Private tours to view wildlife are a great way to get up close and personal with nature’s finest specimens. Wildlife reserves all over the world generally offer private tours for a chance to learn about the history and culture of a location while providing refuge and raising money for the world’s most exotic animals.
Visiting United States national parks are a great way to get outdoors and explore the flora and fauna of a specific region. One of the most famous and beloved national parks is Yellowstone, located in the northern United States.
Spanning around 3,500 miles mostly in the state of Wyoming. Yellowstone is one of America’s largest (and first) national park. Not only does it host wildlife and give its four million annual visitors a beautiful landscape to look at, it is home to Old Faithful, a popular and widely recognized natural geyser. Yellowstone in general has over 50 percent of America’s natural hydrothermal geysers and hot springs to complement its harsh winters.
The climate changes often in Yellowstone, so it’s best for visitors to bring lots of layers. In the summers, the hottest it usually gets is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and then it can drop below freezing as the sun dips below the mountains. In the winters, sub-zero temperatures are common with plenty of snowfall at higher elevations.
But Yellowstone’s wildlife can thrive in these climates, which may be why this area hosts the largest concentration of different animals in the United States (not including Alaska). Yellowstone is home to 61 different mammals, including rare creatures like the wolverine and lynx.
One of the most popular mammals that visitors go to see are grizzly bears, large and cumbersome animals that can weigh around 600 pounds. There are over 500 grizzlies that currently live in Yellowstone, along with black bears that tend to be a bit smaller and less threatening. Although it’s best to never get close to any kind of bear, even in a guided private tour!
Other unique animals that are worth trying to see in Yellowstone include wolves, badgers, bison, and foxes. There are over 15,000 elk in Yellowstone, one of the largest herds in America. They travel in packs and are quite large and photogenic, especially when the males butt antlers with others to establish dominance in the herd.
Elk are one of Yellowstone’s seven native hooved mammals in the region, with other natural species including bighorn sheep, pronghorn, moose, mule deer, bison, and the cute white-tailed deer. Mountain goats have also meandered into the park and are starting to grow in numbers in the northern part.