Wetland, River and Lake Wildlife

Best time: May - October (dry season, peak flood June-August)

Botswana

Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is one of the world's largest inland deltas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Okavango River fans out across the Kalahari Desert to...

Best time: May - October (dry season, elephants concentrate at the river)

Botswana

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park in northern Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in Africa, with an estimated 120,000 elephants moving through the park and s...

Best time: December - April (dry season on the Pacific coast)

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, with over 500,000 species packed into a land area smaller than West Virginia. This Central American...

Best time: Route-specific: compare river level, rain, trail and boat access, target wildlife, heat, smoke or fire, operator season, and current protected-area conditions

Brazil / Peru

Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon is a vast multi-country biome, not one destination reached interchangeably from Manaus or Iquitos. A useful wildlife trip starts with a named protect...

Species Adaptations

Animals Associated With Wetlands & Rivers

Species may use more than one habitat. Open any guide for its full range, wild locations, seasonal context, tours, zoos, and conservation status.

African Elephant

Loxodonta africana

Savanna, forest, desert, marshland

Rhinoceros

Rhinocerotidae — five living species

Savanna, shrubland, floodplain grassland, wetland, and tropical forest

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus amphibius

Rivers, lakes, wetlands

Cape Buffalo

Syncerus caffer

Savanna, swamps, floodplains

Bengal Tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

Tropical and subtropical forests, mangroves, grassland

Jaguar

Panthera onca

Tropical rainforest, wetlands, grassland

Orangutan

Pongo pygmaeus, Pongo abelii, and Pongo tapanuliensis

Lowland, peat-swamp, riverine, hill, and montane forests in Borneo and northern Sumatra, with species- and population-specific ranges

Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla gorilla

Lowland tropical rainforest, swamp forest

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Temperate and tropical oceans, coastal waters, estuaries

Grizzly Bear

Ursus arctos horribilis

Forests, alpine meadows, river valleys, coastal areas

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Near large bodies of open water, coastal areas, rivers, lakes

Manatee

Trichechus manatus

Warm coastal waters, rivers, estuaries, springs

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Alkaline and saline lakes, mudflats, coastal lagoons

Southern Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Tropical rainforest, mangroves, fruit orchards

Ways to Experience the Ecosystem

Responsible Experiences in Wetlands & Rivers

Activity guides connect the ecosystem to practical access, operator questions, wildlife welfare, and suitable destinations.

Safari

Safari Game Drives

A game drive uses a vehicle to explore protected landscapes with a guide or, where rules allow, as a self-drive visitor. It is the most…

Forest

Orangutan Trekking

Orangutan trips range from guided walks near rehabilitation landscapes to multi-day rainforest journeys and river-based wildlife expeditions.…

Safari

River and Boat Safaris

River and wetland safaris reveal wildlife that roads cannot reach. Trips range from quiet canoe or mokoro outings to motorboat searches for…

Forest

Rainforest Wildlife Tours

Rainforest wildlife trips reward attention to sound, movement, tracks, fruit, and forest layers more than long-distance vistas. A guide may…