Kangaroo Island (Penneshaw), Australia

Experience Wild Australia

You’ll find more than just kangaroos on Kangaroo Island. There are wallabies and koalas, not to mention platypus, and ring-tailed possums. And at Seal Bay Conservation Park, you can sit just a few yards from rare and magnificent sea lions, while whales play in the water and penguins and pelicans parade along the beach. Try to spy bandicoots, birds, and 45 plant species found nowhere else on earth. And you’ll see more sheep than people—at a ratio of about 136 to one. And, yes, there are kangaroos.

Make your way to Remarkable Rocks, an astonishing wind-eroded natural sculpture of huge boulders perched above the sea. And if beaches are what you’re after, you’ll find plenty lining the shore, but swimming is only for the experienced as the Southern Ocean is one of the world’s fiercest seas. Stay on dry land and watch the waves relentlessly crashing on shore, and prepare to be amazed by surfers tackling the waves with daredevil ease. Be sure to sample Kangaroo Island’s famous cheeses, renowned honey, and inspired wines. This is a wild place, but you’ll leave feeling like you’ve truly experienced Australia.