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Anyone who’s been on safari has likely heard of Africa’s ‘Big Five’: the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo – aka the world’s most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. But while spotting all five in a single trip is a rare, bucket-list experience, it turns out today’s travellers are far more interested in seeing wild koalas and kangaroos.
Prompted by a 211 per cent annual increase in Google searches for “wildlife holidays”, travel company Explore Worldwide set out to determine where animal lovers most want to visit. They surveyed 2,400 travellers across 12 countries to identify the most in-demand wildlife destinations, alongside the animals people are most eager to spot in their natural habitats.
Australia came out on top as the world’s most sought-after destination for wildlife experiences (38 per cent), more than tripling the votes of runner-up South Africa (11 per cent). From wombats and wallabies to saltwater crocodiles and quokkas, we’re home to an abundance of native (and generally adorable) wildlife found nowhere else in the world. Yep, most of our animals don't actually want to kill you!
It isn’t just the extraordinary level of biodiversity that sets Australia apart – our wildlife experiences are incredibly accessible, too. You can walk alongside fluffy wombats on Maria Island, take selfies with smiley quokkas on Rottnest, watch the nightly penguin parade on Phillip Island, track down rare cassowaries in the Daintree Rainforest, or spot whales migrating right off the coast.
Out of 355 global species, two of Australia’s most iconic animals even claimed spots among the world’s ‘New Big Five’. The kangaroo jumped into the ranks as the third-most wishlisted animal to spot in nature (32 per cent), closely followed by the koala (30 per cent) in fourth place. We know all the best nature reserves to spot these spectacular mammals – so you can study up on that here.
Pandas and elephants are the only two animals people are gunning more to see, and you can check out the full survey findings here.
The world’s five most in-demand wildlife destinations:
- Australia (38%)
- South Africa (11%)
- Kenya (9%)
- Canada (7%)
- China (6%)
The world’s ‘New Big Five’ animals:
- Panda (41%)
- Elephant (32%)
- Kangaroo (32%)
- Koala (30%)
- Whale (29%)