Vast tracts of Africa remain wild places, but with the proliferation of civilization these days, it takes some doing to see them. Africa Adventure Company will ferry you via bush plane on an aerial safari, with lovely stopovers through some of Namibia's (and Africa's) most unspoiled regions. The trip begins at the Okonjima Bush Lodge, where you get up close to cheetahs and leopards courtesy of the lodge's program for orphaned big cats, and it doesn't slow from there. You'll follow endangered roan and sable antelopes through Waterberg Plateau Park, and black rhinos and desert elephants across north-central Namibia's Damaraland. For a final, invigorating breath of wildness, you fly to the country's northwest corner, where, operating from an oasis-shaded tent camp, you can explore the shipwrecks of the aptly named Skeleton Coast. The 10-day trip is $5,495 per person (based on shared occupancy). www.africa-adventure.com, (800) 882-9453

GRIZZLIES AND ORCAS
International Wildlife Adventures takes you into the raw and unspoiled Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia's Pacific Northwest (located east of the northern tip of Vancouver Island) to see the grizzly. Though the magnificent bears are present during spring, summer, and into fall, spring is the best time to see them because that's when they travel with their newborn cubs. Fresh off hibernation, they also come down to the water's edge to feed on sedge grass, mussels, and barnacles - viewing is done from boats, putting you as close to a grizzly as safety merits. You stay at a comfortable floating lodge at the edge of Glendale Cove, and the wildlife itinerary flexes depending on what's appearing. It might be grizzlies training their cubs, boxing, and tree rubbing. Or it might be orcas sluicing the waters of the Robson Bight Marine Orca Sanctuary, one of the best spots in the world to view these killer whales. IWA offers four-, five-, six- and seven-night stays ranging from $3,855 to $6,185 for singles traveling alone. www.wildlifeadventures.com, (800) 808-4492