Wildlife walking tours along the Atlantic coast in County Cork are offered by Ireland Wilderness (phone +353 21 2348015, www.irelandswildlife.com). Leaving from the Celtic Ross Hotel (www.celticrosshotel.com) in Rosscarberry, two 3-hour tours are available each day, weather permitting, April through September: a morning tour, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and an afternoon tour, 2-5:30. From October to March, only morning tours are available.
Wild animals can be viewed day and night through a floor-to-ceiling window in each guest's room in special lodges at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve (Nr. Ashford, Kent, CT21 4PD, England, UK; www.aspinallfoundation.org/port-lympne).
Within the reserve, at the Wolf Lodge, Tiger Lodge, Lion Lodge, Bear Lodge and Giraffe Lodge, each lodge's namesake move about freely in an adjacent enclosure. In the Giraffe Lodge, uniquely, guests can hand-feed the giraffes. Wildlife lodge rates range from £455 (near $582) to £1,000 per night.
Featuring multiple days of swimming with whales, all-inclusive tours in Australia, Tonga, Tahiti, Norway and Canada are led by the Australian company Whale Encounters (Forresters Beach, NSW; phone +61 [2] 4385 5454, www.majesticwhaleencounters.com.au). The tours, which often sell out more than a year in advance, cost AUD4,935-AUD6,899 (near $3,604-$5,038) per person, double occupancy. At press time, 2020 tours were open for reservations.
A preliminary report was released on Nov. 28 from the investigation of Lion Air flight 610, which crashed in the ocean on Oct. 29 while heading from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.
The report concluded that an automated anti-stall system installed by Boeing had malfunctioned, causing the system to try to point the plane's nose down, despite the pilots' repeated efforts to raise it, ultimately leading to the crash shortly after takeoff. In the report, the plane was described as "un-airworthy."
A Lion Air Boeing 737 carrying 189 people crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 29. There were no survivors. The flight was scheduled to land at Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, an hour after takeoff, but contact was lost after only 13 minutes, just after the pilot requested to return to Jakarta.
At press time, the cause of the accident was not known, with investigations ongoing. The plane was new, having been in service only since August 2018.
7-day, 6-night expedition in KENYA, June 16-22 & Aug. 25-31, 2019. Group limit, 4-12. Highlights: In Nairobi, East Africa Wildlife Society presentation, interactive visit with women's social enterprise/at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, last two northern white rhinos, night game drive/in Lake Nakuru National Park, game drive, Thomson Falls. From $2,850 ppdo. Single supp., $415. Intrepid Travel (579 Richmond St. W., Ste. 400, Toronto, ON, M5V 1Y6, Canada; 855/299-1211, www.intrepidtravel.com).
9-day, 8-night safari, Feb. 7-15, 2019. Group limit, 16. Highlights: Fly Los Angeles to Loreto in Baja California, MEXICO/Loreto Marine Park on a skiff in search of blue whales/snorkel with sea lions/Bay of Magdalena, home to gray whales/hike on Isla Magdalena/cooking class and margaritas in Todos Santos/search for humpback whales, birds near Cabo San Lucas. $5,500 ppdo. Single supp., $3,300. Scott Dunn Private Journeys (San Diego, CA; 858/523-9000, www.scottdunn.com).
