Wildest Africa

This iconic and landmark series is a celebration of Africa’s most spectacular locations, showcasing the full African experience. It journeys from the cradle of human civilisation to the most awe-inspiring natural wonders of the world by going on safari to see the continent’s Big Five – lion, elephant, leopard, black rhino, white rhino and Cape buffalo.

Wildest Africa discovers their secret locations, their cultural and wildlife issues, as well as how the natural wonders they live in are being threatened and what is being done to overcome these environmental pressures.

With a cinematic scope to rival the land it films, Wildest Africa captures the breathtaking sceneries, stunning details and rich cultures that exist all over Africa.

Episode 1 - Okavango: Water in the Desert
The Okavango Delta, a huge emerald oasis in the burning heart of the Kalahari desert, is fed by the Okavango River and this perpetual cycle of wet and dry is the lifeblood of this extraordinary natural Eden.

Episode 2 - Namibia: Sands of Time
Namibia has been inhabited for thousands of years, by people as well as animals. The Himba people shows us their strong connections to their ancient ancestors through time tested rituals, further documented by stone and cave paintings. Bizarre desert plants and oasis dwelling baboons reinforce this land as a fascinating story of life – and death.

Episode 3 - Ngorongoro: Born of Fire
Ngorongoro is thought to have formed about 2.5 million years ago from a large volcano, whose cone collapsed inward after a major eruption, leaving the present vast, unbroken crater as its landmark. This fertile land is full of wildlife, from cunning hyena and proud lions to vast herds of wildebeest and elephants. The hardy Masaai tribe use Lake Natron’s salt to tend their cattle, whilst the world’s largest flock of flamingo relax in its almost fail-safe breeding grounds.

Episode 4 - Zambezi: River of Life
The wild water of Africa’s Zambezi river spills over Victoria Falls. The local people fully aware of its awesome power dubbed it ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ or ‘the Smoke that Thunders’. With a width of 1 mile and a height of 360ft, the Victoria Falls forms the largest sheet of falling water in the world. In the height of the wet season, columns of spray can be seen from 30 miles away, as 546 million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge. The Zambezi is traversed several times by one of the world’s most epic natural events: the wildebeest migration.

Episode 5 - Virungas: Land of Ice and Fire
Virunga National Park is notable for its chain of active volcanoes and the greatest diversity of habitats of any park in Africa: from steppes, savannas and lava plains, swamps, lowland and forests, to the ice fields of the Ruwenzori mountains, which culminate in peaks above 5000m. The great diversity of habitats harbors an exceptional biodiversity, including endemic as well as rare and globally endangered species, such as the mountain gorilla. The Ruwenzori or 'Mountains of the Moon', sit between the humid forests of the Congo Basin and the monsoon lands of East Africa. The Ruwenzori's glaciers, frozen at some 5,000m (16,500ft) above sea level drip feed bogs which in turn feed mountain streams, rivers and the great African lakes of Victoria, Albert, Edward and George.