# Most countries observed in in one day **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** just-for-fun\ **Created:** [September 12, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271 "2026-09-12T13:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a6475](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a6475/32/49335_2.png) [@a6475](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a6475)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/1 "2026-09-12T13:25:05Z")
I am sitting at my departure gate wondering: what is the most countries an inaturalist user has observed in in a singl day? The most research grade? I expect to get three countries today. Maybe a research grade observation in each, if the Panama City airport has something better than a tree on the far side of a runway. Maybe another couple countries with non-RG observations if cloud cover is not too bad and I just observe “plants”, but that seems silly. I would guess that someone has done much better: UK, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany looks easy. ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/2 "2026-09-12T16:01:09Z")
I’ve got [two observations](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?lat=9.065739857&lng=-79.38941852900001&radius=0.5681408398834855&subview=map&user_id=tiwane&verifiable=any) at the Panama City airport! It was fairly easy to photograph a vulture during my layover. ---
**Author:** ![yayemaster](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/yayemaster/32/12153_2.png) [@yayemaster](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/yayemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/3 "2026-09-12T20:16:09Z")
The world record for most countries visited in one day is 19(some sources say 30 but those are suspicious). I would assume 20 would be around the maximum possible with current geopolitical boundaries. If observations during travel count, and you did not need to step foot in each country, you could extend the number to 25 or so. ---
**Author:** ![AdamWargon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/adamwargon/32/44649_2.png) [@AdamWargon](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/AdamWargon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/4 "2026-09-12T21:54:32Z")
You _could_ set up a route through a few international border tripoints, especially in parts of Europe or Southern Africa, and you could make observations in many countries over a 24-hour span. But why? It’s like “visiting” 200 countries, just to step outside the airport and tick a box. Isn’t iNaturalist about contributing meaningful observations to science, rather than accumulating a giant twitcher lifelist? You could spend the rest of your life documenting the biodiversity of a single tree in the tropics. To me, depth will always beat a checklist. But you do you! ---
**Author:** ![trscavo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/trscavo/32/3386_2.png) [@trscavo](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/trscavo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/5 "2026-09-12T23:23:55Z")
Just about all motivation is acceptable. There are unacceptable motivating factors but I don’t think this is that. ---
**Author:** ![cs16-levi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@cs16-levi](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/cs16-levi)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2026, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/6 "2026-09-12T23:44:34Z")
Yeah, as Tom mentioned to each his own. If some user wants to have their own fun twitching challenge, why not? Maybe they’ll accidently find a new country record in some obscure airport corner. ---
**Author:** ![LostInCR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lostincr/32/46854_2.png) [@LostInCR](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/LostInCR)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 4:37am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/7 "2026-09-13T04:37:55Z")
Avianca Airlines used to have a ‘milk run’ through El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. As long as you don’t mind grackles and tropical kingbirds, that would have been 6. But I don’t think they do that anymore. The most I could do would be three which I think is common. More than that would start to require planning. ---
**Author:** ![jeanelz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jeanelz/32/68062_2.png) [@jeanelz](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jeanelz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 5:39am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/8 "2026-09-13T05:39:15Z")
Before joining iNat I had 4 countries in one day twice - Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, this was done driving. You could conceivably get a boat and do all 4 in like 5 minutes under the Kazangula bridge. Unfortunately only 1 obs from one of the days [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218449957](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218449957) ---
**Author:** ![nyenyedzi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/nyenyedzi/32/67600_2.png) [@nyenyedzi](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/nyenyedzi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 7:20am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/9 "2026-09-13T07:20:00Z")
I was just about to say that Southern Africa would be very difficult because of border controls, which can take hours on each side, and then you came along to prove me wrong 😂 I forgot about that funny little corner. I’ve managed Zim, Botswana and South Africa, but more than that would set my head spinning. ---
**Author:** ![christiaandevries](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/christiaandevries/32/74316_2.png) [@christiaandevries](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/christiaandevries)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/10 "2026-09-13T20:57:36Z")
Last week, I went on a raptor-spotting trip through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany—all in a single afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![lorb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lorb/32/72645_2.png) [@lorb](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lorb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/11 "2026-09-14T19:02:45Z")
Depends on where you live. Germany/Switzerland/Austria/Liechtenstein would be an easy 4-country combination that wouldn’t really require planning if you are local to the area. ---
**Author:** ![vreinkymov](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/vreinkymov/32/58876_2.png) [@vreinkymov](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/vreinkymov)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/12 "2026-09-14T20:14:40Z")
If you mash up these two: - [iNat Project - Never Home Alone: The Wildlife of Homes](https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/never-home-alone-the-wild-life-of-homes) - [IMDB Movie - Snakes on a Plane (2006)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417148/) You might be able to observe an organism on a plane while it flies over many countries? You can’t really bring it with you for it to be wild, but maybe if a fly ([Diptera](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47822-Diptera)) follows you in, repeatedly observing it as the plane flies over multiple countries, it might get you the high count you seek? ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/13 "2026-09-14T21:46:25Z")
You could get lucky and have moldy food served to you! ---
**Author:** ![a6475](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a6475/32/49335_2.png) [@a6475](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a6475)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/14 "2026-09-15T14:57:24Z")
I saw a grackle at Panama City airport, but the 45 minute layover didn’t leave enough time to get a photo. I did manage to photograph some grass, though… ---
**Author:** ![danly](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/danly/32/42066_2.png) [@danly](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/danly)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/15 "2026-09-15T15:06:47Z")
Sure, they could make an observation, but good luck getting it _identified_! (Plus, I hope they brought along some other food.) ---
**Author:** ![tiwane](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/tiwane/32/54612_2.png) [@tiwane](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/tiwane)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/16 "2026-09-15T18:27:17Z")
I got some [airport grass](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141403519) in Honolulu that made [grass identifier](https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/134999-there-s-beauty-in-grass-identifier-profile-kevinfaccenda) @kevinfaccenda happy! ---
**Author:** ![LostInCR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lostincr/32/46854_2.png) [@LostInCR](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/LostInCR)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/17 "2026-09-15T20:39:13Z")
> [@tiwane](#): > > You could get lucky and have moldy food served to you! Just remember to drop your food on the floor of the plane and don’t pick it up. Otherwise you have to mark it as captive. ---
**Author:** ![spiphany](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/spiphany/32/31332_2.png) [@spiphany](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/spiphany)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:27am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/18 "2026-09-16T06:27:09Z")
No, because (with a few exceptions, such as blue cheese, which is most airlines are unlikely to have on their menu), humans do not intend for mold to be on food, meaning that it got there of its own accord. ---
**Author:** ![carnifex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/carnifex/32/62_2.png) [@carnifex](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/carnifex)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 6:46am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/19 "2026-09-16T06:46:22Z")
Slightly derailing this topic, as it wasn’t for most countries visited - but during this year’s City Nature Challenge, I participated in 6 different CNC projects: 4 in one day, and 2 during another day. Actually, the first 4 regions were all covered in less than 2 hours, as this could be easily done along the railway, while travelling from A to B. ---
**Author:** ![a6475](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a6475/32/49335_2.png) [@a6475](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a6475)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/most-countries-observed-in-in-one-day/85271/20 "2026-09-16T12:52:36Z")
I wondered the same thing during the last City Nature Challenge - I did two due to pre-existing travel plans, but hypothesised that someone was doing more.