In Japan, bioluminescent millipedes, mushrooms, and weeping stones illuminate the dark, and cities release fireflies all summer long like some shimmering, nonstop wedding send-off. Using a tripod and a long exposure, the mounds are an impressive show to capture on camera- even if they can’t be seen from space. A tour during the winter rainy season promises a chance to see the world’s highest concentration of termite mounds sparkle with thousands of bioluminescent Pyrearinus termitilluminans-click beetle larvae looking to lure and dine upon termites fleeing the mound. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Įmas is home to maned wolves, pampas deer, anaconda, giant anteaters, and over 200 bird species. In addition to cloud forest hikes and wild jaguar river cruises, his company, Focus Tours, offers small-group 4x4 excursions into Emas National Park in Brazil’s UNESCO-protected Cerrado-a tropical savanna Trent describes as “surprisingly delightful and rarely visited.” Termite mound click beetles, BrazilĮcologist Douglas Trent has spent over 38 years studying Brazil’s unique fauna and developing responsible locally-run ecotours. Five minutes away, the 207-room Vineyard Hotel & Spa boasts solar-panel energy, luxurious rooms, and a garden café complete with resident tortoises. The evening tour promises a golden Table Mountain sunset, a guided hike past night-blooming drumstick flowers into a forest of fireflies, and a final stroll along the Boomslang-a 40-foot-high tree canopy walkway.

That said, the last three weeks of October are peak season. Traveling to see fireflies is like traveling to see the northern lights in Iceland: Nature’s timetable is about as reliable as your favorite airline has been lately. Fireflies & treetop strolls, South AfricaĮvery summer, fireflies twinkle through the leaf litter to find a mate in South Africa’s 1,304-acre Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

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