Rivers of Life

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ONE RIVER FLOWS FURTHER THAN ANY OTHER ON EARTH.

THE NILE.

THE LONGEST RIVER IN THE WORLD

TRAVELS MORE THAN 4,000 MILES NORTH,

ALL THE WAY FROM THE EQUATOR TO THE MEDITERRANEAN.

A RIVER THAT GAVE RISE TO GREAT CIVILIZATIONS...

AND BRINGS LIFE TO THE WORLD'S HOTTEST CONTINENT.

THE NILE'S RECORD-BREAKING LENGTH

TAKES IT THROUGH MORE ASTONISHING WORLDS

THAN ANY OTHER.

A MIRACULOUS, CHANGING RIVER

THAT BREATHES LIFE INTO ALL IT TOUCHES.

SHAPING THE FACE OF AFRICA.

EARTH'S RIVERS OF LIFE MAKE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEYS.

CARVING THROUGH CONTINENTS.

NURTURING GREAT CIVILIZATIONS.

FEEDING AND CONNECTING LIFE ACROSS OUR WORLD.

THESE RIVERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF PLANET EARTH.

THE NILE.

THE VERY NAME CONJURES UP IMAGES OF PHARAOHS, DESERTS,

AND THE GLORIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

BUT THIS ICONIC RIVER ACTUALLY STARTS ITS 4,000-MILE JOURNEY

IN A REMOTE TROPICAL WORLD,

FAR FROM THE PYRAMIDS AND SPHINXES.

AN EQUATORIAL LAND, FULL OF TOWERING MOUNTAINS

AND COLOSSAL PEAKS.

THE RWENZORIS.

NESTLED BETWEEN CONGO AND UGANDA,

THIS IS THE HIGHEST AND MOST SPECTACULAR SOURCE OF THE NILE.

TORRENTS OF RAIN AND SNOW MELT

TUMBLE OFF PEAKS OVER 15,000 FEET HIGH.

THIS WATER WILL EVENTUALLY REACH THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

BUT FIRST MUST EMBARK ON

AN INCREDIBLE VOYAGE ACROSS AFRICA.

AS THE HEADWATERS OF THE NILE START TO GATHER,

THEY MOVE ISLANDS OF FLOATING PAPYRUS,

CREATING A DANCING WATER GARDEN.

THIS SHIFTING WORLD IS PROBLEMATIC

FOR THOSE TRYING TO MAKE THEIR HOME HERE.

THIS IS ONLY ONE OF 150 SHOEBILL STORKS LEFT IN UGANDA.

AS THE LANDSCAPE MOVES AROUND HIM,

SPOTTING FISH IS A STRUGGLE.

NOSE DIVES OFTEN RESULT IN JUST A MOUTHFUL OF LEAVES.

BUT IN THIS CONFUSING WORLD, HE'S ABLE TO FIND HELP

FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE.

HE'S ON THE SEARCH FOR ONE OF NATURE'S BIGGEST BULLDOZERS.

BY FOLLOWING IN ITS GIANT FOOTSTEPS...

THE SHOEBILL IS ABLE TO SPOT FISH IN THE CHANNELS

THE HIPPOPOTAMUS LEAVES BEHIND.

IN THE NILE'S EVER-CHANGING WATERS,

THERE ARE ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE

RESOURCEFUL ENOUGH TO FIND THEM.

AS ALL THESE EARLY STREAMS OF THE NILE

START TO POOL TOGETHER...

THEY CREATE A WORLD OF EQUATORIAL LAKES

IN THE HEART OF AFRICA.

THE GREATEST OF ALL IS CALLED VICTORIA.

THE LARGEST TROPICAL LAKE IN THE WORLD.

EACH DROP OF WATER SPENDS AN AVERAGE OF 23 YEARS HERE

BEFORE CONTINUING ITS JOURNEY.

HERE IN NOVEMBER, THE NEW MOON TRIGGERS

ONE OF THE NILE'S MOST REMARKABLE EVENTS.

AND LOCAL BOATMAN CHARLES TINKIMWEMURA

WILL BE READY.

MANY PEOPLE DIE ON THIS LAKE.

IT'S SO DANGEROUS.

AS THE LAKE IS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS...

LANTERNS ARE THE ONLY SOURCE OF LIGHT.

BUT CHARLES ISN'T ALONE OUT HERE.

