Episode 3 Serious Explorers: Livingstone

Seven young explorers have taken on the biggest challenge

of their lives, an epic adventure in the heart of Africa.

It'll take them far from civilisation, encountering endangered wildlife.

Such an adrenalin rush.

Witnessing unique tribal ceremony.

-Oh, wow.

-And trekking where none have been before.

-So amazing.

They're following in the legendary footsteps of the great Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone.

And the demanding expedition will push them to the very limit.

-It is a wake up call.

-Horrible.

I hate it.

Have they got what it takes to be serious explorers?

Coming up, awesome animals.

-Oh, that was amazing.

-Tensions in the team.

No, you didn't, you didn't ask anyone.

And keeping crocs out of camp.

Shine your light in its face and back away slowly.

Previously on Serious Explorers,

the team completed four stomach-churning days at sea,

sailing a traditional boat down the coast of Africa.

I just can't stop throwing up.

For Sian, the seasickness led to homesickness.

I don't want to be here, but I do.

Spirits were raised by an amazing welcome in the village of Pemba,

where Livingstone himself made landfall.

This is really strange, cos it's like we're celebrities.

And the explorers were guests of honour at an astonishing tribal display.

-I've never seen anything like it.

-It's just incredible.

It's day six of the Livingstone expedition and the young explorers

are about to leave the coast and head into deepest Tanzania.

Before they go, expedition leaders Ben and Polly have something special to show them.

Evidence that Livingstone set off from this exact spot in 1866.

He began his last journey from here.

Yes, he came through this place where we're standing now.

He made landfall here before going on into the heart of Africa.

It was to be Dr Livingstone's final expedition,

heading into uncharted territory in Tanzania.

With no vehicles or trains, he had to walk vast distances, but

he had no doubts about the positive effects of so much trekking.

"Much hard work is involved,

"but no-one can truly appreciate rest unless he has undergone severe exertion."

Livingstone trekked west from Pemba before eventually ending his travels

several years later at Lake Tanganyika.

With only a month in all for their expedition,

the young explorers will today fly to the Selous Game Reserve,

on a key part of Livingstone's route.

In a couple of hours they cover a distance that took Livingstone six months.

The Selous Reserve is the largest wilderness left in Africa,

with huge unexplored areas, unchanged since Livingstone's time.

What we're doing now is very, very special.

There are very few places left in Africa that you can do genuine

foot safaris and experience Africa on foot.

It's a very, very serious environment.

I'm kind of nervous, but I'm excited at the same time, because

obviously, we've never been anywhere like this before.

It's just a short trek of half an hour to camp, but from now on,

wherever they go, they'll be protected by experienced guides carrying guns.

The reason I'm speaking in hushed tones is we heard an elephant out in that direction.

And there's evidence of wildlife everywhere they look.

This is eland, yes? Which is a big, big antelope.

The explorers will be constantly on the move in the Selous Reserve, making camp each night.

But as it's their first day in the bush,

-tonight's camp has been set up for them in advance.

-Hey, hey, hey.

-Yeah, camp.

-Check it out.

Home sweet home.

We've got four two-man tents.

Cassie and Sian, that's your tent.

With only three girls in all, it means Ashleigh gets a tent to herself.

Ashleigh, you lucked out.

-OK? That is your tent.

-That's fine.

-All right?

-I'll just be the outcast of the group.

-I'll swap.

The camp toilet is unlike anything they've ever used before.

-Can anyone guess what that is?

-A jaw of an animal.

-A wishbone?

-It's the jaw of an elephant.

And as you can see, it makes the perfect loo seat.

I don't want to see any dribbly bits down the jaw.

Please, no, yes.

To survive in this extreme environment,

there's a huge amount to learn before they begin trekking tomorrow morning.

-Buffalo?

-Yes.

Why do you reckon it's a buffalo?

Because it's a big, cloven hoof.

They'll get drinking water straight from the river, purifying it with chemicals.

