Nov 25, 2019
1. Jane Goodall-Approved Nature Tours Travel operator G Adventures has added 12 more tours to its Jane Goodall Collection for 2020, two of which traverse spectacular Asian terrain. The “Best of Flores and Komodo” tour (nine days; from US$1,549) wends through the islands of Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, while the “Nepal: Himalaya Highlights” tour (10 days; from US$2,079) treks from tigers in Chitwan National Park to temples in Kathmandu Valley. Both come with the endorsement of primatologist Dr. Goodall, and support the conservation work of the Jane Goodall Institute. gadventures.com.
2. Elevated Elephant Experiences Phuket Elephant Sanctuary has launched a wildlife experience that lets you get close-ish to its resident retirees. The “Hands-Off Elephant Experience” (Bt3,000 per adult, Bt1,500 per child) is a no-touching tour with elephant snack–making, non-interactive feeding, observation and a vegetarian buffet dinner. The elephants are free to roam and munch at will across the sanctuary’s 20-hectare grounds, while guests can observe their natural behavior from the comfort of their own safe space. phuketelephantsanctuary.org.
3. Animal Adventures with AirBnB
Travelers who miss their four-legged friends while on vacation now have AirBnB’s ‘Animals’ experiences to fill the void. Tours run the gamut from herbal- compress therapy for dogs to afternoon tea with sheep to glamping with orcas. All experiences are governed by World Animal Protection guidelines, which ban any intentional contact with wild species, excepting approved conservation tours. Top picks for Asia include loris-spotting in Sri Lanka, horse-whispering in India and Bryde’s whale–watching in the Gulf of Thailand. airbnb.com.
