If you’re a wildlife enthusiast then here are five places you need to get back to nature in before you die…
1. The Pantanal
WHAT: A tropical wetland area that sprawls across Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The huge range of aquatic plants can support many species, including marsh deer and the giant river otter, which are particularly rare. The hyacinth macaw and giant anteater can also be found at the Unesco World Heritage Site.
GET MORE INFO AT: pantanal.org
2. Cockscomb Basin
WHAT: Recognized as the world’s first jaguar preserve, this sanctuary in Belize, Central America also boasts wildcats, tapir, exotic flowers, reptiles, and tropical birds. Prince Philip, as International President of the World Wildlife Fund, has visited in the past.
GET MORE INFO AT: belizeaudubon.org
3. Masai Mara
WHAT: Probably the most famous safari area in the world, the Kenyan plains offer sightings of the ‘Big Five’: lion, African elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. It is also the site of the Great Migration of zebra and wildebeest from the Serengeti.
GET MORE INFO AT: masaimara.org
4. Masoala National Park
WHAT: Madagascar’s largest protected area houses 10 lemur species, gecko, rare birds such as the red owl and amusingly-named creatures like the tomato frog. Humpback whales migrate here for calving, too.
GET MORE INFO AT: mwc-info.net
5. Kaziranga Park
WHAT: An important wildlife conservation base
in eastern India, this marshland and forest area is home to buffalo, one-horned rhino, elephants and deer, as well as being an ‘Important Bird Area’, according to BirdLife International.
GET MORE INFO AT: worldheritagekaziranga.com
MORE TNT TOP FIVE’S:
World’s top music destinations
World’s best road trips
World’s most romantic destinations
The world’s best clubbing cities
The world’s best drinking cities
Words: Janine Kelso
