Episode 4 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

and trekking where none have been before.

It's so amazing.

They are 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.

-It's horrible.

-I hate it.

Have they got what it takes to be Serious Explorers?

Coming up.

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!

Previously on Serious Explorers...

A stomach-churning sail down the African coast laid everyone low, except Matt.

I just want everyone else to get better as quick as they can.

The explorers had some awesome first animal encounters.

That was amazing.

But learning to live rough led to tension between Ashleigh and James.

No, you didn't ask anyone!

Go and do it yourself, then.

The team were shocked to find crocs close to camp.

-There's a crocodile there.

-It's massive!

And had a long scary night, making sure they kept away.

Shine a light in its face and back away.

By morning the explorers were shattered.

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

Unfortunately, for the exhausted team, the day ahead is going to be even tougher.

Expedition leader, Ben, has a challenging training trek in store.

-We are here, and we're aiming to come across to here.

-Oh, great.

Then we're going up and down until we get to the far side.

-This will take hours.

-It will be seven or eight miles.

It is their longest trek so far and they have to carry heavy rucksacks.

I think today's going to be really tough. We've had no sleep,

and we've got to carry about 10-12kg backpacks in this heat.

What the explorers don't know is that the leaders

are secretly preparing them for an immense challenge.

In just two days' time, they'll attempt a world first,

an epic trek of more than 100 miles in remote mountains.

Heading into uncharted territory, it'll be like going back

to Victorian times, when the great explorer

David Livingstone trekked into unknown parts of Africa.

Livingstone's final expedition took him across Tanzania,

and the young explorers are training in the Selous Game Reserve,

partway along his route.

As they prepare for today's seven-mile exercise,

it's proving too much for Sharon,

who's homesick and lacks confidence in her fitness.

Assistant leader, Polly, reassures her.

We are all in it together, that's the thing, yeah?

It's just, with being so tired, and the bags, it makes it harder.

I think everybody is quite worried.

The team set off at 8am to avoid the heat of the day.

From now on, they will be carrying all their belongings with them.

It is so heavy! Really hard to walk with it.

After today, my shoulders should be more used to it,

and it will be a lot easier, I hope.

But it's already over 30 degrees, the terrain's getting steeper.

Less than an hour in, they're all feeling the strain.

I'm hot. That was hard!

It's a strain on the shoulders and knees. You've got to get used to it.

Carrying the heavy rucksack has left Ashleigh with aching knees.

I'm in so much pain at the moment. It really hurts.

It is a wake-up call, definitely.

Ashleigh plays lots of sport and the hike is aggravating a knee problem.

I want to enjoy it, which I am,

but it's just hard when you've got sore knees.

It is a worrying development.

Ever since boot camp, she's been earmarked by leader, Ben,

as one of the fittest of the team.

I see Ashleigh to be a solid, strong girl

that's going to keep it together, I hope.

I am worried now, anyway.

I feel like I'm slowing the group, I hope they get better.

Fortunately, the next part is downhill.

Heading into a valley, teeming with animals.

Make sure everyone's aware of that. Going into the trees. Zebra!

I saw a zebra! It is so good to see them in their natural environment,

they're adorable!

But others are keen on the animals for different reasons...

-I really want some meat!

-I could do with a leg of lamb.

-Hopefully it'll be on the menu.

-We're fantasising about meat.

You're not allowed to kill it!

On the valley floor, they spot the huge skull of an animal

they are all keen to see close up.

Guaranteed, that's an elephant.

Those holes, it is like a honeycomb,

it provides great strength, but it's also very light.

Three hours in, there's bad news for Ashleigh,

her knees are a problem and she's struggling to keep up.

That's about as far as I can go. Ow!

I want to get on to camp as soon as possible

so we can to start building camp.

I don't want to slow him down or the rest of the group down.

Originally, she was my sure-fire bet to be the strongest girl.

And now, I'm concerned about her being able to cope

with the physicality of the journey ahead.

Remote Africa is a very tough environment.

David Livingstone often struggled with ill health,

suffering diseases like malaria,

but he showed amazing willpower to continue his expeditions.

Ashleigh is also determined

not to let the injury get the better of her.

The doctors come up with a makeshift treatment to help her.

-How does that feel?

-It feels all right.

With far tougher days to come, it casts a shadow over her expedition.

But today, the brace does the trick.

