Koyo season in Japan features amazing views of red maple leaves and golden ginkgo leaves. -- Unsplash
At its best, travel provides moments that remain etched in your memory for a lifetime. This could include occasions when you’ve experienced pure, unfettered peace or joy while travelling, or perhaps moments filled with the thrill of a high-octane adventure.
Natural phenomena explorations offer another avenue to create unforgettable travel memories. And thanks to the wild and wonderful beauty of this planet we call home, there is no shortage of opportunities.
A heightened interest in natural phenomena trips is being driven by a variety of factors, not the least of which is 2024’s total solar eclipse path of totality. But that’s not the only reason travellers are focused on such experiences this year.
“There’s a growing trend for unique and memorable experiences and a desire to be surrounded by nature,” says Kendra Guild, vice president of North America for British travel company Solos Holidays. “Post-pandemic in particular, people have realised that life is short and is about making memories.”
Natural phenomena trips may also be uniquely soul-nourishing for travellers, says Ben Bressler, founder and chief executive officer of American travel company Natural Habitat Adventures.
“Natural phenomena embody the grandeur and mystery of nature, something apart from the ordinary routines of our daily lives,” says Bressler.
“Our naturalist expedition leaders tell us that our guests are enthralled by wondrous experiences – they find the feeling of awe, which often accompanies witnessing natural phenomena, to be uplifting, connecting them to something greater than themselves,” adds Bressler.
Some of the most well-known natural phenomena experiences include witnessing the great migration in Africa, taking in the northern lights or viewing bioluminescent ocean waters.
Here are some to consider for your next adventurous trip.
Each year, millions of monarch butterflies make the journey from the US and Canada to their ancestral breeding grounds in Mexico. — Unsplash
Monarch migration
Where: Mexico’s central highlands
Faced with myriad threats to their existence, including climate change and habitat loss, monarch butterflies have an especially uncertain future. That’s just one of the reasons why you may want to put this on your to-do list.
Witnessing the annual migration of these delicate creatures to Mexico’s forested central highlands is also simply astounding.
Each fall, millions of monarchs make an extraordinary 4,800km flight from the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada to their ancestral breeding grounds in Mexico. Here, they spend the winter and mate before eventually taking flight on their return journey northward in March.
Observing this enormous gathering in person is a one-of-a-kind travel experience, says Natural Habitat Adventures expedition leader and chief sustainability officer Court Whelan. The company handles tours for folks wanting to experience the migration.
“When we think of wildlife migrations, ‘charismatic megafauna’ may spring first to mind, like Africa’s annual circuit of two million wildebeest and zebra traversing the Serengeti or the 8,000km journey gray whales make from Alaska (US) to Baja (Mexico) each winter to breed and birth their young,” Whelan says.
“Yet the monarch migration, while it involves far smaller creatures that weigh a mere half a gram, is no less wondrous.”
Monarch arrive in Mexico’s central highlands like clockwork between the end of October and the first of November, right around the Day Of The Dead – prompting locals who have witnessed the migration over centuries to suggest the butterfly are the returning spirits of their departed ancestors.
During this annual event, several hundred million monarchs cluster on groves of oyamel trees (a species of fir) in a compact area that’s only about 31sq km, Whelan explains. “Watching the butterflies, standing in their midst, is a truly awe-inducing experience.
“When the temperatures are cool and clouds cover the sun, the butterflies cluster to stay warm, blanketing the trees like thick, rust-coloured leaves,” he adds.
Even more incredible, there are typically so many monarchs gathered in the region’s protected sanctuaries that visitors can hear the butterfly’s wings humming.
It’s a remarkable phenomenon that still mystifies scientists, as it’s not yet fully understood how the butterflies manage to even find the Mexican central highlands location, as they are flying here for the first time.
The migrating butterflies are born in the US and Canada and have never been here before, Whelan points out. “That element alone of this natural phenomenon is amazing,” he says.
Koyo season
Where: Japan
Japan’s koyo season is an annual autumn event that has quickly become its second most popular natural attraction behind the country’s legendary spring cherry blooms. During koyo, tree leaves turn intensely bright colours with the Japanese maple turning a brilliant red and the ginkgo tree transforming to a vibrant yellow.
This special show starts off in September and peaks in November, when Kyoto and Tokyo are most vibrant.
“For the Japanese, koyo is not just a visual phenomenon but also an opportunity for quiet contemplation and reflection, and this is something we encourage our guests to embrace also,” Guild of Solos Holidays says. The company has a few koyo tour options available.
Travellers who take part in the multi-stop journey will be able to witness how the Koyo season impacts landscapes across Japan, from Tokyo to more rural settings such as the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama.
Witnessing the sparkle of fireflies on a warm evening can be a magical experience for some. — Dreamstime/TNS
Synchronous fireflies
Where: South-East Asia
For those who grew up in certain parts of the US (or the world), fireflies are practically synonymous with summer. And witnessing their sparkle on a warm summer evening can be a magical experience that stays with you for years to come.
It’s the kind of moment that Canadian travel company G Adventures is hoping to tap into with two of its newest itinerary offerings for 2025 one in the Philippines and another in Bali, Indonesia.
G Adventures vice president of product, Yves Marceau, says that there’s a limited number of places in the world where you can take in the firefly phenomena.
“People want to have an experience that’s a little less than just the regular kind of get on a bus and see places and listen to guides talking,” Marceau said of the growing demand for natural phenomena experiences. “They want to experience the world. Natural phenomena offers a chance to experience things that maybe you have read about a child or heard about as a child.”
The best time to see bioluminescent waters is during the ‘new moon’ phase, where it tends to get really dark at night. — Unsplash
Bioluminescent plankton
Where: Costa Rica, South-East Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Japan and more
Witnessing bioluminescent plankton is another spectacular natural phenomenon and one that’s less-experienced by travellers, say experts. This particular opportunity involves observing ocean waters that appear to be glowing thanks to the presence of microorganisms.
“Bioluminescence is best seen on dark nights, especially around a new moon,” says a representative for US company Rainforest Cruises, which offers an eight-day cruise featuring the experience.
“Some bays and lagoons may have more active bioluminescent plankton during certain months due to local weather patterns, but on the eastern shores of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, the coast of Puerto Jiménez, and the Preciosa-Platanares Wildlife Refuge in Golfo Dulce Bay are among the few places in the world where people can observe bioluminescence all year long.”
The best time of year to see the bioluminescent waters in most places is from April through November.
Tanzania is a great place for birdwatching, especially during nesting season. — GARY SIMMONS/Visualhunt.com
Bird migration and nesting
Where: Tanzania
While birdwatching on vacation, otherwise known as “avitourism”, is not exactly a new experience, it has become increasingly popular around the world. And Tanzania, as it turns out, is home to some 1,000 bird species.
Translation: It’s a birdwatcher’s dream destination.
While Tanzania is special at any time of year, nesting season (December through March) is a particularly memorable time to visit and take in a natural phenomena.
“December to March falls under the country’s green season,” David Guthrie, founder of Tanzania safari company, A Tent With A View, explains. “This is an often overlooked time to visit for classic safari-goers, but an incredibly special time for birding. This is nesting season, when many species are in full breeding plumage and are displaying and nesting.
“Not to mention it’s also a peak time for migratory birds coming to the country and ideal conditions for bee-eaters, rollers and flycatchers, who are drawn in by the increased number of insects,” adds Guthrie.
A Tent With A View is offering an itinerary named The Ultimate Birding Safari, which takes travellers to carefully chosen parks where they will be able to take in many rarely sighted species. – Mia Taylpor/TravelPulse/Tribune News Service
