Swinging on vines, fighting off crocodiles, making friends with mountain gorillas and running away from dinosaurs – who doesn’t love jungle films?
Launch yourself out of the cinema and into the Heart of Darkness with a visit to these 10 beautiful jungles, rainforests and natural wonders that shine on the silver screen.
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda – Gorillas in the Mist
Make a new friend in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
If you, like legendary zoologist Dian Fossey, have a soft spot for the mountain gorilla, then now is the time to head for the endangered species’ haven: Volcanoes National Park.
Whether you sign up for a guided gorilla trekking tour or decide to live among them for months as a peer primate like Sigourney Weaver in the Oscar-nominated jungle movie Gorillas in the Mist, is up to you. But, whichever way you choose to get acquainted with the greatest of great apes, you had better go soon.
While it is considered safe for travellers, the mountain gorillas are under constant threat by poachers. The conservation foundations vigilantly patrol the areas, but make sure you keep updated on the latest news before you go.
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Pagsanjan, The Philippines – Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now made Pagsanjan look like a war zone. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist spots in the Philippines
In an attempt to sidestep the hassles of shooting an anti-war movie on location, Francis Ford Coppola used the area around Pagsanjan Falls in the Philippines as a stand-in for Vietnam and Cambodia. Little did he know that this was the beginning of a nightmarish descent into insanity. Not unlike the one colonel Kurtz undergoes in the novella that the film was based on, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the filming of Coppola’s anti-war epic – and then some. The filming dragged on from the scheduled six weeks to 16 months, Martin Sheen had a heart attack, a typhoon annihilated the set, Coppola threatened to kill himself, Marlon Brando was losing his marbles and the substance-abusing Dennis Hopper got a 14-year-old Laurence Fishburne addicted to heroin.
Today, all trace of the movie mayhem has disappeared, and there isn’t much left to see in Pagsanjan beside the falls. But it’s worth a daytrip from Manila to see where one of the greatest films of all time was conceived.
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Kakadu National Park, Australia – “Crocodile” Dundee
Head for the Kakadu National Park in Darwin, Australia, but watch out for crocodiles!
Three hours from Darwin, North Australia, lies a humongous nature reserve that holds a prestigious place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It is also where “Crocodile” Dundee fought a croc or two with his bare fists in the eponymous mid-eighties comedy. Coincidence? Almost definitely. Rather, the park’s special status was granted in 1981 due to its extraordinary geological diversity and ancient cultural heritage.
Covering close to 20,000 square kilometres – or, over twice the size of Puerto Rico – Kakadu National Park takes you through everything from rainforest, tidal wetlands and floodplains to mangroves, grasslands, and rivers. And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s also home to ancient Aboriginal cave art and thousands of huge saltwater crocs that are curious to meet your acquaintance.
If Paul Hogan’s movie hero isn’t available, we recommend booking yourself up with a fearless local tour guide.
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Read more: The 10 best nature spots in Australia
Veracruz, Mexico – Apocalypto
Visit Veracruz for luscious palm trees, Mesoamerican archeological sites and unbelievable sunsets
One of the most visceral depictions of the jungle on the silver screen can be found in Hollywood-bigwig Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto – an enthralling tale of Mayan Indians struggling to maintain their way of life.
The film is shot in Catemaco and around the Los Tuxtlas region of southern Veracruz in Mexico. Except for the grizzly parts where humans are being hunted down and sacrificed to the Gods, every single scene makes you want to traverse the jungle like the fearless, body-painted protagonist Jaguar Paw. Except maybe with shoes on.
And now you can! There are lots of tour options in the region, allowing you the opportunity to swing by the stunning Eyipantla Falls and shake hands with a spider monkey.
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Iquitos, Peru and Amazonas, Brazil – Fitzcarraldo
There’s probably more relaxing ways to spend a holiday in the Amazon rainforest …
Ten years after he headed into the Peruvian jungle with Aguirre, the Wrath of God, the enigmatic German director Werner Herzog ventured back in to “the Green Hell” to shoot Fitzcarraldo. Later denouncing the jungle as “vile and base”, you can imagine how well the production went.
