0:00:05 > 0:00:10Only one creature has carved a life for itself in every habitat on Earth.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14That creature is us.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21All over the world, we still use our ingenuity
0:00:21 > 0:00:23to survive in the wild places,
0:00:23 > 0:00:29far from the city lights, face to face with raw nature.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This is the Human Planet.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Deserts are the hottest and driest places on Earth.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55They cover one third of the land surface.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Some never see rain.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07We can survive two months without food...
0:01:09 > 0:01:11..yet only a few days without water.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18As babies, we spend nine months surrounded by fluid in our mother's womb.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25But birth pushes us out of this luxurious water world.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27GRUNTS AND CRIES
0:01:27 > 0:01:29BABY CRYING
0:01:36 > 0:01:37From this point on,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41life for every child of the desert is defined by the quest for water.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Yet somehow, in this brutal land,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49an incredible 300 million people survive.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55These are their remarkable stories.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29The Sahara is the biggest desert on the globe.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It is the size of the United States,
0:02:37 > 0:02:43and its arid interior can unleash the mightiest sandstorms on the planet.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Ferocious winds whip up billions of tiny sand grains
0:02:53 > 0:02:55into massive walls...
0:02:56 > 0:02:59..reaching more than 5,000 metres into the air,
0:02:59 > 0:03:04ten times the height of the Empire State Building,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06covering areas the size of Britain.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Battling through this sandstorm in Mali is 16-year-old Mamadou.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29He's a cattle herder who left home three days ago
0:03:29 > 0:03:31on a mission to find water for his cows.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45It's a huge responsibility on his teenage shoulders.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50He must endure the fury of the desert alone,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53but there's an even bigger challenge ahead.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59He's in a race against the biggest land animal on Earth -
0:03:59 > 0:04:01African elephants.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This desert herd is also desperate for water
0:04:05 > 0:04:09because Mali is gripped by drought.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It's 40 degrees Celsius.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Most of the water holes are already dry.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Only one place for 80 kilometres will still have water...
0:04:23 > 0:04:24..Lake Banzena.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31And this is where both the elephants and Mamadou are heading.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33BIRDS CHATTER
0:04:47 > 0:04:52If Mamadou keeps up a fast pace, he'll reach the lake by morning.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But only 50 kilometres behind him are the greatest nomads of the desert.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00ELEPHANTS SNORT
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Elephant matriarchs guide the herd,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07following an incredible mental map of all the water holes
0:05:07 > 0:05:11to be found in an area of tens of thousands of square kilometres.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Acacia trees give them just enough fuel to keep walking,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19but they can't rest, day or night.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27But, for Mamadou, nightfall means he has no choice but to stop.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Meeting elephants in the dark could be fatal.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32INSECTS CHIRPING
0:05:34 > 0:05:36COW MOOS
0:05:38 > 0:05:41A hurried breakfast is the little precious milk
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Mamadou can get from his cows.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It keeps him one step away from dehydration.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51But he's got to get going.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57The elephant herd have walked through the night, making up ground.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07COWS MOOING
0:06:07 > 0:06:10HE CALLS OUT
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Finally the end is in sight for Mamadou.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18But he walks straight into trouble.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Not only have the massive elephant herd beaten him to the lake,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but they're also blocking his access to the water.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28RUMBLING GROWLS
0:06:33 > 0:06:35GROWLING
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Mamadou knows the elephants could charge,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41so he is careful not to get too close.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43RUMBLING GROWLS
0:06:46 > 0:06:50It's an uneasy truce while he works out how to break through.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52GROWLING
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Suddenly an elephant charges his cows.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03TRUMPETING
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Mamadou fights back, but armed only with sticks,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11it's a battle of David and Goliath.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13SHOUTING
0:07:13 > 0:07:16ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING
0:07:26 > 0:07:28HE SHOUTS
0:07:28 > 0:07:33Mamadou's courage has managed to shift over 50 elephants.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Luckily, conflicts like this are very rare.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58Finally Mamadou drives his cattle towards the life-giving water.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13The elephants move off and find their own part of the lake.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING
0:08:14 > 0:08:19At last, they too have an opportunity to drink...
