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Kinabatangan — an incredible Borneo wildlife experience

Borneo gibbon, Kinabatangan Jungle Camp

The gibbon sat in a tree, gazing out across the turbid waters, its long, sinuous limbs somehow more graceful than gangly. It was the black variant of the endemic Bornean gibbon, and a magnificent specimen. As our guide manoeuvred the small boat to give us better views of one of Borneo’s most iconic primates, I took….

Gibbons from the infinity pool #IWOnTour

I’d popped back to the room to get something and was taking my time, enjoying the cool of the air con after the sweltering mid-morning heat of Thailand’s West Coast. Suddenly my youngest burst into the room. “Dad, come quick mum’s watching gibbons from the swimming pool.” Now there’s a….

Australia’s “Top End”: a wetland wildlife wonderland

Azure Kingfisher, NT Australia

Awe, tempered with a healthy dose of apprehension. That’s the only way to describe a close encounter with a large saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). Saltwater or estuarine crocodiles, or plain old “Salties” as they’re called in local vernacular, are the largest reptile species on earth, with males routinely exceeding 4 metres in length, and some specimens reaching….

Humpback heaven in Kalbarri, Western Australia

Humpback whale Kalbarri

“Get ready to hold on,” skipper Ayden Curic yelled from the bridge as he gunned the engines and the boat surged into the aquatic maelstrom. At the point where Western Australia’s second largest river, the Murchison, collides with the crashing breakers of the Indian ocean sits the quiet little town of….

Wildlife watching and travel — back to basics

Using the Vanguard Endeavor EDII

Watching wildlife when travelling can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be challenging. In this feature IW Founder, Calvin Jones, takes a look at some of those challenges, and how you can overcome them on your next wildlife trip.   For any wildlife enthusiast one of the real highlights of….

#IWOnTour Wildlife Gear run-down.

Wildlife gear for travel

What wildlife gear do you take with you when you’re heading off on a four month trip, and you have to travel light? That was the conundrum I faced a few weeks ago when packing for our extended trip to Australia and Southeast Asia. After much deliberation I finally had my gear….

Thrombolites: Lake Clifton’s living fossils

Thrombolites, Lake Clifton

Thrombolites are amazing structures. Along with their close relatives stromatolites, these ancient bacterial colonies are ancestors of the very first life forms to exist on earth, and the hard calcareous deposits created by these colonies are bizarre. It’s actually quite humbling to stand alongside these living relics. These thrombolites are on the….

Endeavor EDII: Vanguard launches new flagship binocular

Using the Vanguard Endeavor EDII

Vanguard is bolstering its range of high-performance sports optics with a new flagship binocular model. The Vanguard Endeavor EDII is an upgrade to the Chinese manufacturer’s already impressive Endeavor ED. On the face of things the EDII looks very similar to its sibling, but utilises premium optical components that promise to deliver even better….

What a splendid little blue wren!

Splendid fairy wren

When you travel you see amazing things. Things so far removed from your normal everyday experiences that you have to do a double-take and stop in awe. Sometimes they are big things… other times they can be very small. Today’s jaw-dropping experience was tiny… and blue… oh so very, very blue…..

Ireland’s Wildlife On Tour #IWOnTour

Galah at Silver Sands Beach, Mandurah, WA

Well we’re certainly not in Ireland any more! Greetings from Mandurah, just south of Perth in Western Australia… and the starting point of our epic #IWOnTour journey around Australia and parts of Southeast Asia. Over the next four months or so we’ll be bringing you regular updates of the amazing wildlife….