In the lifespan of our planet, a century is hardly noticeable. However, Sir David Attenborough has changed people’s perceptions of the natural world in a century.
He has enthralled us with stories about Machiavellian monkeys, moved us with images of a pilot whale clinging to her dead child, and even had us fall in love with dragonflies, his favourite insect.
Throughout his career, he has filmed in more than 300 sites in 83 countries. He has transmitted numerous incredible wildlife interactions into living rooms, evoking a wide range of emotions.
There is no voice that could tell tales of the glories of nature more effectively.
Here are some of the greatest ways to experience only a little portion of the wonders witnessed at the beloved TV host’s 100th birthday today.
The first place Sir David Attenborough travelled outside of Europe was Sierra Leone.
The greatest wildlife personality on TV made a name for himself as a rock-hopping, yellow-headed bird.
In 1954, a 28-year-old Attenborough made his first trip outside of Europe when he travelled to the West African jungles in search of a bird that “no European that we knew of had seen alive in the wild.” The first episode of Zoo Quest featured the white-necked rockfowl, Picathartes gymnocephalus, which was captured during a three-month expedition in the Gola Rainforest. Sir David’s decades-long career in television began with the presenting gig.
Fortunately, an eight-hour direct trip from Gatwick to Freetown makes it much simpler to go to the emerging wildlife hotspot, which is well-known for its bird attractions.
Plan it: The price of a ten-night Sierra Leone Natural History Explorer tour, including flights, is £3,425 per person (rainbowtours.co.uk).
Sir David Attenborough in the Madagascar boabab trees
One of Sir David’s most treasured mementos from his trips is an enormous elephant bird eggshell from Madagascar. The unusual treasure was discovered in 1960 while recording the first-ever documentary on an island he referred to as a “curious wonderland” and a “unrepeatable experiment.” It was first rebuilt from pieces taped together using film canister tape.
Even though the 10-foot-tall, flightless bird went extinct in the 17th century, 60 million years of isolation and unusual evolution have given rise to a variety of strange plants and animals, such as dancing sifaka lemurs, wasps that remove tadpoles from tree nests, and a matchhead-long nano-chameleon.
Book it: On September 9, 2027, wildlife broadcaster Mike Dilger from the BBC’s The One Show will lead a 14-day Madagascar tour for £8,995 per person, excluding airfare (wildlifeworldwide.com).
In addition to being culturally fascinating, Fiji’s Beqa Lagoon is a veritable paradise, particularly the Royal Davui Resort.
Animals have not always been the subject of Attenborough documentaries.
His early travels were primarily anthropological. While filming The People of Paradise on Beqa island in Fiji in 1960, he saw traditional customs that were in danger of disappearing, like sailing in double-hulled boats known as drua and firewalking across hot coals.
“There’s no people in the world that enjoy a big party more than the Fijians,” the presenter acknowledged amid the backdrop of lush rainforest, glistening white beaches, and remote lakes. The recently restored Damodar Arts Village at Pacific Harbour on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, is showcasing dances, ceremonies, and handcrafted goods.
Plan it: The Royal Davui Resort in the Beqa lagoon and the InterContinental Resort and Spa offer an 11-day stay for £5,495 per person, which includes all meals and airfare (turquoiseholidays.co.uk).
In South Luangwa National Park, African wild dogs are the main draw.
In 1965, a BBC team spent nearly four months walking, flying, and boating the 2,000-mile Zambezi River. Since then, several visits have been made possible by quicker travel times, including the production of the television series Kingdom.
The epic story of power and survival highlights the marvels of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia by following the lives of four rival animal families: hyenas, lions, wild dogs, and leopards.
The recently renovated eight-bedroom Olimba Camp, which faces the Luangwa River and a lagoon teeming with wildlife, serves as a base for the film crew. For the perfect itinerary inspired by the series, combine this with the isolated Nsefu Camp, constructed in 1951 by naturalist Norman Carr.
Book it: Full-board, six-night safaris with flights starting at £5,533 per person (yellowzebrasafaris.com).
Another location that the daring traveller visits is Australia, where cassowaries can be seen.