Five drops, perfect.

They also learn how to safely use dangerous knives called machetes,

an essential tool in the bush.

From scorpions to mosquitoes, many small creatures pose

a serious threat and expedition doctor Fi has just experienced one of them.

-Now this is something that's called a tick.

-A tick?

-Exactly. It's a blood-sucking parasite.

The other doctor, Stephan, shows how to remove it.

So we're going to get the head of the forceps underneath there and out it comes.

-Can you see the jaws sticking out?

-Oh, yes.

The serious training highlights the alien world

they'll have to cope with over the coming weeks.

And Sian starts to find it all overwhelming.

With her homesickness returning, assistant leader Polly takes her

-aside for a heart to heart chat.

-Oh, don't worry.

-SHE SOBS

You're finding it a bit difficult, aren't you? Yes?

I'm just worried about

moving about and that. Just that I'm not going to be able to do it.

The first week is always the hardest, OK?

Because you're in a different environment with different people.

I'm just thinking about, like, home.

-I know.

-How easy everything is as well.

Your mum will be thinking of you every minute of the day, incredibly proud

of what you're doing and that is what you've got to think, OK?

It's been a bit hard again.

I've just been upset again.

I feel really,

just a bit silly because nobody else is being really emotional.

I feel sorry for her, cos I'm not missing my family that much

yet, but she obviously is and it must be hard for her.

She is just homesick.

I think she's finding it quite tough

and actually it's been a breeze so far, so I'm slightly concerned.

To explore in deepest Africa, Dr Livingstone relied on the knowledge

of local people, taking a loyal team with him on every expedition.

Their experience in the wild helped him live away from civilisation for years at a time.

And the Serious Explorers expedition

will also be accompanied by local tribes people.

Guys, can I just introduce you to a few people?

The men are from the Mnyati tribe.

Now, these guys, Robert, Kumbi, Alexi, and Charlie, similar to Livingstone, are going

to be our faithful Askaris for the duration of our expedition, OK?

Askaris meaning "soldiers".

The Mnyati tribesmen throw their spears with deadly accuracy,

even using them to kill lions to protect their families.

These guys have thrown spears since they were about four.

The Mnyati are also experts at surviving in the bush.

Watch this.

And they show the explorers an extraordinary skill -

how to light a fire using only the materials around them.

We've just made a couple of holes on top of that piece of wood.

Any hot coal that comes out of there

will fall down into where all this very, very dry elephant dung is.

Creating precious fire in this way

is an ancient art passed down over thousands of years.

They're adding in slightly thinner bits of wood

-and slightly fatter bits of wood, so it's got something to take to. Whoa.

-Wow.

APPLAUSE

The explorers find it's harder than it looks.

It's really difficult to get even an ember going.

I mean, when you're spinning the stick, it just falls out of the hole. It's really annoying.

-Come on!

-But with a little help from the Mnyati...

-Get your face right down in there and blow it.

-..they finally succeed in creating fire.

-Woo-hoo!

With darkness fast approaching, it's time for a vital safety briefing.

You have got to be aware that there are BIG animals out there

-and night time is the time they come out to hunt and you are food.

-Oh, great(!)

South Western Tanzania is THE place for man-eating lions.

-Is that where we are?

-Yes.

-Oh, lovely.

-Yes!

It is amazing in your tent at night, lying there and listening to the sounds. It is, it is fantastic.

It was supposed to make us feel better

and safe about all the animals that are coming

into the camp, but it kind of made me feel more paranoid.

And as they prepare for bed, their nerves are not helped by the sounds coming from the river.

We heard some sort of noise but I don't know what it was.

But it sounded big and scary.

We just had a hippo about 30 yards away,

literally sort of wandering through the trees and going... IMITATES HIPPO

You could just hear everyone going, "What was that?"

I don't want to go to bed.

I'm so nervous. Everyone's got a pair they can snuggle up to and I've just got myself,

just myself.

I think they're slightly nervous.

