This is the second part of our series documenting some of the best photography locations throughout the world. The first part focused on landscape photography spots and this article will focus on top wildlife photography spots.
Nothing is more exhilarating than seeing unique wildlife species in their natural habitat. Wildlife photographers know how much time and effort it can take for sightings like that. Some locations are obviously better than others and this list will highlight some of the top locations. As a preface, a list like this could seriously include only locations in Africa, but I decided to group Africa as one and include some other spots. In my opinion, Africa is the greatest wildlife locale on Earth and I will delve more into WHY later.
Just like the landscape list, this is not an all-inclusive list. I am sure that I left off some great wildlife spots. This list also focuses on locations that tend to be great for ‘mega’ fauna. If any of these locations inspire you, check out our workshop listings here at Backcountry Journeys. We know many of these spots better than anyone and have scheduled workshops to most of the included destinations.
Let me know in the comments if I missed any great spots. I already know I left out some premier birding destinations, but as I said, the focus is more on megafauna. Enjoy!
Ben Blankenship
Alaska
In the landscape destinations article, I said Alaska would be one of the only locations to be listed on both the landscape and wildlife post. There are a few others that could have made it too, like Africa or Antarctica, but Alaska is truly a special place. The coast areas of Alaska offer a great opportunity to view marine wildlife (whale, Bald eagle, porpoise, seal, the salmon runs, and otter), but they also include one of the greatest populations of brown bear. Coastal brown bear in Alaska are the largest on Earth and there are many great spots on the Alaskan Coast to view and photograph them. The interior of Alaska is very different from the coast, at a park like Denali National Park, expect to see Brown bear, caribou, Dall sheep, moose, fox, and wolves. The far north of Alaska is also a great place to see Polar bear. You could say Alaska is the Bear capital of the world.
India
India is a country with many different biomes, that host a wide range of wildlife and bird species. India is maybe best known for its jungles and grasslands, which house the famous Bengal Tiger. There are not many left in the world (or places where you can consistently see them) and many experts say that tigers will be extinct within the next decade or so. Thankfully, India is doing a lot for their tiger populations and two parks within India feature a growing population of tigers – Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks (we offer a workshop that visits both parks). There are some other unique species that make India a great place to visit too – Asiatic sloth bears, rhinos, elephants, snow leopards, gaur, chital, and maybe even a dhole.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.