Choosing a preferred location is difficult for a man who has seen the world.
The Daintree Rainforest, located on Queensland’s Pacific coast in northeastern Australia, is still regarded by Sir David as the “most extraordinary place on Earth” some 70 years after his initial visit.
It is thought to be older than dinosaurs, dating back more than 180 million years. The cassowary, a flightless 60 kg bird with dagger-like claws and a running time faster than Usain Bolt, is one ancient animal that still roams the thick mangrove swamps.
Book it: An guided 13-day birding tour in Queensland, starting on October 12, costs £6,795 (not including flights) (naturetrek.co.uk).
Go deep into Uganda if you want to see gorillas.
One of the many heartwarming moments from Attenborough’s 1979 film Life On Earth was his encounter with a juvenile mountain gorilla named Pablo. The video of the apes stealing his shoes is now one of his most well-known clips and contributed to Sir David’s designation as a national treasure.
A Gorilla Story, a new Netflix series, tells the tale of the famous event. In Uganda’s jungles, it is still possible to make eye contact with primates, even if close-up hugs with gorillas are still prohibited.
Reserve it: From £4,299 per person, a 15-day Wildlife of Western Uganda Safari includes gorilla tracking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (yellowwoodadventures.com).
The beauty and intriguing scenes of the Galapagos have been captured by Sir David.
In 2016, riveting footage of racer snakes pursuing a juvenile marine iguana in the Galapagos Islands had viewers clutching to the edge of their couches, demonstrating that the natural world can be just as compelling as any Hollywood movie.
Attenborough’s dramatic narration made the scene from Planet Earth II even more thrilling. Sir David refuted claims that the video showed “extraordinary animal behaviour which had never been witnessed or filmed before.”
Marine iguanas can be seen scuttling across Fernandina Island’s black lava flows, yet it is extremely unusual to witness a comparable encounter firsthand.
Plan it: A ten-day voyage on the Archipel I catamaran starts from £4,875 per person (explore.co.uk).
There are isolated islands in Papua New Guinea with crystal-clear waters and an abundance of wildlife.
It was never going to be simple to greet a party of cannibals. However, Attenborough handled the situation skilfully when filming the Biami tribe for the 1971 documentary A Blank On The Map.
Years later, he said, “To say I was alarmed is to put it mildly.” However, he just waved and said, “Good afternoon!” with typical British assurance.
When he returned to the isolated islands in 2015, the welcome was equally dramatic but less menacing. “Birds of paradise are the most romantic and glamorous birds in the world,” said an agitated bird in Attenborough’s Paradise Birds, outshining him with an aggressive feather flap.
Reserve it: A nine-day tour starts at £3,425 per person (reefandrainforest.co.uk).
For any daring adventurer, Sabah, Borneo’s Gomantong Caves are perfect.
When the presenter went back to the Gomantong Caves in Sabah, northern Borneo, in 2014, he showed that an adventurous spirit is unaffected by age.
He saw two million bats leaving for their nightly meal while hovering 100 meters above cockroaches, bat droppings and a high concentration of ammonia gas inside the pitch-black room.
Tourists can see this “river of wings” with orangutans, the endangered primate that attracted Sir David here for Zoo Quest in 1956. Visit the Sepilok Sanctuary in Sandakan to see them.
Plan it: According to intrepidtravel.com, a ten-day Classic Borneo tour starts at £2,144 per person.
One of the most spectacular moments that Sir David captured involves bull elephant seals.
The adventurous centenarian may no longer be able to travel to Antarctica, the coldest, windiest, and driest region on Earth, but his legacy endures thanks to the British polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is currently investigating seafloor ecosystems and climate change.
Two vicious male bull elephant seals engaged in a ground-thumping fight known as jousting in one of his most iconic TV moments. Ships visiting the island may be able to witness the activity, which occurs on South Georgia in the South Atlantic.
Book it: The 128-person MV Expedition’s 22-day Springtime in South Georgia, Falklands, and Antarctica trip starts from £13,179 and departs on October 22 (swoop-antarctica.com).
Visit the Torres del Paine National Park to witness actual pumas.