Good night, everyone.

At first light, there's no sign of movement from the explorers,

so leader Ben goes to wake them up.

Wakey, wakey.

-Oh...

-How are we doing?

-Good.

-Sleep all right?

-Yeah, me and Mitch dozed off so quickly.

How are you doing, girls? You need to shake a leg, all right?

Sleeping on her own, Ashleigh had a rather more disturbed night.

Hello. I've been up for ages.

-Since, like, since it was dark.

-Did you hear anything in the night?

Yes, like a lion or something. I don't know. It was just loud.

And then I fell asleep again.

I was just lying here and you could hear breaking sticks and noises and stuff.

The team will be on the move now for almost two weeks,

trekking in a completely wild area, just like Livingstone.

That's roughly where we are now. This is the river. Our ultimate destination is here.

-Tonight?

-Tonight, yes.

Today's four-mile hike is a lot shorter

than they'll have to do in the coming days,

enabling them to get used to trekking in 35-degree heat.

They have to constantly drink through tubes as they walk,

so they don't get dehydrated.

The explorers are now deep in wild animal territory.

That could be a warthog.

Middle distance, moving right to left, yeah?

I love warthogs.

In the distance, they come across a herd of buffalo.

The powerful animals are grazing peacefully,

but they can be very dangerous if disturbed.

WHISPERING: What's going to happen now is that Polly's going to take four of you now

to try and get as close as you can get, as far as cover allows, OK?

And you guys are going to be working hard because you're going to be on

your bellies, crawling, yes, in cover, in the long grass.

Good luck, guys.

What the explorers are about to attempt

is something David Livingstone's expedition did regularly.

Stalking up close to animals was a chance to observe their behaviour

at a time when little was known about many African creatures.

And sometimes Livingstone would also kill them for food.

Four of the young explorers go forward to try to get a closer look at the buffalo herd.

For safety, they're led by an experienced armed guide.

-Go in very slowly.

-Yes.

Nerves are on edge as the explorers creep closer.

Sit down. Legs forward, sit down.

They head directly into the wind,

so the buffalo don't pick up their sound or scent.

They can't smell us at all.

OK, just really slowly.

And at last, they get an unbelievable close-up view.

The team hardly dare breathe.

Finally the herd seem to pick up their scent and start to head away.

-WHISPERING:

-I underestimated how hard it would be

crawling through all that soot on the floor,

running through the bushes.

-It's tiring.

-It's incredible.

I've never done anything like it before. It was so scary.

That was incredible.

Such an adrenalin rush to see them out in the wild and we're like tracking them.... There!

Two buffalo have calmly returned to just a few metres away.

And the explorers get their closest view of all.

Two of them were literally in front of us and it was just a great feeling.

You realise how powerful they are, and to get up so close,

like 10 metres away, it was just absolutely amazing, I loved it.

All the mud and the sweat and everything, it was just completely worth it, 100%.

It was probably the best experience of my life.

And the encounter has completely lifted Sian's spirits.

At the start I was like, "Oh, no, we're not going to get close enough."

I was getting all muddy and that. I'm quite proud

of myself now because we got really close to a couple.

That was not easy, guys.

I really take my hat off to you all.

What a treat. I mean, that is...

That's extraordinary, honestly.

It's been quite a day, and as the team approach their new campsite,

it's just about to get even better.

They spot a huge herd of hippos walking down a river.

-Loads of hippos.

-Wow.

With the armed guides on hand,

they're able to have a unique encounter with the extraordinary creatures.

It's just incredible to be that close to a wild animal.

The size of them - it's just awe-striking

and it's amazing to see them naturally

just swimming around, doing what they do.

But the large expedition team

unsettles a female guarding her young and she makes her feelings known.

It's all right. Don't worry, you're fine.

Relax, relax, relax.

For good measure, just before sunset,

they get their first fleeting glimpse

of elephants in the distance.

Guys, what a day you've been having.

