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Tribes Travel, 12 The Business Centre, Earl Soham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 7SA, UK
The art of travelling with respect
Wildilfe
Viewing wildlife in their natural habitat can be one of the most incredible travel experiences any of us can have. Whether you have always longed to see an elephant or want a chance to see the endangered Mountain Gorilla, we can help you get closer to your dream. This is a list of some of the animals and birds which travellers are more commonly looking for. Here you will find our suggestions as to where you might find them.
If you have a passion to see wildlife not on the list, by all means let us know and we'd be glad to advise you.
Albatross
The Waved Albatross of the Galapagos Islands has a huge 2-2.5m wingspan, making it the largest bird on the Galapagos Islands.
Andean Condor
The Andean Condor is one of the largest flying birds in the world, with a wing span of over 3 metres.
Cheetah
Cheetahs have short, coarse tan-coloured coats with small black spots, and distinctive black marks running like tears from their eyes to their mouths. They are unique in that their claws are only slightly retractable - giving them extra grip at high speed. And, unlike the other big cats, cheetahs have no roar - instead they yelp, purr and chirrup.
Chimpanzees
These intelligent animals differ from humans by just over 1% of DNA and, not surprisingly, have behaviour patterns very similar to us, forming close social groups, using tools, working as a team and waging war against each other.
Cock of the Rock
The national bird of Peru, the Cock-of-the-Rock has featured on stamps and in school text books in that country for decades. As is often the case with bird species, the males are the most striking in appearance, having brilliant orange or red plumage, with a disk-like cockade on the top of their heads.
Dolphins
Common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins are playful, gregarious animals, with common dolphins appearing to 'love' boats, and bottlenose most happily tolerating humans swimming amongst them. Dolphins are actually small, toothed whales.
Elephants
The largest land mammal in the world, the male African elephant can be up to four metres tall - as high as a double-decker bus - and weigh over six tonnes. The average Asian male elephant is shorter than a male African elephant, up to three metres high and five tones in weight.
Galapagos Tortoise
The Giant Tortoise is probably the most famous resident of the Galapagos Islands and gave the archipelago its name - galapago is the Spanish name for tortoise.
Giant Otters
The Giant Otter is the world's largest otter species, measuring up to 1.8m and weighing 32 kg. They live in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco and La Plata river systems. They live in family groups of up to 20 animals.
Gorillas
Gorillas are the largest primates on earth, and have captured the imagination of humans for centuries, though the mountain gorilla wasn't known to science until 1902. Found in dense forests and rainforests in just four national parks in Uganda and Rwanda, mountain gorilla numbers are small - possibly around a thousand.
Hippos
Hippos live in family groups led by a dominant male, who will fight to protect his mating territory. They are the third heaviest land animal in the world, yet in spite of its massive bulk, a hippo is remarkably agile in water - and surprisingly fast on land!
Jaguar
Jaguars can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from temperate or subtropical forest to grassland, scrub woodland and savanna. They are powerfully built, with short, thick legs and have a bigger head, broader face and thicker, shorter tail than leopards.
Lions
The lion is the only social cat, and it is the largest African carnivore. There is also a rare sub-species, the Asiatic lion, of which there are only around 300 now left in India's Gir Forest.
Macaws
Macaws are the largest members of the parrot family, and the 17 macaw species are amongst some of the most endangered bird species in the world. They are very sociable birds, living in groups of up to 100, and have a variety of habitats from tropical rainforest to savannah.
Monkeys
There are over 300 monkey species in the world, living in Africa, South and Central America and Asia. Although they vary hugely in size and colour, all are 'higher primates', with a larger brain than many other animals.
Penguins
With their upright stance, distinctive black and white colouring and agility in the water, penguins are entertaining and enchanting to watch and - in warmer waters - to swim amongst.
Rhino
The rhino is the world's second largest land mammal by mass, smaller only than the African elephant, and can be traced back some 50 million years. This docile herbivore grazes peacefully on the African savannah (black and white rhino) and along waterways in the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of India and Nepal (greater one-horned rhino).
Sharks and Whale Sharks
There are over 400 different species of sharks, 100 of which can be found in the waters off the coast of South Africa. Whale sharks are actually the world's largest living fish, growing up to 13m long and up to 13 tonnes in weight and reputedly living up to 100 years. These huge beasts are harmless filter feeders that migrate round warm waters.
Tigers
The largest of the big cats, tigers are magnificent animals whose numbers have been decimated over the last century, dropping by over 95%. Bengal tigers live in a range of habitat, including cool, high-altitude forests, reedlands, mangroves, rainforests, arid forests or scorched hills, with some males occupying - and fiercely protecting - up to 800 sq km of territory.
Whales
For many, the sight of a single whale, or group of whales, is a moving, unforgettable experience. These giant creatures, which live entirely in the water but need to come to the surface to breathe, are quite simply awe-inspiring. The blue whale is the heaviest and longest animal on Earth.
Wild Dogs
African Wild Dogs are also called painted dogs because of their markings, which are unique to each dog. Although once found widely across most of Africa, African Wild Dogs have been persecuted to the edge of extinction. It is believed that less than 4,000 now exist in the wild. The India Wild Dog, also known as Dholes, are even more endangered.
Your reviews
Read what our clients think of the places they've been with Tribes. Here are the most recent reviews.
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Absolutely excellent in every area and sense of the word! A fantastic lifetime experience and one I would recommend to everyone.
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Efficient service throughout.
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It was great, especially the stay at Sand Rivers was excellent in every way!
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We were blown away by the experience. We saw more wildlife than we had dared hope for, but what impressed us most was the quality of service from ever...
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Our guide was knowledgeable, entertaining and understood what we wanted. The accommodations were excellent and...great service, great food, great wine...
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