The 2022 Dynasties II series starred Patagonian puma Rupestre, a mother battling to defend her pups. Her screen persona sparked interest in puma sightings at Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, even though she passed away earlier this year.
Although the neighbouring Cerro Guido Estancia is still peaceful, crowds frequently congregate along roadsides for a sighting. Participating in a supervised conservation tour organised by the Cerro Guido Conservation Foundation—a initiative highlighted in the series—is the most secure way to see these cats.
Purchase it: A self-drive 14-day Chilean Patagonia: Torres del Paine & Beyond tour starts at £6,300 per person (pura-aventura.com).
Fossils can be found closer to home in Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
Attenborough is most excited about the species that are trapped in the past of all the species that have ever been on Earth. He recalled his early love of ammonite collecting and remarked, “Fossils remind us that life is fleeting but nature’s record is for ever.”
Currently on display at The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge, on the Isle of Purbeck, the 150-million-year-old skull of a pilosaur—known as the “T-rex of the sea”—found along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast was the focus of the 2024 film Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster. Fossils abound along this beach, which was formerly under tropical seas.
Reserve a double room at The Pig on the Beach in Swanage for £235 B&B (thepighotel.com).
On Skomer Island, Sir David Attenborough sat among the puffins during filming for Wild Isles.
It’s not always necessary to purchase an expensive long-haul airline ticket in order to witness natural beauties. In the first scene of the 2023 British film Wild Isles, Sir David was shown on Skomer Island in Pembrokeshire, encircled by a colony of almost 40,000 puffins.
He practiced walking up and down stairs at his Richmond, southwest London, house in preparation for climbing the 87 steps that lead up from Skomer’s jetty.
Puffin populations have increased by 20% to over 52,000, according to recent counts, making it nearly difficult to miss them between April and July, according to the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
Reserve it: Unusual snorkelling excursions from Dale Harbour and other Pembrokeshire coast destinations start at £127 per person, including boat transportation (celticdeep.org).
In Scotland, capercaillies, sometimes referred to as grouses, are frequently seen.
The animal that will keep Sir David on his toes is the western capercaillie, which is as charismatic as an emperor penguin and possibly more dangerous than a silverback.
One of his favourite nature experiences was being practically swept over by the largest type of grouse in the world.
At the moment, Attenborough remarked, “He is so charged up—this being the breeding season—that he will display to almost anything, including me.” The Cairngorms National Park’s coniferous woodlands are the finest places to find the timid yet occasionally aggressive birds.
Reserve it: From September 19 to October 3, a five-night Rewilding Journey in the Cairngorms departs for £1,952 per person (wildernessscotland.com).
During his travels to Costa Rica, Attenborough has encountered sloths and toucans.
The seasoned TV host, a master of language, has a fitting description of the comical emblem mammals of Central America. He referred to Sonny, a rescued three-toed sloth he encountered in Costa Rica, as a “mobile compost heap” in his 2002 book Life of Mammals.
He yelled “Boo!” into the creature’s ear to show off its slow reaction time. Luckily, the tree-dwelling sloth’s penchant for once-weekly defecation on the forest floor was not evident.
Nesting green sea turtles can be seen in Tortuguero, on the Caribbean coast, between July and August. There is much more to see in this biodiversity hotspot.
Plan it: For a family of four, a 14-night trip starts at £3,650 per person, including flights (stubbornmuletravel.com).
The largest mammal in the world, the enormous blue whale, may be seen off the coast of Mexico.
The blue whale is the largest mammal to have ever existed; it is longer than school buses and weighs as much as thirty adult elephants.
That kind of creature’s bones would not sustain it, hence it could not exist on land. On a boat excursion through the Sea of Cortez near Mexico, Attenborough was trying to describe its size when a person appeared directly beneath his small boat.
An estimated 400 blue whales travel to Baja California each winter between February and March to feed and nurse their young.
Grey whales, humpbacks, sperm whales, and many other species can also be found.
Book it: The price of an 11-day Baja’s Ultimate Whale Safari, including flights, is £8,195 per person (naturalist.co.uk).
