Today we catch up with Fredrik from Aurora Safari Camp in Swedish Lapland where the seasons are changing rapidly from winter 2 weeks ago to summer now, almost by-passing spring. Nature is thriving there at the moment. Also we introduce Kate from Kwando Safaris who talks about sightings in and around the Okavango Delta and Nxai Pan in Botswana. The water levels in the Okavango are at record levels and interesting wildlife sightings have been reported including denning wild dogs, a large coalition of lions and a tree-climbing cheetah. Welcome to the Wildlife & Wilderness Travel & Safaris ..read more

For this month we have split the roundup into two parts. These are unusual times and rather than the expected 5 or 10 minute briefing from colleagues, small lodge owners and managers around the world, we have entered into some deeper conversations. In this episode we explore conservation in Indian National Parks with Jehan from Shergarh Tented Camp and catch up with developments in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil with Guiliano from Aymara Lodge. We’ll release the second part of the monthly roundup tomorrow to keep some consistency. You may have noticed that we skipped a week last week after 3 ..read more

Welcome to Part 2 of our talk with Calum and Sophie from Lewa House in northern Kenya. In this episode we look at their safaris operations. They offer a wide range of safari activities and we discuss these and how Lewa House fits into a safari itinerary, either at the beginning of a safari in Kenya or at the end. However, this episode's our main focus is on Lewa as a Wildlife Conservancy, protecting endangered black rhinos and Grevy’s zebras, among the other wildlife. Welcome to the Wildlife & Wilderness Travel & Safaris show, the world’s first podcast on sustainable tourism and wildli ..read more

In East Africa, Mt. Kenya almost straddles the Equator with its eternal snows. A little to the north is an upland wilderness area and this is where both Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Lewa House are located. Surrounded by majestic scenery, Lewa House sits in the middle of the conservancy and is home to fourth generation Kenyan, Sophie and her husband Calum MacFarlane. Inevitably we immediately got chatting about the weather thanks to a video Calum had sent to me a short time before we spoke. So we jump right on in and catch up with the rains down in Africa. We continue to talk about the history ..read more

Listening to this field recording of sounds you could be mistaken for being on a tropical island with waves lapping the shore. The waves that were rolling in on the day these ambient sounds were recorded were quite benign; but Tasmania, Australia’s island state lies in the path of the Southern Hemisphere’s Roaring Forties and is often blasted by strong, wild winds. Fortunately, this recording was made on the reasonably sheltered and beautiful Maria Island that provides a stunning walk through nature and history just off the main coast of Tasmania. Welcome to the Wildlife & Wilderness Trave ..read more

Welcome to Wild Diaries, the monthly roundup of wildlife sightings and happenings in the natural world from around the globe. Stop and think for a moment, just what is happening right now out there in those wild places you would love to visit? Welcome the Wildlife & Wilderness Travel & Safaris show, the world’s first and only podcast on wildlife safaris worldwide and sustainable tourism. This show’s for everyone interested in eco-tourism, travel in the natural world and adventures to our planet’s wild places. I’m your host, Dr. Steve Banner, biologist and Director of the travel company ..read more

Podcast guide Dr. Steve Banner chats with professional wildlife photographer, Andy Rouse. With 20 years of experience of travelling to Svalbard in the high Arctic Andy has an incredible sense for the importance of this archipelago, not just for the wildlife but for our own connection with nature. We talk about the well-being that this incredible frontier offers, about polar bears of course, but also about the other wildlife including walrus and the incredible birds found breeding here during the short Arctic summer. Landscapes feature too as this is a land of mountains, glaciers, rock, ice and ..read more

In this episode of the Wildlife & Wilderness Travel & Safaris show, the world’s first and only podcast on wildlife safaris worldwide and sustainable tourism, we are putting the pod in podcast. The first sounds you hear are from killer whales, orcas, off the west coast of Canada. In fact, what is very cool is that from just that short clip they were identified by Megan at Orca Lab as members of the northern resident A5 pod in the Broughton Archipelago off Vancouver Island. And that group of islands is where we take you in this episode, to explore Farewell Harbour Lodge and the wildlife ..read more

We take you to an early morning in the rainforests of Brazil, bird watching and making field recordings of ambient sound from a tower above the canopy of the forest. The tower is a short walk from Cristalino Lodge in the depths of the southern part of the Amazon in Mato Grosso state. Here there is an exceptionally well preserved habitat of pristine rainforest. As your host Dr. Steve Banner I also explain a little more about our nature travel company, Wildlife & Wilderness as we have been specialising in tailor made holidays for almost 25 years. We listen to clients’ dreams and using our ex ..read more

Sanne is half of a young Dutch couple that now live with their 33 huskies at a lodge in Lapland, northern Sweden. Her love for the dogs came from a single holiday dog sledding and now, during the winter months she runs private dog sled tours from short half day trips to long multi-day expeditions. She describes how they got started and learnt guiding before setting up their own business, Yellow Snow Husky Tours, 2 years ago. They grew their kennels from 3 huskies to the complement of dogs they have today. It is a year-round occupation although they dogs seem to enjoy their lazy time in the sum ..read more