GO IN WINTER: While the northern hemisphere shivers, our Antipodean counterparts are basking in sunshine. For tours that cover a lot of ground – from the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland to the southern shores of Victoria – these months offer the best combination of climates. BOOK IT: Scenic has added a 23-day tour this year, Very Best of Australia & New Zealand, which goes from Melbourne to Auckland via Alice Springs, Cairns, Sydney, Queenstown and Rotorua, from £8,895 per person (excluding flights).
scenic.co.uk
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4 JANUARY 2024
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Richard Brian Hart, Doptis, Gudkov Andrey, Ondrej Prosicky
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