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As humans move farther away from natural sources of wonder and beauty, nature documentaries have become an integral way of connecting with a world far from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan cities.
Netflix has, so far, produced and featured some of the best nature documentaries on their watchlist such as Fantastic Fungi, Predators, Life on Our Planet, and Breaking Boundaries.
However, we have put together five best-rated nature documentaries that have been put together by the platform. These take you to the depths of oceans in South Africa or the lush greens of Chilean Patagonia - all from your living room.
Our Planet, and 4 other best nature documentaries to catch on Netflix
5) My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Tomatometer Score: 93%
Taking the number five position, My Octopus Teacher is one of those nature documentaries that take you on a deep dive into the life that exists underneath the ocean surface.
Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, this Netflix Original documentary film won the Best Documentary Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards for its unique approach pieced together by South African naturalist Craig Foster.
The synopsis reads:
"After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal's trust and they develop a never before seen bond between human and wild animal."
Brough together by a collaboration with production partners Off The Fence and The Sea Change Project, My Octopus Teacher is mainly shot near Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula.
4) Our Planet (2019-2023)
Tomatometer Score: 96%
Documentary films are incomplete without a David Attenborough voiceover and thus, Our Planet takes the fourth spot on the list. The series of British nature documentaries made for Netflix additionally features Salma Hayek's voice for Latin American Spanish, Penélope Cruz's voice for the European Spanish script and Steven Price's (Gravity) score dominates throughout.
Produced by Silverback Films, the first season of Our Planet was released in 2019. This brilliant escape into the wilderness has been directed by the minds behind Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, and The Blue Planet - Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey in collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
3) Our Great National Parks (2022)
Tomatometer Score: 100%
Our Great National Parks is a five-part production by executive producer James Honeybourne and producer Sarah Peat in collaboration with companies Freeborne Media, Wild Space Productions, and Higher Ground Productions.
Graeme Tuckett of Stuff.co.nz reviewed the documentary series, saying:
"Our Great National Parks is probably the best “family viewing” option Netflix has to offer right now. Very recommended."
Hosted by the former president of the United States Barack Obama, Our Great National Parks takes viewers to Australia's Great Barrier Reef to Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park.
2) Virunga (2014)
Tomatometer Score: 100%
Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, Virunga is one of the best-rated nature documentaries to exist on Netflix. The 2014 British documentary focuses on the conservation work carried out by park rangers within the Congo's UNESCO World Heritage Site, Virunga National Park, at the time of the M23 Rebellion in 2012.
The film additionally looks into the role of Soco International within the National Park.
The synopsis reads:
"In the forested depths of eastern Congo lies Virunga National Park, one of the most bio-diverse places in the world and home to the last of the mountain gorillas. In this wild, but enchanted environment, a small and embattled team of park rangers - including an ex-child soldier turned ranger, a carer of orphan gorillas and a Belgian conservationist - protect this UNESCO world heritage site from armed militia, poachers and the dark forces struggling to control Congo's rich natural resources."
Virunga was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014.
1) Chimp Empire (2023)
Tomatometer Score: 100%
Out of all nature documentaries that offer an insight into the lives of monkeys, the James Reed-directed Chimp Empire is one of a kind as it follows the lives of the largest group of chimpanzees to exist - Ngogo chimpanzees.
As the community of chimpanzees faces the harsh reality of modernization with competition for space and food and the threat of poachers in the forest, the documentary explores the interpersonal "complex social politics, family dynamics, and dangerous territory disputes" within the chimpanzee community.