When you’re not trying to drag a 340-ton steamboat through it, the densely vegetated rainforest is actually pretty incredible. Team up with a pro jungle-navigator in the Amazon basin and explore the world’s most biodiverse region without fearing for your safety.
Extra tip: Search for a room at La Casa Fitzcarraldo from the movie.
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Pench National Park, India – The Jungle Book
Shere Khan awaits your arrival to the Pench Tiger Reserve and National Park
Advocating slow living and appreciation for the simple bare necessities of life since 1967, the animated Disney adaptation of Kipling’s Jungle Book stories was way ahead of its time. Lucky for you, it’s never too late to leave the humdrum of the asphalt jungle behind and start exploring the real thing – and why not begin where Mowgli, Baloo, and Bagheera left off; around what is now known as Pench National Park.
Located in Madhya Pradesh – a central Indian province known for its lush rainforest and impressive big cat population – Pench National Park is the perfect spot for rediscovering your childhood infatuation with the densely vegetated wilderness.
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Iguazu Falls, Argentina – The Mission
Feel the noise of the roaring Iguazu Falls, a particularly noisy location for jungle films
The only thing bigger than the performances by Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro in the 1986 Cannes winner The Mission is its awe-inspiring backdrop: the lush rainforest around Iguazu Falls. With up to 250 cascades extending across 2,700 metres, the deafening force of this natural wonder makes Niagara Falls (standing modest at a third Iguazu’s height and half its width) seem just about as thrilling as turning on the tap in your kitchen.
To keep natives out of the “Devil’s Throat” – figuratively and quite literally since it’s also the name of the Falls’ biggest crowd-puller – Irons, channeling a devout Christian missionary in the movie, goes to great lengths to convert savage natives into true believers.
Luckily for you, you don’t need to worry about things like mutiny and martyrdom – just get trekking and marvel at one of the world’s 7 Wonders of Nature instead.
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Sherwood, CA, USA – Tarzan and his Mate
Tarzan’s backyard-cum-country club in Lake Sherwood, California. © Alex Beattie
If there is one thing that Cedric Gibbons’ 1934 Tarzan adaptation has taught us, it’s that the forests and waterways of Lake Sherwood, California can transform into a jungle with just a little bit of “Golden Age of Hollywood” film trickery.
Luscious greenery aside, don’t expect to run into as many elephants and lions as Tarzan in the movie, though. The most dangerous animal you’re likely to come across in the Golden State city is a troop of golfers from the Sherwood Country Club.
It may not be the real deal, but it’s a good stand-in for all the jungle-novices to practice their vine swinging or Tarzan yell.
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Predator
A secluded beach spot in Puerta Vallarta, with no Predator (or Arnold Schwarzenegger) in sight
Serving as the backdrop for the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring cult classic Predator, the good people employed around the nature reserve now known as El Eden like to play practical jokes on the beach resort’s guests by dressing up as the movie’s terrifying titular alien and sneaking up on them when they least expect it.
A pretty cruel prank, it’s a good thing that everything else about this jewel on the Pacific Coast is so idyllic and pleasing to the eye.
Beyond its lush jungles, beaches and a combative extra-terrestrial, Puerta Vallarta’s city centre is pretty sophisticated. Soak it up by heading for the Old Town and its noted, fishy food scene.
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Kauai, Hawaii – Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and more!
Lots of little treats await you on Kauai Island, filming location of many jungle films
Want to see the rope swing Harrison Ford dangled from in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Or retrace the footsteps of the menacing T-Rex in Jurassic Park? Then pay a visit to the Kauai island in Hawaii: a true movie location A-lister.
The breathtaking scenery together with the relative accessibility and safety of Kauai has long made it the go-to location for major movie studios in need of an exotic backdrop, with other famous jungle films shot here including Tropic Thunder and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Inevitably, a big chunk of the island’s tourism is dedicated to jungle tours that take you to the most popular film sites.
Beyond the movies, you’ll get unparalleled sunsets, turquoise lagoons and jungle-shrouded hike trails. Such luxury doesn’t come cheap but, if you can afford the movie-star pampering, it’s worth it.
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