Meeting baby elephants in Kenya. Getting an in-depth look at Yves Saint-Laurent's private archives with a Parisian fashion historian. Walking in the footsteps of emperors through normally off-limits sections of Beijing's Forbidden City. These are some of the world's most sought-after travel experiences—those that take you behind the scenes, allowing privileged access to people, places, and events that are verboten to most. But you won't read about any of these exploits in the guidebook. Entrée is possible only through the right connections; travel specialists with the inside contacts to transform your fantasies into reality. Ready to be inspired?

AFRICA

RWANDA
Gorillas in the Mist
Visit the regional headquarters of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), a conservation program that studies and monitors the health of the endangered mountain gorilla. After a tour of the research facilities and a Q&A session with the staff, go into the mountains for two days of gorilla tracking. On the eve of the second day, Dr. Lucy Spelman, former director of the National Zoo at the Smithsonian, or another senior staff member, will join you for dinner at your lodge. Cost: $10,900, including five nights' lodging, meals, and transfers from Kigali, and a $1,000 donation to the MGVP. Source: Ryan Hilton, Admiral Travel Gallery (941-951-1801; ryan@admiraltravel.com; admiraltravel.com). BEST FOR: Adventurous types who have a true interest in the research the MGVP is doing. BUT BEWARE: This trip is physically taxing—at a minimum, you must be able to climb ten flights of stairs uninterrupted.

KENYA
An Elephant Encounter
Take a tour of Daphne Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi. Sheldrick was the first person to hand-rear orphaned newborn elephants successfully and release them back into the wild. Most visitors watch the elephants from behind ropes; you'll be able to approach them and talk to their keepers, who sleep side by side with the animals. Cost: $250, as a donation to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Source: Dan Saperstein, Hippo Creek Safaris (866-930-9124; info@hippocreeksafaris.com; hippocreeksafaris.com). BEST FOR: Families, particularly kids. BUT BEWARE: Get ready to be sprayed with red clay and slobber.

THE AMERICAS

ARGENTINA
Dine Around Town
Have a private, progressive dinner across Buenos Aires: Each of your four courses will be served in a different restaurant, opened early just for you. At every stop, you'll have a chance to talk to the head chef about his or her inspiration and philosophy of cooking. Venues will be tuned to your taste but might include such noteworthy establishments as Casa Cruz, Thymus, and Oviedo, as well as several private, closed-door eating societies. Your sommelier guide, a well-known food critic in the city, will choose wines to match each restaurant's signature dish. The night will end at her home with dessert and a late-harvest wine. Cost: $1,320. Source: Vanessa Guibert Heitner, Limitless Argentina (202-536-5812; vanessa@limitlessargentina.com; limitlessargentina.com). BEST FOR: Die-hard foodies and oenophiles who want one-on-one attention from the city's finest chefs. BUT BEWARE: Because it would be prohibitively expensive to close the restaurants during dinner service, you'll be eating in the late afternoon.