0:08:21 > 0:08:22..and even play.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35It will be two months before there's any chance
0:08:35 > 0:08:38of rain replenishing the water holes,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40so Mamadou's struggles will go on.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45But in one part of the desert,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49a shrinking water supply leads to a surprising opportunity.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Hundreds of kilometres away, along the Bandiagara escarpment,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03the sapping 40-degree heat has sucked the life
0:09:03 > 0:09:05out of the rivers of Dogon country,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08leaving only isolated pools
0:09:08 > 0:09:10stuffed with stranded fish.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15The Dogon choose this moment for a desert fishing festival.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16GUNSHOT
0:09:19 > 0:09:21GUNFIRE
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Thousands of competitors are drawn to Lake Antogo,
0:09:26 > 0:09:31including Dialo, who's been coming here for 30 years.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's a matter of pride for him to catch a fish.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53On any other day, fishing is strictly forbidden in this sacred water.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00In this way, the elders protect an important food reserve
0:10:00 > 0:10:02well into the dry season.
0:10:02 > 0:10:09But today the community have a chance to catch a symbolic last supper.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14The banks are filling up quickly.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The atmosphere is tense.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Dialo has found a good spot.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35But now he must wait since Antogo has its own unwritten rules.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47The ceremonial chief chants a prayer to chase away evil spirits.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52He wears a fish trap, believed to protect the words as they are spoken.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56This is Dialo's once-a-year chance.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01BELLS CHIMING
0:11:05 > 0:11:07GUNSHOT
0:11:20 > 0:11:24The free-for-all quickly becomes a fishing frenzy.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41They thrust their baskets down to trap the fish.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Dialo has caught one, but there's no time for politeness.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27After just 15 minutes, there's nothing left,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and the chaos subsides.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Dialo is successful, but exhausted.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46Back at home, his proud catch of fish becomes a final feast for his family
0:12:46 > 0:12:50so they can survive the last days of the dry season.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Far to the east of the Bandiagara,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17it takes immense navigational skill just to find water.
0:13:20 > 0:13:26These Tubu women must venture across the vast sand seas of the Sahara
0:13:26 > 0:13:31in search of a miniature well just one metre square.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34It will mean the difference between life and death.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57They call this place the Tenere - the land of nothing.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01It is featureless, scorching and unreliable.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09Foni is a Tubu woman who can find her way to water without a map or a compass.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21She's brought her daughter, Shede, only ten years old.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The well they seek is still three days' walk away.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29This is the toughest journey they'll ever face together.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42They undertake this perilous journey for food.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47They must cross 240 kilometres just to get to market
0:14:47 > 0:14:51to trade camels for supplies that will last them six months.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56This caravan is only women and children,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00since, for the Tubu, it's the women who are the great navigators.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10To the untrained eye, a dune is just a dune.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15But Foni can tell which ones to trust in a place where nothing stands still.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Smaller dunes shape-shift, moving with the wind,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24making them unreliable.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31But larger dunes, towering over 60 metres, are more stable,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34revealing signs of a much bigger picture.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Over thousands of years,
0:15:37 > 0:15:43prevailing desert winds have blown dunes into long, parallel ridges,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46the only landmarks for the travellers.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54The Tubu look to the sun and the ridge line to work out which direction to go.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Then they count each ridge to know how far they've gone.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10They've been walking for ten hours in the blazing sun.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12They must rest.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24They make their camp out of a single sheet, and ration their water.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28CAMEL GRUNTS
0:16:28 > 0:16:33The camels' share is mixed with oats, while the women drink sweet tea.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11They rise early, before the sun gets too hot.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15They only carry enough water to get to the well,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19so the pace they travel is key.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27This specialist understanding of the desert is fast disappearing.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Today only a few hundred Tubu women possess the knowledge.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Foni believes that by teaching Shede
0:17:36 > 0:17:40she can keep it alive for another generation.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01When darkness falls,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Foni also teaches Shede how to read the night sky.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
