Amazing Animal Migrations Around the World

Between July and October, Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park becomes home to huge numbers of green turtles who inhabit the area to lay their eggs. August and September are peak months, and if you’re extremely lucky, you may even be able to witness large groups of newborns digging their way out of the sand and making their way to the ocean. It’s a truly wonderful sight.

During Sri Lanka’s dry months from July to October, elephants travel to Minneriya National Park, in the northern part of the country, forming the biggest congregation of Asian elephants in the world. This event is not so much a migration as it is a group of animals coming together to drink water from the Minneriya Tank, which is – interestingly – a man made water tank in the park that attracts the groups while they are on their migration route. 

One of the most memorable things about a trip to Antarctica is the swarms of penguins you can run into. Emperor penguins, which are endemic to this magical land, are a particularly special sight. Each year in April, swarms of them meet to breed on the thick ice, staying around until December (when the continent becomes more accessible to human travel).

Each year at the end of summer, millions of beautiful monarch butterflies make their way from the US and Canada into Mexico on what is thought to be the longest insect migration on the planet. They eventually settle in central Mexico, using the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve north of Mexico City as their base for the winter before returning back north. 

Each year between June and December, the southern right whale migrates from Antarctica and swims to the calm waters of Puerto Madryn in Argentina’s Peninsula Valdes. The protective waters provide a safe haven for the whales to breed and birth their young – around 2,000 congregate in total, making up what is thought to be the largest concentration of breeding whales in the world. 

Of course, no migration list would be complete without a mention of the famous Great Wildebeest Migration. Each year, over 1.5 million wildebeest migrate over 800km between Kenya and Tanzania in the largest land migration in the world, along with thousands of zebra and antelope. It’s a truly spectacular sight, particularly if you witness the birthing period or when the herds cross the Mara River where crocodiles lay in wait of prey.

Iceland’s coast serves as a breeding site for over half the world’s population of puffins (around 60%!). Though they live most of their lives out at sea, the puffins congregate on land between April and August or September each year. They can usually be seen all around the country, especially near the rocky cliffs where they like to lay their eggs.

There are plenty of great opportunities to see whale migrations around Australia’s diverse coasts, but Ningaloo Reef – on Australia’s western coast – may be our favourite. Considered to be one of the best places in the world to dive and see exceptional marine life, the reef has been made even more accessible thanks to eco-development Sal Salis. Whale sharks can be spotted from mid-March to mid-September and humpback whales can be found there from July to November. You can even swim with manta rays between May and November. It’s a fantastic – and arguable quieter – alternative to visiting the Great Barrier Reef.