After an exhausting five hours, they arrive at their campsite.

In the last half an hour, I've really started to dislike it.

Now I'm worried about what's to come throughout the next couple of days.

With the explorers feeling drained, the leaders have surprise news.

We've got a very nice treat,

to spend the night in a luxury lodge, not far from here.

The safari camp is a world apart from life on expedition

with crisp white sheets, hot showers and even flushing toilets.

But, we're not going to decide who's going to go,

cos we're going to let you decide.

The Serious Explorers have to vote in turn

for the person they think deserves the treat most.

I'm nominating Matt.

When we were ill, he did everything for us.

Sian, because she is very tired a lot, she likes to lie down.

I'm going to say James,

because we had a bit of a rough patch last night.

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

-It's just my way of saying sorry.

-Aww!

I'm going with Sian, cos she's been feeling homesick.

I'm going to say Cassie because she's been feeling down today.

I'm going to pick Matt, on the boat he helped everybody out.

Matt and Sian are now tied at two votes each.

With just one vote left, it's down to Cassie to decide.

Um, I want to say Sian as she's been feeling really homesick.

Just when it looks like she's picked a girl,

she has a last second change of heart.

I'm going to go with Matt.

Matt helped everyone on the boat and he most deserves it.

But, there is a little twist...

We would like Matt to be accompanied by another boy.

-That's not fair!

-Another boy.

Matt's left with an almost impossible decision.

I'll go with David, I don't even know why.

David's really chuffed.

I can't wait, it's going to be amazing.

I'm bouncing around!

-That is really comfy.

-Shall we sleep here?

Almost immediately, the boys come across the animal

they had been eager to see more of.

But even elephants can't compare to an ice-cold fizzy drink.

-Chin-chin.

-Cheers, guys, let's enjoy.

That is so good!

Things couldn't be more different for the others.

They're setting up camp and the long day is taking its toll.

I'm just really tired.

I'm just emotional cos I'm tired and I keep thinking about home.

I'll be OK.

Matt and David's drive is getting better and better.

Their guide has spotted two lions.

Right there, right there!

This is weird!

It's kind of scary because they're so amazingly big and close.

Wow.

-Who's giving me the guided tour?

-I will!

-This is our sleeping area.

-The sleeping quarters.

We put these up like this.

That's looking good, team.

At their luxury camp, the boys are welcomed with ice-cold towels.

It's so cold!

That is legendary!

Wake us up in the morning!

This is our toilet, close your nose and your eyes.

-How are you meant to use that?

-It's so hard.

Can you give me a demo?

-I used it the other way.

-Yeah, same.

-I can't.

-You did it the wrong way.

-You catch my drift?

Dude, it has a flushing toilet!

That is a nice toilet!

I haven't used a flushing toilet since we left home.

-I don't want to know how you poo.

-I would go like that.

Right, OK, Ashleigh's going to get a fine view of my bottom.

-Are you nervous of using that?

-Anyway, moving on.

-To us!

-How lucky are we?

-That's our fresh drinking water?

-Yep, it doesn't taste that bad.

Under armed guard, the boys get the chance to enjoy a Victorian bath,

that Livingstone himself could only have dreamt of.

It is so nice.

It's so nice!

Matt, thank you for choosing me.

On tonight's camp menu is maize, peas, and leftover beans.

The food's delicious. It's one of the best meals we've had.

Which is unusual cos maize tastes rubbish.

David and Matt are enjoying their first meat in ten days.

You have roast leg of lamb and chips and the tomato sauce is on the way.

Oh, my God!

I'm going to eat it as slowly as possible. Savour every bite.

I've never enjoyed a meal this much before in my life.

You guys look so cosy.

-Night, boys, sleep well.

-Night-night.

-Sweet dreams.

For the rest of the team, it's a short night on the hard ground.

Well before dawn, they're woken for another day's training exercise.

Wakey, wakey.

I feel like I've been whacked around the head with a baseball bat.

It's just after five, breakfast in 20 minutes, 20 minutes to pack up.

After a long lie-in, the treat continues for David and Matt.

Thank you.

They'll only re-join the team after another morning of luxury.

I don't want to think about going back.

I'm trying to enjoy every minute.

The other five are already well into the day's trek.

They still haven't seen elephants close up.

So the local Mnyati guards have been tracking down a herd.

