For some nature-loving travelers, pitching a basic camping 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 up in the woods amid a pack of gawking, hungry wolves is not something most of us would pay for. But Canada’s Parc Omega Wolf Cabins aren’t like a typical hotel or camping experience. The wildlife park features twin cabins 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. With only a glass pane separating them from a pack of near-perfect killing machines, it’s certainly a wild and bucket-list-worthy experience.
Observe in comfort
As the park’s flagship accommodations, the 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. Up to four guests can sleep in the 570-square-foot cabins and there are also lodges and chalets that can accommodate up to six. No matter which one you choose, you can enjoy many of the comforts of home, including fireplaces, a wood-burning stove, a mini-fridge, and a full en-suite bathroom with 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, it’s safe
Now, we know some of you out there have read this far and are saying to yourselves, “Are these people crazy? There’s no way I want to have wolves that close to where I’m sleeping!”
We want to assure you that staying in the Wolf Cabins is not only an amazing experience, but it’s also perfectly safe, as great care has been taken to make sure 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 open a window for fresh air and wake up to a wolf in your kitchen. Also, since Parc Omega is a wildlife sanctuary, the wolves are contained in an enclosure surrounded by a tall fence to keep them on their side of the property (you can see part of that fence on the right-hand side of the above photo).
So, you can relax and book your trip knowing that you’ll be staying in safety and luxury.
More than just wolves
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 at the Parc Omega Wolf Cabin. Together, these areas represent Canada’s diverse geography and terrain.
Visitors who drive through all five areas can spot tons of native wildlife, 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 overnight 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 Wolf Cabins often fill up months in advance.
Other amazing wildlife hotels
Of course, the Parc Omega Wolf Cabins aren’t the only hotel in the world to sleep among wildlife.
- Kenya’s Giraffe Manor, for example, is one of the oldest hotels offering intimate wildlife encounters.
- 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.