30,000 OTHER BOATS ARE ALSO OUT ON THE LAKE.

MANY OF THEIR OCCUPANTS CAN'T SWIM, SO,

BEING ON THE WATER IN THE PITCH BLACK IS A RISK.

BUT THE WATER IS STILL AND THE FISHERMEN HOPEFUL.

BECAUSE TONIGHT, LAKE FLIES WILL EMERGE FROM THE DEPTHS

AND GATHER AROUND THE LIGHTS...

BECOMING THE PERFECT LURE FOR HUNGRY FISH.

THIS IS WHAT THE FISHERMEN HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

THE CATCH OF THE YEAR.

AS CHARLES PADDLES HOME TRIUMPHANT,

HIS BOAT HEAVY WITH FISH,

THE AIR IS THICK WITH BILLIONS OF FLIES.

THESE SWARMS OF A BIBLICAL SCALE SWEEP ACROSS THE LAKE...

SPIRALING 300 FEET HIGH IN A MATING DANCE.

BUT THESE OFFERINGS FROM THE NILE'S WATERS

ARE NOT ONLY WELCOMED BY FISHERMEN,

BUT ALSO BY THE ISLANDERS.

WITHIN A FEW HOURS, THESE FLIES WILL DIE.

SO, THE GAME IS ON TO CATCH AS MANY AS POSSIBLE.

EACH OF THESE FLY BURGERS HAS 5 TIMES

MORE PROTEIN THAN A HAMBURGER.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING CYCLES OF THE LAKE

ARE THE KEY TO SURVIVAL HERE.

BUT AS THE NILE'S WATERS FLOW OUT OF THIS RESERVOIR,

SURVIVAL ON THE NEXT STEP OF ITS JOURNEY

WILL DEMAND A VERY DIFFERENT SKILL.

ALL OF LAKE VICTORIA'S WATER

LEAVES BY A SINGLE EXIT CHANNEL IN UGANDA.

AND SO IS BORN A THUNDERING RIVER.

THIS IS THE APTLY NAMED WHITE NILE.

MOST STAY AWAY FROM ITS RAPIDS,

BUT FOR LOCAL MOM AMINA TAYONA,

THE TURBULENT WATER PROVIDES AN UNEXPECTED LIFELINE.

SHE LEFT SCHOOL AT 16 TO WORK ON HER SMALL PATCH OF LAND,

BUT A CHANCE MEETING CHANGED HER LIFE FOREVER.

AS I WAS IN THE VILLAGE, I SAW A WHITE GUY FROM THE U.K.

AND I WAS LIKE, "CAN YOU TAKE ME KAYAKING?"

AND HE WAS LIKE, "SURE."

AND THAT TIME I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT KAYAKING.

WITHIN 6 MONTHS, SHE GOT A JOB AS A KAYAK GUIDE,

NOW ABLE TO SUPPORT HER FAMILY OF 10.

AND TODAY, SHE IS TRYING TO PROVE HER SKILLS

IN AN INTERNATIONAL ENDURANCE RACE AGAINST WORLD-CLASS ATHLETES

IN A BORROWED KAYAK AND USING A HOMEMADE PADDLE.

6 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER

CASCADE DOWN THESE STEEP CHANNELS EACH DAY.

AND IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE AMINA FALLS PREY TO THE NILE'S POWER.

IF YOU GO UPSIDE DOWN, IT'S HARD SOMETIMES,

BECAUSE MY BREATH IS A BIT SHORT.

30 SECONDS AND IT'S FINISHED.

BUT AMINA IS NOTHING IF NOT DETERMINED.

BECAUSE I'M BORN FROM THE NILE, NOTHING I CAN'T DO.

IT'S SUCH A DANGEROUS STRETCH OF THE RIVER

THAT COMPETITORS HAVE TO STAY IN PAIRS FOR SAFETY.

WHEN WE ARE RACING, WE NEED TO BE CLOSE, CLOSE,

SO THAT YOU CAN SAVE YOUR FRIEND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS.

ESPECIALLY WHEN PASSING THROUGH

THE NILE'S ITANDA FALLS.

CLASS 6 RAPIDS--THE HARDEST POSSIBLE GRADE

OF WHITE WATER IN THE WORLD.

ITANDA CAN MAKE ME NERVOUS BECAUSE

IT'S A GRADE 6--IT'S REALLY BIG

AND YOU ARE LIKE, OH, MY GOD, HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS?

