Sherman's Travel

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for travelers who enjoy America’s national park, with the hantavirus outbreak at Yosemite and now a way-too-close encounter between a young park guest and a very large bison at Yellowstone National Park. It’s not uncommon for visitors to Yellowstone to witness wildlife up close, and bison present the majority of those opportunities. However, nearly every map, brochure, posted sign, and announcement from the Parks Department urges people to maintain a safe distance between themselves and the park’s four-legged inhabitants. The folks in the video below, however, chose to ignore these warnings and narrowly avoided disaster.

Bison frequently cross over paths that have been installed for park visitors. Common sense dictates that you give these massive creatures a wide birth as they go by. Park rules require that guests stay 25 feet away from large animals and 100 feet from bears. The people shown in this video are closer to the bison than most commuters are to each other in a New York City subway. Before too long, they were running for their lives, and one young guest was nearly trampled. Sound terrifying? The adults involved seemed to find the whole incident delightfully amusing. Read more

On the rugged coast of British Columbia, 40 miles from the Alaska border, there’s a wildlife park without trails or camp sites. There is no potable water and no boating. Fishing and hunting are not permitted, and there are stern warnings against bringing pets. Visitors can only enter with a guide, and only a few companies are authorized to lead tours.

Such delicate handling of the terrain might seem daunting for visitors. But the careful preservation of this land, known as the Khutzeymateen sanctuary, is a boon for its fuzzy inhabitants. Dozens of grizzly bears call the park home, and if you happen to join one of those guided tours, you’ll get an incredible glimpse of these bears in the wild.

Prince Rupert Adventure Tours, which is based in the laidback coastal town of the same name, takes guests out to the sanctuary on a sleek yellow boat, which allows for some up-close-and-personal grizzly viewing. Read more

For you solo cruisers looking to skirt that dreaded single supplement, we’ve come across a real deal: International Expeditions is waiving the fee on several sailings in 2012 – translating to a savings of up to $1,749 for cruisers looking to travel by their lonesome. Set off on one of 11 expedition cruises to the Amazon or to the Galapagos on the small-ship cruise line, specialized in nature-themed, wildlife-rich itineraries.

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