Safari and Wildlife

View wildlife of Arctic Manitoba at the “Journey to Churchill,” a 10-acre permanent exhibit in the Assiniboine Park Zoo (2595 Roblin Blvd., Winnipeg, MB, Canada, R3P 2N7; 204/927-6000, www.assiniboineparkzoo.ca).

See Arctic foxes, caribou and musk oxen in the “Wapusk Lowlands,” watch seals and polar bears through underwater viewing windows in the “Gateway to the Arctic” and see northern lights projected onto a domed ceiling in the theater.

10 days, 9 nights, hiking, kayaking, bicycling in ECUADOR, May 7-16 & Nov. 5-14, 2016. Highlights: From Guayaquil, fly to San Cristobal/learn how to make ceviche/on Isabela Island, Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, active volcanoes, dine with farmer’s family/hike through lava fields and mangroves to Puerto Chino for swimming, snorkeling/kayak past Lobos Island to see birds, iguanas. Land, $5,195 ppdo (group of 4) or $7,295 (group of 2). Single supp., $575. Myths and Mountains (Incline Village, NV; 800/670-6984, www.mythsandmountains.com).

9-day, 8-night tour in Sabah area of northeastern Borneo, MALAYSIA. Highlights: Kota Kinabalu/mountain bike between jungle hamlets/Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary/boat on Pitas Lake/in Abai village, participate in tree-planting project/rainforest treks/Tabin Wildlife Reserve/Lipad waterfalls. Land, $1,650 ppdo. Single supp., $550. Backyard Travel (Level 18, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Rd., Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; phone +66 2 633 9074, www.backyardtravel.com).

Nearly 20 crocodiles can be seen up close in Hartley’s Lagoon, 40 minutes north of Cairns, at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures (Captain Cook Hwy., Wangetti Beach, Queensland 4879, Australia; phone +61 7 4055 3576, www.crocodileadventures.com).

Also, lizards and turtles can be seen on self-guided walks along with cassowaries and other tropical birds in a walk-through aviary. There is an interpretive educational center, and tours of the Crocodile Farm show how the sustainable commercial use of wildlife contributes to wildlife and habitat conservation. 

During the “Winter Nights” event at the Rigas Zoodarzs, or Riga Zoo (Meža prospekts 1, LV-1014, Riga, Latvia; phone +371 67518409, http://rigazoo.lv/public/index_en.html), visitors are free to wander around and observe many of the zoo’s more than 3,000 animals after normal operating hours, up until 9 p.m. 

9-day, 8-night private tour for 2-6 people in BOTSWANA. Highlights: From Kasane Airport to Chobe National Park, home to elephants, for game drives/Chobe River cruise/Savute area, home to leopards, hyenas/in Okavango Delta, bush walks, mokoro rides, catch-and-release fishing/Moremi Game Reserve. Depart from Maun. Land, $5,050 ppdo (Feb.-May & Nov.-Dec. 2016) or $7,580 (June-Oct. 2016). Single supp., $3,190. andBeyond Expeditions (164 Katherine St., Pin Mill Farm, Block F, Sandown, Johannesburg, 2010, South Africa; 888/882-3742, www.andbeyond.com).

8 days, 7 nights in Baja, MEXICO, March 12-19, 2016. Highlights: In Todos Santos, surfing lesson and cooking lesson/5-hour drive to Magdalena Bay to view and pet whales/in La Paz, snorkeling, swimming with Los Islotes colony sea lions. Land, $3,250 ppdo ($3,350 for groups of 4 or 5). Single supp., $780. Journeys International (Ann Arbor, MI; 800/255-8735, www.journeysinternational.com).

10 days, 9 nights, Dec. 3-12, 2015. (TIP: Take easy-to-slip-off shoes for frequent trips outside for bird-viewing.) Highlights: In Quito, Yanacocha Reserve, home to sword-billed hummingbird, glossy flowerpiercer, Tyrian metaltail and more/mountain town of Mindo, home to over 360 bird species/at Sachatamia Lodge, view birds, butterflies/walk trails with family at farm of Angel Paz, home to giant antpitta, Andean cock-of-the-rock/Milpe Reserve/Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, home to orchids, toucans, tanagers/San Isidro. Land, $2,690 ppdo. Single supp., $325.