0:18:22 > 0:18:26For now, at least, they know they're on the right path.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30CAMEL GROWLS
0:18:30 > 0:18:33It's day three.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Today they must find the well.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41While packing up, Foni decides Shede is ready to take charge.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43CAMEL GROWLS
0:18:45 > 0:18:47But the well is so hidden
0:18:47 > 0:18:51that even if she's only a few hundred metres away, she could miss it.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54CAMEL GROWLS
0:18:56 > 0:18:59She sets them off in the right direction,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04aligning herself between the ridges ahead and the sunrise to the east.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10For some children Shede's age, just ten years old,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12finding their way to school is challenge enough.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19But Shede has to find her way 20 miles across the bleakest landscape on Earth.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28But with her mother's guiding words echoing in her head,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31she strides forward.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40After a gruelling 12-hours' riding, the tenth ridge is finally in sight.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47The lonely bush in the dip of the dune marks the valley of the well.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Shede has found the only well for 80 kilometres around.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08She's made her mum proud.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Finally, Shede can water the camels.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31With their thirst quenched, she washes off three days of dust.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33SHE GIGGLES
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Now they've got water, they'll make it to market,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42but they're still weeks away from finishing their journey.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Not all deserts are swelteringly hot.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55The Gobi in Mongolia is a desert of extremes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Lying far north of the equator,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03here scorching summer highs plunge to freezing Arctic lows.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08It's February, minus 20 degrees Celsius,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12and the few wells people have are frozen over.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19But, amazingly, water appears here as snow.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23The snow doesn't fall here.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It's blown over 3,000 kilometres from Siberia.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And these bitter winds mean it never settles for long.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39So Ganbold and his twin-humped Bactrian camels
0:21:39 > 0:21:43must chase the snow towards the mountains where it lingers.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46This rare snow is a lifeline.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57It's so important,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01he and his family have set up their winter camp in the foothills.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04But he's taking a risk.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08His herd, including pregnant females,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12are now in the hunting grounds of a voracious desert predator,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and they like nothing better than newborn camel flesh.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Gobi desert wolves roam over thousands of kilometres.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Their keen sense of smell helps them shadow the herds at a distance.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49If Ganbold drops his guard, they'll attack.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55He returns to camp to hear that his son has interrupted a wolf attack.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57One sheep has been killed.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00BLEATING
0:23:17 > 0:23:22As evening falls, an icy dust storm builds.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34GROWLING
0:23:35 > 0:23:39In the warm tent, wolves are the only topic of conversation.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10At midnight, Ganbold checks his pregnant camels one last time.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21He suddenly realises his prize female is missing
0:24:21 > 0:24:25but, with the storm, they can't look for her until daylight.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Come dawn, the search is on to find out what has become of her
0:24:48 > 0:24:50and her unborn calf.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Ganbold musters his friends.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It's a race between them and the wolves.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17They find tracks.
0:25:22 > 0:25:28Ganbold heads to the highest ridge, and the scale of his task becomes clear.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46More fresh tracks.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55GUNSHOT
0:26:07 > 0:26:10They've seen off the enemy,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12but is the camel nearby?
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Finally, they see a shape.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Ganbold's beloved camel is alive.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And she's given birth.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36But the calf isn't moving.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Tchoo! Tchoo!
0:26:45 > 0:26:47CAMEL GRUNTS
0:26:47 > 0:26:50To his great relief, the calf is breathing.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53HE SIGHS
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Ooh! Ha-ha-ha!
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Only a few hours old, the calf is too weak to walk back to camp.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18So Ganbold gives it a lift.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24CAMEL SQUAWKS
0:27:26 > 0:27:28His son rushes out to help
0:27:28 > 0:27:33and his other boys meet the latest addition to the herd.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36BOY LAUGHS
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Ganbold gives thanks for his good fortune.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Unlike the Gobi, there are some deserts where water never exists.
0:27:51 > 0:27:58In the Chilean Atacama desert, some areas are as desolate as the surface of Mars.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02This is the driest place on Earth.
