Last November, I shared my list of the Top 10 Nature Sights I Want to See. Almost every one of the items on my list involved traveling to see wild animals in their natural habitat.
That’s because I am truly moved when I’m in the presence of a wild animal – totally in tune with the natural world and my place in it. I am humbled and I am connected. For me, there’s just no experience like it.
National Wildlife Week is a great time to think about connecting kids with wildlife. My explorers are still a little young for these, my favorite wildlife watching adventures, but they’re not too young to hear my stories of excitement, awe and wonder at what I’ve seen. And what I hope they will see someday, too.
5. Swimming With Dolphins (off the coast of Grand Bahama Island)
Okay, I didn’t actually swim in open water with dolphins. But I did partake in a UNEXSO program that provides a chance to swim with dolphins in a protected lagoon.
There were a few cheesy moments – like an obligatory photo op and performing training behaviors with the dolphins. But the experience of being in the water with a dolphin was pretty powerful stuff.
4. The Mexican Free-Tail Bat Flight (Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico)
Every summer evening around sunset, some 400,000 Mexican free-tail bats head out of the Carlsbad Caverns for their evening feast on insects. Seeing the mass of bats take off all at once is breathtaking. No cameras allowed, so you’ll have to trust me on this one.
We just so happened to time our arrival into Carlsbad with the return of the bats back into the Caverns at daybreak. Talk about eerie.
3. Brown Bears (Katmai National Park, Alaska)
Would you believe there’s somewhere on the planet where sitting just 50 feet away from grizzly bears is perfectly safe? It’s true – provided you’re in Alaska’s Katmai National Park during the summer, when brown bears are too busy devouring oodles of salmon in preparation for winter hibernation to notice.
2. Wolves (Denali National Park, Alaska)
I never dreamed I’d even see a wolf during our trip to Denali, let alone hear one howl. But I got even more than that – our shuttle bus was surrounded by a pack of wolves which proceeded to howl in unison for several minutes. The hair on my arms stood on end. I was moved to tears. Truly an unforgettable moment.
1. Polar Bears (Churchill, Canada)
Does trekking to the far northern reaches of Canada to catch sight of polar bears sound like a fun honeymoon? We thought so!
We even spent a night out on the tundra, right on the edge of Hudson Bay (in the safety of a tundra buggy, of course). Before dawn, I made my way out to the viewing deck – without shoes on, I was so excited. I was rewarded with an up-close encounter with a bear that stood up on its hind legs to sniff me. He was so close I could actually hear him sniffing!
Not every wildlife watching adventure has to be so grand. There are plenty of ways you can connect kids with wildlife every day. Go on a bug hunt, head to the tide pools, adopt a caterpillar and watch it transform into a butterfly (or watch tadpoles turn into frogs), go bird watching, or just spend some time noticing what creatures call your backyard home. It’s a great place to start.
Debi says
@Carolina: I had no idea you were a wildlife lover, yourself – now you're even cooler in my book!
Carolina says
so freakin awesome. I want to do 1-4. but i'm still not sure about the whole swimming with the dolphins thing. maybe i'm just chicken.