Wildlife Experience Index ranks top global nature encounters

Travel company Bailey Robinson has released the Wildlife Experience Index, a ranking of 30 of the world’s most remarkable nature encounters. The index evaluates experiences based on six criteria: rarity, remoteness, conservation importance (using the IUCN Red List), exclusivity, accessibility, and encounter potential.

Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda secured the top position, earning a perfect 10/10 for encounter potential. To minimize human impact, Rwanda limits daily permits to 96, while Uganda’s Bwindi National Park restricts visits to eight people per habituated gorilla family daily.

Emperor penguin expeditions in Antarctica ranked second, receiving maximum scores for remoteness and exclusivity. Saiga antelope expeditions in Kazakhstan were placed third. The top 10 list is heavily dominated by experiences located in Africa and Asia.