They've found a group of elephants in the fever trees. About 200m away.

-They are big animals and there's lots of cover.

-How many?

-We don't know, at least two.

-Who spots these things?!

Dr Livingstone would get close to animals to draw them

and record their behaviour.

He lived a few decades too soon for portable cameras,

but even today, it's rare to observe wildlife at its most natural.

For safety, the guides want just a few of the team to go forward first.

I think we'll take two.

Elephants have exceptional hearing and sense of smell.

So the explorers have to stay quiet.

The guides keep checking the direction of the wind

so the creatures don't pick up their scent.

Suddenly, they get a glimpse of the magnificent animals.

The elephants seem relaxed, so two more adventurers are allowed closer.

It's a magical moment. The group get a unique ring-side view

of elephants in their own territory.

(There are mothers and children. It's really exciting.)

(Try not to make too much noise.)

Eventually, the elephants start to move away.

The wind's been swirling.

It has taken our scent to them, so they know we're here.

We're not going to push any further, OK?

That was like one of the best experiences of my life.

You never imagine when you see the wildlife, it will be this close.

It was incredible to see them like that.

Since we've been here,

all we've been saying is we want to see elephants.

Being so close was really cool, it really was.

It's hard nowadays to imagine what it must have been like

for Livingstone to trek into the unknown.

Exploring areas that no European had ever visited.

With no maps and basic instruments to work out where he was,

he often had no idea what lay ahead.

And the Serious Explorers are about to head

into unexplored territory to relive the legend.

Over the next 11 days, they'll attempt a world first.

Crossing one of the last great wilderness areas of Tanzania.

The 100-mile trek over the Mbarika Mountains has never been taken on

by any expedition, until now.

As David and Matt rejoin the team,

leader Ben reveals the scale of the challenge.

I'm asking you to go from here, all the way across here,

all the way across here, all the way across here

to the end-point here. A place called the Matissa Camp.

Are you sure it's 11 days not 11 years?

11 days. There's only one word for it, that's epic.

Yeah? It really is epic.

When you look at the one map and you think, wow, we travelled far today,

then you put 10 of them together and you have to get to the end,

aw, it's nerve-wracking.

But not everyone will go the full distance.

After two days trekking, the leaders will pick

only the most serious explorers to complete the journey.

We're taking three people forward, only three.

That is due to the nature of the journey.

We're talking severe, severe terrain.

We are exploring, just like David Livingstone did.

I would like to be one of the three people.

But it's scary to think we'll be doing a big distance

in such a short amount of time.

Among those who will look after the team on the trek

are their four Mnyati guards.

An epic journey like this is not something that they take lightly.

It must be blessed in their traditional way.

They start by sacrificing four sheep

to be eaten later at a special feast.

All of the young explorers decide to stay and witness the slaughter.

Coming to Tanzania, it's all about the locals' beliefs,

to get the real experience, you have to see that.

It is not like we're doing it for a bad reason.

They're doing it to bless us on our journey.

THEY CHANT

Next, the Mnyati make an offering to their God, Asetta,

to ask for protection.

They place fresh grass in a vine-covered tree,

which they see as a stairway to the heavens.

I ask for safe passage,

and to protect my family at home, while I'm away. Thank you.

Few have witnessed the ceremony, and it's a great honour

for the young explorers to be asked to take part.

THEY CHANT

The ceremony was amazing.

I mean, just the singing that they did, it was just incredible.

THEY SING AND CHANT

It was the kind of music that gets to you, it really soothes your soul.

The team feast on the first meat

some of them have had in over a week.

The lamb is beautiful. The best meal we've had so far.

Gorgeous! I've really been craving meat for the past week.

With tomorrow's huge challenge looming,

two of the girls are worried.

This walk is up and down and up and down in thick forest, and stuff.

So, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it.

I don't know if I have the abilities or the strength

or the emotional strength to do it.

But 150 years ago,

as Dr Livingstone organised lots of porters

for his last great expedition,

he showed little sign of being fazed by what lay ahead.

Writing in his diary - "Brisk exercise makes the mind work well

"and the eye clear, and a day's hard work,

"makes the evening's rest thoroughly enjoyable."

As departure day dawns,

the Serious Expedition is also joined by a huge team of porters.

The explorers know they have just two days

till the big decision as to who continues the epic trek.

