dancing-sifaka-lemur-in-madagascar-a-country-with-amazing-wildlife

10 countries with amazing wildlife – outside of Africa

Last updated on May 31st, 2026 at 10:22 am

Want to know some of the best countries to see amazing wildlife – but not in Africa?

I love to find cool places to see cool animals or wildlife displays – like the millions of monarch butterflies in the forests in Mexico, or the whale sharks in the shallow waters of St Helena, or of course the iconic Aussie koalas. These countries are some of the best options i have come up with outside of Africa. they are all great options for the wildlife lover and the nature lover.

First a few important links to use when you plan your trip. They are affiliate links, but I use them all for my travels, and if you do too it will help me keep producing this content – and at no extra cost to you. Cheers!

Plan for your trip

Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight for a lot cheaper than booking direct with the airline!

Insurance – Use EKTA or SafetyWing. TBH I usually use EKTA – they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!

Accommodation – use booking.com or for a hostel – Hostelworld. I use both.

Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.

Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is always my first option for buses, ferries and trains.

Car rental – use DiscoverCars – they are my ‘go-to’ car rental site

Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!

Tours and Activities – book with Viator, GetYourGuide, or Eatwith. I have picked out some of the top tours for each country for you below…

Thanks so much if you use one of these links – it costs you nothing but helps me keep writing!

1. Australia – see incredibly unique wildlife and definitely not in Africa!

Australia has the most unique wildlife out – where Kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, possums, echidna, platypus, wombats, numbats, quokkas, flying foxes and a myriad of stunning colorful birds are on offer. Okay its not always easy to see some of these critters but I have written some handy articles to help you make sure you do. Special mentions include:

Tasmania – for just about every animal Aussie has!
Rottnest Island – for the adorable quokkas – bike the island and meet them as you go!
Eungella National Park – for platypus
Kennett River for koalas – easy to get to from Melbourne with other backpackers or with lots of wildlife stops while seeing the Great Ocean Road!

a-koala-in-australia-which-is-one-of-the-best-countries-for-wildlife-outside-of-africa — Koala in Australia!

2. Ecuador – Galapagos wildlife made famous by Darwin and more!

Of course we have to include Ecuador with its Galapagos Islands in any list of best countries to see wildlife not in Africa. But mainland Ecuador has a few other animals on offer too – especially in the amazon area. The Amazonian forests have more than 600 bird species, more than 12 types of monkeys, giant otters, sloths, jaguars, and other wild cats.

Meanwhile the Galapagos has blue footed boobies, marine iguanas, finches (of course), seal lions, fur seals, hammerhead sharks, turtles, Galapagos penguins, and giant tortoises, and I can go on…. Can you go to the Galapagos on a budget and see all these animals? Yes you can. And if budget is no problem then the islands are your oyster!

Special mentions to note:

San Cristobal for the sea lions just hanging out on the streets, on your boat, in your seat at the cafe……
Kicker Rock for the hammerhead sharks and turtles
Santa Cruz for getting to North Seymour Island and the frigates
Isabela for the amazing Los Tuneles and for the tortoise road blocks and penguins
Try a seven-day land tour or this eight day land tour that takes in the best of the three main islands!

swim-with-sea-lions-in-the-galapagos — Friendly sea lion in the Galapagos!

3. Canada – an amazing range of wildlife to rival Africa

The wildlife in Canada is more than you can hope for – but it is a huge country and luck will always play a part as there is plenty of wild space for all its incredible wildlife. But if you are a wildlife nut like me then you cant miss Canada from your top ten list of best countries to see wildlife – not in Africa.
Across the country you will find incredible wildlife like moose, elk, beavers, deer, sea otters, racoons, squirrels and chipmunks.

And for some special mentions:

Churchill in October-November – for the polar bears – an absolute 5 day polar bear dream!
Manitoba in spring – for the (small not scary) tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes
New Foundland – for moose, caribou, puffins, and sitting on the beach watching whales up close – take a puffin and whal e cruise or whales and ic e bergs in the season!

whales-in-one-of-the-best-countries-to-see-wildlife-not-in-africa-is-canada-especially-the-whales-in-new-foundland — Whales are easy to see in New Foundland Canada

4. Madagascar – more unique wildlife on another island close to Africa!

Another country with plenty of unique wildlife is Madagascar that comes to mind – lemurs, chameleons, hissing cockroaches, all kinds of exotic frogs, aye ayes and so many birds! Its not easy getting around in Madagascar – but it is worth it!

Special mentions are:

Berenty Reserve for the sifaka “dancing” lemurs – as well as other lemurs
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park for indri lemurs and frogs – try 2-days or 3-days checking them out
Isalo National Park for the ring-tailed lemur

On this classic private two week wildlife tour you’re going to see it all!

amazing-dancing-lemur-in-one-of-the-best-countries-to-see-wildlife-not-in-africa-which-is-madagascar — Ring tail and Sifaka “dancing” lemurs in Madagascar

5. Malaysia – the jungles of Borneo and its amazing wildlife

Head to Malaysia’s Borneo and you’re in for a treat. Sun bears (my absolute favorite), orangutans, crocodiles, hornbills, clouded leopards, pygmy elephants, proboscis monkey and more! Sabah is a fantastic destination for wildlife lovers to see amazing-wildlife – not in Africa. It even has its own “big five” – the orangutan, pygmy elephant, rhinoceros hornbill, proboscis monkey and the saltwater crocodile! Read more details about this area in this post.

