12 Family-Friendly Tours to Experience the Wild

For your next family adventure, it’s time to get out and go on a wildlife tour! You and your kids can experience a weekend with fantastic wildlife. Whether you want to spend a day feeding adorable deer or getting up close with the gentle giants of the sea, there are tons of wildlife tours that the whole family can join all over the planet.

Need help planning your next family-friendly travel? Read on to see which animal encounters you can do for the most unforgettable family adventures…with adorable creatures!

Did you know that the Japanese consider deer as messengers to the gods in Shinto? Get the chance to be with around 1,000 of these sacred creatures at Nara Deer Park when you join this Arashiyama & Nara Todai-ji Tour! The tour takes you all over Arashiyama and its cherry blossoms, with the grand finale landing you on an adorable wildlife tour at Nara Park. Here, you can feed the tame deer with crackers. Some are even trained to bow to visitors when they ask to be provided, earning them the nickname “nodding deer of Nara Park.”

Is anyone up for a fun family adventure at sea? If you’re visiting Okinawa from January to March, this whale-watching activity is the perfect wildlife tour for you! See incredible humpback whales up close and personal on this winter trip that departs from Naha or Chatan. Once you’re aboard, you’ll sail for three hours out in the water to see pods of whales swimming or playing around. 

Don’t worry, these wildlife tours have a high guarantee of whale sightings. If you don’t come by any, you’ll receive a full refund!

Wildlife tours don't always have to be outdoors! At Okinawa, you can take your kids to Churaumi Aquarium and watch the awe-inspiring underwater world unfold right before your eyes while indoors. As one of Japan's most high-tech aquarium facilities, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is home to the mighty whale shark and the world's first successfully bred-in-captivity manta ray. Aside from these, you can also observe different marine animals like flame snappers, black snoek, and bioluminescent shrimp.

When you visit Neo Park in Okinawa, you’ll be delighted with a fantastic view of flamingos, toucans, and other birds! This park takes you closer to nature as they replicate different animal habitats like the Amazon jungle, African Savannah, and Oceania. Aside from avian friends, you and your kids can also encounter camels, capybaras, and giant tortoises. Want to know what would make this wildlife tour even more fun? By riding the miniature train that takes you on a 20-minute ride all over the park!

Still looking for more Japan wildlife tours you can join with your family? Here are unique animal encounters you can only do at the Land of the Rising Sun!

At Ocean Park Hong Kong, you get to visit four attractions in one trip! It's an aquarium, amusement park, marine park, and animal theme park. Ocean Park does not only provide you comfort and entertainment, but it also teaches you about the diverse environment of animals and nature conservation. Here, you and the whole family can watch fantastic animal shows at the Ocean Theatre to see animal feeding demonstrations and marine exhibitions.

Did you know that jellyfish are 98% water and have no brains? If you're surprised, head to Hong Kong Cube O Discovery and learn everything about jellyfish! Not only will you know about the different kinds of jellyfish and their ecology, but you'll also have the opportunity to watch them get fed. You can also check the Cylinder Mirror Maze, where jellyfish, mirrors, and colorful lights make a fantastic show — as if countless jellyfish are dancing in the water!

Is your next family adventure taking you to South Korea? Heaps of wildlife tours await you at the Land of the Morning Calm! Top of your itinerary should be Busan SEA LIFE Aquarium, where over 250 marine species look forward to meeting you. Unveil what the underwater world offers as you roam below its 180-degree ocean-floor glass tunnel and watch creatures like sharks, penguins, and cheeky otters get fed! This sea aquarium also stages a show called The Mermaid Show — and we heard it's earned a thumbs-up from tons of kids!

Seoul's urban jungle may be the last place you'd expect a wildlife adventure, but it's where COEX Aquarium is! As the largest aquarium in Seoul, COEX Aquarium houses over 40,000 sea creatures across its 16 themed areas. You're in for an unforgettable indoor wildlife tour as this sea aquarium takes you to the heights of the Andean mountains to the depths of the Amazonian rainforest. Get ready to see live sharks, turtles, stingrays, electric eels, octopuses, sinister-looking piranhas, pulsating jellyfish, and more while you're here!

Be up close and personal with the gentle giants of the land at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai. Once you've reached the sanctuary, you'll don the traditional Karen tribe clothing and assist in feeding the elephants. Afterward, you'll have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bathe and play with these elephants.

Ever wished to see exotic animals like ostriches and giraffes? Get ready for a family adventure to the outskirts of Bangkok at Safari World! Safari World has six attractions and 14 activities you can join, such as their River Safari, Camp Kangaroo, and Giraffe Terrace. But, if there's one thing you should take advantage of, it's the Safari Park, Bangkok's first and only open zoo. You'll hop aboard a private coach and traverse along the seven-kilometer savannah to meet different animal species like zebras!

The Bird Paradise is the latest addition to Singapore’s wildlife parks. It joins Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, and Night Safari, which are all now conveniently located in one single destination at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Explore the eight stunning walk-through aviaries (with interactive and informative air-conditioned transition zones in between) and look out for our colorful feathered friends, and capture IG-worthy photos against the backdrop of beautiful waterfalls. 

If you want to see more than dolphins while in Singapore, then your family adventure should take you to SEA Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa, where you will see a diverse range of marine life. It is one of the world's largest aquariums and is home to more than 1,000 marine species, like sea jellies, manta rays, Napoleon wrasse, and various corals. There are seven zones to explore, each filled with refreshing and interactive learning opportunities that encourage you and your kids to learn more about marine life!