This is modern day Livingstone setting off into the bush.

This is the big one. We want to see maximum effort

over the next 48 hours, before that decision point.

It's going to hurt,

but it'll be an experience you treasure for the rest of your lives.

Right. Let's do it.

Let's go. Cool.

With armed guides, trackers and porters,

the expedition is more than 70 people strong.

As the temperature approaches 40 degrees,

they head towards the mountains.

The speed is fine. I'm just... I'm just worried about the heat.

-Horrible, I hate it.

-Slowly but steadily, yeah?

My knees are hurting. I've not even been going that long.

Every hour, the expedition will take a ten-minute break.

At the first stop, they're already feeling the effects.

I'm absolutely sweating. A lot of sweat rash.

As feared, Ashleigh's knees have taken a turn for the worse.

-SOBBING:

-When we started getting steeper, it got really sore.

A part of me wants to give up,

but I know if I do, I will regret it,

so, I'm just carrying on.

But Sian seems close to throwing in the towel.

So leader, Polly, steps in to give her a pep-talk.

You are strong, physical, and capable of doing it.

But we need to sort your mental state out.

Focus on the end point, Sian. Then you'll be fine.

-Look ahead of you.

-Look how far you've come.

Let's go.

It is so hard getting these on!

The explorers have until the end of tomorrow to impress the leaders

and to be one of the three to continue the record-breaking trek.

I know it will be a challenge to do it for 11 days.

But I really want to do it, because I want to test myself.

With a big question mark over Sian,

she urgently needs to prove that she can cope.

But as the trek gets tough, heading uphill into the mountains,

she suffers a major setback.

She's feeling dizzy and sick from not drinking enough.

The medics give her a special drink to re-hydrate her.

How does that feel? How does it taste?

-Disgusting.

-OK.

Her rucksack is taken off her, so she can safely carry on.

After six hours, the explorers finally complete a gruelling

seven-mile climb to reach their campsite.

Well, done, everyone. It wasn't easy.

-A good effort.

-There is no other word, brilliant.

Absolutely brilliant. Really impressed.

Tomorrow's decision on who continues the trek, will not be easy.

We have one more day before we decide.

Looking across there now, I'm not any the wiser.

-We have to take advice from the medics as regards Ashleigh.

-Yep.

I'd hate her to hurt her knees.

Staying on the girls, what do you think about Sian?

Sian is a funny one. It's all in her mind.

I feel like taking her forward, to prove to her that she can do it.

Sian's mood has not been helped by constant homesickness.

The explorers have had no contact with their families

since leaving Britain almost two weeks ago.

Like many explorers, Livingstone was almost completely cut off

from civilisation. He occasionally tried to send letters home,

but knew it could be months, if not years, before he got a reply.

Despite being miles from anywhere,

the leaders have managed to arrange a very special delivery.

Go for it!

The explorers have each got a package from home.

I'm so excited!

Matt, that's for you...

Alistair...

Deodorant!

Mum's magic!

She must know I've lost my lip salve today! She sent me two!

THEY LAUGH AND SHOUT

Hot chocolate! Oh!

While the boys can't contain their excitement...

-Mum, I love you.

-..the girls find it hard to hold back the tears!

SHE SOBS

I'm really happy because I got a letter from my sister.

It's really nice. Really cool.

I really like it.

She's put loads of pictures of us together!

It's great to see everybody, there is too much stuff for me to handle.

I have a really nice one from my friend Christina.

"You're an idol for everyone out there, especially me.

"You have everyone behind you.

"I'm the one sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear,

"you can do it, I believe in you".

Even stuff like that,

it makes you feel like you actually mean something to them.

Tomorrow sees another huge day for the explorers.

Their last chance to book one of the three places

on the rest of the epic Livingstone trek.

The emotional contact with home has given them

a real boost at a vital moment.

It really reminded you of home.

Thinking that they're all rooting for you.

So, I'm really hoping to get into the last three.

It has definitely given me a lot of encouragement and motivation.

I just hope that I can carry on. I hope that I can do the walk.

I want to make everybody proud. Make them so proud of me.

But I just don't know if I can do it.

Next time on Serious Explorers, battling the blisters.

It is ridiculous! I'll give you that!

A rare day of pampering...

I can't get it off!

..and who's made it on to the Livingstone trek?

Any single one of you could have gone forward...

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