EXHAUSTED AFTER 3 HOURS OF PADDLING,

AMINA IS APPROACHING THE FINISH.

AMINA, GO.

AMINA, OUR ENEMIES ARE CLOSER.

WE GO, WE GO.

THEY ARE COMING. GO HARD, GO HARD.

AMINA AND HER PARTNER ARE THE FIRST WOMEN'S TEAM

ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.

THE MOST TIME WHEN I AM HAPPY WHEN I AM WINNING.

WHEN I'M LIKE THE CHAMPION.

THAT'S WHY I'M CALLED THE QUEEN OF THE NILE.

BUT BEYOND THESE TREACHEROUS RAPIDS,

THIS POWERFUL RIVER CREATES A BARRIER

THAT EVEN AMINA CAN'T PASS.

THE 160-FOOT-WIDE RIVER IS SQUEEZED THROUGH A 23-FOOT GAP.

THIS IS MURCHISON FALLS.

ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL WATERFALLS IN THE WORLD.

A GATEWAY INTO A WILD, UNTAMED WORLD.

NOW 250 MILES NORTH FROM ITS EQUATORIAL BEGINNINGS,

THE NILE ENTERS A SAVANNAH LAND RULED BY GIANTS.

CROCODILES, UP TO 18 FEET LONG,

AWAIT CARRION WASHED OVER THE FALLS.

THE NILE IS NOW THE ONLY WATER FOR MILES AROUND.

A MAGNET FOR AFRICA'S BIGGEST GAME.

THIS CROCODILE MOTHER HAS FOUND

A SECLUDED PLACE ON SHORE TO BURY HER EGGS.

FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS, SHE HAS DEVOTEDLY WATCHED OVER THEM,

KEEPING THEM SAFE.

BUT SHE CANNOT HIDE THEIR SCENT.

A NILE MONITOR LIZARD IS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO HER EGGS.

THE WORST POSSIBLE NEWS FOR A CROCODILE MOTHER.

OUT OF THE WATER, THE MONITOR IS

THE FASTER OF THE TWO REPTILES...AND KNOWS IT.

IT ALSO SEEMS AWARE OF THE CROCODILES' ACHILLES HEEL.

ON LAND, CROCODILES CAN DIE FROM HEAT EXHAUSTION...

LEAVING THE MOTHER WITH A TERRIBLE DILEMMA.

THE WATER IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE SHE CAN

LOWER HER BODY TEMPERATURE TO SAFE LEVELS.

BUT IF SHE LETS HER GUARD DOWN NOW, HER BROOD WILL BE DEVOURED.

THE MOTHER'S BODY IS REACHING LETHALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES.

SHE FINALLY HAS TO CHOOSE HER OWN LIFE

OVER THAT OF HER YOUNG.

ALL SHE CAN DO IS HOPE THAT THE MONITORS

WON'T FINISH ALL 60 OF HER EGGS.

BUT THE NILE'S CROWDED BANKS ARE HOME TO OTHER WILY PREDATORS.

BABOONS SAUNTER IN TO TAKE THE EASY PICKINGS

FROM THE UNDEFENDED NEST.

TAKING EVERY LAST EGG.

FIGHTING WITH THE MONITORS OVER THE REMAINS.

ONLY 2% OF NILE CROCODILE EGGS REACH ADULTHOOD...

DUE TO THE GAUNTLET OF HUNGRY ANIMALS

DRAWN TOGETHER BY THE RIVER.

WITH SO MUCH ACTION ON THE RIVER,

THIS IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR A GAME LODGE.

THIS WAS ONCE THE EXTRAVAGANT COUNTRY HOME

OF BRUTAL DICTATOR IDI AMIN.

KNOWN AS THE BUTCHER OF UGANDA,

AMIN ORDERED THE DEATHS OF 300,000 PEOPLE...

AND HOSTED HUNTING PARTIES

DEVASTATING TO UGANDA'S WILDLIFE.

BUT SINCE HIS EXILE IN 1979,

THIS LODGE HAS SUPPOSEDLY BEEN UNINHABITED.

BUT LOCAL RUMORS SUGGEST THAT IT NOW HOSTS NEW GUESTS.

FILMED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME,

THESE RUINS ARE STARTING TO REVEAL THEIR SECRETS.

A FAMILY OF WARTHOGS HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCE