Festival of Wildlife
The Original and Only Festival of Wildlife
For those of us from Wildlife Worldwide who are annually involved in the organisation of the Festival of Wildlife, it is sometimes easy to forget that not everyone is familiar with the Festival concept and ethos, in terms of top wildlife sighting, knowledge sharing and wildlife conservation.
The event reached its 5th year in 2008, and is constantly evolving, but was primarily devised as a medium through which like-minded wildlife enthusiasts could come together to see, share and gain information about their passion during a trip to a key wildlife destination, whilst at the same time helping with the conservation of wildlife. Festival has so far raised in excess of £80,000 for local communities and wildlife conservation.
The Festival is a unique group trip which mixes customers and experts with wildlife specific skills to enjoy a packed but fun-filled itinerary of wildlife viewing, workshops, presentations, master-classes and general wildlife related discussion. We have been joined in the past by such prominent people as wildlife artist and conservationist David Shepherd, TV presenter and photographer Jonathan Scott from the BBC Big Cat Diary and recent Big Cat Live series, and top wildlife photographers Mark Carwardine and Nick Garbutt, to name but a few.
In 2010 we venture to the heart of the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the worlds largest wetland areas and home to 1,000 species of bird, 400 species of fish (including piranhas), 300 species of mammal and 480 species of reptile. This is a wildlife haven like nowhere on earth.
Click here for further details of the 2010 Festival in Brazil. |
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Tanzania 2009In 2009 the Festival of Wildlife heads off to the plains of the Serengeti, home to one of the greatest wonders in the wildlife world - 'The Great Migration'. Through the seemingly endless grassy plains, dotted with umbrella like acacia trees, over a million White-bearded Wildebeest and half a million Burchell's Zebra embark upon their annual journey.
Click here for further details of the 2009 Festival in Tanzania. |
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Madagascar 2008Madagascar - what a destination! We were totally mesmerised by this most magical of islands. With a mix of cultures incorporating African, Indian, Indonesian and European, the visual and sensory stimulation was overwhelming and that was before even getting close to the flora and fauna! Most of the wildlife can be experienced no where else on this earth and as we walked in small groups to discover it for ourselves, the whole experience became more intimate and adventurous.
Click here for our Festival Blog, with feedback from experts and participants alike, and some inspiring pictures. |
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Canada 2007In September 2007, you joined us for a feast of wildlife at British Columbia's premier wilderness retreat. With a backdrop of forest and with a spectacular seascape in front of you, there was the opportunity to see Black, and Spirit Bears fishing for salmon, River Otters slipping elegantly into the water, and bald eagles soaring overhead. There were also the expected Humpback Whales to power out of the ocean for exceptional photo opportunities, and sightings of Orcas, together with Pacific White-sided Dolphins and Dall's Porpoise.. and even wolves.
Click here for the Diary from the 2007 and to see many of the fantastic pictures. |
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India 2006In 2006 you joined us for a unique series of talks, presentations, masterclasses and workshops from these renowned wildlife experts in one of the world's finest wildlife locations. You will also have the chance to enjoy visits to historic monuments, wildlife-walks, bird-watching, elephant-rides, live folk music, cookery & yoga classes and of course, with any luck, fabulous tiger-viewing. |
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Galapagos 2005In 2005, you joined us for a unique series of talks, presentations, masterclasses and workshops from these renowned wildlife experts in one of the world's finest wildlife locations. The Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador's Pacific Coast, originated from undersea volcanic activity, six million years ago. In 1835 the young Charles Darwin visited the islands and discovered this "living laboratory" which inspired his writings on the Theory of Evolution. Many of the animals on the Galapagos Islands have developed into different species from their continental relatives, and because they have never experienced man as a predator, they show no fear of humans. |
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Kenya 2004The 2004 Festival got off to a flying start with an inspiring lecture by Jonathan and Angela Scott, the true specialists in the field of photography and filming in this awe-inspiring region of Africa. Their subsequent slide shows on the Masai Mara, Antarctica and on the fabulous Big Cat Diary were extremely popular. What an honour and a pleasure it was to watch David Shepherd OBE painting an original in oil and to listen to his tales of life as an artist and conservationist! A further great thrill was to listen to David talk of his love of 'jumbos', made all the more poignant by a family of elephants crossing the river to the lawns in front of camp. |
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