0:28:04 > 0:28:11Here people have been inspired by nature to conjure water from thin air.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Cactus flowers are a source of food for the guanacos,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20the wild camels of South America.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26But these cacti are also the key to their water supply.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31They're covered in furry lichen, which traps any moisture in the air.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Orlando has taken inspiration from the cacti's natural solution.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43With his friends, he erects a vast net six metres high.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04The net's mesh is designed to mimic the lichen hairs,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08because in this coastal strip of the Atacama desert
0:29:08 > 0:29:13they have a lifeline to moisture - the Pacific Ocean.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Here, cold sea currents cool the hot desert air
0:29:20 > 0:29:23and produce huge fog blankets.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33The fog is sucked ashore...
0:29:34 > 0:29:37..and sweeps over the cacti...
0:29:38 > 0:29:42..and also Orlando's nets.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51When the fog hits the cacti, it condenses onto the lichen hairs,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53which capture the precious water.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01In no time, the cacti are dripping with dew.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10On the nets, the fog does exactly the same.
0:30:10 > 0:30:16Drop by precious drop, this miracle water is channelled to a reservoir.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48Each day, these magical nets produce nearly 500 litres of water...
0:30:49 > 0:30:53..which allows Orlando to nurture a few plants in the sand.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56But he has bigger ideas.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08This is just the latest innovation
0:31:08 > 0:31:12in the eternal human quest to find water in the desert.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Around the world, signs are etched in the landscape.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Scars show where water used to flow.
0:31:24 > 0:31:307,000 years ago, the Sahara was crossed by a network of rivers and lakes,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33which disappeared as it turned to desert.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Yet, in this now barren land, some of this water remains
0:31:38 > 0:31:41deep in rocks underground.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48In Ba'amar, central Algeria,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52their extraordinary skill is to tap into this ancient water.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54CHANTING
0:31:54 > 0:31:57But you have to know how to harness it.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04Mafourdi is 70 years old, and committed to a life in the desert.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15Every morning after prayer, the men head off to find water.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23With stubborn devotion and very simple tools, they have dug a well.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30It's taken them six months to carve out a shaft through the desert rock.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Only now are they ready for their most dangerous mission.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43As the oldest and the most experienced, Mafourdi climbs down alone.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47It's a sheer nine-metre drop.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20At the bottom lies knee-deep water in hand-dug passages.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24Mafourdi knows they are vital to keep the water supply flowing.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30But many men have been buried alive down here when the walls have collapsed.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37The water seeps from the rocks themselves.
0:33:38 > 0:33:44Mafourdi has released it from thousands of years trapped in the rock.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46This ancient water
0:33:46 > 0:33:50is all that's left of the rivers that used to flow across the land above.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04But one well isn't enough.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06The real trick is to connect several wells
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and create an underground channel of water.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Mafourdi's neighbour, Abdullah, has also been digging a well
0:34:19 > 0:34:21for the last six months.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Today's the day they're going to join up.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39But Abdullah must leave Mafourdi.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Joining the tunnels is the most dangerous part.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50With so much earth removed, 30 foot of rock could collapse at any moment.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53It would crush Mafourdi, with no hope of escape.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Back at the surface, Abdullah prays for Mafourdi.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24HE CHANTS PRAYER
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Finally, Mafourdi has broken through.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35But will the walls hold?
0:35:39 > 0:35:42PRAYING
0:36:04 > 0:36:09This new channel is just part of a much bigger system.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Every generation for the last 700 years
0:36:12 > 0:36:15has been digging new wells and connecting them up.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22There are over 800 wells here now,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26channelling water 60 kilometres under the desert floor.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34The passages are cut so that the water continually runs slightly downhill.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39When it reaches the surface, it's divided up
0:36:39 > 0:36:43to sustain a village that otherwise wouldn't exist.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54With his share of the water, Mafourdi has created an oasis to grow date palms.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03And this attracts all sorts of surprising visitors.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21Once you have a permanent water supply, anything's possible.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26In America's state of Nevada,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Las Vegas pushes desert living to the extreme.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34It breaks all the rules.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37It is one of the fastest growing cities in the US,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41using more water per person than almost anywhere else in the world.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46Is this humanity realising an impossible dream?
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Or is it just a neon mirage?
