While seeing a koala in the wild in Australia is quite a mission, you're rarely far away from a zoo, wildlife park or sanctuary. You'd think that after visiting WILD LIFE Sydney and Featherdale Wildlife Park, I'd be starting to tire of gawping at koalas and wombats, but that, my friends, will never happen. When visiting Brisbane, a visit to Lone … [Read more...]
Outback Wildlife: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Before I visited the outback, I imagined it to be arid desert with not much to see, except perhaps for a big red rock a few hundred kilometres southwest of Alice Springs. When I had the opportunity to join Contiki's Outback Adventure over Christmas, I discovered that it's so much more diverse than that. There are creeks and canyons, rivers and … [Read more...]
Behind the Scenes at WILD LIFE Sydney
Featuring wildlife native to Australia, WILD LIFE Sydney in Darling Harbour is a fantastic way to get to know many of the unusual species you might just be lucky enough to encounter in the wild. There's no better way to see WILD LIFE Sydney than with a behind the scenes tour, on which your personal fully-qualified guide will give you loads of … [Read more...]
Visiting the Seal Pup Nursery in Ohau
Sometimes travel plans don't work out. Sometimes that sucks. This is the story of how a failed attempt to fulfil a lifelong dream of swimming with dolphins led to an even more unique and moving wildlife encounter - an afternoon at a seal pup nursery in the woods. THE DOLPHIN DREAM I've travelled far and wide hoping to have the chance to swim … [Read more...]
Diving with Sharks at Kelly Tarlton’s in Auckland
When you see some of the marketing for Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium, you know you're in for a treat! Just take a look at their shark shuttle bus and USB stick! I spent a morning diving with sharks at Kelly Tarlton’s as part of the Shark Dive Xtreme experience. This includes an introduction to SCUBA diving (or a refresher if you’re … [Read more...]
The Wildlife of Puerto Madryn
The wildlife of Puerto Madryn is astounding, and one of its biggest draws is the fact that you can sometimes see orcas virtually beaching themselves in their hunt for sea lions and elephants seals. Image taken from carnivoraforum.com The peak season for this behaviour is March, but you might get lucky at other times too. We actually tool the … [Read more...]
Rurrenabaque Pampas Tour
I’ve already reported on the crazy jeep journey to and from Rurrenabaque – an adventure in itself – but what about the reason we put our bums through 33 hours of bumpy road? As Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America, it makes a lot of sense to visit the Amazon while you’re there. It’s relatively close to the famous Brazilian Pantanal … [Read more...]
In Search of the Andean Condor
The main reasons people flock to Arequipa in Peru are to hike in Colca Canyon and to visit the aptly named Condor Cross in the hope of spotting Andean condors - the largest birds in the western hemisphere. I'm the daughter of an avid bird watcher and, other than requests for updates on where I am and whether I'm safe, the most common question my … [Read more...]
Galapagos Island Wildlife: A Unique Experience
Ecuador is one of the most species-rich countries in the world and this is largely down to the diversity of Galapagos Island wildlife. Many of the species found on the Galapagos Islands are endemic, and it's common for their names to have the prefix 'Galapagos'. One of the most unique attributes of Galapagos Island wildlife is that it barely seems … [Read more...]
A Visit to the Galapagos Tortoise Conservation Centre
The Galapagos Islands are famous for many things - romantic Galapagos cruise trips, Darwin's finches, impressive volcanic landscapes, spitting iguanas and dancing blue-footed boobies, to name just a few, but of all the Galapagos Island wildlife, the most iconic symbol of the archipelago is the giant Galapagos tortoise. LONESOME GEORGE Sadly, … [Read more...]
