Some of my favorite bucket-list-worthy travel experiences have been in the company of animals: Hiking among massive penguin colonies in Antarctica, tracking African Wild Dogs in remote South Africa, and releasing turtle hatchlings on the beaches of Mexico. But camping among wildlife is a whole other “animal” (pun intended), and that’s exactly what you get at Canada’s one-of-a-kind Parc Omega Wolf Cabins.
For some nature-loving travelers, pitching a basic tent in the woods is adventurous enough. Others are willing to pay handsomely to travel halfway around the world for their first African safari experience. If you crave even more — if you fancy sleeping with some of the world’s greatest predators — this one-of-a-kind glamping experience might be for you.
Waking in the woods amid a pack of gawking, hungry wolves is not something most of us would pay for. But the lodging at Canada’s Parc Omega isn’t like a typical hotel or camping experience. The wildlife park features lodge-style chalets with one-of-a-kind overnight stays. Its Wolf Cabins are the first in North America with panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the park’s gray wolf enclosure. Throughout their stay, cabin guests can sleep, eat, and relax mere feet from the pack, separated by only a pane of glass.
Observe in comfort at Parc Omega Wolf Cabin
Parc Omega offers chalets in several sizes, from the smallest, 575-square-foot cabin with room for four (in two queen-sized beds) to its premier eight-person Wolf Lodge with room for the whole family. As the park’s flagship accommodations, all of its Wolf Cabins straddle the line between traditional hotel rooms and a semi-luxe glamping experience.
The rustic, nature-inspired decor is awash with raw shingle walls, chunky wood furnishings, and antler chandeliers. No matter which one you choose, you can enjoy many of the comforts of home, including a fireplace, a wood-burning stove, a mini-fridge, and a full en-suite bathroom with a shower.
Wolf Cabin guests also gain unlimited access to the 2,200-acre Parc Omega wildlife park and an exclusive private boardwalk with views of the park’s bear and wolf populations, where they’re free to roam and explore throughout their stay. There’s even a gourmet lakefront restaurant onsite, Omegabon, so you never have to leave the park grounds.
Yes, Parc Omega Wolf Cabins are safe
While it might seem crazy for some, sleeping among the wolves here is perfectly safe, even for those staying with young children. Great care has been taken to ensure that the wolves and their human friends stay apart at all times. First, for obvious reasons, the windows facing the wolves do not open, so you’re not going to accidentally crack a window for fresh air and wake up to a wolf in your kitchen.
Also, since Parc Omega is a legit wildlife sanctuary, the wolves are well-contained in an enclosure surrounded by a tall fence to keep them on their side of the property. So, you can relax and book your trip knowing that you’ll be staying in safety and luxury.
More than just wolves at Parc Omega Wolf Cabin
Located an hour outside the capital city of Ottawa, the Quebec-based Parc Omega is spread across five ecologically unique areas — forest, meadow, lake, mountain, and boreal region — all worth exploring on a day trip, even if you’re not planning to overnight in a Wolf Cabin. Together, these areas represent Canada’s diverse geography and terrain.
Of course, the wolves are “the big get” for many visitors to this wildlife park, but they aren’t the only draw. Visitors who drive through all five areas can spot tons of native wildlife species, including bison, moose, deer, two species of wild bears, and, of course, wolves. It’s only within the last few years that the park began catering to glampers with fully immersive nature experiences in traditional tipis, wi-tents, and luxury cabins.
Rates for Parc Omega’s Wolf Cabins vary based on the number of people and the season. Check the park’s website for the most current information. Just be sure to book early, as the chalets are extremely popular and often fill up months in advance.
What makes sleeping at Parc Omega Wolf Cabins so thrilling and unique?
Overnighting at Parc Omega is especially thrilling when you consider how clever and skilled wolves are at hunting. According to Idaho’s Living with Wolves Museum, “What the wolf lacks in size, power, and weapons, it makes up for with collaboration and intelligence. Smaller and less powerful than mountain lions, wolves work together to take down prey much larger than an individual wolf.”
While they can easily hunt smaller prey like hares, salmon, and rodents, they prefer large hoofed animals, including everything from deer and elk to bison and muskoxen. They don’t naturally hunt humans as prey but are more than capable of taking one down, and that makes this cabin experience at Parc Omega all the more interesting.
Other hotels with amazing wildlife experiences like Parc Omega Wolf Cabins
Of course, Parc Omega isn’t the world’s only hotel for seriously up-close wildlife encounters. Check out:
- Kenya’s Giraffe Manor, for example, is one of the oldest hotels offering intimate wildlife encounters with, you guessed it, giraffes.
- At Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, the onsite Wildlife Retreat allows overnight guests the privilege of sleeping mere feet from many of Australia’s most iconic critters, including koalas, kangaroos, and exotic birds — all amid the backdrop of Sydney Harbor.
- If you’re more of a cat person or wolves just aren’t adventurous enough, England’s Tiger Lodge is a similarly unique boutique glamping experience with overnight stays inside a live tiger den.
