10 great places to eye the tigers, more
— -- Brave enough to get up close and personal with nature's largest animals? Dave Salmoni, host of Animal Planet's Into the Pride, airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, shares his favorite spots to "get his growl on" and roam among the wild.
Yellowstone National ParkMontana & Wyoming "One of my favorite places to get my growl on is Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming," Salmoni says. "It's the easiest place to see a wide variety of hairy bad boys. The grizzly bear, black bear, mountain lion and wolves are all common visitors here." Serious animal watchers should check out the park's website for a map of the park and the wildlife that frequent the various areas for ultimate prowling. 307-344-7381, nps.gov/yell
Mirage HotelLas Vegas If you're looking to walk on the wild side both day and night, look no further than Vegas. "The Secret Garden at the Mirage Hotel has one of the best displays of white lions on the planet," Salmoni says. "These big beauties are a must-see when you are stuck in the concrete jungle." The Secret Garden — started by Siegfried and Roy in 1990 to educate the public and provide a safe place for endangered animals —is home to white tigers, lions, panthers and leopards. 702-791-7111, mirage.com
Phinda Private Game ReserveSouth Africa This reserve in the Maputaland region in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a prime tourist destination. "There you hear the growls and see the majesty of Africa's Big Five — the elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo," Salmoni says. "They're called the Big Five because they are the most dangerous animals to hunt." But don't make the mistake of judging an animal solely by its bark: "One of the biggest barks comes from a very small creature called the honey badger, a very aggressive predator." 888-882-3742, phinda.com
Ranthambore National ParkNorthern India "Tigers make some of the best growlers, and there is no better place to see them than Ranthambore National Park," Salmoni says. "There are not many places that tigers exist in their natural habitat — they are almost extinct." November through May is the best time for spotting tigers here, because it's the area's dry season. But tigers aren't the park's only attraction: Expect to see jackals, mongooses, sloth bears and leopards. ranthamborenationalpark.com
Katmai National ParkKing Salmon, Alaska An area famous for its volcanoes, the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is home to brown bears and, as the city's name suggests, waterways filled with sockeye salmon. "Katmai National Park is a fantastic place to get nose to nose with some of the biggest grizzly bears on the continent," Salmoni says. "It's the same park where (Grizzly Mansubject) Timothy Treadwell spent 13 years living among grizzlies." 907-246-3305, nps.gov/katm
Bowmanville ZooOntario, Canada If celebrity sightings are your thing, this is the zoo to visit. Bowmanville Zoo is known for supplying Hollywood with its trained animals to star in countless films and television shows. "This zoo near Toronto is the home to the trained big cats that you see in a lot of Animal Planet series, such as After the Attack," Salmoni says. "This zoo is home to some of the best trained animals in the world." 905-623-5655, bowmanvillezoo.com
Erindi Private Game ReserveNamibia This reserve is home to more than 15,000 head of game roaming the savannah. "If you want to see the lions from the Animal Planet series Into the Pride, which puts me in the middle of a rogue pride of lions, then Erindi Private Game Resort is the place to go," Salmoni says. "There are a wild variety of animals to see in their natural habitat. What's more, their conservation and rehabilitation efforts are noteworthy." Be sure to plan a sunset viewing into your trip. erindi.com/site
Omaha's Henry Doorly ZooOmaha It's no wonder this zoo is Salmoni's favorite in the USA. It boasts the world's largest land mammals (African elephants and white rhinos), as well as the Bear Canyon, which is home to polar, grizzly and sun bears. "It has a variety of large predators and fantastic conservation and education programs," Salmoni says. 402-733-8400, omahazoo.com
Redwood National and State ParksCrescent City, Calif. This park "is an ideal place to get a great chance at peeking at mountain lions," Salmoni says. "These cats are widely common in this area, not to mention it's one of the most scenic places on the West Coast to go camping." Black bears, spotted owls and bald eagles also call this park home. Mountain lions are most often spotted around the parks' streams and other freshwater sources. 707-464-6101, nps.gov/redw
Thornybush Game LodgeSouth Africa "The first lions ever to accept me into their pride were the lions of Thornybush in South Africa adjacent to the Greater Kruger National Park," Salmoni says. "These majestic cats, stars of Animal Planet's Into the Lion's Den, were segmented into two prides of about 10 lions each." The lodge offers luxe accommodations with fine-dining options, a pool and spa, so a trip here is anything but roughing it. 877-647-3274, thornybush.co.za