Aimed at busy city dwellers and all animal lovers, Airbnb has launched over 1000 animal experiences all over the world, ‘co-hosted by over 300 species and their human advocates’.
In Cape Town you can do an African penguin walk with a conservationist ‘away from the crowds’, (presumably not at Boulders Penguin Colony), in the US you can go paddleboarding with corgis in Miami, chill out with alpacas in Denver and in the UK you can have tea with a naughty sheep, named Mr. Beaches.
Having tea with Mr Beaches in Loch Lomond, United Kingdom. Image: Supplied by Airbnb
‘Guests will meet animals in places that allow for gentle observation and bring a sense of connection far beyond animal selfies or performances’, said Airbnb in a statement. For those wanting a more adventurous experience there’s the opportunity to discover arctic foxes or even help rescue puppies lost within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Also read: You can now visit the epicentre of the Chernobyl disaster
The benefits of spending time with animals have been well-noted over for over a century. According to Pshycology Today, ‘it was first popularized by Florence Nightingale, a nurse who noticed that patients with chronic illness felt better when they had the chance of interacting with animals.’
However, you don’t need to be ill to experience the pure joy of being in the company of creatures as diverse as horses, macaws, rescue dogs and even rats who do life-saving work in Cambodia by detecting land mines.
Some of the highlights of Airbnbs experiences include:
- Tea with Naughty Sheep (Loch Lomond, United Kingdom)
- Meet the Dogs of Chernobyl (Slavutych, Ukraine)
- Discover Arctic Foxes (Sudavik, Iceland)
- New Zealand Getaway and Horseplay (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Gibbon Research Assistant Experience (Phuket, Thailand)
- Urban Rooftop Beekeeping (Hamilton, Canada)
- Butterflies and Caterpillars Oh My! (Columbus, Ohio)
- Meet Life-Saving Animals (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
- See Released Macaws (Nosara, Costa Rica)
- Ultimate Cape Town Birding (Cape Town, South Africa)
- Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari (Brooklyn, New York)
- Hike Runyon Canyon with a Rescue Dog (Los Angeles, CA)
- A Day in a Gaucho’s Life in the Andes (Mendoza, Argentina)
According to Airbnb, the experiences are ‘underpinned by a new, industry-leading animal welfare policy, created in collaboration with World Animal Protection. Airbnb Animal Experiences are hosted by caring experts as an antidote to typical tourist attractions that are notorious for ethical concerns. You will never find an Airbnb Experience where you can kiss a dolphin or ride an elephant.’
Visit Airbnb Experiences for more.
Image: Airbnb
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