We've just been around the area and we've seen loads of hippo, loads of buffalo, ellies, you know.

What a day.

Today, absolutely incredible.

The best day yet.

You might see a TV programme - it's nothing like that.

Being right next to it is wild and it was something really special.

This is what we came here for, to see all the animals and follow in Livingstone's footsteps.

It's just incredible to know what he went through and we're experiencing it as adventurers.

But as the explorers head into their campsite, things are about to go rapidly downhill.

The light is fading fast and there's lots to do to make camp.

We need to get down and fill every single water container that you've got before night falls, yes?

There's absolutely no way that we can be messing around down by the water come nightfall.

For the first time, the seven serious explorers are responsible for all the tasks around camp,

including making supper for the entire expedition.

James quickly gets stuck in.

I quite like cooking, actually.

It's really good fun.

Yes, it's nice to be able to get all the smells and the aromas.

While he takes on the vegetable main course, the others are left cooking the maize.

The mixture's really difficult.

We don't want to cook it because it's really hard to stir but we don't want to eat it either,

so I don't even know why we're doing it.

James is the most experienced of the young campers and he prides himself on his outdoor skills.

To be honest, I don't really need help.

If I need it, I will ask,

at a later time and they have been chopping up the vegetables, so they have done something.

It's not like I'm doing everything, although I am doing the majority of the work.

But his enthusiasm to take on so much is actually upsetting other members of the team.

Well, I think I was supposed to be cooking,

but I don't know, James kind of stopped me and said, "No, I want to do it."

James was just being a wee bit annoying.

He was really getting on my nerves.

He has to get his own way and he has to be leading.

He really doesn't accept anyone else trying. He'll do it all himself

and he'll complain about how no-one's actually helped.

James heads off to record his daily video diary, completely unaware that others are annoyed with him.

I'm doing the cooking for the group

and the group seem to like that and I do as well,

so I'd better get back to that.

Unfortunately, while he's away, no-one has kept an eye on the main course.

We thought we'd make really nice vegetables and now they're all burnt and stuck to the bottom.

The explorers' first attempt at supper is a disaster.

Probably the worst meal I've ever had in the bush.

It's charcoal!

It's pure charcoal.

Shocking.

Nice, David?

I felt really bad because the Mnyati, they had to eat

and we hadn't provided them with good enough food cos it just tasted inedible -

honestly, it was horrible.

Tonight, I don't know what's gone on, but it's hideous, yes? And all those veggies burned to a cinder.

I know it's your first time doing it, but those pots now are irretrievable.

Some of the group feel they're being blamed unfairly

and that James should take most of the responsibility.

Fine! Go and do it yourself then.

But you didn't give us a chance. You just take on the role without asking.

-I asked if you wanted.

-No, you didn't, you didn't ask anyone.

-No, of course I didn't ask anyone.

-Exactly!

Almost a week into the expedition, it's the first real sign of friction in the team.

He's saying that none of us wanted to do it, but he didn't give us a chance to do it.

He just takes on the role.

-Ali? Will you cook?

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-I'll cook tomorrow.

Camping every night in the wild,

David Livingstone's men had their routine down to a fine art,

with everything geared around making him as comfortable as possible and protecting him from wild animals.

"Each person knows the station he is to occupy, with the post of honour at the fire at the front of the tent."

And the young explorers are about to find out why Livingstone insisted

-on guards staying awake through the night.

-Look at this, guys.

They're alarmed to discover their camp is close to a river full of crocs.

A crocodile just there. You can just see its eyes.

Oh, yes! You can see the body.

It's massive.

When you shine a bright torch on them, you can actually see them under the water, if it's shallow water.

You can see the length of their bodies.

-There's another two here.

-There's a really skinny one right there, look.

-See that eye?

-Yes.

-Those eyes are moving.

If you fell in there, they would grab you

and they'd probably twist you round

and they'd maybe store you for a later feed.

So they have a little area where they store food?

