There are few things more exciting in the travel world than finding wildlife in their natural habitat. Whether it’s spotting moose and bison at Yellowstone National Park, the Big Five on an African safari, scarlet macaws and toucans in Costa Rica, or a century-old tortoise in the Galapagos, these are the encounters we remember years after returning home. In fact, I peer in awe almost every day at a photo in our office of a leopard we spotted in Botswana. A remarkable creature! If your goal in 2025 is spotting more wildlife in their serene settings, we’ll get you there!

Just as divers think of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as that ultimate diving locale, birdwatchers flock to Costa Rica. In a small country the size of West Virginia, you can find more than 850 species of birdlife. Take the entire United States and combine it with Canada and you won’t come up with that many birds. And we’re not talking ordinary birds, like the backyard sparrow, in Costa Rica, but spectacular toucans, scarlet macaws, quetzals, 50 types of hummingbirds, and tall storks. Add howler monkeys and sloths to the equation and you have one of the finest wildlife destinations in the Americas. At the southernmost tip of Costa Rica, Lapa Rios is a 1000-acre private rain forest perched above the Pacific Ocean. Rise and shine on a three-hour morning hike with a naturalist through the rainforest to a waterfall and swimming hole, stopping to view spider and howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, toucans, parrots, and many other native birds. Not a bad way to start the day!

Blame it on the lightning-fast speed of the web, but our attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Even on vacation, we can’t relax and be content visiting one locale or trying one activity. This is certainly true in the world of adventure travel where the current hot trend is the multisport trip, trying as many activities as possible in one week. Backroads has been at the forefront of this trend and their multisport trip to Yellowstone is a client favorite. Bike beneath the Teton Range's Sawtooth Mountains amid shimmering lakes and dense forests; hike to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, with its multicolored walls and dramatic waterfalls; and shriek down the Snake River on an exhilarating rafting trip. You want to see bison, elk, even grizzlies in a stunning terrain without the crowds? This is one of the finest ways to do exactly that.

Unlike Juneau and Ketchikan, where cruise ship passengers are quickly immersed in streets filled with jewelry, T-shirts, and other souvenir shops, Sitka has more of an authentic feel. Stroll through the totem poles found at Sitka National Historic Park to the Alaska Raptor Center Every year, 100 to 200 birds of prey, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, red-tail hawks and owls are brought to this large aviary hospital to rehabilitate. After your fill of town, splurge for the 3-hour Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest. Not only will you view exquisite scenery like volcanic Mt. Edgecomb and the snowcapped peaks that rise dramatically from the shores of Redoubt Bay, but the abundance of marine life is astounding. Within moments of leaving the docks at Sitka, humpbacks raise their tails, followed by harbor seals, bald eagles standing in the tall spruces, a colony of more than 50 sea otters lounging in the kelp, puffins with their orange beaks, and sea lions. Lately, clients have raved about their Alaska cruise aboard Silversea’s new Silver Nova ship, with a manageable 728 passengers on board, which makes a necessary stop in Sitka on their one-week cruise from Seward (Anchorage) to Vancouver.

While we’re on the subject of wildlife, let’s visit that mythical home of the blue-footed boobies and far too social sea lions. Lindblad Expeditions has made the Galapagos their number one priority and it shows with their naturalists and new ships. But if you want to go smaller, you certainly can. We’ve put a number of ActiveTravels members on the 16-passenger Inca yachts, housing 6 to 8 berths and more crew than passengers. They have wonderful naturalists and the ability to anchor in smaller harbors. Inca can also combine the Galapagos Islands with stops in other nearby South American destinations like Quito, Lima, and Machu Picchu.

For guided group African safaris, it’s hard to top Abercrombie & Kent. I’ve been fortunate to go on six safari trips to the continent, but the two A&K jaunts, first to Kenya and then Botswana with Lisa were the crème de la creme. They boast exceptional guides like our good friend Kebby in Botswana and small upscale lodges like Sanctuary Olonana on Kenya’s Mara River, where I would wake up each morning to have my poached eggs with the hippos. If you want a custom-designed trip with your family, we’ve developed wonderful relationships with local suppliers in South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya who can design private personalized itineraries, great for multi-generational families. We’ve really enjoyed working with African Scenic Safari in Arusha, who design driving tours of the Tanzania circuit on a more moderate budget. Stops include Ngorongoro Crater, private lodges in the Serengeti, and a beachfront stay in Zanzibar after safari. Some of the money you spend on the trip helps to run an orphanage just outside Arusha’s city limits. Personal Africa in South Africa can combine a week’s stay in Cape Town, visiting the Cape of the Good Hope, the wineries, and all the sites in the city, with 4 nights at Kruger National Park. Origin Safaris in Kenya have been in business since 1963, designing trips to the most distinctive lodges in the Masai Mara, before adding on a 2-night stay in Rwanda to see the gorillas. If you want to go on safari, we have you covered!

Natural Habitat Adventures gained acclaim as the first outfitter to bring visitors to Churchill, Manitoba to see the majestic polar bear. Each fall, the world’s largest concentration of polar bears convenes on the western edge of Hudson Bay, waiting for the ice to form and their winter seal-hunting season to begin. Guided by expert naturalist Expedition Leaders, you’ll view the bears from custom-built Polar Rovers.

