Africa Trek

Episode Descriptions

Episode 01 - "The Grand Departure"

Adventurers Alexandre and Sonia Poussin set off on their odyssey through Africa. Beginning at the southernmost tip of the continent, the Cape of Good Hope, Alex and Sonia pass the millionaire mansions of Cape Town, the vineyards of Stellenbosch and the ancient rock paintings of the San people, one of the oldest, if not the oldest, peoples in the world - from which all humans can ultimately trace their genetic heritage. Viewers get a taste of the amazing sights to come.

Episode 02 - "The Rainbow Nation"

The couple continue their adventures through South Africa - the "Rainbow Nation." They are charged by a rhinoceros and help capture an errant elephant in Kruger National Park.

Episode 03 - "Great Zimbabwe"

Arriving in Zimbabwe, Alex and Sonia celebrate reaching the 2,500 mile point on their journey. They talk politics with a farmer and visit the Great Zimbabwe Monument, the ruins of the Imperial City and the mighty Victoria Falls.

Episode 04 - "The Rift Valley"

Alex and Sonia finally reach the Rift Valley in time for the rainy season. The two have their first taste of termites and spend time with a fisherman and his family on Lake Malawi. Along this leg of their journey they find out how AIDS has ravaged this part of the world.

Episode 05 - "On the Trail of Lions"

Our intrepid couple arrive in Tanzania following a trail that sinks into brush infested with tsetse flies. Weakened by a bout with malaria, they return to the nearest health center, where the next day a man is brought in who has been attacked by a lion on the same trail.

Episode 06 - "Towards the Roof of Africa"

After sampling the peaceful lifestyle of the Barbaig nomads, Alex and Sonia experience the wonderful wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti before climbing to the "roof of Africa," Mount Kilimanjaro

Episode 07 - "Masai Country"

Arriving in Masai country, the Poussins conquer the sacred mountain of Oldonyo Lengai. Then it's on to Kenya where they visit a baby elephant orphanage and make a detour to Uganda to see the last surviving gorillas in the equatorial forest.

Episode 08 - "Valley of the Dead"

Alex and Sonia visit Kenya's beautiful Lake Bogoria, home to magnificent pink flamingos. But Kenya is also ravaged by tribal wars, and the couple have to cross Suguta, a true "valley of death."

Episode 09 - "Ethiopia - Tribal Realm, Christian Empire"

As the couple reach Ethiopia, Alex suffers another malaria attack. When he recovers, they discover a country with tribal populations in the south, and in the north a Christian enclave where life seems to have changed little since Biblical times.

Episode 10 - "Children of the Blue Nile"

Alex and Sonia resume their trek in Addis Ababa, accompanied part of the way by champion marathoner Haile Gebre Selassie. Heading past the Blue Nile Falls, they reach Gondar, a city where numerous abandoned children try to find a better life.

Episode 11 - "Bewitching Sudan"

The couple arrive in Sudan, a surprising and bewitching country ripe for exploration. In Khartoum, Sonia investigates the secret world of Sudanese women, experiences a love ritual and the mystical, hypnotic ceremony of Zar.

Episode 12 - "Destination Tiberias"

On the final leg of their epic journey, Alex and Sonia cross the Sahara on foot and by camel, heading for Cairo, the bustling Egyptian capital. Sonia discovers that she is pregnant, but this happy news won't stop them from negotiating the final miles to Lake Tiberias in Israel.