Not long ago, visiting exotic animals in their habitats was the stuff of intrepid explorers who ventured weeks into remote wilds. Today, sleek new nature lodges bring adventurous luxury to fragile but closely cared-for ecosystems.
As more travelers seek out luxurious adventures, Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards showed that hotels are catering to that need with memorable animal encounters. We found hotels from Tanzania to Texas with experiences featuring elephants, eagles and everything in between.
Read the full story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2024/02/23/14-amazing-wildlife-hotels-for-your-next-adventure/
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As more travelers seek out luxurious adventures, Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards showed that hotels are catering to that need with memorable animal encounters. We found hotels from Tanzania to Texas with experiences featuring elephants, eagles and everything in between.
Read the full story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2024/02/23/14-amazing-wildlife-hotels-for-your-next-adventure/
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
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Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:0014 Amazing Wildlife Hotels for Your Next Adventure
00:05Not long ago, visiting exotic animals and their habitats was the stuff of intrepid explorers
00:11who ventured weeks into remote wilds.
00:14Today, sleek new nature lodges bring adventurous luxury to fragile but closely cared-for ecosystems.
00:21As more travelers seek out luxurious adventures, Forbes Travel Guide's 2024 Star Awards showed
00:28that hotels are catering to that need with memorable animal encounters.
00:33Forbes Travel Guide found hotels from Tanzania to Texas with experiences featuring elephants,
00:39eagles, and everything in between.
00:42Number 1.
00:43Giraffe Manor
00:45At this 12-room, ivy-covered manor surrounded by forest, the namesake animals join you for
00:51breakfast.
00:52As you nosh on blueberry pancakes, the resident Rothschild's giraffes crane their long necks
00:57through the large open windows, signaling they want you to feed them grass pellets.
01:03You'll feed them again during afternoon tea in the garden while you enjoy scones, sandwiches,
01:07and sweets.
01:10Visitors can learn more about the threatened species and the hotel's conservation efforts
01:13at the adjacent Giraffe Center.
01:16Number 2.
01:18Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
01:21Venture to the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand converge, to spend time
01:27with these treasured rescued elephants.
01:30At the all-inclusive Four Seasons, witness the majestic mammals during their morning
01:34bath or sign up for a more intimate experience that will teach you about the gentle pachyderms
01:39and let you interact with them.
01:42Then retreat to one of the 15 luxurious Bill Bensley-designed tents surrounded by jungle
01:47with wood floors, thatched roofs, and air conditioning.
01:51Number 3.
01:52Drake Bay Getaway Resort
01:55When you visit the eco-friendly cabins in the rainforest, you'll encounter sloths and
01:59other creatures.
02:01This boutique hotel sits on the edge of the Corcovado National Park and offers guided
02:06tours of the biodiverse, rich wilderness.
02:09Board a boat that follows the coastline to the park, home to about 140 species of mammals,
02:15116 reptiles, and 400 birds.
02:19Keep an eye out for barred tapirs, scarlet macaws, white-lipped peccaries, great harpy
02:24eagles, and jaguars.
02:27Number 4.
02:28The Ranch at Rock Creek Animal activities abound at this five-star
02:33ranch.
02:34Saddle up one of the more than 70 horses to explore 6,600 bucolic acres or attend a ranch
02:40rodeo.
02:41Shadow a rancher to help care for the property's livestock.
02:45If you prefer to be on the water, try your hand at ice or fly fishing.
02:49Or simply sit back and watch the wildlife.
02:52Prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, coyotes, beavers, bears, and more have all been spotted on the
02:58property.
02:59Number 5.
03:01One and Only Gorillas Nest Stilted lodges perched among 60-foot eucalyptus
03:06trees serve as your base camp for gorilla trekking in nearby Volcanoes National Park.
03:12One and Only is the closest resort to the park, which means that after a day of hiking
03:17to get close to the famed mountain gorillas, the trip back won't be arduous.
03:21The five-star hotel makes the trek even easier by cleaning your muddy clothes and boots so
03:26you can focus instead on trading silverback stories with other guests at the bar.
03:31Number 6.
03:32Nihi Sumba A reef in front of this secluded island escape
03:37draws sea turtles, sea urchins, and colorful fish, but the herd of 22 horses and four foals
03:43steals the show.
03:45The popular Swimming with Horses activity lets you ride one into the pristine ocean.