It gives you a fairly good sort of reason for having a wash before dark, doesn't it?

It was just too close for comfort.

And now they know we're here.

And I'm just a wee bit worried.

I think we'll be all right. We've got lots of fires lit around us.

We're making a lot of noise. To be honest, the crocs aren't coming up here, they're staying in the water.

It's actually the hippos that would probably be worrying me a little bit more.

Surrounded by so many dangerous creatures,

the leaders decide the team will have to take turns to do a night watch.

What we're going to be going, is we're going to have a sentry duty

all through the night to make sure that we're safe here.

After a long, hard day, it's a real blow.

We've just been told we're doing shifts and we're only getting four hours' sleep.

I'm a wee bit worried about tomorrow now.

I guess we're going to have to grin and bear it.

The team have a spooky night ahead.

Working in twos and threes, each shift is joined by a Mnyati guard.

Every now and again in the stream, you can see little eyes glancing at you,

so you've got to keep a track of where they are

so they don't get too close to camp.

Just like Livingstone's men,

they also keep the camp fire burning to put off animals from coming near.

After their hour's shift James and Matt wake the next team.

-Hey, guys, wake up.

-What time is it?

-12 o'clock.

-Come on, Ali.

-David.

-David, up you get mate, come on.

As soon as possible because we gave you an extra five minutes of sleep, OK?

Get up, get up, get up.

It's the first night, so they've got to understand that we're a little bit slow.

But Ben is not amused.

It's now quarter past midnight and

you're actually, in effect, only going to do now

three-quarters of what you should've done.

-This is not a joke.

-Yes.

You've seen the amount of crocodiles

that are in that pool down there. We need to be on top of things.

The night seems never-ending.

Ashleigh, hello.

It's your turn now.

If you see anything, shine your big light in its face and back away slowly, yes? Just don't run.

It's quite eerie.

I'm really scared of finding like a pair of eyes

just looking at me. Oh!

But the sentry duty does the trick and the animals stay away.

Termites all over my boots.

By morning, the team are shattered.

I'm really tired and I did not sleep enough.

Ashleigh's feeling very emotional.

In her exhaustion, last night's argument with James is upsetting her more than ever.

All of last night, it's just like the whole dinner thing.

And then... I'm annoyed... I just get on with it.

But leader Polly feels it needs to be sorted out straightaway.

-So he's a bit bossy?

-Yeah.

I can't stand him at the moment.

He just takes the role himself without asking anyone.

OK, so maybe we need to have a chat with him.

James still has no idea he's upset Ashleigh so much.

I think you've just got to be a little bit aware and conscious

of what you're saying. You have to try not to hurt people's feelings too much.

-Yes.

-Yes? Does that make sense?

-I really didn't think I did.

-I know you didn't. I know.

It's good to have a leader, it's good to have someone saying, "Right, do this, do that, do this."

But I think you've got to be slightly careful when it all goes to rat poo

that you take the blame as well as the others, yes?

I didn't think she was feeling too bad, she was joking around.

But maybe she was, so...

He decides to swallow his pride and try to clear the air.

Sorry, Ashleigh.

-It's fine.

-I didn't think that you were feeling bad...

-Maybe I'll try and be a bit more considerate next time.

-Yeah.

-Ashleigh, why don't you look at him? He is saying sorry.

-I am, I just said OK.

Give him a hug.

-Sorry.

-It's all right.

The leaders know the importance of sorting out disagreements quickly.

With things getting tougher by the day, the explorers will only succeed

by pulling together as a closely-knit team.

It's going to get harder and harder and the small things

at this moment in time become very big things later on,

so it's absolutely vital just to nip it in the bud now.

They've got to work together.

Let's have a group hug!

-Wait for me to join in!

-Come on, Jamie.

Next time on Serious Explorers, under pressure

-as the going gets tough.

-I just don't think I can do this.

-A luxury treat for two.

-It has a flushing toilet.

-And first contact with home.

-This is so exciting!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]