0:37:54 > 0:37:59The deserts of the world are littered with ruins of boom-and-bust civilisations
0:37:59 > 0:38:01where the water ran out.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Petra in Jordan was an ancient city which once had an aqueduct system
0:38:08 > 0:38:13delivering 40 million litres of water a day to 20,000 people.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26For most desert dwellers, life revolves around the meagre rains.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Only with rain can they hope to survive the next blazing year.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37But in Mali, desert rains are anything but reliable.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Some years, they don't come at all.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48CHATTER
0:38:48 > 0:38:51If they do, the villagers know they come violently,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54so they must make their granaries watertight.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56CHATTER
0:39:01 > 0:39:04The rains are preceded by sandstorms,
0:39:04 > 0:39:09so now people watch the skies, waiting for a rampaging wall of dust.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23At 50 kilometres wide, and advancing at a speed of 100 kilometres an hour,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26the sandstorm engulfs the village in minutes.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02But people know this darkness is ultimately a good sign.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Finally the rain is unleashed.
0:40:11 > 0:40:1515 centimetres falls in 20 minutes,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19turning the desert into a network of streams.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Having waited all year, it's suddenly a moment to rejoice.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30CHATTER
0:41:05 > 0:41:10In deserts across the world, rains transform the landscape.
0:41:13 > 0:41:18This is the one moment when life is no longer about the quest for water.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21The pressure's off.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30For the Wodaabe people of Niger, West Africa,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34this is their window of opportunity for love.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37COWS MOOING
0:41:40 > 0:41:42When the rains are good enough,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45they can abandon their normally isolated lives.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49There's enough food and water to support a few hundred Wodaabe
0:41:49 > 0:41:53coming together for one of the most extraordinary gatherings
0:41:53 > 0:41:56of fertility and flirtation in the world.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03In this hive of activity is Djao.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08He's walked 80 kilometres to be here for a contest called Gerewol.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12It's a courtship dance for sex.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Winning means he'll get a new lover.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34This year is special.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38It's the first Gerewol after six years of drought,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42so expectations are running high.
0:42:44 > 0:42:50Djao is already married, and his wife Tembe is here, too.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Indeed, this festival is full of married couples.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Wodaabe culture allows both men and women
0:42:56 > 0:43:01to set aside their marriage vows without stigma for these few days.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Tembe is up for a fling herself.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08BABY GRIZZLES
0:43:15 > 0:43:20But she knows her husband is also a great catch.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39TEMBE LAUGHS
0:43:39 > 0:43:43But, for this flirting contest, it's the women who choose
0:43:43 > 0:43:47and, surprisingly, the men who dress up.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59Djao's beauty, dancing and singing will be scrutinised.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02His big performance is just hours away.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15The men decorate themselves with coloured clays from the desert...
0:44:16 > 0:44:22..with the crushed, charred bones of egrets for their black lipstick,
0:44:22 > 0:44:28and with perfumes from desert plants to make themselves irresistible.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33It's time for Djao to face the music.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36CHANTING
0:44:44 > 0:44:46CHANTING
0:44:50 > 0:44:55The men come under close scrutiny from an opinionated crowd.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57CHANTING
0:45:03 > 0:45:07As one line of dancers leave, Djao steps into the arena.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10He's desperate to be chosen by one of the three girl judges
0:45:10 > 0:45:12for a night of desert passion.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18CHANTING
0:45:18 > 0:45:22The girls are looking for specific things.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26He must keep great poise, like an egret.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30He must show his teeth, flutter his lips and sing from his throat.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32He must dance in time
0:45:32 > 0:45:35and use his shoulders to keep his position in the line.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37CHANTING
0:46:02 > 0:46:05The pressure's on for Djao.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09Any slip now, and he'll lose what he's waited seven years for.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21After five hours, it's the moment of truth.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30All three judges approach to choose their champions.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40The first walks up the line
0:46:40 > 0:46:44and, with a subtle gesture, indicates the man of her dreams.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51But she doesn't choose Djao.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Neither does the second.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Nor the third.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Djao has missed his chance.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11His best efforts weren't enough to win a lover.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17It'll be at least a year before he has the opportunity to dance again.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Tembe is looking for Djao.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Many new couples are hanging out,
0:47:33 > 0:47:37but at least Djao and Tembe still have each other.