03:51For the unique spa safari, you'll travel via horseback to a clifftop spa and indulge
03:55in pampering.
03:56And if you crave more wildlife wellness, opt for a five-day equine retreat that includes
04:02horse therapy.
04:04Number 7.
04:05Hotel das Cataratas, a Belmond Hotel The only hotel inside Brazil's Iguazu National
04:11Park gives you access to one of the world's largest waterfalls and a rainforest teeming
04:16with tapirs, blue-throated macaws, giant anteaters, toucans, howler monkeys, plush-crested
04:22jays, ocelots, and jaguars.
04:26To see more animals, take the five-star hotel's tours to the nearby Bird Park, the world's
04:31only facility dedicated to conserving Atlantic rainforest birds, or Bela Vista Biological
04:37Sanctuary, which conducts research to help species facing the risk of extinction, like
04:42jaguars.
04:44Number 8.
04:45Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Among the saguaros in the Sonoran Desert,
04:51herds of the beautiful wild mustangs gallop freely.
04:54Try getting a glimpse of them by booking a wrangler-led ride on a trained horse through
04:59the equestrian center at the Sheraton, which is named for these desert dwellers.
05:04Visitors can learn more about them at the center's Land of Mustangs activity, which
05:08shares the history of the animals and their cultural significance.
05:12The center also provides sunset rides that end with margaritas.
05:16Number 9.
05:18The Broadmoor The 146-acre Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, America's
05:23only mountain zoo, houses more than 30 species of endangered animals and sits close to the
05:28Broadmoor, which offers a VIP experience that allows you to feed the giraffes.
05:33Also check out the five-star hotel's wilderness properties.
05:37Visit a mule-to-cloud camp, a mountaintop luxury lodge with a 9,000-foot elevation.
05:43Stay along the Tarryall River at the Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing camp in search of trout.
05:48Or visit the ranch at Emerald Valley in Pike National Forest and go horseback riding.
05:53Number 10.
05:55McGee Homestead Tucked inside the 30,000-acre Brush Creek
05:59Ranch, this five-star hotel immerses you in ranch life.
06:03The wake-up-with-the-goats activity leads you through the dairy farmer's morning tasks,
06:08though it's not all hard work.
06:09You get to bottle-feed baby goats.
06:12Admire the landscape on a llama hike and picnic.
06:15Ride horses, join a cattle drive, or learn barrel racing.
06:19Number 11.
06:20Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti The Four Seasons resides inside the famous
06:26Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Big Five – lions, leopards,
06:32buffaloes, elephants, and rhinoceroses – all roam.
06:37Spy the animals from the luxurious hotel's infinity pool, which overlooks a watering
06:41hole favored by elephants.
06:44Embark on a game drive, get an aerial view from a hot-air balloon, take a naturalist-led
06:49walking safari, or live out your National Geographic dreams on a photo safari with a
06:55wildlife photographer.
06:57Number 12.
06:58The Resort at Paws Up Channel your inner cowboy at this 37,000-acre
07:03working ranch with unusual equine offerings like horse whispering, mustangs, and mindfulness
07:09demonstrations, and cow croquet.
07:11The most popular activity is the horseback cattle drive.
07:15The resort keeps up to 130 horses, along with Corriente cows and bison, but bald eagles,
07:21elk, deer, woodchucks, and grizzly bears have been known to wander the grounds.
07:26Number 13.
07:27Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.
07:30On the slopes of towering Mount Kenya, this elegant hotel sprawls across 100 acres within
07:35the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
07:38Add a horseback safari through the grounds to your itinerary to see llamas, colobus monkeys,
07:44marabou storks, zebras, and peacocks.
07:47Also visit the on-site orphanage that rehabilitates abandoned, injured, and abused animals, ranging
07:53from tortoises to cheetahs, to return them to the wild.
07:57Afterward, the Fairmont's resident Labradors, flora and fauna, welcome you home.
08:03Number 14.
08:04Long Neck Manor.
08:06After working at Disney's Animal Kingdom and as a former director of the Houston Zoo,
08:10Rick Barangi opened this 100-plus-acre Texas Hill Country Manor and Conservation Park in
08:162021.
08:17It's home to three rhinos and four giraffes.
08:20Four new villas debuted in 2023, but the giraffe suite remains the most popular accommodation.
08:27It's booked for 2024 and a good portion of 2025.
08:31Set inside the giraffe barn, the suite comes with oversized windows peering out at the
08:35family giraffe stall.