The 15 Best Bird & Wildlife Tours on Earth

1.Penguin Parade, & Wildlife Encounters Eco Tour from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,774 reviews · from $118Our pick

Review of Go West’s Phillip Island eco-tour from Melbourne, with Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary, Nobbies views, and the Penguin Parade.

“Full day of activities. Being summer be prepared for a 12-13 hour day and getting back at midnight. The lateness is dictated by the timing of the Penguin Parade which does not start until nightfall. The stops were well organized and interRead more”

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2.Phillip Island Penguins & Wildlife Day Tour from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 867 reviews · from $111

Review of the Phillip Island penguin tour from Melbourne, with Moonlit Sanctuary, coastal stops, pricing, timing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Watching the penguins was a truly beautiful experience and having David our tour guide pace out the day with a focus on spending quality time at the key sites made it more relaxing and enjoyable even though this is a long tour day. David made this interactions with the group fun and shared a lot of tidbits about the area, the animals. birds and their behavior. We spotted several wallaby in the wild as well. Knowing that David had your back on this tour made it a very enjoyable and memorable experience. Thank you David and team!”

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3.Penguins and Wildlife Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 642 reviews · 10 hours · from $109

Review of Phillip Island’s 10-hour wildlife tour from Melbourne, with koalas, coastal views, Woolamai Beach, and the famous Penguin Parade.

“Our guide Ben was very friendly, funny and informative, making the journey very enjoyable. The koala sanctuary was a great stop, and the Nobbies were stunning - we even saw a few wild penguins there! The penguin parade was a very cool experience; was really special seeing the penguins reunite with each other under the boardwalk. Super pleased with our trip!”

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4.Puffing Billy Train & Penguin Wildlife Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 605 reviews · 12 hours · from $145

Review of Melbourne’s Puffing Billy and Phillip Island tour, with train tips, Penguin Parade advice, pricing, timing, and what to expect.

“The whole day was just fantastic. From the friendly, easy pick up to the customised Australian music selection on the bus - to the wonderful guide, Gina - and then of course the once in a lifetime experiences of the Puffing Billy and the Penguin Parade. Thank you so much explorer Australia for making our birthday celebration for Michael so memorable. We will highly recommend.”

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5.Penguins and Wildlife Nature Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 380 reviews · 12 hours · from $105

See koalas, Tasmanian devils, coastal cliffs, and Phillip Island’s penguins on a full-day wildlife trip from Melbourne.

“We had Gary as our driver/guide and he was awesome! Tonnes of fun facts and info, we didn’t know what to expect but whatever expectations we had were blown away 🫡Thanks for a great day Gary!”

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6.Wildlife and Penguin Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 239 reviews · 1h 30m · from $44

Review of Dunedin’s 90-minute OPERA wildlife tour, with penguins, seals, conservation stories, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Awesome tour, guides very knowledgeable. Nice that we were divided into a small group.”

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7.Parrot World Immersive Wildlife Park Entry Ticket next to Paris

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 202 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $24Best value

Explore South American wildlife at Parrot World near Paris, with colorful forests, 80 animal species, family facilities, and flexible cancellation.

“Is nice but I catch bad weather,was wind and rain is good to going there in the summer period ,but was nice experience I see something new”

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8.Albatross, seals, and sea birds-Wildlife Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 189 reviews · from $105

Review of Port Chalmers wildlife cruise, with albatross, seals, penguins, sea birds, small groups, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Very well organised. Rachel is very knowledgeable and personable. Her seamanship is excellent and we felt very safe with her despite the somewhat rough sea state. Great commentary about the wildlife and history of the area.”

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9.Full-Day Penguins and Wildlife Nature Experience from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 150 reviews · from $114

Review of Melbourne’s full-day wildlife tour, with Moonlit Sanctuary, Phillip Island penguins, coastal stops, price, tips, and drawbacks.

“The penguins were just delightful. However seeing a wombat at Moonlit Sanctuary and an echidna while driving along was special. Ryan was informative, cares about the environment and showed us why Philip Island is special.”

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10.Everglades Birding, Dolphin and Wildlife Boat Tour (2 hours)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 99 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $119

Review of the Everglades two-hour birding, dolphin, and wildlife boat tour, with costs, tips, boat details, guides, wildlife, and honest drawbacks.

“I liked that this was a small boat for 4-6 passengers. We rode through 10,000 islands, saw dolphins and a lot of birds snowy white egret, blue heron, baby blue heron and osprey. We did get to see a mama osprey and her 3 babies in a nest. The tour guide was knowledgable and talked a lot about the mangroves and birds.”

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11.Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Wildlife and Beach Boxes Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 89 reviews · from $111

Review of Melbourne’s Phillip Island Penguin Parade tour, with Brighton Beach boxes, Moonlit Sanctuary, Nobbies views, pricing, tips, and drawbacks.

“We enjoyed the day trip to see the penguins on Phillip Island. A stop at the Brighton Beach Boxes was interesting. As Australians we could have skipped the Moonlit Reserve, which is a quaint small wildlife park. Good for overseas tourists Read more”

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12.Monteverde Wildlife Walk & Hummingbird Encounter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · from $45

Explore Monteverde cloud forest with a local guide, telescope, wildlife sightings, and a close look at hummingbirds for $45.

“George is incredibly knowledgeable, patient and kind. We saw a quetzal, many other birds, and a bat, all while learning so much information about the environment and animals. This was a highlight of our trip! He went over and above and even let us take his SUV for a slight medical emergency for a child. Book with George- you will not regret it!”

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13.Kuranda Wildlife Experience: Koalas, Birds & Butterflies

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 42 reviews · 1 day · from $43

Review of Kuranda Wildlife Experience, with koalas, kangaroos, birds, and butterflies, plus practical tips on price, access, timing, and value.

“There wasn’t as many animals as I expected there to be But was still a fun day for the kids”

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14.Stykkishólmur: Puffin and Wildlife Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 40 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $104

Cruise Breiðafjörður Bay from Stykkishólmur for close puffin views, seabirds, seals, and coastal scenery on a small-group Iceland tour.

“Thank you very much for the tour, we were able to see puffins in the water up close, northern fulmars nesting and other species, seals and even a white-tailed eagle. Besides the amazing opportunity for bird watching you will get nice explanations about the birds, the island and it's history. We enjoyed the tour at 09:00 with a small group of 4 people in total. Mid August is near the end of the breeding season for the puffins, which is why we were really happy to get the chance to see them before they depart for the sea. The boat captain was really skillful getting us close to the birds…”

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15.Wine and Wildlife Tour with Penguin Parade

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 34 reviews · from $121

Review of Phillip Island’s wine, wildlife, Nobbies sunset, and Penguin Parade tour, with practical details on food, timing, price, and value.

“Lovely, small group tour. Enjoyed the camaraderie, our guide and the locations. Little glitch on locations due to public holiday, but they made it very enjoyable anyway.”

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