There are travellers – and then there is Sir David Attenborough.

Famed for his documentaries, the veteran broadcaster has dedicated more than 60 years to unearthing all that he can about the natural world, witnessing the sort of natural spectacles that most of us can merely dream of. From the Amazon to the North Pole and back, Attenborough has seen it all. Even at 88, his passion for discovery remains undimmed. “The world is a marvellous place,” he says, “And everything, everywhere has its own beauty and wonder. I love the travelling aspect of my job. Imagine flying from Africa to Asia in quick succession. That’s my reality.”

Few have travelled the world like Attenborough, who is intimately acquainted with the luxurious elements of travelling, along with its most physically demanding extremes. He has seen countless changes in tourism habits since he presented his first nature programme in 1954, including the growth of travellers searching for meaning and self-enhancement. “There’s still a lot of people that want to go and lie in the sun and have a holiday of predictable lounging,” he says. “But I think most people these days travel more to see the world and to see people doing interesting things.”

Attenborough’s next far-flung and fascinating expedition takes him to South America’s vast, wild, landscape, famed for its dinosaur fossils. “I’m going to Patagonia and that will be very interesting,” he says. “I’m going to see an excavation of what may prove to be the biggest dinosaur yet to be discovered. So that will be a fascinating trip, without doubt.” 

One of the may species David Attenborough has encountered on his travels

Given his advancing age, it is no surprise to hear Attenborough say that nowadays, “travelling without a purpose is not my priority anymore,” and that when he does travel for work, the journey is not the highlight. “I don’t get on an airplane with the excitement of sitting in a seat for another 14 hours,” he says. “The best you can do is to shut your eyes and pretend it’s not happening and wait for it to be over.” The destination, ultimately, is what Attenborough craves. “When I get out of the airport – which of course is the next thing – and sniff the tropical air, I know that soon I’ll be watching meerkats coming out of the their boroughs as the sun comes up over the Kalahari desert, and I think: ‘How can I be so lucky?’”

In a six-decade broadcasting career, routinely witnessing nature at its most incredible, anyone might find it difficult to choose just one highlight. Yet for Attenborough, one experience stands out above all others.

“I’ve seen lots of things that I never imagined I would be seeing, but if I’m honest, one of the big revelations for me was diving the Great Barrier Reef for the first time,” he says. “It was completely mind-blowing, and every time I’ve gone back, it’s never ceased to amaze. Apart from the fantastic appearance, it’s able to move in three dimensions, which is like no other similar species. The sheer variety, the sheer beauty and abundance was a massive personal revelation. It’s a wonder that simply cannot be missed.”

Is there anywhere Attenborough wishes to return to? “I wish I spent more time in the Gobi desert,” he admits. “The trouble with the Gobi is there are very few animals there. It’s not a place to go if you want to get a lot of footage in a short space of time. By and large, I’ve been to pretty much every single place I've wanted to go, but a little more time there would be lovely."