​Queensland, Australia has many places to visit if you are a lover of wildlife and nature. If you have booked a hotel or holiday house in the Gold Coast and are planning things to do, there is plenty to choose from.

Although the Gold Coast is well-known for its beautiful beaches and exciting theme parks, there are also plenty of wildlife sanctuaries and nature parks to visit.

If you are a nature and wildlife lover, Feet Do Travel share 7 places to visit on Australia’s Gold Coast.

​There is something intriguing about these winged beauties - their iridescent colours and the metamorphic way in which they enter this world. 

These days, butterfly watching tours are conducted almost everywhere where these striking creatures are to be found, both to prevent their fast declining numbers, and to contribute to conservation of these fascinating species. 

Butterfly holidays encourage interest in these colourfully patterned elegant creatures, which are regarded as the true ambassadors of a healthy environment. In addition to butterflies, trips organised by companies such as Naturetrek can uncover several different types of birds, plants and mammals. 

With about 20,000 different species butterfly to be found all over the globe, we have narrowed the search down to some of the best hotspots where you can see some of the rarest and diverse fluttering wonders at their elegant best.

Feet Do Travel share the best places for butterfly watching around the world.

Sitting on my balcony in Leyte, listening to the waves gently lapping against the shore, I looked out over Sogod Bay. Somewhere out there are whale sharks. The gentle giant of the ocean and the largest fish in the world.

In the Philippines you can swim with whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu where sightings are 100% guaranteed, but as a responsible traveller, we chose to visit Southern Leyte. 

The reason? They offer the best place for whale shark watching in the Philippines in a natural, sustainable way. No feeding, no touching, no ticket numbers, no queuing up on a beach for two hours with hundreds of other people in the blazing sun waiting for your allocated slot, no man with a mega phone yelling that your 30 minute time is up. 
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Swimming and snorkelling with whale sharks in the Philippines is big tourism, and Oslob, Cebu has the most un-natural, circus style experience you can have. In contrast, Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte offered the most sustainable swimming with whale shark experience in the Philippines.

Feet Do Travel show you that it’s possible to swim with whale sharks ethically in the Philippines. 

Cat and dog lovers of the world take note: Siem Reap Pagoda Cats is better than any cat café you could ever visit!

More than 30 cats and 8 dogs live with monks at this one particular Pagoda, and they would love for you to visit and pet them (the cats and dogs, not the monks, you are not allowed to pet the monks).

These cats and dogs crave attention, they want you to stroke them, pick them up and give them a cuddle. You could have five cats and three dogs around you, all begging to be next in line for your attention. As an animal lover, who doesn’t want that?

All animals are unwanted and were brought to the monks to look after. An unexpected litter, high medical fees, or stray animals found in the street are just a few of the reasons people take cats and dogs to pagodas in Cambodia.
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If you want the most heart-warming, natural animal encounter when you visit Cambodia, a visit to Siem Reap Pagoda Cats is a must!

​If you are a lover of nature, there is nothing better than being in the great outdoors, especially when you are on holiday. Nothing beats exploring and experiencing the wonders of the world, and seeing wildlife in their natural habitat with your own two eyes is far more rewarding than watching it on a screen.

This article can’t even begin to cover all of the amazing options you have to choose from, so make sure you research thoroughly before you plan your trip away.

There are many different types of holiday you can book, but if you are unsure where to start, let us share with you three holidays for wildlife lovers.

Tarsiers. What funny looking creatures they are! A cross between Yoda and a gremlin, these small animals with big eyes and freakishly long fingers, are the smallest primate in the world.
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Unique and rare, Tarsiers are found in Tangkoko Nature Reserve, North Sulawesi in Indonesia. When we were scuba diving in Lembeh, we were only an hour away from the Park, so couldn’t pass up the chance to view these weird and wonderful, googly eyed creatures.

However it wasn’t just the Tarsiers who left a lasting impression. Tangkoko Nature Reserve is the setting for the infamous monkey selfie lawsuit, and home to Black Crested Macaque, Kuskus, Hornbills, Kingfishers and a plethora of birds only found in Sulawesi. It’s a bird watcher’s paradise, and people come from all over the world for the rare birds found here.
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If it wasn’t the Tarsiers who were the star of the show … what was?

I love animals, it’s as simple as that. Just like most animal lovers, I enjoy close up animal encounters, however in the tourist industry, this isn’t always in the animal’s best interest.
 
Elephants are a classic example. Finding a true ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand isn’t as easy as you would think. We wanted no riding, no bathing, no mud baths, and all did at least one of these.

During the four months I spent touring Africa, I encountered many elephants in their natural habitat. Aything less than seeing these beautiful, intelligent, high spirited animals roaming free saddens me. 

Everyone knows that elephant tourism in places like Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and even Bali means these gentle giants have suffered for the pleasure of humans. How on earth was I able to get a close-up experience with them, knowing they were not “performing”?

Volunteering was a great place to start, but which out of the plethora of sanctuaries would I choose when I was visiting Thailand?

Elephant Valley Thailand was the one for me!

Komodo Dragons are the largest, heaviest living lizard in the world, and can only be found in Komodo, Rinca and Flores Indonesia. Also known as the Komodo Monitor, the world’s largest reptile has a mean reputation, but it has been on my bucket list to see them ever since I bought a hand-carved wooden statue of one from Bali back in 2002.

There is something prehistoric about them which I find fascinating, plus there is a sense of danger at the idea of being near one… after all, they have dragon as part of their name! They may not be the fire breathing dragons made famous by Game of Thrones, but they are still dragons.

On the day we had booked to see the dragons, I kept thinking “I’m going to see Komodo Dragons!”, surely this was going to be a highlight of our trip in Indonesia?

​Feet Do Travel take you on their dragon hike in Rinca, Indonesia.

By 9.05am on a Monday morning, whilst walking through the Indonesian jungle, we had already seen a mother Borneon Orangutan and her baby. That morning, we were awoken at 5am by the sounds of the dawn jungle chorus. We had slept on the roof of our Klotok, a traditional Indonesian wooden boat exclusively for us. Although seeing a baby orangutan is adorable, this had already been ticked off our list in Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. We wanted to see an alpha-male; a real King Louis from the Jungle Book.

Today, there were no Monday blues, no disappointing thoughts that it was the beginning of the week; they had been replaced by an amazing experience that we would always remember. This is our Indonesian Orangutan Adventure.

How did you spend your Monday morning?

When we first told friends we were going to Borneo most people asked “where??”. It is surprising how few people know about the third largest island in the world; everyone has heard of the Amazon rainforest but Borneo’s is actually older at 140 million years ... so why is this Country still largely unheard of?

Borneo is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and the tiny nation of Brunei (think “Sultan of Brunei” and the wealth that is there!) so maybe this causes people confusion??

This ancient biodiverse land is full of fascinating statistics and is home to half of all known plant and animal species - some aren’t found anywhere else in the world apart from Borneo. We have visited this beautiful Country on two occasions (so far) ... so how about I tell you about our amazing experiences and hopefully you will consider paying a visit yourself!