6 incredible wildlife experiences for 2023

The Galapagos Islands will be forever associated with Charles Darwin and his seminal book The Origin of the Species.  But they are very much part of the Wanderlust origin story too, as this is where the first issue of the magazine was planned 30 years ago. And when you get to commune with lumbering giant tortoises, dancing blue-footed boobies and the prehistoric-looking marine iguanas, none of which have a fear of humans, you may find yourself wanting to change your life too.

Situated 1,000 km from the Ecuador coast, once there the best way to explore the archipelago and discover the unique flora and fauna is by small boat. Each island has its own character and wildlife, and landings are carefully regulated with groups limited to 20 people. If you don’t want to do a cruise, there are now a small number of hotels on the four inhabited islands. However you do it, you’ll find yourself in a living nature documentary.

The figures are sobering. In 1947 there were some 40,000 Bengal tigers prowling India; 25 years later that was down to just 1,827 and Project Tiger was launched in 1973 in a last-ditch effort to save them. The good news is that tiger numbers are believed to have more than doubled and you are now more likely to spot a tiger in one of the country’s national parks or tiger reserves. 

Try Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, believed to have the highest density of tigers in India. Kanha National Park in the central Indian Highlands also has good numbers and sightings, while numbers are on the increase in Pench National Park.  Perhaps the best known and most photographed park is Ranthambhore and with some of the world's most monitored tigers. It's where the classic shots of tigers casually posing in crumbling temples are taken. Although visitor numbers are high, the number of zones for safari drives have been increased, helping spread the load. 

Lovers of nature and the great outdoors already adore Iceland. Now, new direct flights to Akureyi in the country’s north, opens up the opportunity to experience some of the world’s best whalewatching. This fishing port is situated at the base of the 60km long Eyjafjörður fjord, which is full of plankton and attracts a rich variety of marine life.

Whale watching is available year-round here with some local operators claiming 100% success rate. Humpbacks and minke whales are the most common species as well as dolphins and porpoises. Orcas are sometimes seen and if you’re really lucky you may get to see the largest mammal on earth, the blue whale.

You’re also only an hour from Husavik, home to a whale watching museum and yet more whale watching trips. Visit in mid-summer and you may get to photograph whales in the midnight sun, while in winter you may be lucky enough to spot them with the shimmering aurora borealis as a backdrop.

Read next: The world's best places for whale watching

You’ll probably already know that Rwanda is one of just three countries which are home to mountain gorillas. Spending an hour with them on the misty jungle-covered slopes of Volcanoes National Park is not cheap – a permit is $1,500 – but it is one of life’s greatest and most unforgettable experiences. For more primate action go in search of noisy and playful chimpanzees in Nynugwe Forest.

But Rwanda is now on the map as a safari destination too. The country’s wildlife had suffered during the genocide and turmoil of 1994 but is now recovering. Lions and black rhinos have been successfully reintroduced to Akagera National Park which is now home to all the African “Big 5” of elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard. Tourism is still relatively new here so you won’t be surrounded by hundreds of other camera-toting visitors.

It’s not only Africa that has a Big Five, although Australians doesn’t always agree on what their Big Five species are. However, for too long the world took Australia’s endemic wildlife for granted, but now we are finally waking up to just how unique and extraordinary it is. Take the platypus and the echidna, both of them egg-laying mammals. Indeed, scientists who first examined a platypus specimen thought they were victims of a hoax. And then there are the black swans, the emus, the cockatoos and the wide variety of marsupials.

Visit Kangaroo Island where the kangaroos far out-number the human residents, for sightings too of koalas, echidnas and black cockatoos. On Perth’s Rottnest island you can make friends with cute photo-friendly quokkas. The marine life off Australia’s coast is also rich in species; swim with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef or go see the incredible gathering of orcas off Western Australia’s southern coast each February.

Read next: 22 world's weirdest and wonderful wildlife

David Attenborough’s much heralded Wild Isles, featuring the flora and fauna of the British isles, is about to land on our screens. He was recently quoted as saying that his only regret is that he hadn’t featured the UK more over the years. Worryingly, the UK is in the bottom 10 percent of countries for biodiversity. But the good news is that more Brits are waking up to what they have, and want to conserve it.

What’s more, great strides are being made in rewilding and reintroductions. Beavers, nature’s architects, were hunted to extinction in the UK but have been reintroduced first into Scotland but then into England too, with a mix of wild-living populations and licensed enclosures. In October 2022 they were officially recognised again as a native species and are now protected.

White-tailed sea eagles have been reintroduced to the Isle of Wight (their last stronghold in England) after a successful reintroduction programme in Scotland where there are now over 130 breeding pairs. And now bison have been reintroduced to a woodland in Kent. So, look to the skies, keep a sharp eye along river banks, and take your binoculars out with you. Nature is all around.

Read next: 4 inspirational rewilding projects across the UK

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