0:47:46 > 0:47:51So the men and women disperse, some with new lovers, some with old,
0:47:51 > 0:47:56but all have been touched by the flush of fertility and community
0:47:56 > 0:48:00before they return to the isolation of the desert.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20Deserts are landscapes of brutal simplicity.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24They provide so little and demand so much.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30But, with courage,
0:48:30 > 0:48:34with endurance and intelligence...
0:48:35 > 0:48:38..with devotion and ingenuity...
0:48:39 > 0:48:45..desert people have found ways to conjure life from so little water.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50GUNSHOT
0:48:56 > 0:49:02Against the odds, they have turned a life of thirst into a thirst for life.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25The only way to reveal the truly epic nature
0:49:25 > 0:49:29of the Tubu women's Sahara crossing was to film from the air.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38The best tool for this job was a Cinebulle -
0:49:38 > 0:49:41a hot-air balloon with a small motor.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45But temperamental technology and cantankerous camels
0:49:45 > 0:49:50combined to make this the hardest desert shoot of all.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59It took three days of hard driving
0:49:59 > 0:50:03before cameraman Toby Strong and the crew could reach the women and start filming.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07SHOUTING
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Driving in the desert, it's so difficult.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11You've got all these ridges, troughs.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14The guys are going down stuff like this and we're getting stuck all the time.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17That means everyone stopping, everyone out.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21It's frustrating, but it's the nature of the beast. We're here in the desert.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28They reach the launch site and start assembling the Cinebulle.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31Dany Cleyet-Marrel designed it specifically for filming.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36With only a small engine, it flies best in the cool morning air
0:50:36 > 0:50:39with no more than a light breeze.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48This is my first time up in a... in a Cinebulle.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51I've got two friends, two cameramen, who've been up in this.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54The first one, they crashed into a tree,
0:50:54 > 0:51:00and on the second occasion, that caught fire, the actual engine.
0:51:02 > 0:51:03What I think we're gonna do is go up,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06and I might have lied a little bit about how heavy I am,
0:51:06 > 0:51:08so we might find out that he needs a little more gas.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Kind of a bit of test flight, like that.
0:51:11 > 0:51:16But the camels haven't read the schedule and they've gone to the four corners.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Every night, the camels are released to search for food.
0:51:20 > 0:51:25So, each morning, it takes time to round them up again.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28OK, we have to go, we have to go. It will be too late after.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33When the camels are finally ready,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37Toby and Dany set off to film the women loading up.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40But the shoot doesn't go well.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44What happened was, the balloon took off,
0:51:44 > 0:51:48the butane gas has been cold overnight, and the burner was cutting out.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51They almost came down within the women and the camels.
0:51:53 > 0:51:58And then the balloon came down, bounced, took off again,
0:51:58 > 0:52:00completely freaking out the camels.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02So not a very good start to the morning.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06- TOBY:- We lost the burner four times,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11plummeted down over the camels, the Tubu women and the kids.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Obviously, freaked them out. Freaked me out a little bit.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16So that wasn't great on the first flight.
0:52:16 > 0:52:22After a few more flights, Toby becomes acutely aware of the wind.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25- TOBY:- Working with Cinebulles is almost exactly like a boat.
0:52:25 > 0:52:26You've got the wind going in that direction
0:52:26 > 0:52:30and, although the Cinebulle's got a motor, you can't really go against the wind.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33So you've really only got one pop at each shot.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35Difficult with the wind.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- TOBY:- We're fighting the wind, engine's revving and there's vibration and shake.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I've only got a very limited arc to pan around.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45So there's a huge amount of skill involved from Dany
0:52:45 > 0:52:49and the guys on the ground getting the camels going the right way.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51So it's a massive logistical operation.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54In the beginning we had a problem with the gas,
0:52:54 > 0:52:56and after, a problem with the wind.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58But tomorrow will be better.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00HE CHUCKLES
0:53:02 > 0:53:06The next day, after an early flight, they face another problem.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10The Tubu women don't hang around for the crew to pack up the Cinebulle.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16They only have enough provisions for a normal trek across the desert,
0:53:16 > 0:53:18so the team has to play catch-up.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- TOBY:- We've no idea where our camels have gone.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24There's 25 camels out there. You'd think we'd find them, but it's not...
