Discover the hidden splendors of the French coast; stopover in Upper Corsica; on the Scandola Peninsula, a unique and preserved heritage; in the Ligurian Sea, encounters with marine mammals; in the Iroise Sea, an environment perfectly adapted to the extreme rhythm imposed by the tides.
Sailing down the River Amazon from the Peruvian Andes to Manaus in Brazil. The crew of the Maira, a traditional wooden boat, introduces us to the river and its inhabitants, the Caboclo Indians. Every year, during the rainy season, the Amazon overflows and takes possession of the forest. Life must then become organized.
In Burma, on the shores of Lake Inle, a poetic meeting with the Intha. Living mostly off ancestral fishing practices, the "people of the lake" have developed the art of cultivating fruits, vegetables and flowers on highly fertile floating gardens. Buddhists, like most Burmans, the Intha celebrate the symbolic entrance of young boys into the Monastery.
A look at the coral reefs (Palau, Hawaii, Australia, French Polynesia, Egypt, etc.), the most important structure to be constructed by living organisms. Anne Collet, a marine biologist, studies their qualities. A highly rich ecosystem, coral is also highly sensitive to its environment. Today, 60% of coral is imperiled.
A journey along the banks of the Ganges, the holiest of Indian rivers. All of religious India gathers to celebrate the Kumba Mela, in Haridwar. In Benares, everyday for " 84 " ghats, one may witness the same performance : staircase-like embankments dot the riverfront, where devout conduct codified rituals that have existed for centuries.
Between heaven and earth, in the equatorial rain forests of Costa Rica: scientist Donald Ray Perry introduces us to an inaccessible world, where 80% of its species concentrated in the canopy. On its fringes, the forest stretches away as far as the shores of the Pacific Ocean; on the beaches of Nicoya we make the acquaintance of the Ridley Turtles; or dive into the open seas with the giant Calmar.
On the west coast of Greenland, Ikerrassaqu, a small, isolated Inuit community at the edge of the world, survives thanks to special bonds. Forced by necessity to adapt to modern life, the Inuits nevertheless try to perpetuate all the gestures and skills that has allowed their ancestors to survive in this land of snow and ice many centuries ago.
The re-opening of a scientific ice study station in Greenland. For three months, scientists bore, stock and analyze the ice-core in order to reconstitute the variations in temperatures and the chemical composition of the atmosphere in the past. Will these studies give us a better understanding of the earth's climate and allow us to foresee its evolution?
One of the world's last "terra incognita," the equatorial jungles of New Guinea. 130 feet above the jungle floor, we meet the Korowai tribesmen and their tree-houses.
At the Egyptian oasis of Kharga and on the site of Kerma in Sudan, French scientists reveal some of their most amazing finds: mummies in the desert sand and the remains of statues of mysterious black pharaohs.
Travel in the wake of the humpback whales of the southern hemisphere, via the Pacific where they hibernate and the icy waters of the Antarctic, which welcome them the rest of the year.
Scattered across the sands of the Sahara, moving about from one watering place to another, the Tuaregs, a nomadic herding people with a rich, proud culture, have total mastery of life in this world so hostile to man. An introduction to the community known as the "blue men."
Thanks to the efforts of Rioji Takahashi, the once-threatened Manchurian crane is now out of danger. The story of a rescue and the passion of the man they call "Mr. Crane" on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Life is hard for the leopards of Botswana. If they run the fastest, they are not very good hunters. Finding food is an increasingly dangerous combat for these beautiful creatures.
Boris Chichlo, a specialist in the lost tribes of northern Siberia, introduces us to the Koriaks, tundra nomads whose survival depends on reindeer-herding.
The descendants of the Haida still lived on the island of Hanson, in British Columbia, as of the beginning of the century. These Indians, past masters in the art of cedar-wood sculpting, carved imposing totem poles in the effigies of mythic animals. Discovering Haida villages.
Exploring the two salt lakes of the Bolivian Altiplano. The Salar of Uyuni, which supports the inhabitants of the little village of Colchani, and the Laguna Colorada, whose pink-orange waters reflect the flights of the pink flamingos.
Across the tundra far above the Arctic Polar Circle to meet the nomadic herding people, the Nenets. Camp life and travels by caravans for the transhumance of the reindeer herds in temperatures of minus-100°F.
In the Sonde Archipelago, 135 currently-active volcanoes contributed to the formation of a unique biological reserve. Viewers are invited into the thick of the jungle to meet the mining population whose hard life is conditioned by volcanism.
Stopover in Mexico. A visit to an agave rope plant. Mike Madden takes us into the Yucatan with its incredible subterranean hydrographic network, the cenotes.
A team of scientists study the extreme wildlife conditions in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Royal Penguins, Macaroni Penguins, Sooty Albatross, Killer Whales, Seals and much more.
In the Palawan Archipelago, in the Seas of China, a team of submarine archeologists, headed by Franck Goddio, search the wreck of a Chinese junk which disappeared mysteriously 500 years ago.
Discovering the Australian continent via its exceptional and mostly exceptional endemic fauna: Koala, Duck-Billed Platypus, Leafy Seahorse, Kangaroo, Seal, etc.
Underscored by a respect of secular traditions, the life of the Mongolian herders flows across the infinite expanses of the steppes. Musicologist Alain Desjacques crosses the length and breadth of the region on motorcycle in search of its finest musicians. The horse is also one of the pillars of nomad life. Once a year, a famous horse race with young jockeys takes place at Naadam.
Located in the Indian Ocean, only 250 miles from the coast of Africa, the island of Madagascar boasts lunar landscapes and a unique biodiversity. It is like a miraculous Noah's Ark, which has survived through the ages.
