Back in 2001, the BBC aired a new nature documentary called Blue Planet. Narrated by the esteemed Sir David Attenborough, the show visited 35 locations over an astounding five years of filming.
We saw colour-changing walruses; the blue whale with its car-sized heart; the horror-movie style anglerfish, and we were, if you’ll forgive the pun, hooked.
Cut to present day. Attenborough is no longer just highly esteemed, but a much-loved British icon; some say the country’s grandfather. In the last 16 years, a further four series have aired under the Planet franchise.
Here at eShores, we were inspired. We’ve heard that the Attenborough’s shows have positively impacted travel and tourism around the world, and we wanted to know more.
So, we decided to find out every location that Attenborough has taken us to over the years and try to build it into the ultimate multi-centre holiday. Some places proved to be unreachable, but we managed to come up with an adventure as close as possible to walking in the footsteps of the film crew.
Along with the first series of Blue Planet, we looked at the 2006 series of Planet Earth, followed by Frozen Planet in 2011, Planet Earth 2 in 2016 and 2017’s Blue Planet II.
Here are the routes we put together for each series, along with a map showing every location of the complete Attenborough trip:
Patience was a significant characteristic required by the crew, and if you wanted to emulate them as part of the ultimate wildlife-seekers holiday, you’ll probably need some too.
On a route that would take in every location across the six series, you’d have to embark on 175 plane journeys (there are trains and car hires along the way too). The most of which comes from the locations for Blue Planet II, where you’d need to board 37 planes to emulate Attenborough’s feat in that series alone.
Best take a good book or two with you too. You’ll clock up a mammoth 373,744 miles on your Attenborough-mimicking journey, including 103,976 just to visit the locations of Blue Planet I. Think of the air miles.
As you might have guessed, this trip of a lifetime can’t be done on the cheap. Taking in flights, travel and hotel stays, we estimate the cost at £402,220!
That price also includes a selection of Attenborough-inspired excursions, just to make sure you’re actually seeing these incredible locations along the way. Included in our final costings is a 9-day safari in South Africa, a 3-day scuba diving trip of the Great Barrier Reef, and even an 18-day trek to Mount Everest base camp (along with many others).
As for other locations that the five series’ have shot at, the list is far from brief! Did you spot those methane volcanoes erupting in Blue Planet II? They are located 650 metres deep in the Gulf of Mexico. Nearby Costa Rica and the Bahamas also featured in that series.
Meanwhile, of course, its predecessor Frozen Planet was filmed in 15 much icier spots, including many in the Arctic and Antarctic.
However, the series that covered the most locations was the original Planet Earth. It covered a staggering 66 different filming spots, from New Zealand to Norway, the West coast of Scotland to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
The shows have undoubtedly given every viewer a renewed desire to travel and see the world. After all, it looks incredible! But overcrowding is increasingly damaging cities like Venice and Santorini, something that Attenborough explains and demonstrates in the shows.
Thankfully, the Planet series seem to be having a different effect. Experts say that people are heeding Attenborough’s warnings, and predict travellers will increasingly venture to new destinations instead. ABTA research found that one in four travellers has plans to visit a country they’ve never been to before, with around one in three travellers hoping to tick a brand new city or resort from their bucket-list this year.
The welfare of the earth and sea is not the only impact the Planet series is having, however. A brighter light than ever is now shining on the wellbeing of animals, and travel agencies are taking important steps to do their part.
As Attenborough himself said at the close of Blue Planet II, “surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet.” He was not wrong.
So, here’s to you, David Attenborough. Thank you for showing us not just the world, but our entire, beautiful planet.
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I was recommended E-shores from my parents who used them for travelling holidays in the past. To date i have booked two holidays, one more challenging logistically than the other. I dealt with kadie on both occasions who was very friendly, knowledgable & patiant to get the trips exactly where i needed them. Would highly…
Excellent service from Dave Felton, senior travel consultant. Dave always goes above and beyond to give you exactly what you want with a holiday. We have been a customer of eshores for more than 8 years and we would use any other company
The personal service provided by Dave Felton is truly outstanding Nothing is ever too much trouble and he delivers exactly what we want time and again He provides guidance and is always available to answer any questions Superb!!
I have used eshores before after a friend recommended their service. Michelle has helped me again and I cannot fault her efficient and friendly professionalism. Excellent service.
Great customer service. Fast response. Tailored holiday. Very good experience.
I Contacted eShores following a recommendation from a friend. I spoke to Chris a Senior Travel consultant. He listened to my requests and made some suggestions of what he thought would suit me better, he was very knowledgable and helpful and I felt reassured that he knew what he was talking about. Now I can’t…
Brilliant, brilliant - would highly recommend Chris was so patient and professional as we kept asking for revisions to our holiday. Provided us with options to shape it to the best holiday ... can't wait to go now. A really reasonable price ... so excited. Thank you Chris at eShores
Excellent service from Kadie. Great knowledge, advice given and going the extra mile to find a cost effective holiday with business Class flights. Very responsive also Excellent service is hard to find in this day and age, hence it’s appreciated even more when you find it.
Claire Smith Claire is everything I look for in a travel consultant - patient (especially as we could make our minds up !), friendly, always did what she promised and when, followed up but not over zealously, efficient and knowledgeable. EShores are lucky to have Claire on their team. I will definitely be recommending EShores…
Really helpful and really quick at getting back in touch! Highly recommend. Me and my partner got what we were after in just a couple of days and are excited to visit where we have booked!
I’ve just booked a multi city break to Eastern Europe for July’26 using Eshore for the first time. Rachel was super efficient and very pleasant organising our trip to accommodate exactly what we wanted. If the holiday goes as smoothly as the booking process then I will be a regular customer. Thanks again for your…
Andy is always patient, he really pays attention to what I am looking for and always gets the best price. I trust him to always find the perfect holiday.
We worked with Claire, she did the most amazing job of organising a 16 day, 3 centre bespoke trip for 6 of all ages and ability with very specific requirements and a tight deadline for travel. This company proved to be even more amazing when there was an issue with checking in to one hotel,…
Anna was very helpful and quick with replies. Our requests were fulfilled.
Very quick response to emails and also great friendly service. We have booked a few trips with EShores’s mainly multi destination holidays and all have been great with all transfers and communications seamless. Would highly recommend.
Andy who dealt with thr booking of our Far East holiday enquiry was really helpful, nothing was too much trouble, he was quick to respond, always happy to offer alternatives. It took some doing trying to find the right options but he was always patient and happy to help. Thanks Andy 😊
Andy has been brilliant, understanding our needs, delivering a fantastic itinerary ay a great price. Thanks
Very good and professional service, Hannah sorted the holiday out very quickly
Just booked a 10 day multi centre holiday to Italy with eShores. Claire was excellent with the suggestions and itinerary and making the changes we requested. Would recommend to others and would book again through them.
This is our second time of booking with Eshores and once again Rob has provided us with an excellent service. He listens to exactly what we ask of him, has lots of patience and offers us good advice. Nothing is too much trouble for him. Thank you Rob
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