Here’s a list of the filming locations featured in the first episode of Planet Earth 3.
The epic nature documentary returns for 2023 with episode one seeing Sir David Attenborough embark on an eye-opening journey along the world’s dynamic coastlines, where ever-changing landscapes challenge the survival of countless species.
On South Africa’s Robberg Peninsula, thousands of cape fur seals endure the precarious conditions on a small ledge. Here, they must unite to defend against the influx of great white sharks, one of Earth’s most formidable predators.
The Arctic Coast experiences the planet’s most massive seasonal shift due to melting ice, drawing a host of diverse creatures, including the sinister sea angel, a voracious predator.
Planet Earth 3 filming locations – episode one
- David Attenborough’s Foreword: Downe Bank, Kent, UK
- Surf opener: Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, Australia
- Great white sharks and cape fur seal: Robberg Peninsula, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
- Sea angel and sea butterflies: The White Sea, Russia
- Lions: Skeleton Coast, Namibia
- Southern right whales: Península Valdés, Chubut, Argentina
- Flamingos: Río Lagartos, Yucatán, Mexico
- Garter snakes: East Point, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, British Columbia, Canada
- Archer fish: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
- Turtles: Raine Island, Cape York, Queensland, Australia
Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, where the world’s oldest desert meets the cold Atlantic, welcomes unexpected visitors – lions, reappearing after four decades, venturing into a massive seabird colony.
Coasts attract global visitors, like the southern right whale at Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, and terrestrial garter snakes in British Columbia.
Tropical Raja Ampat, Indonesia, hosts a unique interaction between coral reefs and mangrove trees. These salt-tolerant trees allow archer fish to shoot water jets as they hunt for insects high above.
Conversely, Mexico’s Yucatan’s exposed, shallow lagoons feature Caribbean flamingos nesting amidst early tropical storms.
On Raine Island, tens of thousands of female green turtles come ashore to nest, with some stranded by receding tides. Sadly, this world’s largest green turtle rookery faces submersion beneath the waves, highlighting the rapid coastal changes observed throughout Sir David Attenborough’s lifetime, from his 1957 expedition to the present.
Planet Earth III airs on Sunday nights on BBC One and iPlayer.
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