“Journeys to the other side of the world” – The story of a young David Attenborough

Last Updated on 08/05/2026 by Marlene Marques

If there’s one thing I like to do when I’m making long stops at the airport, it’s to look through the books in the terminal’s bookstores. This was what happened on my last trip to Bali when I decided to visit the island of Lombok. I discovered “Journeys to the Other Side of the World,” a book full of memories of the then young naturalist David Attenborough.

It’s no secret that I have great admiration for Sir Attenborough, and I find his life fascinating, so I didn’t even think twice, and I brought the book with me to read for the rest of the trip and finish it at home.

David Attenborough’s Memories

“Journeys to the Other Side of the World” was first published in Great Britain in 1981. At the time, it took over the name “Journeys to the Past: Travels in New Guinea, Madagascar, and the Northern Territory of Australia.”

In fact, these are the three major destinations covered in this book, reedited in 2018.

David Attenborough takes us in the first person through incredible scenarios, little explored at the time, searching for some amazing animal species like the Birds of Paradise or the lemurs of Madagascar.

 Along the way, we are introduced to communities and cultures, which today may be more familiar to us, but no one had heard of it in those days.

Images from other times

Another of the attractions of “Journeys to the Other Side of the World” is the images. In the middle of the book, there are moments captured by the author’s lens or the cameraman who accompanied him on these adventures.

Among the reports are photographs of the pygmies of Papua New Guinea, the base jumps of the Pentecost boys in Vanuatu, or the inhabitants of the Madagascar rainforest, among other records.

This book will definitely delight nature lovers but also travelers that explore new territories and cultures.

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