Yellowstone: Adventure Under the Big Sky

Limited to 14 Travelers
A very important feature of our Yellowstone safari is the limited group size, as nature travel is best experienced with fewer travelers for more intimate encounters with wildlife and the land. Traveling in Nat Hab's specialty North American Safari Trucks, we divide our group into two vehicles, each smaller group with a guide, further enhancing a personalized experience, flexibility in activities, and a low-key presence.

Accommodations, meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on final day, drinking water throughout the trip, services of NHA Expedition Leaders and local guides, airport transfer on Day 1, most gratuities, all permits, entrance fees and taxes.

Travel to and from start and end points of trip, alcoholic beverages, some gratuities, passport and visa fees, optional activities, airport transfer on final day, items of a personal nature (phone calls, souvenirs, etc.), airline baggage fees, airport and departure taxes, optional travel insurance.

Easy to Moderate
This adventure does not require a high degree of physical fitness; however, in order to get the most out of your experience, you must be able to walk at least 2 miles unassisted on dirt trails with potentially uneven terrain and inclines, and possibly muddy or slippery surfaces, at altitudes of up to 8,400 feet above sea level. In order to view Old Faithful, you must be able to walk 300 yards over gently sloping pavement and boardwalk. To explore Yellowstone’s geothermal basins, you must be able to walk at least 1 mile over boardwalk, dirt trails and undulating paved paths. Depending on the location of wildlife, each day may bring several opportunities for short walks ranging from 300 yards to 1 mile, sometimes on well-maintained trails or pavement, sometimes on rough, uneven terrain with some inclines. Depending on our schedule and wildlife viewing opportunities, there may be an opportunity for active guests to hike up to 4 miles. Taking into account altitude and terrain, hikes are considered moderate in terms of physical exertion. However, a fair amount of our wildlife viewing takes place from vehicles that are custom-designed to enhance observation opportunities. Our days are long and generally start very early, often before sunrise, when wildlife viewing is at its best and other visitors are at a minimum. We stress that all activities are optional.

While the Lamar Valley and Yellowstone National Park offer some of the best opportunities to see wolves in the wild, these animals are still very elusive, and they usually do not come in close range of humans. This trip offers a totally natural, uncontrived experience, and as a result, most wolf viewing is done at a distance through spotting scopes. This allows us to watch the packs go about their normal behavior uninfluenced by the presence of humans. It is important to understand that it is incredibly difficult to see the wolves without the use of a spotting scope (Nat Hab provides spotting scopes on your trip). Often, the best way to get photos of the wolves is with a cell phone camera through a spotting scope. Your Expedition Leader will help you with this technique, called “digiscoping.” While a long lens is a must for photographers, even then, we can't guarantee excellent shots of the wolves. However, the sheer beauty and grandeur of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem provides magnificent nature imagery, and we are likely to see plenty of the region’s other iconic species.

Our Expedition Leaders, who know the Greater Yellowstone region intimately, are adept at getting our groups to less-visited areas away from the crowds. We also run our trips when the parks are less crowded, avoiding peak summer season. But, of course, Yellowstone is a very popular destination, so be prepared for a fair amount of company no matter when we travel. We operate this Rocky Mountain safari in a manner similar to our African safaris: visiting wildlife locations in the early morning when viewing opportunities are best and most tourists are still asleep.

Arrival: Arrive in Bozeman, MT by 4 pm in order to attend a welcome dinner beginning at 6 pm on Day 1.
Departure: You may depart Bozeman, MT at any time on the final day.