We booked the Casanova Yellowstone Upper Loop Wildlife Tour. We hoped to see some animals. The tour far exceeded our expectations! Our private guide, Brian Burrus, was the best guide I have ever experienced. He was personable, knowledgeable, answered all our questiions, and was an obvious nature lover. And he went out of his way to show us what we asked to see.
Within 15 minutes of our 6am departure, our road was blocked by a bison herd, complete with babies. The entire herd walked past us - many within 5 feet of both sides of our vehicle. A photographer's dream! As we continued on toward Lamar Valley, our guide was constantly on the lookout for wildlife. He would spot an animal we never saw, pull off the road, show us where it was, and help us to photograph it. He also took videos and pictures himself which he emailed to us later.
We saw more wildlife than I ever imagined. There were 2 black bear sightings, one with 2 cubs. 3 young badgers. Four different wolf sightings. Several pronghorn antelope. Elk. A mountain goat clinging to a rock side. A Rocky Mountain sheep with her lamb running around. A pair of cranes with babies. A huge osprey nest with osprey in it. Many other birds. And hundreds of bison. He also pulled over for us to photograph the beautiful scenery. And finally, at the end of the tour, he even backtracked on his own to try to find a cell phone we left behind.
We could not give this tour and Brian, our guide any higher recommendation. It was our dream come true.