Nature lovers everywhere sit down to incredible documentaries every day. You don’t have to have the free time to travel to see the furthest reaches of our planet. Netflix has a huge catalog of documentaries on everything from true crime to ocean exploration. If you love to explore the earth from the comfort of home you’ll love every title on this list.
These are some of the best offerings on the streaming site for those who can’t get enough natural beauty. Check out each one to experience almost every inch of the planet without leaving your house.
Planet Earth
This critically acclaimed series is voiced by naturist legend David Attenborough. The BBC documentary spans 11 episodes and claims to take viewers on an incredible journey across the world “as it’s never been seen before.” That’s a big claim but the series does not disappoint.
Particularly when viewed in high definition, this series is breathtakingly beautiful and highlights the diverse biomes of each part of our planet. Planet Earth should be required viewing for all citizens of our world.
Natural Curiosities
Lovers of David Attenborough’s legendary body of work will love Natural Curiosities. The film follows the infamous naturalist across the globe as he visits some of his personal favorite natural quirks. The audience will be taken on a journey of delight and wonder as they explore talented insects, armored animals, and so much more. Attenborough has been involved in some of the finest natural film making in history. To see his personal favorite list of natural occurrences is truly an honor.
Frozen Planet
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be more David Attenborough on Netflix, here comes Frozen Planet. This film required a huge personal sacrifice from its crew. They spent an incredible 2,300 days in the Arctic and Antarctic filming life in some of the harshest environments on earth.
The crew also spent a year-and-a-half at sea to explore the frozen depths as well. The footage they captured is beautiful, fascinating, and full of invaluable research.
Life
David Attenborough, the master of the nature documentary, returns to Netflix in Life. This 11 part series delves into life on Earth’s incredible ability to adapt as our planet and its environments change. Life explores the process of evolution and the incredible changes that species have undergone to continue to survive. This series took an incredible four years to film and covers every biome and landmass on the planet. Some have compared it to the prequel to Planet Earth.
Africa
BBC teams up with The Discovery Channel to create this six-episode series that showcases just how diverse the continent of Africa is. Many lack basic knowledge of the biomes, species, and cultures of Africa. This series seeks to right that wrong.
The documentary includes hours of never before seen footage of plants, animals, and weather in some of the most remote locations on earth. This title is also voiced by Sir David Attenborough and delivers the same incredible quality his fans have come to expect.
The Blue Planet
David Attenborough returns in this epic exploration of the oceans of Earth. Everything the series Planet Earth did for the surface of our planet, The Blue Planet does for our oceans.
The majority of our world is left unseen below the sea. The Blue Planet grants us an unprecedented look into what happens under the waves. The series explores the plants and animals that live at every level of the ocean. No rock is left unturned and no species is too small to be explored.
Colombia: Wild Magic
The Ivory Game
The Ivory Game takes viewers on a thrill ride into the dark and twisted world of the ivory trade. Interest in poaching and illegal ivory has grown recently. People all over the world have taken a keen interest in the plight of wild elephants in Africa.
The film was made by Leonardo DiCaprio and truly feels more like a horror piece than a work of nonfiction. Each stunning moment is completely genuine and viewers will see a side of life that has barely been explored before.
Encounters At The End Of The World
This documentary is breathtaking. It provides a view of Antarctica that few people will ever see in person. The content spans out in front of the camera bare, flat, and lonely. It’s beautiful and deadly. The film was made by Werner Herzog and chronicles his visit to the Mcmurdo Station (Mcmurdo is the largest research station on the continent of Antarctica).
Herzog explores the minds of the scientists who work there. If you’ve ever been curious about this frozen landscape this documentary is a must see.
Hidden Kingdoms
This playful documentary series tells the stories of life on a tiny scale. Employing bleeding edge camera technology, this three-part series follows tiny insects, rodents, and other tinny creatures with cinematic angles and amazing camera tricks.
The film gives the audience a look into how the shots were captured. combining whimsy and technical wizardry. Some have criticized the production team’s use of stock sounds that many feel are silly. The series certainly doesn’t suffer for its fun sounds if you don’t take it too seriously.
