Yellowstone Wildlife Safari Tour

Yellowstone National Park is known for the diversity of wildlife found there. Because it was protected from settler development early on, it has maintained the integrity of a wild landscape, with opportunities to see a variety of species in their natural habitat. You may see bison, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and other large and small mammals as well as avian species, reptiles, amphibians and insects.  It’s all here – a fully functioning ecosystem on display – you just have to know where to look.  A guided tour offers the best opportunities to see wildlife in the National Park.  A professional guide is also able to provide insight and education on animal behavior and give context to what you’re seeing on the landscape.

Yellowstone National Park is home two both grizzly bears and black bears.  In fact, it’s one of the only areas south of Canada where you can find grizzly bears and black bears coexisting.  During the summer months they are both active in certain areas of the park and during the winter months, both bear species will hibernate.  Their physical characteristics are quite different, easily identified if you know what to look for.  They exhibit behavioral differences as well.  Your guide will be able to speak to these differences, how their physical and behavioral characteristics are identified and how they interact in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

5 Stars
We had a fantastic day with our guide. He was so knowledgeable about all of the wildlife & geography of the park. He was funny and kind and went out of his way to make sure our girls got to see all kinds of animals including the most exciting one, a black bear. They provided a delicious gourmet picnic lunch for us and snacks and drinks whenever we needed them. Spotting scopes were available for all of us too. We learned so much from him and had a terrific first day in Yellowstone. I highly recommend Yellowstone Safari Company.
Kelli C.

5 Stars
FANTASTIC experience – such a knowledgeable guide and a joy to talk with. The incredible experience makes me want to visit Yellowstone again AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. He taught me to see wildlife in a whole new light! SO EXCITING to see wolves, coyotes, foxes, and more. I’d book them again in a heartbeat. Hope I get the opportunity.
Darcy D.

5 Stars
Our tour guide was perfect for the journey we wanted. He was connected with the watchers (especially wolf watchers, which is what we wanted in addition to coyotes, mountain goat, of course bison, bears, and other native species), obviously interested in the wildlife and their lives, connected to what makes his clients happy, caring about the wildlife AND the clients. The BEST part was following a long female wolf near Little America and her adventures among bison, mousing, crossing the road. And then we were with him when a young black bear was too familiar with people and had some kind of injury or disability. I learned a lot, and I could have continued tracking wolves for days. He made sure we understood the key landmarks for watching wolves, bison and mountain goats, which we wanted; took us to the perfect picnic spot; and despite all kinds of opportunities, got us back to our car at the agreed-upon time (though I could have gone on and on). Definitely recommend. And if you don’t really know what you want, he’ll find wildlife for your connection, which I think is what most people want / need.
CL B.

5 Stars
Booked a day tour for just my husband and myself. We were staying at Old Faithful Inn and were met our guide at Mammoth Springs Lodge. About an hour away due to speed restrictions at 25mph (bison do not pay attention to the green cross code). Our guides met us on time and immediately we both knew that this was going to be a highlight of our trip. They drove us through Lamar Valley explaining the landscape the whole time. Our first sighting was of a grizzly with her cubs in the distance. I would have been happy if that is all we saw. We then saw a bison carcass with a wolf, coyote and a lot of ravens. If there is a large amount of ravens this is usually due to there being a carcass. Took a little detour down Slough Creek which was so beautiful. Driving further on in to the valley our guide spotted a mountain goat high in the mountain. I think he must have Superman vision!!! We stopped at a lovely spot for lunch. Picnic areas in the UK do not look like that. On the drive back to Mammoth Springs we saw another wolf who was trying to cross the road to get to the carcass we saw originally. Our guide then spotted a Bald Eagle that was just sitting in the middle of the grass. I could carry on forever with how amazing this day was. We both wish that we had booked another day to maybe go further in to Lamar. Need to get myself one of the amazing scopes so that better pictures could have been taken. Only a small point as the memory of this amazing with Yellowstone Safari company will be with me forever. This company cares about Yellowstone as even during the tour our guide reported a photographer who was getting too close to the grizzly to the Park Ranger. The animals deserve their space as Yellowstone is their home and we are merely visitors.
Paula B.

Each of our tours is tailored to the desires of our guests.  On this wildlife safari tour, we have the option of stopping at Mammoth Hot Springs, one of Yellowstone National Park’s most famous thermal features.

Due to the flooding in northern Yellowstone in June 2022, the access to the Lamar Valley has been severely restricted.  The National Park anticipates restoring access to all areas of the park by summer 2023.  In the meantime, we are free to explore several similar areas, and we have made adjustments to our tours to provide an equally exciting experience.

We tailor each departure to the wishes of our guests, so we will spend as much, (or as little), time spent walking as you desire.

There are currently 120 wolves in Yellowstone as of March 2024, but puppy season is in April and the numbers change yearly based on survival of pups and intra-pack dynamics which determine whether wolves stay in the Park boundaries or leave the Park to explore new territory. Average numbers yearly have maintained around 100 since the early 2000’s.

Since the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone in 1995/96 visitors from around the world  have flocked to the region with the unique opportunity to view wild wolves in their natural habitat. Very few places on Earth can provide such intimate, consistent wolf watching. Yellowstone currently sees around 4 million visitors each year through its 5 Gates. Of the visitors to the Parks top goals, Wolves are in the top 5 for about 75% of guests. This means that tens of millions of dollars being spent in Yellowstone and its border towns on a yearly basis are a direct result of wild wolves being present in the ecosystem.

This route will begin in Bozeman and include potential wildlife sightings such as elk, deer, moose, pronghorn, bald eagles, and other birds throughout Paradise Valley and the Gardiner Basin before reaching the Northern Gate in Gardiner, MT. The safari then explores 50 miles of Yellowstone’s Northern Range passing through areas such as Blacktail Plateau, Tower Junction, Dunraven Pass, Lamar Valley, and the Northeastern corner of the Park where wildlife such as Grizzly and Black bears, Wolves, Coyotes, Bison, Bighorn Sheep and a variety of other mammals and birds are possible. We will always offer a stop at Mammoth Hot Springs as a final stop at the end of this excursion before returning back the way we came.

This route begins in Cody with a journey through the Shoshone River Canyon where bighorn sheep, deer and eagles are frequently seen, and enters the Park through the East Gate. We then ascend Sylvan Pass with gorgeous views of the Absaroka mountains and amazing alpine wildlife potentials such as goats, pika, deer and bears, before descending to Yellowstone Lake at Fishing Bridge. This eco tour passes through Hayden Valley, enjoys several brief views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and explores another incredible mountainous region over Dunraven Pass, before venturing out into Lamar Valley with all of its amazing wildlife possibilities from apex predators such as grizzlies and wolves, to vast herds of bison, various small mammals, and wild flocks of birds. The route returns the same way.