IL SAFARI DA UN MILIONE DI DOLLARI

For the traveler who's seen it all and done it all, who feels a bit blasé about discovering the world, Natural World Safaris recently proposed a new kind of venture. The 111-day tour will cover 12 countries, multiple continents, and bring the participants close to some of the world's most magnificent endangered species. The only catch? It's $1 million for two people. The trip includes plenty of luxuries, including first class flying to and from the destinations and occasionally helicopter flights. According to Will Bolsover, the managing director, the money assists the endangered animals that travelers will see, with 10 percent of the fee going toward conservation projects, reported CNN. For those who blanch at the price tag but yearn for up close encounters with wildlife and the natural world, explore some of the tour's stops in the following pages. 

Since Charles Darwin first explored and wrote about the species that populated the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, the islands have been known as a living museum. Although the islands have a fascinating history, having been a haven for both pirates and whalers, their real allure is the wildlife that has lived there for thousands of years. The archipelago is composed of 20 islands, some that have remained uninhabited. Visitors might see everything from giant tortoises and iguanas to the myriad species of birds Darwin observed in developing his theory of evolution by natural selection, says UNESCO. Tourists can snorkel, hike, sail and meet with locals while exploring one of the most unique island chains in the world.