Safari special: Bears

Grizzly bears in BC 

A huge presence with humped shoulders crawls over the rocks, its silver-tipped hair catching the sunlight. Grizzly bears are enormous – often around eight-feet tall – and the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, is one of the best places to see them. Your personal Travel Counsellor can arrange a rainforest exploration by helicopter, where you'll enjoy unobstructed views of waterfalls and ice fields, fly through fjords, and enjoy a picnic lunch on a remote beach.

Alternatively, stay at Sonora Resort, a luxury wilderness resort for unrivalled fishing in world-famous salmon-filled waters. Follow the salmon to hungry bears and view them safely with a First Nations guide who will take you on a sightseeing tour through the lush rainforest, sharing native stories and traditions.

Polar bears in the Arctic

Polar bears are classed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group. Sea ice loss from climate change is the biggest threat to their survival, and learning about the species is key to their conservation. We can take you to see all three species of these North American creatures: black bears, brown bears (aka the aforementioned grizzly) and, of course, polar bears – in style on a luxury cruise around Alaska with Silversea, departing from Vancouver.

Black bears in Yellowstone

Have you seen Yellowstone? If the rugged landscapes and stars of the show (the black bears) have put the National Park on your holiday radar, we can help you explore this vast terrain with wildlife experts. Yellowstone is inhabited by black and grizzly bears, and is so big it spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho in the United States. Visit during Yellowstone’s spring, summer, or autumn for the best chance of spotting them, avoiding winter when they go into hibernation.

We can arrange a stay inside the park itself - Old Faithful Snow Lodge is a fabulous full-service option – or opt for a stay in Big Sky country at Sage Lodge which offers ‘Bears of Yellowstone’ full-day tours during May – July and October. 

Pandas in Sichuan

Giant pandas, panda bears, pandas… whatever you call the rarest member of the bear family, you’ll have to venture to China to see them in the wild. They mostly live in temperate forests in the mountains of southwest China, and there are only around 1800 of them.

We can take you on a tour of China adding a visit to the Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu as part of your itinerary. The centre is home to nearly 100 of these beloved creatures and you’ll learn about their conservation efforts while observing pandas in their natural habitat.