SPRING FLINGS aren’t just for humans. As much of the Northern Hemisphere greens up this month, animals, from Caribbean flamingos to Hawaii’s humpback whales, are making moves. With travel on a vaccination-fueled rebound, a commune with nature might make for a great first trip out of lockdown. You won’t have to rough it, either. Any number of hotels and resorts offer both creature comforts—along with the creatures. Staff will book fauna-focused tours or lead the safaris themselves. As North and Central America’s wildlife begins to stir in the coming weeks, here are some choice spots to find them.
Crimson Tide
Moored atop the Yucatán is a 26-mile-long antidote to pandemic confinement. Holbox Island forbids cars, high-rises and formality. Perhaps the most flamboyant visitors are the flamingos (above) that arrive each April. They nest in Ría Lagartos, a nearby Unesco biosphere reserve accessible by skiff, which hotels can usually arrange. Consider lodging at Ser Casasandra, a laid-back place with 17 rooms plus a villa furnished with Mexican decorative pieces, modern art and Egyptian cotton sheets (from about $330 a night, casasandra.com).
Bear Witness
As snow melts and sap rises, both animals and visitors are emerging blinky-eyed from hibernation into the dazzle of the Wyoming wilderness. Call it the Spring Migration for grizzlies, elk and wolves. Base yourself in the resort town of Jackson Hole, just 5 miles from Grand Teton National Park. The coolly contemporary, 55-room Hotel Jackson, built with reclaimed wood and stone, will organize safaris (starting around $1,275 per couple beginning May 1) to meet the megafauna (from $687 a night, hoteljackson.com).
Whale Trail
When the whales return to Alaska’s Inside Passage in the spring, a private charter lets you ogle them up close free from cruise-ship crowds. Alaska Luxury Tours’ yacht cruises the waters off Juneau and Icy Strait Point looking for the humpbacks and orcas that gambol there. A private three-hour tour is fortified by charcuterie, Champagne and artisanal beer. Disembark and bunk at the 1915-era Jorgenson House in Juneau. More soignée than sourdough, the six-room B&B can arrange activities from bear-watching to city culinary tours (from $425 a night, jorgensonhouse.com).
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