David Attenborough Inspired Wildlife Locations and Encounters

Broadcasting and wildlife legend, Sir David Attenborough, will celebrate his 100th birthday on May 8. His incredible career spans eight decades, from beginning as the presenter of Zoo Quest in 1954, to making the many documentary series and one off shows including The Life Collection, Natural World, Planet Earth, Blue Planet and many more. The BBC is marking the milestone with a week-long celebration of his career, including David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth - a 90-minute live event hosted by Kirsty Young at the Royal Albert Hall featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra and guests such as Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. 

Naturetrek, the wildlife holiday specialist, celebrates its top Attenborough wildlife locations and moments across the years, from filming the rare Southern Cassowary in his all-time favourite spot - the Daintree Rainforest in North Queensland, to the memorable marine iguana hunting sequence on the Galápagos Islands. Each of the locations can be experienced on a Naturetrek wildlife holiday, on small group tours led by experienced naturalist guides to witness some of the world’s most incredible wildlife encounters. Here are some of their top David Attenborough wildlife moments and locations over the years: 

Queensland, Australia 

David Attenborough has described the Daintree Rainforest in North Queensland as ‘the most extraordinary place on Earth’, and his favourite spot for wildlife outside of the UK, boasting unmatched, biodiverse rainforest, merging with the nearby Great Barrier Reef, and 180-million year-old history which predates the Amazon. Iconic Queensland scenes include filming the rare Southern Cassowary in the rainforest in 2008’s Natural World series. 

Serengeti National Park 

Featuring in series such as Planet Earth, Nature’s Great Events, The Hunt, and Africa, The Serengeti National Park is known for the Great Migration of over 1.2m wildebeest as well as hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle in a 1,800km circular, year-long journey in East Africa in search of fresh grazing and water, trailed by intense predator activity from large prides of lions, spotted hyenas, leopards and Nile crocodiles. Iconic Attenborough moments include lion hunts on open plains, wildebeest crossing the crocodile-infested Mara River, and the struggle of the Ntudu Lion pride when the wildebeest migrate away from their territory. 

Galápagos Islands

Featuring repeatedly across his series including in Life on Earth, Planet Earth, Origin and the three-part Galápagos with David Attenborough series, and known for having inspired Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, the volcanic archipelago 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador has been highlighted many times by Attenborough for the unique evolution and fragile ecosystems of the islands. Most notably these include the last encounter with 'Lonesome George' - the last known Pinta Island Tortoise - before his death, the first ever footage of the Galapagos Pink Land Iguana, and the dramatic scenes of racer snakes hunting hatchling marine iguanas. 

Okavango Delta, Botswana  The world’s largest inland delta, creating a lush, seasonal oasis in the arid Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta in Botswana boasts immense biodiversity, including many chances to see the ‘Big Five’ and unique wildlife viewing by traditional dugout canoe. One of its unique characteristics is that the annual flooding of the River Okavango occurs during the dry season, meaning that many native plants and animals synchronize their biological cycles with the seasonal floods. A key location in Planet Earth, Africa, Nature’s Great Events and Dynasties, iconic Attenborough footage includes elephant herds moving through flooded channels, huge lions confronting massive buffalo herds, and the groundbreaking sequence of hippos fighting underwater. 

BorneoBorneo is one of the most famous rainforest filming locations in Attenborough’s work, and he has highlighted its immense biodiversity and the urgent threats of deforestation in many documentaries including Zoo Quest in 1956, 60 Years in the Wild and Earth's Tropical Islands, amongst others. Iconic species include: Orangutans, Proboscis monkeys, Flying frogs and gliding lizards, and memorable filming moments include Attenborough hanging on a rope 250ft up to witness a million bats emerging from a bat cave at 40mph, as well as documenting the lives of wild orangutans and their need for protection. 

The Farne Islands, UK

Attenborough has famously declared the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, as his favourite place in the UK to observe nature. The islands are a premier breeding site for over 150,000 seabirds, including around 40,000 Puffin pairs, and featured in his 2023 Wild Isles series, in which he observed the birds battling vicious gulls to feed their chicks. 

Naturetrek offers a wide variety of tours and day trips around the world and within the UK, featuring many of Attenborough’s most memorable wildlife locations. For ideas and inspiration, visit the Naturetrek website.