10 Best Animal Sanctuaries to Visit Around the World

From Asia, to Africa, to South America, breakneck development is pushing some species to the brink of extinction. But there’s something you can do to help. Next time you’re on vacation, consider visiting an animal sanctuary. Not only will you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience (think: communing with a baby sloth), your donations and entrance fees will support important conservation work. Here are 10 sanctuaries you might want to check out.

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The Gibbon Experience

Get up close and personal with gibbons, a species of small apes native to Southeast Asia, at this resort in Laos. During the day, you'll track gibbons, which are famous for their song-like calls, and at night, you can chill in a rustic tree house high above the jungle canopy.

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The Cheetah Eco Lodge

Cheetahs are among the most endangered animals in Africa, and even on the best safari, you'd be lucky to see one. But this resort and research centre in the dusty northern reaches of Namibia is home to several of the big cats. You can feed them, watch them hunt, and snap photos to your heart's content.

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Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary

You don't have to travel around the world to visit an animal sanctuary. This refuge outside of Cochrane, Alberta will give you a chance to see some two dozen wolfdogs. The offspring of wolves and domestic dogs, most were rescued from pet owners who found them too much to handle. Many are wild, but guests can get what the sanctuary calls "an intimate look" at the tamer ones.

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Sloth Sanctuary

Opened in 1992, this Costa Rican refuge bills itself as the world's first sanctuary for sloths. Visitors can take a three-hour tour, which includes a canoe ride into the animals' natural habitat and a visit to the sanctuary's nursery where you'll (squee!) meet baby sloths.

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Jarjeer Mule and Donkey Refuge

This sprawling refuge at the foot of Morocco's Atlas Mountains calls itself a "retirement home" for mules and donkeys. Many have spent their lives hauling tourists through the Atlas or ferrying back-breaking loads down the narrow streets of nearby Marrakesh. Along with making a one-time donation, visitors can sponsor the animals for about $5 a month.

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Jaguar Ecological Reserve

Covering some 1,200 hectares of central Brazil, this refuge was, ironically, founded by the son of a jaguar hunter. The sanctuary, which has a lodge for overnight guests, offers boat trips down the nearby Pixaim River where you can spot the endangered big cats, along with more common fauna, like capybara and caiman.

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Elephant Nature Park

This sanctuary in Northern Thailand is home to a herd of rescued elephants, many of them saved from a punishing life of jungle trekking. Guests can learn about the animals—staff have given each a name and recorded their personal history—while watching them frolic in custom-built mud pits.

It's not hard (or expensive) to get to if you're already planning a trip to Bangkok.

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Project Chimps

Nearly 80 former research chimpanzees reside in this sanctuary in northern Georgia. Most arrived after the U.S effectively banned research on chimps in 2015. Today, volunteers can spend a week-long "chimpcation" at the refuge, where they build habitats and harvest produce for the great apes.

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African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary

This rehabilitation centre in South Africa helps injured and abandoned marine bids, including the endangered African penguin, get back on their feet. Guests can visit the sanctuary on day trips and commune with some of the penguins who call the reserve home.

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Woodstock Farm Sanctuary

This sanctuary rescues farm animals from, literally, the chopping block, allowing them to live out their lives in the wide open spaces of central New York state. Visitors can pop in for a day or spend the night in the refuge’s ritzy barn-turned-guesthouse.

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