Globe Trekker S03E07 · Central Africa: Uganda & Eastern Congo

Overview

Traveller Nikki Grosse Nikki Grosse's trek in Central Africa takes her through the dramatic and remote landscapes of Uganda and Eastern Congo (formerly Zaire). Nikki's route begins in South West Uganda in the 'Switzerland of Africa', where she travels on the back of a truck to Bwindi National Park, also known as the "Impenetrable Forest". Bwindi is one of the last remaining habitats of mountain gorillas in the world, and the current gorilla population is estimated at 320. With the help of guides and slashers who cut at the dense undergrowth with machetes, Nikki tracks a gorilla family for hours through difficult terrain and is finally rewarded when she finds herself only metres from a Silverback. Nikki travels north through the wildlife haven Queen Elizabeth National Park, en route to the small town of Kasese. Kasese is situated at the base of the Rwenzori Mountains and is the last place where trekkers can buy provisions before setting off into the mountains. Nikki buys a pair of wellies for the infamous Bigo Bog and organises a team of Ugandan guides and porters to accompany her on the trek. The Rwenzori Mountains are also known as The Mountains of the Moon because of the glaciers at the summit which can be glimpsed through a veil of cloud. They are a true African wilderness and Nikki treks through impossible undergrowth, along slippery paths, through knee deep bogs and thick mud, under towering giant heather forests and over snow covered peaks and glaciers, ending her journey a few hundred metres of Margherita Peak, the third highest in Africa. For the final part of Nikki's journey she crosses the border into the Congo and travels to Beni, where she is diagnosed with Malaria. After a course of medical treatment and a few unplanned rest days, she heads off into the Ituri forest in Eastern Congo. She travels in a truck along some of the worst roads in Africa; the recent rains have turned it into mud-filled potholes. Leaving the vehicle and setting off on foot Nikki eventually reaches a Mbuti Pygmy community. The pygmies are the indigenous people of the Ituri forest, which provides them with nearly everything they need. Here Nikki helps the children collect caterpillars and crabs for the evening meal, has ticks removed from her hair and on her final night is invited to listen to their traditional music.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Syria, Jordan & Lebanon · 52mTraveller Ian Wright begins his journey in the Middle East in Jordan. In the Wadi Rum desert he joins guests at a Bedouin wedding. Before travelling south to the ruins of Petra he
2. 2 2. Ethiopia · 52mTraveller Ian Wright Ian begins his exploration of Ethiopia in the northern highlands of Axum. He visits the oldest church in Ethiopia, which is supposedly the resting place of th
3. 3 3. Cuba & Haiti · 52mTraveller Ian Wright Ian skydives onto a Havana beach, where he begins his journey through Cuba & Haiti. He explores the bustling street markets in Havana and discovers the back-s
4. 4 4. Pakistan · 52mTraveller Neil Gibson Pakistan was formed by the division of India half a century ago, and founded in the name of Islam. Few Western people venture here but as traveller Neil Gibs
5. 5 5. Outback Australia · 52mTraveller Ian Wright Covering three quarters of the continent of Australia, the Outback is one of the most sparse and rugged landscapes in the world. Ian Wright begins his journey
6. 6 6. Southwest USA · 52mTraveller Justine Shapiro Justine Shapiro's journey through south west United States begins in Gallup on the New Mexico border, where she visits a Native American intertribal cere
7. 7 7. Central Africa: Uganda & Eastern Congo · 52mTraveller Nikki Grosse Nikki Grosse's trek in Central Africa takes her through the dramatic and remote landscapes of Uganda and Eastern Congo (formerly Zaire). Nikki's route begi
8. 8 8. Argentina · 52mTraveller Justine Shapiro Justine explores the world's eighth largest country, Argentina. Her journey begins in Iguazu where she visits the incredible Iguazu Falls, which are almo
9. 9 9. South Africa & Lesotho · 52mTraveller Justine Shapiro Justine Shapiro's journey begins in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town on the West Coast of South Africa. She visits Robben Island, where President Nels
10. 10 10. Philippines · 52mTraveller Shilpa Mehta Shilpa visits some of the Philippines' 7000 islands. She begins her journey in the town of Baguio on the island of Luzon, where she visits the giant statue
11. 11 11. Peru · 52mTraveller Neil Gibson Peru is one of the most geographically and culturally diverse countries on earth. It stretches from the Amazon, across the Andes to the Pacific Coast. Neil
12. 12 12. Northern Spain1995-11-30 · 52mTraveller Shilpa Mehta Sixty million visitors come to Spain each year but most head for the tourist resorts in the south. Shilpa Mehta's journey takes her through the less travell
13. 13 13. Hungary & Romania · 52mTraveller Ian Wright Ian Wright starts his adventure in Budapest, the capital of Hungary where he finds that tourism has boomed since the fall of communism in 1989. He samples the