Wildest: Africa

The Okavango Delta, a huge emerald oasis in the burning heart of the Kalahari desert, is fed by the Okavango River and this perpetual cycle of wet and dry is the lifeblood of this extraordinary natural Eden.

Namibia is an arid, rough land. However, it has been inhabited for thousands of years, by people as well as animals, and shows no sign of losing popularity with either.

Ngorongoro is thought to have formed about 2.5m years ago from a large volcano, whose cone collapsed inward after a major eruption. This fertile land is full of wildlife, from cunning hyena and proud lions to vast herds of wildebeest and elephants.

The Zambezi is one of Africa's most influential rivers. It supports some of the continent's most spectacular wildlife. However, the Zambezi's long and winding journey destroys, as well as creates.

The Nile is the longest river in the world. Ancient Egypt, one of the history's most powerful civilizations, depended hugely upon it. Each year, it flooded, replenishing the fields with fertile silt. This automatic irrigation fueled Egypt's economy.

The Virunga Mountains are the embodiment of western fantasies about deep, dark, Africa. It's home to some of the world's most iconic animals - including the African great apes.

Madagascar is truly a weird and wonderful land. Isolated on an island of extreme and magical looking locations, life has adapted and diversified. With few predators, numbers have proliferated and natural selection has gone mad.

Mount Kenya soars over 5km into the air. It is the second highest mountain in Africa. At its summit, temperatures fluctuate from over 30C to below freezing. Plants and animals have evolved to survive in one of the earth's most hostile environments.

Stretching 1,500 miles from the frigid waters of Cape Point to the sub-tropical seas of Kwazulu- Natal, Africa's Cape Coast is where irresistible force meet immoveable object.

Known for centuries as Africa's Dark Heart, the Congo is a multi-layered, three-dimensional world, seething with innumerable species. By peeling back the layers, we discover how this vast rainforest works, and expose the hidden lives of its inhabitants.

The Sahara is the largest desert in the world. According to legend, it is a land of terrible thirst, an endless, empty ocean of sand. Yet there is life here. Unique creatures adapted to one of the harshest environments on earth.

The largest of Africa's Rift valley lakes, Lake Turkana is at the heart of one of the harshest landscapes on the planet. Despite it's hostile environment, man and beast have both worked out a way to survive.

Landlocked and surrounded by five countries, Ethiopia is one of east Africa's forgotten lands. Seemingly passive deserts in fact seethe with fire, and cloud-piercing peaks shield a secret Eden of canyons and cliff-tops teeming with life.