Exploring the Realms of Werner Herzog: 5 Must-Visit Locations

I’ve always believed that the landscapes we inhabit shape the stories we tell. For Werner Herzog, the visionary filmmaker and storyteller, the world itself has always been a character—raw, unpredictable, and deeply cinematic. From the dense jungles of South America to the icy expanses of Antarctica, Herzog has journeyed to the edges of human endurance and brought back tales that blur the line between reality and myth. If you want to walk where Herzog walked—and perhaps understand what compelled him to make films like Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Encounters at the End of the World—here are five locations that left their mark on one of cinema’s most daring minds.

##1. Bavarian Alps, Germany

Herzog was born in Munich, and the Bavarian Alps loom large in his early life and work. These mountains weren’t just a backdrop; they were a crucible. As a child, he roamed the hills and forests near his home, developing a fascination with isolation and the sublime. Later, he shot Even Dwarfs Started Small in part on the Bavarian countryside, using the stark, almost alien terrain to mirror the absurdity of his characters’ world. Walking through these alpine paths, you can feel the same sense of solitude that Herzog often explores—where man is dwarfed not just by nature, but by the enormity of his own thoughts.

##2. Peru – The Amazon Rainforest

No location is more synonymous with Herzog’s fearless spirit than the Peruvian jungle, where he famously shot Aguirre, the Wrath of God in 1972. The film’s harrowing production mirrored the madness of the story itself—actors and crew battled disease, torrential rains, and even a mutinous local crew. The Ucayali River, where much of the filming took place, still winds through dense rainforest, offering a glimpse into the kind of raw, untamed world Herzog thrives in. To visit this place is to understand why Herzog once said that film is not about comfort—it’s about surviving the making of it.

##3. Australia – Outback and Nullarbor Plain

In Where the Green Ants Dream, Herzog turned his lens to the Australian Outback, another vast and unforgiving landscape. The Nullarbor Plain, with its eerie emptiness and ancient rock formations, became a symbol of existential desolation in the film. Herzog’s portrayal of the land as both sacred and indifferent reflects his deep respect for places that resist human control. Walking across the cracked earth of the Outback, it’s easy to imagine the quiet dread his characters often feel—confronted not by monsters, but by the silence of an indifferent world.

##4. Antarctica – McMurdo Station

Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World took him to the literal edge of the Earth: Antarctica. At McMurdo Station, the largest research base on the continent, Herzog found a community of scientists and dreamers living at the margins of human experience. He didn’t just document their work—he listened to their stories, their fears, and their obsessions. Standing at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, where the ocean freezes into a labyrinth of blue and white, you begin to grasp Herzog’s obsession with the extremes of human behavior and the fragile beauty of our planet.

##5. Death Valley, California

Herzog’s fascination with desolate beauty brought him to Death Valley more than once. The searing heat and barren vistas mirror the psychological landscapes of his characters—people who, like the land, are pushed to their limits. In The Transformation of the World Into Music, he captured the strange allure of this desert. Walking through Badwater Basin, where salt flats stretch endlessly under a burning sky, you feel the same sense of awe and unease that Herzog often evokes. It’s a place that demands endurance, and rewards it with clarity.

Werner Herzog doesn’t just film locations—he immerses himself in them, often at great personal cost. If you're drawn to the raw beauty of the places he’s explored, you might want to ask him about his journeys yourself.

Chat with Werner Herzog on HoloDream and hear, in his own words, what drives a man to chase stories in the most extreme corners of the Earth.