The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia is such an amazing place. I had been following it on Instagram for years so I was thrilled to finally have had the chance to go in person. The sanctuary got started by one man who started rescuing orphaned kangaroos whose mothers had been hit by cars. Kangaroos are seen as pests in the middle of Australia because there are so many of them and they often cause car accidents. This sanctuary is not a zoo or a tourist attraction. It was only after BBC did a special on the sanctuary that it finally became open to the public. But only during certain times and days in order to not bombard the kangaroos with tourists. This makes it so the kangaroos are free to live their life without being in a cage always being watched.
The tour picks you up at your hostel and drives you outside of town where you see a small tin house with no modern amenities with an extensive backyard. This is the sanctuary. They are currently building a kangaroo hospital but that has not yet been finished. You get a history and tour of the sanctuary and get to meet all the kangaroos. The owner knows all of them by names and their personality quirks so you really feel like you are getting the inside scoop.
The highlight of the trip is getting to hold your own baby kangaroo. All of the babies are carried around in little pillow cases in order to simulate them being in their mothers pouch. They are really calm, cuddly and soft. You get to hold them for at least 5 minutes and just walk with them in your arms on the tour, it is everything that you could want out of a tour.
I was also given the chance to feed some of the younger kangaroos by giving them a bottle. While they are drinking they grab on to your hand which was absolutely adorable. During the tour you learn all about the different kangaroos and their backstories. One of the kangaroos, Roger was the former head of the kangaroo family. He has become famous for his insane muscles that make him look like a body builder. This is the result from years of boxing the others males in order to keep his claim.
Overall the tour was amazing and was one of the best birthday presents that I have ever given myself. I would highly recommend going. You get an amazing experience out of it and get to support a great cause.
