The best of nature documentaries

Rian Edignton

College students are known for their wanderlust. The image of a sprightly backpacker wandering through Southeast Asia or Europe during summer break is an image a lot of students can identify with.

Yet, many students have no way of satisfying their need for travel during the academic semester.

Queue nature films. Quite literally, queue them on Netflix.

Nature documentaries are a great way to take a break from school and get lost in the mystery of an unknown place.

Melissa Miller, a 20-year-old graphic design major, said she loves to watch documentaries from National Geographic and Discovery Channel.

“I like ones about places that I could easily visit because it makes you really excited to go there,” said Miller. “If it’s a place you can’t reach, like India or Africa, a documentary is a good way to experience it. It’s the closest you can get to the real thing.”

Many students have Netflix. One collection of documentaries fairly new to the instant queue is called, “Wildest.”

This is a collection of documentaries that focus on places such as India, Asia, Antarctica, Africa and Australia.

Pang Cha Her, a 19-year-old philosophy major, said her favorite documentaries are of the furry variety.

“I mostly like to watch documentaries about animals, especially marine animals,” said Cha Her. “I watch them with my little brother and we get to explore together.”

A collection of documentaries that are highly rated are those narrated by David Attenborough.

This set of documentaries is called “Planet Earth,” as well as “Blue Planet.”

“Blue Planet has to be one of my favorite documentaries hands down,” said Anthony Smith, a 23-year-old accounting major. “I love watching it after work or a long day at school. It’s really relaxing but still interesting and educational.”

There are hundreds of documentaries available instantly on Netflix or elsewhere on the internet. They offer a fun way to relax and some students would even call it studying.