For many people an African safari is the ultimate ecotour. Not all safaris are the same so it’s important to do some research about the types of animal encounters you can expect in different places.
Ecotourism is a broad category of tourism that focuses on natural environments and typically supports conservation efforts. If you think that sounds fairly dull or too academic, think again. Often ecotours seek sightings of specific wildlife, and sometimes they require travel to the most remote places on the planet. Some may mean roughing it in the bush, while others pamper you with Michelin-starred cuisine and luxurious accommodations. Some ecotours are open to large groups — cruises to Antarctica, for example — while others are exclusive to just a few people. Ecotours can be inexpensive day trips or very pricey and lengthy excursions — or anything in between. Whether it’s an African safari or a visit to the polar regions, one thing is for sure: ecotours are some of the most thrilling and memorable trips you’ll ever take. Here are 10 reasons to book one:
1) Animals roam free. It’s the opposite of visiting a zoo: you get to go in a secure place while observing animals in their natural habitat. On most African safaris, a few guests will be driven in open vehicles to different locations where animals could be. A tracker and ranger work together to locate the animals — they could be in many different places at any time — and part of the fun is finding them. Other ecotours may have you enter a “blind” which is a shed or similar structure that has been built into the natural environment to allow observation with minimal disturbance to the animals. Underwater dive trips typically put divers or snorkelers in open water with wildlife, or in some instances in a cage to safely observe sharks. On many trips, proximity to the animals is astonishingly close and photo opportunities are plentiful.
2) Avoid the crowds and selfie sticks. If you’ve been to Paris or New York in the last ten years you know there’s almost no such thing as low season. Tourists are everywhere, museum queues are endless, attractions are over-crowded, and Instagram is saturated with the same selfie a million times over. Ecotourism usually limits the human impact on a place by restricting the number of people who can visit. Sometimes this is achieved by a lottery, by limited spots, or by prohibitive cost.
For scuba divers ecotours are the most common type of trip. There are many options: day trips, week-long dive packages at resorts, and live-aboard boats (which are essentially dive cruises). Live-aboards have the advantage of being able to reach remote dive destinations.
3) It helps to keep animals alive. There’s a controversial cliche in the economics of ecotourism: “if it pays it stays” — the concept that wildlife is worth more alive than dead, and used to promote tourism over hunting or exploitation of animals. This has worked wonders in parts of the developing world where communities have shifted from an unsustainable extraction economy to a renewable one based on ecotourism (e.g. manta ray tourism in parts of southeast Asia). The problem with this of course, is that while many people will pay high sums to see “popular” animals such as lions and polar bears, almost no one will take a tour to see the endangered Greater Sage Grouse which is severely threatened by habitat loss. Will anyone really infuse cash into saving an ugly but important insect on a different continent? Unlikely. Nonetheless, every dollar supporting ecotourism helps the industry to grow while boosting the economic value of the animals and their environment. The hope is that as an environment becomes more valuable, all species within that environment will be protected and preserved.
4) You can meet interesting people. Ecotours are a great way to meet other people who share your passions for nature, travel, photography, or other interests. I speak from experience having met some incredible people from all over the world on various trips. Sometimes you can meet people in faraway places and discover you actually live near one another.
Seeing big animals often requires travel to remote areas. The brown bears of the Alaskan peninsula are some of the largest the world.
5) Disconnect and go off the grid. Ecotours sometimes require travel to very remote places. Some of these locations are beyond reach of cellular service or wifi — think remote mountainous regions, or excursions at sea. This is a great excuse to unplug and go offline. You’ll find the break from daily news, email, and social media refreshing.
6) You’ll have rare visibility into natural animal behavior very different from the myths and drama on television. While on safari I was surprised to learn that African lions, whom we think of as majestic predators, scavenge as often as they hunt; and that hyenas, whom we think of as scoundrels, actually hunt more often than they scavenge. Seeing animals in the wild often shatters the myths that popular culture has created around their personas. One word of warning: nature is not always pretty, especially when an animal is hunting its prey. Natural predations are sanitized on television to appear much quicker and cleaner than they actually are. In real life, a kill can be a lengthy and bloody affair.
Nature can sometimes be difficult to watch. In South Africa’s False Bay, early morning ecotours observe natural predations by great white sharks on seals.
7) Immersion in nature. Ecotours may take you to some of the last unspoiled areas on earth. Whether you are visiting the backcountry of Alaska or a local nature reserve, you will see places that are a little bit closer to prehistoric times without the encroachment of human civilization. There was a time when animals roamed the earth in abundance. Ecotours show you glimpses of that world.
8) Unique photo opportunities. Imagine yourself in places with the opportunity to capture photographs most people dream about. For nature photographers, ecotours provide access to capture images most people will only see on television or in magazines.
Ecotours need not be formally organized or expensive. A visit to a local wildlife refuge or nature preserve can provide excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. Talk to a ranger or local biologist for tips on when and where to visit. In New Mexico’s Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, winter is prime season to observe sandhill cranes and many other birds.
9) Memories for a lifetime. I cannot overstate how special it is to witness nature. You will never forget the first time you see your favorite animal in the wild. You’ll remember the sights, sounds, and smells, and possibly be surprised just how big — or small — that animal really is.
10) You become part of the conservation movement. I’m not suggesting that every visitor to an ecotour is automatically an activist, however, by participating in ecotourism you are voting with your dollars in support of conservation. By sharing your photographs and stories with others, you become an advocate — without necessarily being political — for animals and nature.
The short summer in “downeast” Maine is an opportunity for Atlantic Puffins to raise their chicks. Ecotours to Machias Seal Island — which is disputed land between the US and Canada — run daily from June into August.
A few more considerations, now that you’re convinced …
Remember that most ecotours are seasonal, though some run year-round. Many major ecotours require advance planning, sometimes a year or more ahead of the trip date. A week in the Serengeti or Galapagos almost certainly will be booked a year or more in advance. Most ecotours take a deposit to hold your spot and require payment in full before the trip date. Look closely at the cancellation policies and determine whether you can commit. Trip insurance is a must — consider it a protection of your investment.
Be wary of and avoid unnatural entertainment disguised as ecotourism. The most common example is the “conservation petting zoo” that allows you to pet or hold potentially dangerous animals such as tigers, lions, or wolves that have been habituated and sometimes drugged to permit interaction with people. Often these attractions will have baby animals as their big sellers (who wouldn’t love to cuddle a tiger cub or a wolf pup?) I won’t go into all the dark places these operations dwell but I can assure you the hidden side to these businesses is not pretty.
Before your trip, consider visiting a local zoo to practice your wildlife photography skills. Better to find out your shutter speed is too slow before your big trip.
Know that while some ecotours can be very expensive, there are opportunities for most budgets. If a two week safari is not feasible right now, a half-day whale-watching trip could be an option. Camping is an affordable way to visit many national parks and has the added advantage of being much closer to the attractions than many lodges and hotels.