Tours by Style
Mammal Trips
Have you ever wanted to wake to the dawn chorus of White-handed Gibbons in Thailand, hear the mighty roar of an African Lion or see the dappled coat of a Leopard? A bull African Elephant waltzing across the African planes or lemurs and other exotic primates? Well, we can show you all of these on our amazing mammal tours. We scour the globe in search of exotic mammalian wildlife, and not just the big stuff. We find mouse deer and treeshrew in Asia, Smooth-coated Otter in India, and much, much more. So forget the typical mammal safari. Instead, our guides use their specialist knowledge and highly developed observation skills to locate difficult and elusive species, but this doesn’t mean we ignore the more typical lions and elephants.
We are keen on mammals, and we appreciate that species such as Tiger in India, Gray Wolf in North America, Jaguar in Central and South America, Mountain Gorilla in Uganda, Spectacled Bear in the Andes, and a plethora of other magnificent beasts have only been seen by a privileged few. Finding these species can take a large amount of effort and local knowledge – a challenge that we enjoy taking on.
You can either join one of our set-itinerary trips, or custom-make almost any kind of mammal safari with us. We contribute a percentage of our profits toward the conservation of mammals (and other wildlife that we make a living off), sustainable development, and the upliftment of previously disadvantaged communities, so please feel free to contact us for one of our amazing mammal tours.
We offer mammal safaris that are quite different from the typical safari. Using Namibia as an example destination, our aim is to make every effort in finding localized mammals such as the attractive Kaokoveld Slender Mongoose, Damara Dik-dik, desert-adapted elephant, desert-adapted Black Rhinoceros, and more , as well as more-widespread species such as Leopard, Lion, African Elephant, Giraffe, and all the other megafauna that makes Africa (often called “The Mammal Continent”) famous. In 2007 we ran our first mammal expedition in South Africa, focusing on finding several of the most difficult of African mammals – including Aardvark, Black-footed Cat, and Temminck’s Pangolin (always very tough) among other species. In Peru, we have “Ghosts of the Peruvian Rainforest”, a trip aimed at finding two endangered mammals and three endangered bird species (with tons of other species found as a by-product of the central theme of this tour). We also have a whale and dolphin trip (including freshwater dolphin) in Peru. On our mammal trips we typically focus on finding large and small mammals, but we also see loads of birds and other wildlife together with incredibly spectacular scenery.
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A lot of the more enigmatic mammals are nocturnal, so we take this into account in various ways. For example, in Madagascar we’re sure to do night walks for some of the smaller lemur species and other denizens of the nighttime. In the Kalahari and Kruger we do night drives in search of all the species that are rarely, if ever, seen during the day. Some of the bigger species, including Lion and Leopard, are in fact often seen during the day but are more active at dusk when they’re out hunting, an exciting time to observe their behavior and get great wildlife photos or videos.
Birds, being so remarkably vocal, add massively to the atmosphere about anywhere one finds oneself on Planet Earth. But some mammals also create the most awe-inspiring sounds that it’s impossible to forget. Anyone who has heard the dawn chorus of howler monkeys (which sounds like a strong wind and can be scary to the uninitiated) in Costa Rica or the Amazon will forever remember the experience. Hearing noisy Chimpanzees resounding right across the Ugandan forest is also absolutely memorable, as is the song of the Indri in Madagascar. In Africa Lions, Hippopotamuses, African Elephants, Spotted Hyaenas, and Plains Zebras make some of the most characteristic sounds on the continent, all of them so loud! Hearing (and seeing/photographing) these will truly make for a wildlife holiday you can never forget.
So why not join a nature tour with Birding Ecotours and not only see and photograph the Big Five but also the tougher wildlife? We’ll also show you a lot of birds, reptiles, and other incredible stuff along the way.
