A homage to the voice of the natural world.
We’ve all done it. You’re three glasses of red into a Sunday evening, wrapped in a weighted blanket, watching Sir David Attenborough whisper urgently at a rare species of translucent frog, and you think: I could do that.
Never mind that your last encounter with “the wild” involved a stand-off with a particularly bold seagull in Brighton. There is something about that soothing, hushed narration that makes us believe we are all, deep down, rugged explorers.
The good news? You don’t need a BBC budget or a 10-man cinematography team to follow in the footsteps of the world’s favourite Great-Great-Uncle for authentic wildlife encounters. Over the last two decades and more – much, much more – Sir David has done the reconnaissance work for us. Here’s how to have an “Attenborough Holiday” without having to sleep in a damp hide for three weeks.
The “I Don’t Need My Passport” Safari
If there is one thing Wild Isles taught us, it’s that you don’t need to endure a 14-hour flight to see something spectacular. You just need to endure the M4.
Take Skomer Island in Wales. Sir David went there to hang out with puffins and Manx shearwaters, and quite frankly, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for your Instagram feed. It’s essentially a posh bird sanctuary where the residents are cuter than you and far better at fishing.
Then there’s the Jurassic Coast. Sir David has spent half his life poking around the cliffs of Dorset looking for things that have been dead for 200 million years. You can do the same at Lyme Regis, though you’re more likely to find a slightly fossilised ham sandwich than a new species of Ichthyosaur. But the air is lovely, and the fudge is excellent.
The “Civilised Explorer” (Europe)
For those who want a bit of “Nature with a Capital N” but also require a reliable espresso within a 500-yard radius, Sir David’s recent stints in Europe are your blueprint.
While filming The Green Planet, he popped over to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. It’s a series of 16 terraced lakes that look like they’ve been photoshopped by an optimistic travel agent. It’s stunning, it’s accessible, and rowing your own boat like Sir David, is not compulsory.
If you’re feeling a bit more Blue Planet, the Azores are calling. It’s where Sir David went to remind us that whales are enormous, and we are tiny. A four-hour flight from the UK, and you’re in the middle of the Atlantic, scanning the horizon for a tail fluke while trying not to drop your binoculars into the sea.
The “I’ve Won the Lottery” Bucket List
If you’ve recently come into some money or have decided that your pension is better spent on memories than heating, it’s time to go long-haul.
Sir David has a long-standing love affair with North Queensland, Australia. He famously revisited the Great Barrier Reef a few years back, and honestly, the man has taste. You can stay on Lizard Island, effectively a five-star resort that happens to have a world-class reef attached to it.
“It is a magical world,” Sir David once said of the reef. He neglected to mention that the cocktails on the mainland are also quite magical, but we can assume he approved.
And of course, there are the Galápagos Islands. Sir David’s 3D special made us all want to have a chat with a giant tortoise. It’s the ultimate “Attenborough” trip. You spend your days on a boat, hopping from island to island, looking at iguanas that look like miniature Godzillas and realising that, actually, nature is much better at dressing itself than we are.
Now you might not have the iconic safari jacket, and you definitely don’t have the voice (please, for the sake of your travel companions, don’t try the voice), but for decades, Sir David has mapped out a world that is surprisingly reachable.
So, pack your sensible shoes, buy a decent pair of binoculars, and remember: if a national treasure can trek through the Daintree Rainforest aged 82, you can certainly manage the walk from the car park to the lookout point.
As we celebrate Sir David’s 100th year, there’s never been a better time to indulge in a bit of nature-positive tourism.
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