Discovering a rare abundance of wildlife is such an eye-opening experience, especially when you get to encounter highly intelligent and complex animals like the wolf in their native habitat.
Only a few species are as caring, playful and committed to the safety of their family as the wolves. They are just like dolphins, gorillas and elephants who spend time with their young to educate them, protect them and live in family groups.
The communication skills of a wolf are critical to the survival of the pack, and it is why a howl is a way to warn of a threat or to call another pack. A howl can be heard from ten miles away, and each pack has a different and unique howl.
Wolves don’t howl at the moon but are always likely to howl more when the moon is full and bright. If you’re ready to go on a daring wildlife tour, here are some of the best howling spots to see Wolves;
8 Best Howling Spots to See Wolves
1. Poland: You can head to the Bialowieza Forest or the mountains of southern Poland for the sighting of Wolves which happen several times a year, and for tracking trips which come about during the autumn. Winter is the best time to visit Poland if you’re ready to track the wolves with a chance to spot the European bison, lynx, red seer and wild boar.
2. Canada: With some 60,000 grey wolves ranging the wilds in Canada, it is easier to spot them with polar bears on the banks of Hudson Bay in Manitoba’s Churchill, Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Northern Québec for a more thrilling experience and a hiking trip among them in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia.
3. French Alps: From the beginning of the 20th century, wolves have been wiped out in France until the 1990s, when some were brought over from Italy and live in the Southern Alps and Mercantour National Park. They are usually rare to see in Europe, while there are other wildlife to see, such as mouflon, wild boar, chamois and eagles.
4. Ethiopia; Ethiopia’s endemic wolf can be seen in the Bale Mountains National Park, the only place in the world to witness it. They live in the Ethiopian highlands with lush trees, wildflowers, grassy hills, lakes, rocky outcrops and other wildlife, including Menelik’s bushbuck, Mountain nyala and the giant mole-rat.
5. Russia: The Siberian and Arctic wolves are the type of wolves you can spot in the country’s remote wilds. Wolves in Russia are still regularly persecuted by the hunters as they cover the sizeable frozen expanse of Siberia, where you can also see Siberian (Amur) tigers and leopards in the Durminskoye Reserve’s taiga forest.
6. Yellowstone National Park, USA: The easiest time to spot these grey wolves is during winter in Yellowstone National Park, with over 100 of them. They were eradicated in 1926 before 40 grey wolves were brought to Yellowstone from Canada to prevent overgrazing by a rising elk population. You can also spot other wildlife like the Bison, grizzly bears, mountain lions, elk and coyotes.
7. Sweden: Wolves in Sweden are usually very shy, so making a trip to Sweden would allow you to partake in the wolf tracking holidays that take place in the centre of the city, where you have to track wolves across frozen lakes, search for prints through dense spruce forests, territorial markings and listen for howls.
8. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota: Get enough warm clothes and bundle up to see the wolves in the immaculate part of Minnesota during the winter. You can go on a sledge dog excursion and follow the tracks of wolves in the snow. If you go during late summer, you can book a guided canoe trip to be treated to the rare sound of wolf pups learning to howl.
