Sian Lewis
The Independent
What could be better than combining an active adventure with the chance to see some of the planet’s most precious animals? How about swimming with a shark the size of a double-decker bus?
The huge, yet gentle whale shark is the biggest fish in the ocean and arguably the most lovely, with its expansive flat back; spotted white like a starry sky. Dive with these big beauties in Mozambique – they sometimes congregate in groups of up to 50 to feed on plankton off pretty Tofo beach.
You’ll find Diversity Scuba (diversityscuba.com) and Tofo Scuba (tofoscuba.com) tucked among the straw-shaded bars and backpackers’ lodges. Diving sessions from £30 (R605) and £22 respectively.
In the Canadian Rockies, you can roam with the wild beasts of storybooks such as elk, wolves and grizzly bears. The best way to explore this expansive wilderness is in the saddle, cowboy style.
Guides at Swash Dude Ranch (siwashlakeranch.com; from £1 472 for three nights, excluding flights) take you deep into the woods on winding trails and out for a gallop on the open prairies.
Or if you’re desperate to see a grizzly teach her cubs to fish, Tsylos Lodge (tsylos.com), in the remote Chilko area of British Columbia offers week-long bear-spotting holidays. Catch a plane over the Pacific Coast Mountains from Vancouver to their remote, luxurious wooden lodge and spend a week tracking bears, as well as horse-riding and canoeing, for £2 882.
The magically named Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, high in the uplands of south-western Uganda, is home to one of the most vulnerable animals. It’s a tough hike up from base camp to visit the 320 glossy black mountain gorillas which nest in low trees under a blanket of misty jungle. You need a permit to track them (about £385) as visitor numbers are tightly controlled, but most operators will organise one for you. Rates vary by season, but Gorilla Tours (00 256 414 200221; gorillatours.com) has a three-day trek from £398, including lodge accommodation, but not flights.
Closer to home, the windswept Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, is a bird-watching heaven. Brave the midges, and you’ll be rewarded with rugged seascapes and huge seabird colonies. Golden and white-tailed eagles are the grand prize when good weather comes, but any day spent out walking will reward you with ducks, otters and a myriad species of seabirds. Mull Wildlife (mullwildlife.co.uk) offers day tours along the island’s 483km of coastline and precipitous cliffs from £42.