Special mentions go to:

Sepilok for the utterly adorable Sun Bears. See the sun bears, orangutans, and proboscis monkeys on this day trip. And read more about the area in this post.
Kinabatang River -for ease of viewing the “big five” – how about 4 days wildlife spotting at the Jungle Camp? More info in this post.
The Danum Valley and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve – for the best wilderness spotting for the big five and more – try the Danum Valley for 2 nights or the Tabin for 3!

orangutan-mother-and-baby-in-one-of-the-best-countries-to-see-wildlife-not-in-africa-which-is-sabah-in-borneo-malaysia — Orangutan mother and baby in Sabah, Malaysia

6. Japan – you might not think of this country with amazing wildlife far from Africa!

The Japanese toad (they’re big, they’re cool and they’re a beautiful golden color), brown and black bears, the famous hot water bathing snow monkeys, Japanese cranes, Japanese deer, the serow (a goat-antelope), fox, and of course all the fish, snakes, and other wildlife in the water in Okinawa!

Special mentions to note:

Joshin’etsukogen National Park in Nagano – for its snow monkeys – trust me –these monkeys are the coolest thing to see!
Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido – for bears, fox – and just for the fact that I loved it :-)!
Kushiroshitsugen National Park in Hokkaido for the cranes in Jan/Feb – a stunning sight.

one-of-the-best-countries-to-see-wildlife-not-in-africa-is-in-japan-where-you-can-see-these-snow-monkeys-in-their-hot-pools — Snow Monkey in its hot pool in Japan

7. Costa Rica – a stunning array of wildlife

I loved where we lived in Costa Rica – we were surrounded by jungle and the sea and our visitors to our cabin were things like agouti, monkeys, howler monkeys (very very loud with smelly pee), snakes, butterflies and hummingbirds. Nearby were plenty of turtles, pelicans, racoons and less commonly macaws and crocodiles. And of course, then there is the adorable sloth!

What is not to like about Costa Rica for the wildlife lover?

Special mentions go to:

Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna for sloth spotting – Manuel Antonio for a day from Jaco
Tortuguero and Manuel Antonio for Howler Monkeys – try a day tour in a canoe or a kayak and night jungle tour there!
Crocodile Bridge near Jaco for crocodiles – or try the Tarcoles River too!
San Gerardo de Dota for quetzals – or a quetzal expedition for a day!

howler-monkey-in-costa-rica — Howler Monkey in Costa Rica

8. Sri Lanka – wildlife in the Asian equivalent to Africa

Sri Lanka really is one of the best countries to see wildlife not in Africa and possibly or probably the best place in the world to see leopards! The country also has Asian elephants, peacocks, water buffalo, monkeys, and sloth bears. And, Sri Lanka is one of the only places in the world you can easily get to see blue whales!! That makes it pretty amazing in my books!

Special mentions go to:

Yala National Park for leopard sightings – try luxury camping in the park or a full day safari!
Wilpattu National Park for sloth bears – try a day trip from Colombo or a safari from the park area.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve for birds – join this guided birding tour.

leopard-in-yala-natinal-park-in-sri-lanka — Leopard in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka by Mahoora Tented Safari Camps

9. India – more great wildlife not in Africa

India is not just about the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, and Goa! There is abundant wildlife to be found in the country too. How about tigers, leopards, snow leopards, rhinos, ibex, sloth bear, wild boar, porcupine, jackal, jungle cat, monkeys, antelope, crocodile, peacocks, and more than 300 other bird species including the fascinating vultures!

Special mentions to note:

Ranthambore National Park for tigers (and leopards) – check this trip from Delhi.
Ladakh for snow leopards – can you resist a Snow Leopard Trek in Ladakh?
Kaziranga National Park for the one-horned rhinoceros – take a few days on safari!

a-tiger-in-india-which-is-one-of-the-best-countries-to-see-wildlife-not-in-africa — Bengal Tiger in India by Charles Sharp,

10. Peru – one of the best countries to see wildlife not in Africa

Peru has more than its share of wildlife too – and not just its spider monkeys and beautiful macaws. There are of course the incredible pink dolphins! Add to that, bears, condors, deere, capybaras, giant river otters, pygmy marmosets, penguins, ……and nearly 2000 species of birds!

Special mentions go to:

Pacaya Samiria National Reserve – for pink dolphins, as well as many birds, capybaras, giant river otters and pygmy marmosets
Chachapoyas – for its hummingbirds – a 4 day nature and wildlife tour
Colca Canyon – for the Andean condor – try a 3-day trek!
Palomino Islands – for pelicans, Humboldt penguins, and thousands of sea lions – see and swim with them from a yacht!
Chaparri Nature Reserve – for spectacled bears (think of Paddington Bear!) -spend a day spotting them with a guide!

Also take a look at this Manu National Park 3-day adventure or this one – the Best of Tambopata National Park