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Fairmont: Where the Wild Things Are

Fairmont Banff Springs

Learn more about Fairmont Banff Springs or make a booking.

There's no experience more authentic than coming face-to-face with a wild animal in the majesty of nature.  With an incredible number of hotels set in parks, preserves and on lakes, rivers and oceans around the world, there are plenty of opportunities to discover wild animals with Fairmont .  And while many of Fairmont hotels have fabulous access to wildlife, here are 5 particularly cool spots to catch a glimpse of Big Game:

East Africa's Great Migration is one of the world's most spectacular Natural Wonders, involving a million wildebeest, zebra and antelope, along with the predators that feed on them.  Fairmont Mara Safari Club in Kenya's famed Masai Mara has direct access to an astonishing array of wild animals involved in the migration, including the famed Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalo.  To ensure the area is full of wild animals for many years to come, the resort has also teamed up with Working Wildlife Land Management Company to manage the Ol Choro Oiroura, a wildlife conservancy, which has begun a successful rhino breeding project in the reserve.  North of the lodge is Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, which also offers access to an array of wild animals.  In nearby Aberdare National Park, guests have caught glimpses of elephant, buffalo, zebra, colobus monkey and waterbuck.  Also, next door is a non-profit animal orphanage guests can visit, which focuses on the reintroduction of the endangered Mount Kenya antelope - the bongo.
 
On the other side of the world, Fairmont's three properties in the Canadian Rockies are in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and two Canadian National Parks, and offer some of the best wildlife viewing in North America.  The trip from The Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise to The Fairmont Jasper Park along the legendary Icefields Parkway is known as one of the greatest drives on Earth.  It also allows for plenty of wildlife viewing, from wolves and elk to mountain goats and bighorn sheep.  There's also the possibility of spying grizzly and black bears, caribou, moose and more.  For guests who want a closer look, the hotels can arrange a visit to the Grizzly Bear refuge at Kicking Horse Resort, home to resident orphaned grizzly, Boo. 
 
Over in British Columbia, bear sightings are a daily occurrence in the summer and fall seasons at The Fairmont Chateau Whistler.  Guests enjoying an afternoon at the Golf Club are often pleasantly surprised to see bears come right onto the green and "join" in their game (while keeping a safe distance of course!).  Nature-loving guests can try a Bear Viewing Tour with local black bear researchers on a 4X4 tour through the Whistler & Blackcomb Mountains. Visitors have also been known to spot animals such as the Columbian black-tailed deer, coyote, Ruffed grouse, Red-tailed hawks, Barred and Great Horned owls, and Western Hoary marmots. 
 
In the woods of Quebec, perceptive visitors can look for the shy animals that populate the forest, including the elusive moose and black bear.  At Fairmont Kenauk, guests can book chalets overlooking picturesque lakes that are perfect for soaking in the sun while watching for passing loons, jumping fish, or deer coming down to the water's edge to drink.  From May to September, guests wanting to spot big game can go on a bear watching excursion every afternoon with the resort's expert staff.  Fairmont Tremblant is around the corner from Mont-Tremblant Park, home to a rich collection of wildlife, including black bears, wolves, moose, deer, foxes and bald eagles. It's not uncommon to encounter one or more of these natives when hiking in the park's 575 sq. miles of untouched wilderness.  At the summit of Tremblant, guests can marvel at the incredible birds of prey swooping overhead.  Or, for guests who want to stay closer to the resort, deer are commonly seen walking right by the windows of Windigo restaurant.

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