Top 10 adventures with beautiful but dangerous creatures: "
Do you have an illogical fear of wild cats? Most of us would say, “But that’s not illogical. That’s very smart.” However, for most risk takers, facing that natural, prey-to-a-predator fear is the point of traveling. Otherwise, travel would be very dull. If you’re one of those fearless globe trotters, and you’re willing to come face-to-face with the fiercest beasts in the planet, then these trips are for you.
Paddling in South America
Night paddles through the Pilchicocha’s Lake which is at the heart of the Amazon Rainforest can be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of your life. While it’s pretty calm at night, you’d wonder if the calmness is because you’re being watched by these wild animals like a very hungry human would watch his food as it cooks.
One of the greatest predators in these waters is the anaconda. If you’re lucky, you’d come across a juvenile anaconda, and you’ll be in the good company of an Amazon guide who has already learned to survive in this area.
If you’re unlucky, you might run into a full-grown adult anaconda. While these creatures are definitely marvelous, their massiveness can only spell danger for you. These giant serpents strangle their prey and swallow them whole. You’ll be digested for days inside that reptile’s body.
Camping Safari-style in Kenya
The surest way to get yourself hurt (and that is an understatement) in Africa is to go camping in the middle of nowhere without so much as a small knife or a torch. Fully equipped, you may survive (minus the viscous bug bites) but at least you’re not completely jungle food yet. Before you pack your sleeping bags, let’s enumerate five of the deadliest animals in Africa. They are the elephant, the lion, the leopard, the rhinoceros, and the buffalo.
While you’re least likely to be eaten by an elephant and a buffalo because they’re herbivores, they can crush you in a stampede. While you’re in a tent, camping out, and the sun falls, you will be kept awake thinking about all of these things. When morning comes and you’re still alive, you’ll probably be thankful that you were extremely lucky that night.
Of course, that’s an overly cautious account of someone who’s only too excited that s/he is camping with all of these wild animals running around. In reality, as long as your don’t disturb, challenge, or temp them with food, you should be very safe. Africa has a lot of big conservation camps, but if you really want to help out, you should camp at the Selenkav and Kigio Conservation Areas instead. Why?
These conservation areas support the African Masai community. Not only will you be satisfying the thrill-seeker in you, you’ll also help fellow human beings live better. On your day outs, feel free to ride 4WDs to the Nakuru and Amboseli National Parks. The Mara Reserve is also a pretty good choice. The best months to camp out at the savannahs are the months between June and September.
Cageless dive into the Great Barrier Reef
If you think that the caged shark and croc dive gets in the way of being up, close and personal with these fierce creatures, then the climate in Australia might suit you better than it did in Africa. While it’s not very smart to actually touch these venomous sea creatures, you can dive into the Great Barrier Reef and swim among the beasts. There will be just literally inches between you and these fierce creatures.
Get to see the infamous blue-ringed octopus and the poisonous stonefish. Once you swim up, unscathed, you’ll definitely feel a lot better about yourself. After all, not everyone can dive into those waters without fearing for their own safety. According to Australian statistics, more people actually die from the stings of jellyfishes in this are more than shark-, snake- and croc attacks.
If you want to marvel at the immensity of the Great Barrier Reef without getting stung by a jellyfish, don’t dive between November and February. Those who are just beginning to dive can also experience the reef as there are basic guided diving tours available. Even those who have astigmatism can enjoy the reef because these tours also offer prescription goggles.
Taking the Tundra Buggy for Polar Bears
This seems a bit cuter if your concept of polar bears is superficial and you think they generally like human beings. If you’ve had a close encounter with the grizzly in the past, though, this still falls under the category of “fierce”, though it probably won’t give you a heart attack as much as the last two activities in Africa.
When you ride the Tundra Buggy in Canada, you’re taken to the Hudson Bay by air to see these adorable looking but undoubtedly big mammals. Here, they gather to hunt for their favorite meal of all: the ringed seal. Remember what we’ve said about humans usually being mistaken for seals? Now is probably the time to stop looking like one. These tours usually take place between October and November.
If you’re in the company of a well-informed and well-experienced guide, and you’re wearing the right clothes for this weather, you should be fine. You might even have a chance to get up, close, and personal with one of the friendlier bears in the pack. Just make sure that you don’t do anything to trigger its aggression. Polar bears rarely attack unless they’re taunted.
The location of this tour is unfortunately inaccessible by car, so you will really have to fly in from Winnipeg. Check in at the Tundra Buggy Lodge. It’s pretty hard to just think about risk-taking when you go here, though. Polar bears tend to be more lovable than other fierce animals, and you might be wondering if, by going on this tour, you’re affecting the specie’s natural living conditions.
It’s good to know that the same company you’re paying to go on this trip supports a study which helps lessen tourist impact on these wild bears.
South African Cage Drops
If you’ve been wondering how shark food feels like, then you will get a very realistic simulation once you sign up for a Cage Drop in South Africa. This is certainly not for the faint of heart. You will literally be looking eye-to-eye with a Great White Shark when you go for this ride. There’s also no room for panicking underwater, because if you do, that cage will no longer be your protection, it will be your doom.
More educated travelers won’t feel so uncomfortable around the Great White Shark, though. Humans are not their natural prey—seals are. So unless you’ve gained too much weight and actually look like one in that wetsuit, there’s really nothing to worry about. Just make sure that your panic attacks are kept under the lid, that you’re accompanied by a very competent trainor, and that the cage you’re standing in isn’t made from cheap steal.
It also pays to know when these Great White Sharks are extra aggressive. This has something to do with their hormones, and if the travel agency you’ve contacted can be trusted at all, they will know this. As long as you’re diving during a “safe season”, you should come out of there alive. Just exhilarated, and maybe even in awe, that you actually came face-to-face with such a magnificently terrifying animal.
The peak season for diving with the sharks starts from April and runs through December. For a shark dive tour you can trust, look for the Shark Alley located at the Gansbaii. If you’ve already tried diving with the sharks, you might want to try something along the same lines, only trendier. The Cango Ranch, located at the Oudtshoorn, West Cape, also offers Cave Diving with the crocs of the Nile.
Aussie River Cruise
While cruising the Australian River sounds more like a fierce water sport whose primary challenge is the waves, there’s actually a lot more going on down under. When you cruise the Mary River in June, it means you’ll run into one of the most deadly animals in the world: the “salties” or saltwater Crocodiles of Australia.
These salties don’t prey on human beings because they mistake humans for seals. They really prey on human beings and that’s the end of the story. They’re infamous for drowning their human preys first before they’re turned into food, or clamping down a ton of pressure per square inch of their bodies just to make sure they’re no longer alive.
So why would you want to go near them in the first place? Well, it can be because you think your destiny is to be these horrifyingly huge animals’ food, or you just want to for the sheer excitement of it. Just a reminder, though, there are only too many fatalities reported every year, and most of these victims are risk takers, too. Some, on the other hand, are just unknowing preys.
Fly very close to Grizzlies in Alaska
The seaplane safari won’t just take you around the volcanoes and glaciers of Alaska, it will also get you near enough a grizzly without putting you in complete danger. Of course, the grizzly bear’s aggressiveness is a common misconception.
Most of the time grizzlies only attack humans because they’ve been teased or tempted with food. If you did nothing to irritate them, they won’t attack you because you’re not naturally part of their food chain.
Every year in July, these seaplanes also take passengers to the Brooks Rivers Falls. This is in Katmai National Park. Here, you can also watch the grizzly bears while they fish for huge salmons. Just a trivia: the grizzlies didn’t get their name from their aggressive tendencies. The term “grizzly” actually refers to their untamed, white-tipped coat.
Go Trekking in Australia
If you want to see the world’s fiercest bird, you have to go to Australia and witness the cassowary in the wild. Book yourself a flight there then join the Wet Tropics Great Walk in Queensland. In the World War II, soldiers fell prey to these birds that had claws as sharp as daggers.
Click on the video below to have an idea how big these birds are. We are pretty sure you will not have a hard time finding cassowary attacks all over the net. A close encounter might be compared to a walk in Jurassic Park. Beautiful but really dangerous creature.
Another creature to watch out for in this walking tour is the coastal taipan. This is one of the deadliest, most poisonous snakes in the world. The best months to go for a trek are between April and October. It will be too wet any other time.
Important
You should always choose your tours meticulously. While looking for a wild adventure isn’t illegal, you try to be a responsible traveler. Only support programs that care for these animals. Most of these “fierce” creatures are also endangered, their eating habits causing them to be hunted down by humans too. You wouldn’t want to be part of a group that mindlessly kills these animals even when they don’t cause any real danger.
While on the trip, also try to remember that these animals are as afraid of you as you are of them. If they attack at all, it’s mostly out of self-defense. Do not mindlessly kill them because you think they’re going to have you for lunch. If they leave you alone, move along and leave them alone too. Drastic measures (killing any of the animals) which can alter the entire ecosystem should only be done in extremely dangerous situations.
Most tours bring sedatives to stop these animals when they’re about to attack human travelers. You should join these groups instead. At least you’ll be protected without worrying that you’ve just killed another member of an endangered species.
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