Also consider one of Nat Hab’s summer trips to Churchill when you're guaranteed to raft and kayak with beluga whales. More than 3,000 of these friendly white whales congregate at the mouth of the Churchill River for summer feasting.

If you are interested in any of these inspiring wildlife trips for 2025 and 2026, please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll look into dates and availability for you. We recommend booking your tours with us since not only will we book your tour, but we can provide a seamless experience and plan your pre and post stays to bookend your tour, book your flights and insurance and just help with all the details and logistics.

It's Time to Start Planning for the next Solar Eclipse!

It wasn't too long ago (last April) when people across the country showed up to see the total solar eclipse on its broad swath across North America. Accommodations of all kinds, restaurants and local attractions got jam-packed with visitors who were excited to view this stunning solar event.

This is the time to start planning ahead as there are some amazing experiences to be had for the next big solar show said to occur on August 12, 2026 and it will be visible across the Arctic region including Greenland, Iceland and northern Scandinavia as well as a section of Northern Spain. Read on for a few voyages you won't want to miss.

Solar Eclipse Voyage & Scandinavian Highlights

This tour is for people with time. It's 19 days of exploration of both cities and remote beautiful places plus the excitement of the solar eclipse in the middle of the journey. Begin your travels in Reykjavik, Iceland and then board your Arctic Ocean cruise and sail toward Greenland. It's a12 night Arctic expedition voyage to see the amazing solar eclipse from the sea. Imagine dark skies as a backdrop to the drama of the eclipse. Sail along the coast of Greenland visiting communities along the way eventually making it to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. After this natural and cultural immersion, disembark and fly to Copenhagen to enjoy its highlights, both culinary and historic.

Greenland Solar Eclipse Cruise and

the Best of Iceland

On the same theme but different locales, this next tour begins in Oslo, Norway where, after some sightseeing, you'll fly to the northern coast of Svalbard above the Arctic circle and board your Arctic cruise on the Scenic Eclipse to see whales, Arctic foxes, seals, seabirds and possibly Svalbard reindeer and wolverines. Next stop is Greenland to see its magnificent East Coast fjords and glaciers calving. After a viewing of the solar eclipse while off the coast of Greenland, you'll sail off to Iceland to the laidback and relaxed town of Akureyri to take in the sights. More sailing along the gorgeous Western coast of Iceland to see waterfalls and fjords and then ending in Reykjavik. What an epic journey (and it's 21 days of incredible exploration)!

Northern Spain Total Solar Eclipse Tour

If you have less time to spare and your preference is for warmer weather travel, consider this Wilderness Travel tour of Northern Spain with an expert eclipse meteorologist, Jay Anderson.

You'll begin your trip with the solar eclipse viewing just before sunset at a hilltop winery in a remote area of Northern Spain. About 120 people including eclipse experts from across the globe will be there seeing the magic in the skies above. Following that, everyone will split into one of 6 different Post-Eclipse Adventures (maximum of 10-15 people in each tour) including Hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees, Hiking in the Basque Country, El Camino de Santiago, Treasures of Spain's Northern Coast, Hiking the Isle of Madiera and Hiking in the Azores.

Sign me up! Contact Us at ActiveTravels if we can get more information for you on any of the above trips for you. Remember it doesn't cost you more to book tours and cruises with us and we can get you special perks. Not to mention, we'll make it easier and streamlined for you!

Watch this space to see more trips coming available as we get closer to this solar event.

The Great Elephant Migration might have picked up and left Newport on September 2^nd, but the fall months are still a great time to visit this historic outpost on the sea, a 90-minute drive southwest of Boston. We were one of the last people to see the 100 full-sized bamboo elephants on the back lawns of Salve Regina University and the Breakers Mansion last week, before they migrated their way to their next stop, the Meatpacking District of New York September 7-October 20, 2024. Then it’s on to Miami Beach in December, Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana for May and June 2025, and their final stop, Los Angeles in July 2025. Definitely catch it at one of the stops!

Yet, even without the life-sized elephants, the Cliff Walk is one of the most scenic strolls in New England. The rocky shoreline and great expanse of the Atlantic on one side, the other side the sloping lawns of the grand Bellevue Avenue mansions, including a large Chinese Tea House pagoda outside the Marble House. By all means, tour one of these summer cottages on a self-guided walk and then make your way downtown to fun shops like Wald and Sea, where the owner has a great eye for local homewares. Bowen Wharf is a short walk away, where you can opt for a sunset sail aboard the Aquidneck, champagne included, before a seafood dinner at the nearby Mooring, known for its local clams, oysters, lobster, and delicious chowder.

Make the wise move of spending your nights at the relatively new Brenton Hotel along the waterfront. Get a room with water view (pictured here) and you’ll be peering at the hundreds of boats moored in the sheltered harbor. Even if you don’t opt for the water view rooms, head to the rooftop for that same glorious view and ask the bartender Aiden for one of his spicy margaritas, the best we’ve ever had! All it takes is 48 hours in Newport to destress and replenish the soul. Let us know your dates and ActiveTravels will find you a room.