For more than 70 years, Sir David Attenborough has been the face and voice of countless wildlife documentaries, and has continued to bring the vast scale and diversity of the natural world to our screens.
Attenborough’s latest series, Planet Earth III, once again zooms in on the ever-changing habitats of our world. The programme documented more than 43 countries over the course of nearly five years — from deserts and grasslands to the Arctic extremes on the knife edge of the planet — to film the wonders of the natural world.
Focusing on wildlife, such as chacma baboons in the Tsaobis Nature Park in Namibia, and southern right whales off the coast of Argentina, Attenborough explains how an increasing number of species are vulnerable to habitat loss and extinction due to human actions. Plus, for the first time ever, humans took centre stage in the final episode of the series, which shared stories of inspiring individuals fighting to save and preserve our wildlife.
Now the series has finished, here’s a selection of the highest-rated Sir David Attenborough documentaries to watch, to continue your education on the wonders of our planet.
First broadcast in 2006, Planet Earth showcases the untouched regions of the planet and the last true wildernesses. On a journey around the world, from pole to pole, the series draws attention to the effects of climate change.
The programme returned 10 years later, detailing how the planet has changed, and the extent that animals must go to in order to survive. Both series cover a vast range of habitats around the world, from mountains and deserts to jungles and oceans. Each episode unveils a cornucopia of life, displaying the complex relationships between all species that are essential to their mutual survival, and showcases all aspects of life, including mating, hunting, birth and death.
Each episode also features a Planet Earth Diaries — a behind-the-scenes look at the difficulties and processes involved with filming elusive and unpredictable plant and animal behaviour, giving a fascinating insight into documentary-making for aspiring wildlife videographers.
Watch Planet EarthandPlanet Earth IIhere.
Billed as ‘the first-ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world’s oceans,’ Attenborough’s 2001 and 2017 Blue Planet instalments provide a never-before-seen insight into marine life. Several species, including Dumbo octopus and hairy anglerfish, had never been captured on camera before.
Ranging from familiar shallow waters to the depths of unexplored oceans, each 50-minute episode focuses on a different aspect of life in vast and ever-changing marine environments. Seasonal seas and coral reefs provide the conditions for epic dramas as each species competes
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
British skies dazzle when the sun sinks, and there are a handful of dark sky reserves and discovery sites where the lack of light pollution can help stargazing enthusiasts feel that bit closer to the universe. Take a winter stomp across freezing moors or a late-night summer drive up to a remote hilltop to find a sky full of stars with distant planets glittering overhead on clear nights. Often, there’s no need for a telescope either — star clusters such as Pleiades and Hyades, the Milky Way, nebulae and shooting stars can often be seen with the naked eye or with the help of a pair of cheap binoculars and stargazing apps such as Stellarium Mobile.
It is often said that the world is a great book, and those that do not travel only read one page. What if you read books as well as travel? You would be quite the literary sort, indeed. Here at Condé Nast Traveler, our journeys take us to places near and far, and we don't always have other humans along for the ride with us—but books are good friends to keep in our suitcases for company.
People may think of Thailand as a food-focused destination, or a place for great nightlife or even a wellness center and somewhere to go and be pampered.
Now that the northern hemisphere is firmly in the cooler months of the year—and it’s only getting colder—it’s time to talk fleece. For bitter winter chills, fleece is hard to beat because the fabric is made to be both lightweight and incredibly insulating. And in recent years, fleece technology has improved so much that the variety on offer is now immense both in quality, style, and price. If you thought that Colorado bros have the market cornered with their Patagonia zip-ups, it’s time to reconsider the category altogether.I was previously super hesitant about fleece because, for most of my life, I assumed its pieces all looked the same. But while shopping in Manchester last year, I came upon a button-up fleece chore jacket with a rounded collar from UK-based Universal Works that changed my mind about what fleece could look like. But in speaking with Universal Works design director and co-founder David Keyte about the material, I learned that the name is actually a catchall that could mean different things depending on where you are. “There really are so many different fleeces,” Keyte says. “It’s an amazing technical invention that replaced knitted wools and cottons to become a flexible layer of clothing that moves with the body and is warm. Fleece became the modern version of those traditional fabrics, but it’s made of synthetic fibers that hold warmth and are lightweight.”My jacket is a wool-blend fleece (that almost looks like boiled wool), which Keyte says is great for heat regulation. I use it from fall on; either on its own or layered underneath a heavier coat when it gets bitingly cold out. But regardless of which brand or style you go for, that’s kind of the benefit of fleece when it comes to outerwear or as a shirt or sweater: They offer enough warmth when worn on their own, but most are light enough to be another protective layer to partner with heavier items for harsher winter days. Here, you'll find our picks for 28 fleece items that will serve you well from now through spring.
Just a one-hour flight from Miami, the Bahamas is a popular spot for first-time travelers to the Caribbean or seasoned travelers who want to venture to the tranquil, less visited Out Islands. I’ve been visiting the Bahamas for two decades, first with my husband and eventually with our two kids. Over the years, I’ve rushed in the annual Junkanoo parade, eaten the island's specialty conch fritters, and visited nearly deserted beaches—discovering something new with each visit.
If we adopted a child’s-eye view of the world, how would we choose to have fun? It’s likely to be about more than the usual incentives, such as an ice cream, suggests research from Nature Communications. According to the journal, children as young as four seek experiences that deliver positive results, guide action, answer questions about the world — and are just plain fun. Whether it’s getting up-close with crustaceans on a rockpooling adventure, diving into a good book at a literature festival, learning to surf, taking to the stage or gazing at the stars, these 12 UK-based experiences deliver hands-on learning and creativity.
Working at a travel publication can be dizzying—in a year, we go so many places, write so many stories, and publish a lot of content. At times, it can feel like we've run out of world to cover: If you've been there, we've probably done that. But that's of course not the case, and certain stories are an especially powerful reminder of the many stones that remain unturned; that there are many ways to take a trip, either to a familiar place or somewhere markedly overlooked, and tell a completely new story about it.
Traditionally nomadic, Sámi people have been herding reindeer across Sápmi (Lapland) for 7,000 years, long before the region was divided into Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Reindeer are integral to the Sámi way of life, yet the Indigenous people’s lifestyle is under threat from climate change, mines and cultural appropriation. Sweden is home to 20,000 Sámi, a fifth of whom roam with their herd around Laponia — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that stretches across Sweden’s Artic North. The others keep their customs alive by continuing age-old traditions and sharing stories about their heritage. Here are some exciting ways to explore their culture.
Consider Gold List the answer to the question our editors get asked more than any other: What are your favorite places to stay? Our 30th annual iteration of the world’s greatest hotels and cruises captures nearly a year’s worth of work: This collection of 75 resorts and hotels represents hundreds of hours of researching, scouting, and impassioned debating by our team of editors in seven cities across the globe. But more than that, it reflects our ongoing love affair with the places where we stay, which often become our gateways to entire destinations. Read on to inspire your next trip.
Often being off grid myself, traveling deep into Mongolia’s most disconnected corners, I can vouch for the importance of having reliable, tried and tested gear. It doesn’t only make a trip, it can even save your life.