0:53:24 > 0:53:28you know, you look around and it is just like an ocean with a gentle swell.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32So we're just driving round peak to peak, seeing if we can spot them.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Good news, we've hit the main caravan route,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40which is a bit like... bit like the M6,
0:53:40 > 0:53:44and even better news, there's a few groups of camels coming this way.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49The boys, with better eyes than I, say they think that this is some of our group,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51so it's good news.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59With the camels in place,
0:53:59 > 0:54:04Toby and Dany at last see the opportunity for getting some really good shots.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10- DANY:- Not so bad. - TOBY:- It's nice.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16I think we've got some nice shots.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18And then at the end, we went up really high,
0:54:18 > 0:54:22and to see the whole desert opened up was extraordinary.
0:54:22 > 0:54:23That was a good flight.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28They've had some success, but the biggest challenge lies ahead -
0:54:28 > 0:54:31filming the women's arrival at the well.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35But on a dusty night, the stars of the show go missing.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38- TOBY:- We've just been using our big spotlight as a beacon,
0:54:38 > 0:54:40because three of the women and six of the camels
0:54:40 > 0:54:42couldn't make it into camp tonight
0:54:42 > 0:54:45and here in the desert, there's a very good chance of people getting lost.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49Thankfully, it worked, so everyone is safely into camp for the night,
0:54:49 > 0:54:51which is brilliant news.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55It's only when the sun's gone down
0:54:55 > 0:54:58that Toby has time to deal with a domestic problem.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01We brought out 30-odd cases from England.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04One bag didn't turn up, and that bag was my clothes.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07So, couldn't wait for it, had to come into the desert,
0:55:07 > 0:55:11and that is why I'm washing my shirt quite regularly
0:55:11 > 0:55:14in, er...my allowance of water.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22None of this goes to waste. This water will be used for... for tea tomorrow.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26No, it won't.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32The next morning is the most important one.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34The women are due to arrive at the well
0:55:34 > 0:55:36after days of navigating across the desert.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39It's crucial that Toby gets shots of them arriving,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43but, as usual, there are difficulties.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49The logistics involved of finding where the well is
0:55:49 > 0:55:52and then driving the whole way round so as not to get any tyre tracks.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Dany having to guess where the wind's coming from.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59The whole logistical operation of getting right here, for this point, is enormous
0:55:59 > 0:56:02and we've just about managed to get it right.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04We're all here, we're ready to go.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07The wind is perfect. Dany got it spot-on.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12And the camels are maybe 45 minutes away. So, it's... it's massively frustrating.
0:56:12 > 0:56:17Now it's absolutely perfect. No camels.
0:56:17 > 0:56:22Yet again, the camels have gone off foraging in the night,
0:56:22 > 0:56:27then, at last, as the sun rises, they appear over the horizon.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Everything comes together.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37The women and the camels are ready,
0:56:37 > 0:56:41and, with no wind, Toby is able to move around them in the early light,
0:56:41 > 0:56:44capturing a magical scene.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27As the women close in on the town of Fachi at the end of the trek,
0:57:27 > 0:57:31the crew can finally relax, with their problems behind them.
0:57:31 > 0:57:37Nice. It was a very, very nice flight. Nice light. Good speed of wind.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39We've got a problem.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42I thought we landed far enough away from town to be out of everyone's way.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46But lurking to the horizon... and there are hundreds of specks
0:57:46 > 0:57:48running this way. I reckon we've got three minutes
0:57:48 > 0:57:51before we're completely engulfed.
0:57:51 > 0:57:54I think Dany's off to, er... intercept the hordes.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56DANY SPEAKS FRENCH
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Those kids must be so excited.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06I think Dany's got a bit of a treat for them.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10WHOOSH
0:58:18 > 0:58:23To the delight of all, the crew have triumphed against the odds...
0:58:23 > 0:58:25and the stubborn camels.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27CHEERING
0:58:45 > 0:58:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:48 > 0:58:51Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk