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Bear watching vacations inspire memorable nature pictures.
Jeff Foott, Natural Habitat Adventures

Welcome to the Travel with a Challenge bird, nature and wildlife vacation showcase, a unique collection of the best in travel ecotourism. Just click on individual images or titles below to enter each richly-illustrated, educational and entertaining feature story.

This web magazine offers exciting articles on cultures and countries, cruise and train travel, nature and wildlife holidays, and active adventure vacations worldwide. Use the site navigation menu to explore other travel themes and destinations suitable for senior travelers, their families and friends.

Environmentalist, photographer and author, Uwe Skrzypczak, has written an inspiring, beautifully-illustrated and educational book to encourage African safari travelers (as well as all wildlife lovers) to elevate their photos from random vacation snapshots to outstanding images that capture the moment.

Join scuba diver and writer, Doug Olthof, for a whale (shark) of an experience as he discovers the variety and beauty of Thailand's reefs and rocks on a five-day liveaboard dive boat holiday full of delightful surprises. Even if you are not a diver, you won't want to miss these amazing images taken around the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock.

Move over Africa's "Big Five" for an introduction to New Zealand's own smallest and rarest species of birds, marine mammals and reptiles in the world. Read their unique stories of survival and you will surely want to see these comeback heroes for yourself with a trip to Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, as named by the indigenous Maori long before the European settlers arrived.

Join anthropologist and travel writer, Susan Stafford, as she explores the upper reaches of Peru's Amazon Basin. Abundant wildlife viewing, pink-toed tarantulas, colorful stinkbirds, and visits to isolated Amazon villages are all accomplished from a comfortable river boat custom-built for international visitors navigating in a challenging environment.

Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are one of the world’s best known destinations for unique wildlife. Find out which animals island visitors have selected as their Favorite Five in 2008 out of 29 types of land birds, 19 different sea birds and dozens of land and marine mammals, many rare or in danger of extinction.

Explore Scottish highland history and ancient archaeology, encounter nature up close, and learn about environmental challenges at Scotland's Aigas Field Centre, where hosts, Sir John Lister-Kaye and his wife, Lady Lucy, offer warm, personal hospitality to guests staying on their historic property.

In this illustrated profile of Trinidad and Tobago eminent bird photographer, author and conservationist, Roger Neckles, he shares with our readers his own powerful images of some of the islands most unique, colorful and exotic birds, and his personal observations about each species.

Distinguishing itself from other Caribbean destinations, Trinidad offers rural, natural area tourism, with local guides and hosts to showcase inaccessible regions for more adventurous visitors of all ages. Bat caves, rainforest swamps, waterfalls, river kayaking, hill hiking, and mountain bike trails are all on the menu!

Longing to visit somewhere that few will experience in their lifetimes? At Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of the Hawaiian Islands, you can now be a privileged guest for a week where rare and endangered sea birds, plants and marine wildlife make their homes. US military history is also a major part of this atoll’s intriguing story.

Our senior contributor, Keith Stelter, proves that California's venerable Yosemite National Park has plenty to offer the active nature explorer from horseback riding adventures in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to hiking through deep valley gorges and around spectacular waterfalls in this world-class destination.

 
Enjoy this fact-filled introduction to bears and bear watching vacations, including descriptions of operators who offer low impact, educational ecotours where bears are the star attractions. Then check the other two segments of this triple feature on bear watching vacations.

  
Join travel journalist, Alison Gardner, for an exploration of Kangaroo Island, one of Australia's lesser known ecotourism treasures, where rare animals, sea mammals and birds enjoy a spectacular geological frontier.

  
World-class photojournalist and marine mammal specialist, Jean-Pierre Sylvestre, shares his memorable encounters with whales, dolphins, walruses, seals, orcas, manatee and even a swimming polar bear in a natural environment where photography is always a challenge.

 
Shirley LaPlanche shares her encounters with nesting turtles and an abundance of other natural residents on a recent visit to this unique coral island ecosystem located on the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast.

Learn how researchers are identifying dozens of ways that African elephants communicate up close and over vast distances, and pick an educational safari to observe for yourself these fascinating giants in the wild.

 
Complementing our multi-faceted feature on Hawaii, Travel with a Challenge peaks through the lens of Hawaii's pre-eminent nature photographer, Jack Jeffrey, and shares his observations on the endangered and threatened wildlife of these islands he calls home.

 
Doreen Pendgracs learned to obey the "number one rule" on the south shore of Hudson Bay in the Churchill region of Northern Manitoba, Canada, where the primary attraction is the always fascinating polar bear.

Join adventure journalist, Peter Aiken, for a two-park South African safari that leaves the four-wheel drive vehicle parked back at the campsite while participants strike out on foot to track wildlife on its own terms.

Marine mammal lovers will find vacation heaven in the picturesque wilderness village of Telegraph Cove where days are spent respectfully tracking and learning about local whales, dolphins, sea lions and porpoises, and nights are spent sleeping with history.

  Naturalist and photographer, Jean-Pierre Sylvestre, encounters plenty of grizzly bears, killer whales and unexpected adventures when he visits British Columbia's remote Knight Inlet Lodge floating on the sea.

Check out our other theme pages, clustering richly-illustrated feature articles by travel theme or regional destination: Sleeping with History Accommodations, Multi-Generational Family Travel, European destinations, Hawaiian Islands, South Pacific destinations, Cruise and Train Travel, Volunteer vacations, Asia and India destinations, Mediterranean destinations, Wellness and Spiritual vacations.