283 stories
The first time I saw a blue-footed booby in the wild, I was memorized. It was on North Seymour Island in the Galapagos archipelago, and the aptly named avian with its yellow eyes and clumsy gait wandered up to me, looking my way inquisitively. I couldn’t stop staring back.
In the vast African wilderness, where the rhythms of nature echo through savannas, forests and wetlands, remarkable women stand as guardians and providers. From smallholder farmers to leaders of conservation movements, their tireless efforts, unwavering commitment and groundbreaking work shape the future of conservation.
Cheetahs are the fastest runners on the planet. They can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds.
Meet Najin and Fatu, the world’s last two northern white rhinos. This mother-and-daughter pair live together in Kenya’s renowned Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where they are staunchly guarded. The last remaining male northern white rhino, Sudan, died at the conservancy of age-related issued in 2018.
At least a dozen elephants stood on a hillside amid Aberdare National Park’s dense greenery, a few bathing themselves in water from a nearby fall while the others grazed lazily.
In the summer of 2023, Americans exceeded pre-pandemic travel levels by over 8% and traveled farther than before the pandemic, too. The global safari tourism market was valued at $33.37 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.6% from 2023 to 2030.
The grandeur of Africa seldom stands still. Seasons change, animals migrate and rains bring new life to the otherwise arid landscape. Victoria Falls, too, is constantly in motion. Twice the height of Niagara Falls and more than a mile wide, this sheer curtain of falling water is the largest on Earth.
As one of the Big Five, rhinoceros are an integral part of the African safari experience, and spotting them in the wild is considered a highlight for many travelers. Of the five species of rhino, two are found in Africa: the white and the black rhino.
Natural Habitat Adventures, a leader in responsible nature-based adventure travel, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund, recently deployed one of the safari industry’s first off-the-grid solar-powered electric safari vehicles in Botswana.
In 2019, an independent researcher caught sight of a tiny creature on a trail camera in Northern California’s Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Scientists were elated at the unusually long tail and big black eyes; they had not seen the rodent in the area for over 75 years.
“One of the biggest myths is that you’re not allowed to look into a gorilla’s eyes. Of course, you are,” reveals Richard de Gouveia, Nat Hab Expedition Leader and star of our short film, The Silverback. “It’s the place where you’re going to see their soul.” The concept of a “soul” is human by design.
On a recent safari trip in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park, the “Big Five” animals associated with Africa’s national parks were nowhere in sight. That’s when I began noticing the birdlife.
