Angela Plumb, a tourist from the UK, captured this rare shot of a seven-month-old polar bear cub riding on its mother's back from a ship in the Svalbard archipelago - midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

The polar bear mother is wearing a radio collar, which prompted Mrs Plumb to contact Dr Jon Aars, from the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromso, to ask whether this was a common sighting.

"I hadn't seen this behaviour before or heard about it so I asked other researchers and found out it is something that has been observed but not frequently at all," Dr Aars says.

Via the BBC website.

The Kruger National Park is home to around 145 species of mammal, which includes an estimated 1,500 lion, 12,000 elephant, 2,500 buffalo, 1,000 leopards and 5,000 rhino (black and white). So, spotting the "big five" is a big possibility.

With all its flora and fauna, the Kruger offers some of the most stunning photographic moments. Here we pick a few of our favourites.

Leopards are usually so shy, and primarily nocturnal, so this shot taken in the Kruger National Park captures a rarely seen leopard moment.

You probably don't immediately associate Ground Hornbills with South African safaris, but this bird is gorgeous, and looks like she's all dolled up for a night on the town. Loving the yawning hippo - incredible colours, reflections and light. A lioness flirts with the camera.

A zebra rolls in the dust, and although the zebra would disagree, we think this little lion cub is almost too gorgeous to be true...

Adult elephants in the Kruger National Park protecting their young.

A Kruger elephant stands alone.

A Nile crocodile offers a look at the more sinister side to the Kruger National Park.

Two giraffe silhouetted against the South African sunrise.

Red Billed Oxpeckers get to work on a giraffe hide - they feed exclusively on the backs of large mammals.

In a rare moment, a male lion shows a cub some lion love.

Two endangered Black Rhinoceros stand and deliver.

Photo Credits: All Kruger National Park photographs by Arno & Louise via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Our friends over at Black Tomato are roaring with excitement because Botswana's Okavango Delta currently has the best safari conditions in 45 years.

The Okavango Delta is enjoying the highest water levels on record since 1963, and more water = more game. So right now is the time to cash in your holiday time and travel to Botswana.

The current tip top safari conditions mean that visitors can go by boat into parts of the delta that are normally unreachable - seeing the wildlife in a way that is usually near impossible. You can even explore the flood plains and spot game in a traditional mokoro canoe.

Black Tomato is running a special offer on Okavango Delta safaris (in case you needed any more reason to pack your bags and go): 7 nights for the price of 6, saving £400 per person.

Unparalleled safari conditions, incredible wildlife, papyrus swamps, reed plains and a luxurious camp at the Vumbura Reserve - sounds pretty perfect to us.

A 7 night safari costs from £5,380 pp (save £400 pp), including international and internal flights, 7 nights' Full Board accommodation, park fees, game drives, mokoro/boat trips, laundry, and taxes. For more information, visit Black Tomato.

Photo Credits: Okavango Delta, Botswana by Sara&Joachim and Sunset on the hippo pool by lawmurray via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Travel+Leisure has rounded up India's best wildlife safaris.

This caught my attention as I was lucky enough to visit Rajasthan's Ranthambore National Park last March. In just two days and over two safaris I saw four tigers. One solitary male and three cubs. It was, quite simply, incredible.

The male was walked right in front of our jeep after waking up from his afternoon siesta (see photo above). We spotted him again later in the afternoon with a kill. The three cubs were playing in the afternoon sun as their mother was away hunting.

If you decide that Ranthambore is a must for your India travel itinerary there are several fantastic luxury tented safari options. The Oberoi and the Aman have both set up shop on the outskirts of the park. A cheaper option is Ranthambhore Bagh run by Aditya and Poonam Singh. This is where I stayed and, although not as luxurious as the Aman or Oberoi, it is fun and relaxed with food that's out of this world.

Here are Travel+Leisure's "10 Amazing Indian Safaris":

Hemis National Park, Ladakh

Best for: Snow leopards, Tibetan argali sheep, Ibex, Urial (a wild mountain goat), Blue sheep, chukhar, snow cocks, golden eagles. More...

Sasan-Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat Peninsula

Best for: Asiatic Lions, leopards, hyenas, pythons, jackals. More...

Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

Best for: Tigers, spotted deer, wild boar, jackals, painted storks (300 bird species overall), plus impressive ruins, forts, and temples. More...

Kaziranga National Park, Assam

Best for: One-horned rhinoceros, tigers, (wild) elephants, wild buffalo, monitor lizards, and water birds like the bar-headed goose, grey-headed lapwing, and spot-billed pelican. More...

Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Best for: Tigers, swamp deer, mongoose, leopards, wild boar, golden jackals, 300 bird species. More...

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats

Best for: Giant Malabar squirrels, (wild) elephants, guar (giant bison), bird life. More...

Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan

Best for: Storks, cranes, eagles, and hawks, pythons, porcupines, wild boar, nilgai (literally 'blue cow'), India’s largest native antelope. More...

Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Best for: Tigers, leopards, nilgai, hog deer, wild boar. More

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, boarders Bhutan and Assam

Best for: Tigers, water buffalo, rhinos, (wild) elephants, golden langur (a rare orange-furred monkey), Bengal florican (an endangered two-foot-tall bird). More...

Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand

Best for: Tigers, wild elephants (as opposed to the ones you can ride), crocodiles, 600 species of birds. More...

Photos:

*Kaziranga Rhino _IGP4259 by Ken McChesney via Flickr (Creative Commons); Bharatpur by yaatra via Flickr (Creative Commons); Corbett Tiger Reserve signage by Dena v.d.Wal via Flickr (Creative Commons); golden langur by spo0man via Flickr (Creative Commons)*