Safari and Wildlife

At least it’s not pink. . . . September’s photo shows the 32-story Elephant Tower building in Bangkok, Thailand. (You don’t see an elephant? Check out the “tusk” on the front and the round “eye.”)

When the cat’s away… The symbol of Ethiopia is the Lion of Judah.

by Karen Wells; Traverse City, MI

by Marvin Silverman; Carmel, CA

In the Strait of Magellan, off South America’s southernmost tip, the discovery of a feeding ground of humpback whales near Isla Carlos III led to the creation of Chile’s first protected marine area, Francisco Coloane Marine Park.

While on a group safari in Botswana in June 2013, my wife, Sandy, and I stayed in the jungle at Stanley’s Camp, located in the Okavango Delta near the Moremi Game Reserve and operated by Sanctuary Retreats. Intrigued by a brochure in the hotel lobby for a camp that retrains “bad boy” elephants and allows visitors to see the rehabilitated animals up close, we paid $428 each to see the elephants (charged to our closing bill at the camp).

14-day, 13-night luxury tour, departing Dec. 3, 2014, and Jan. 4 and Feb. 26, 2015. Highlights: Two nights each in palaces in Mumbai (Taj Majal), Jaipur and Udaipur. Two nights each at Oberoi hotels in Ranthambhore Tiger Preserve, Agra and Delhi. Jungle safaris in Tiger Preserve, home to tigers, leopards, cheetahs, blue bulls/cluster of temples at Ranakpur/in Mumbai, Hanging Gardens, Elephanta Caves. Land, $5,830. Single supp., $2,195. Internal flights, $472.

Exotic Journeys (Chicago, IL; 800/554-6342).

by Alva Nawrocki; Mesa, AZ

Last year when my husband, Armin, and I were planning which trip on our “bucket list” would be our next, we ran into a glitch. We wanted to go on a safari and visit Cape Town in South Africa, but my husband couldn’t take antimalarial medication due to doctor’s orders.

Whale sharks migrate to the Gulf of Mexico each summer, and from mid-May to mid-September visitors to Cancún, Mexico, can swim with the world’s largest fish. Guests can spend up to 2½ hours in the water with the whale sharks plus, possibly, manta rays, dolphins and turtles.

The cost of a day boat tour (max., 10 passengers) is $150 adult or $130 child age 5-11. With hotel transfer, it runs from $169 adult/$140 child to $215 adult/$175 child, depending on hotel zone. A private VIP tour runs $1,550 (1-5 people) to $1,850 (6-10 people), depending on hotels. 

My wife, Lorelyn, and I are among many ITN readers who arrive several days before a tour begins to “check things out.” Prior to a 12-day Uganda tour in 2012, we decided to arrange two days of birding for Sept. 29-30.