Not long ago, visiting exotic animals in their habitats was the stuff of intrepid explorers who ventured weeks into remote wilds. Today, sleek new nature lodges bring adventurous luxury to fragile but closely cared-for ecosystems.
As more travelers seek out luxurious adventures, Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards showed that hotels are catering to that need with memorable animal encounters. We found hotels from Tanzania to Texas with experiences featuring elephants, eagles and everything in between.
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi
At this 12-room, ivy-covered manor surrounded by forest, the namesake animals join you for breakfast. As you nosh on blueberry pancakes, the resident Rothschild’s giraffes crane their long necks through the large open windows, signaling they want you to feed them grass pellets.
You’ll feed them again during afternoon tea in the garden while you enjoy scones, sandwiches and sweets. To learn more about the threatened species and the hotel’s conservation efforts, visit the adjacent Giraffe Centre.
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Venture to the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge, to spend time with these treasured rescued elephants. At the all-inclusive Four Seasons, witness the majestic mammals splash around during their morning bath or sign up for a more intimate experience that will teach you about the gentle pachyderms and let you interact with them.
Then retreat to one of the 15 luxurious Bill Bensley-designed tents surrounded by jungle with wood floors, thatched roofs and air conditioning.
Drake Bay Getaway Resort, Costa Rica
When you visit the eco-friendly cabins in the rainforest, you’ll encounter sloths and other creatures. The boutique hotel sits on the edge of the Corcovado National Park and offers guided tours of the biodiverse-rich wilderness.
Board a boat that follows the coastline to the park, home to about 140 species of mammals, 116 reptiles and 400 birds. Keep an eye out for Baird’s tapirs, scarlet macaws, white-lipped peccaries, great harpy eagles and jaguars.
The Ranch at Rock Creek, Philipsburg, Montana
Animal activities abound at this Five-Star ranch. Saddle up one of the more than 70 horses to explore 6,600 bucolic acres or attend a ranch rodeo. Shadow a rancher to help care for the property’s livestock. If you prefer to be on the water, try your hand at ice or fly fishing.
Or simply sit back and watch the wildlife — rabbits, prairie dogs, deer, elk, moose, big-horn sheep, wolves, coyotes, beavers, bears and mountain lions have all been spotted on the property.
One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda
Stilted lodges perched among 60-foot eucalyptus trees serve as your base camp for gorilla trekking in nearby Volcanoes National Park. One&Only is the closest resort to the park, which means that after a day of hiking to get close to the famed mountain gorillas, the trip back won’t be arduous. The Five-Star hotel makes the trek even easier by cleaning your muddy clothes and boots so you can focus instead on trading silverback stories with other guests at the bar.
NIHI Sumba, Sumba, Indonesia
A reef in front of this secluded island escape draws sea turtles, sea urchins and colorful fish, but the herd of 22 horses and four foals steals the show. The popular Swimming with Horses activity lets you ride one into the pristine ocean. For the unique Spa Safari, you’ll travel via horseback to a clifftop spa and indulge in pampering. And if you crave more wildlife wellness, opt for a five-day equine retreat that includes horse therapy.
Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, Iguassu Falls, Brazil
The only hotel inside Brazil’s Iguassu National Park gives you access to one of the world’s largest waterfalls and a rainforest teeming with tapirs, blue-throated macaws, giant anteaters, toucans, howler monkeys, plush-crested jays, ocelots and jaguars.
To see more animals, take the Five-Star hotel’s tours to the nearby Bird Park, the world’s only facility dedicated to conserving Atlantic rainforest birds, or Bela Vista Biological Sanctuary, which conducts research to help species facing the risk of extinction, like jaguars.
Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, Phoenix
Among the saguaros in the Sonoran Desert, packs of beautiful wild mustangs gallop freely. Try getting a glimpse of them by booking a wrangler-led ride (on a trained horse) through the equestrian center at the Sheraton, which is named for the desert dwellers.
Learn more about them at the center’s Land of Mustangs activity, which shares the history of the animals and their cultural significance. The center also provides sunset rides that end with margaritas.
The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs
The 146-acre Cheyenne Mountain Zoo — America’s only mountain zoo — houses more than 30 species of endangered animals and sits close to The Broadmoor (which offers a VIP experience that allows you to feed the giraffes). Also, check out the Five-Star hotel’s wilderness properties: ride a mule to Cloud Camp, a mountaintop luxury lodge with a 9,000-foot elevation; stay along the Tarryall River at the Orvis-endorsed Fly Fishing Camp in search of trout; or visit The Ranch at Emerald Valley in Pike National Forest and go horseback riding.
Magee Homestead, Saratoga, Wyoming
Tucked inside the 30,000-acre Brush Creek Ranch, this Five-Star hotel immerses you in ranch life. The Wake Up with the Goats activity leads you through the dairy farmers’ morning tasks, though it’s not all hard work — you get to bottle-feed baby goats. Admire the landscape on a llama hike and picnic. Ride horses, join a cattle drive or learn barrel racing (taking a horse and trying to make a cloverleaf pattern around barrels).
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania
The Four Seasons resides inside the famous Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Big Five (lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinoceroses) roam. Spy the animals from the luxurious hotel’s infinity pool, which overlooks a watering hole favored by elephants; embark on a game drive; get an aerial view from a hot-air balloon; take a naturalist-led walking safari; or live out your National Geographic dreams on a photo safari with a wildlife photographer.
The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, Montana
Channel your inner cowboy at this 37,000-acre working ranch with unusual equine offerings like horse whispering, mustangs and mindfulness demonstrations, and cow croquet (where you guide cows through certain gates). The most popular activity is the horseback cattle drive. The resort keeps up to 130 horses along with Corriente cows and bison (in the spring, visit the newly born calves), but bald eagles, elk, deer, woodchucks and grizzly bears have been known to wander the grounds.
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Nanyuki, Kenya
On the slopes of towering Mount Kenya, this elegant hotel sprawls across 100 acres within the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. Add a horseback safari through the grounds to your itinerary to see llamas, colobus monkeys, marabou storks, zebras and peacocks. Also visit the onsite orphanage that rehabilitates abandoned, injured and abused animals ranging from tortoises to cheetahs to return them to the wild. Afterward, the Fairmont’s resident Labradors, Flora and Fauna, welcome you home.
Longneck Manor, Fredericksburg, Texas
After working at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and as a former director of the Houston Zoo, Rick Barongi opened this 100-plus-acre Texas Hill Country manor/conservation park in 2021 that’s home to three rhinos and four giraffes. Four new villas debuted in 2023, but the Giraffe Suite remains the most popular accommodation — it’s booked for 2024 and a good portion of 2025. Set inside the giraffe barn, the suite comes with oversized windows peering out at the family giraffe stall.