A gigantic natural reserve that rings 31,000 miles of coastline, Alaska is a paradise for protected species. Two teams of scientists seek out the fauna: Walrus, Sea-Lions, Grizzly Bear, Sockeye Salmon.
Lamayuru hides in the wild lands of Himalayan Ladakh. This Buddhist monastery perches on a peak at 3,500 meters altitude and shelters an influential community of monks who have lived for centuries in isolation.
In southern Ethiopia, 3 million years ago, the Australopithecus stood up to become human and invent tools. This valley of our origins is home to about twenty ethnicities of warrior pastoralists for whom life is still as hard and violent as it was in the beginning. One of them: the Hamer people.
The moist tropical forest that extends over the northeast of Gabon is one of equatorial Africa’s largest. Within it, lies Ivindo National Park. On the Roads of Ushuaia sets off into the heart of that wildlife sanctuary to look for the last living examples of the most impressive of African apes, the gorilla.
In the heart of the deepest primeval African forests, hide animal species with amazing behavior. Among them: Chimpanzees and Bonobos, species on the verge of extinction which offer us a reflection of our humanity that urgently needs to be reconsidered.
In the far reaches of the Himalayas, Ladakh, today part of Kashmir, unrolls over plateaus of semi-desert more than 14000 feet in altitude. On the Roads of Ushuaia follows the pursuits of the Amchi, traditional doctors of Ladakh.
The Himalayas seem to be unchanging over the course of time. And yet at the meeting of two tectonic plates, this incredible mountain chain continues to rise up to the sky. Down in the valleys centers of life and exchange persist with their age-old traditions. Let’s meet the people of the Himalayas.
More than two thousand miles off the coast of Chile, unseeing giants stand guard over the most isolated land on Earth: Rapa Nui, “Easter Island”. These protective moai statues tell the story of a climatic, political and ecological disaster. Far from Rapa Nui, in the southeastern Pacific, the Earth’s crust was pulverized at a volcanic hot spot four million years ago. The Juan Fernandez archipelago was born. It was on a piece of that land, that the myth of Robinson Crusoe was born.
There are legendary lands, where nature and the hand of man have united to create wonders. Yemen is one of them. It was here that man built the world’s first skyscrapers. On the Roads of Ushuaia gives us a peek into these vertical cities that once stood along the legendary Incense Route.
Venezuela is located between Colombia and Brazil. Its geographic characteristics and exceptionally rich flora and fauna make it one of the most fabulous natural environments on Earth.
Let’s discover the underground worlds of the Earth we still have a lot to learn about. On the way to France, our first stop will be the island of Borneo, located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Split by deep canyons, the high plateaus of Yemen seem as desolate as the moon: who could imagine they were the birthplace of the oldest camping trail in the world? On the Roads of Ushuaia invites us to discover secrets of the Incense Route thousands of years old.
Arabia is a world of its own, at once hostile and fascinating. Its endless deserts, its people and culture have never ceased to captivate our imagination. Since the rare 19th century European explorers who succeeded in penetrating the Arabian peninsula, these lands are longer terra incognita. Even so, they remain shrouded in mystery...
The fourth largest island on Earth, rich with tens of thousands of plant and animal species, Borneo, the “forest of mutants”, is the land of metamorphosis. On the Roads of Ushuaia takes us into the heart of this intimate world, where survival depends on the art of illusion and trickery.
Extending from the Sahara to the Red Sea, Nubia is a vast desert territory that covers the northern half of Sudan. Let’s explore this land whose history is intimately linked to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs.
The deep jungle that covers northern Cambodia seems impenetrable. And yet it is home to extraordinary relics of a city abandoned centuries ago. This is the destination of our trip.
Located between Vietnam and Thailand, Laos and Cambodia are the heart of the Indochinese peninsula. This program takes us to the far reaches of these two small countries to meet the peoples of the Mekong.
Memory of the Earth and cradle of humanity, Ethiopia exhales a mysterious perfume of the world’s beginnings... Let’s meet the peoples of Ethiopia, whose incredible diversity is reflected in the strongly contrasting landscapes of this vast country.
We set out to explore fascinating lands that seem to come straight out of another world, and yet belong to our planet.
At the outer limits of Indonesia, the Raja Ampat archipelago forms an inaccessible constellation of several thousand islets. For centuries, it has allowed Papuasia to exist in isolation from other peoples and the progress of Time. Here the inhabitants have woven a visible and invisible language with Nature.
At the crossroads of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, we set out to encounter strange, surprising worlds and decipher the secret codes of the mysterious world of nature.
The huge subcontinent of India has always fascinated travelers. The incredible abundance of wildlife and its ancient civilization make it a mysterious and exceptional world of its own. Our trip begins in southern Bangladesh, in the heart of the largest delta on Earth.
From Norway and across the ocean to Nunavut, let’s explore the extreme trails of the Great North... The goal of our trip is to encounter the mythical sea unicorn, the narwhal.
Spring. At the northernmost tip of the world, Canada’s largest federal territory – Nunavut – has become accessible again. Sheathed in ice nine months a year, a surface of two million square kilometers disintegrates in the sun. On the Roads of Ushuaia takes us beyond the sixtieth parallel.
The favorite stops of pirates and buccaneers, certain obscure corners of the world have always been rich with tales of world travelers. Discover the treasures of Belize and Costa Rica, which bathes in the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, where Cocos Island hides.
Scattered out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, between French Polynesia and the Hawaiian Archipelago, are a few of the Earth's major hot spots... Let’s explore this incredible chain of volcanic islands where life has gradually emerged from the fire of life, to the rhythm of geological time.
Today the goal of our trip is the southern tip of the African continent. From South Africa to Botswana, we set out to discover one of the most mysterious phenomena of animal life: great migrations.
