1 00:00:01,111 --> 00:00:03,778 (intense music) 2 00:00:06,233 --> 00:00:08,950 Look at this place. 3 00:00:08,950 --> 00:00:10,980 Simply breathtaking. 4 00:00:13,350 --> 00:00:15,210 Welcome to New Guinea. 5 00:00:15,210 --> 00:00:17,930 The worlds largest jungle island. 6 00:00:17,930 --> 00:00:21,800 One of the most remote and unexplored parts of our world. 7 00:00:23,209 --> 00:00:26,220 It's very intimidating, potentially very dangerous 8 00:00:27,077 --> 00:00:30,000 but also one of the most exciting places on the planet. 9 00:00:31,570 --> 00:00:33,420 Running from it's mountainous heart, 10 00:00:33,420 --> 00:00:37,360 over 500 kilometers, through pristine wilderness, 11 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,710 wild gorges and tropical jungle out to the sea. 12 00:00:43,050 --> 00:00:44,940 Is the mighty Baliem River. 13 00:00:47,770 --> 00:00:50,100 I was expecting it to be big, 14 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:52,960 but I wasn't expecting that. 15 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:56,670 No one's ever traveled the full length 16 00:00:56,670 --> 00:00:58,980 of this untamed river before. 17 00:00:58,980 --> 00:01:02,091 We've managed to turn a simple side trip 18 00:01:02,091 --> 00:01:04,230 into an absolute epic. 19 00:01:05,620 --> 00:01:06,820 I'm Steve Backshall. 20 00:01:06,820 --> 00:01:09,210 I'm a naturalist and adventurer. 21 00:01:09,210 --> 00:01:12,060 It just looks like there should be dinosaurs everywhere. 22 00:01:12,060 --> 00:01:13,690 I want to explore the river 23 00:01:13,690 --> 00:01:16,720 and discover more about the remarkable variety of worlds 24 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,510 through which it travels. 25 00:01:19,660 --> 00:01:20,750 Ouch shoot! 26 00:01:22,220 --> 00:01:24,680 It's home home to ancient tribes. 27 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,260 I want to see how they're coping with the modern world. 28 00:01:30,260 --> 00:01:31,250 When they're in mourning, 29 00:01:31,250 --> 00:01:34,800 they will cut off their own fingers as a sign of grief. 30 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:35,633 I'll be searching for 31 00:01:35,633 --> 00:01:37,590 some of the worlds scariest animals. 32 00:01:37,590 --> 00:01:40,640 It was basically eating its way through the village. 33 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:42,120 And exploring a vast, 34 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,400 uncharted underground world. 35 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,250 Now that is impressive. 36 00:01:47,250 --> 00:01:49,220 But the Baliem is so inaccessible, 37 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:51,510 that the only way to uncover its secrets 38 00:01:51,510 --> 00:01:54,910 is to travel it's length from source to sea. 39 00:01:54,910 --> 00:01:57,230 We are committed now. 40 00:01:57,230 --> 00:01:59,230 By any means possible. 41 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:04,010 It could give us a unique insight into the one of the last 42 00:02:04,010 --> 00:02:06,310 truly wild places on Earth. 43 00:02:06,310 --> 00:02:08,240 Where the hell are you taking us Aldo? 44 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:09,073 I don't know mate. 45 00:02:09,073 --> 00:02:10,880 Or it could be a journey, 46 00:02:12,683 --> 00:02:13,516 too far. 47 00:02:14,655 --> 00:02:15,988 Oh no. 48 00:02:18,075 --> 00:02:20,742 (intense music) 49 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:29,840 We're half way through 50 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,570 our five-week expedition into the heart of New Guinea. 51 00:02:33,940 --> 00:02:36,020 This bit's really slippy. 52 00:02:36,020 --> 00:02:38,614 Expedition safety expert Aldo Kane and I 53 00:02:38,614 --> 00:02:41,770 are scouting out the next section of our journey. 54 00:02:41,770 --> 00:02:45,110 The toughest and most dangerous part of our trip, 55 00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:46,820 the dreaded Lower Gorge. 56 00:02:49,284 --> 00:02:51,860 This is very much the crux Of the expedition. 57 00:02:51,860 --> 00:02:53,770 If we're gonna be able to travel the Baliem 58 00:02:53,770 --> 00:02:57,170 from source to sea, this is the breaking point. 59 00:03:03,660 --> 00:03:07,130 Our expedition has brought us to Papua, 60 00:03:07,130 --> 00:03:09,240 a province of Indonesia that makes up 61 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,010 the western half of New Guinea. 62 00:03:12,850 --> 00:03:16,470 Our plan is to travel by boat from here to the sea. 63 00:03:17,700 --> 00:03:22,070 The river drops down a vertical mile 64 00:03:22,070 --> 00:03:25,150 in the space of less than 100 kilometers. 65 00:03:25,150 --> 00:03:26,750 And oh crap. 66 00:03:26,750 --> 00:03:28,670 That gives me the willies. 67 00:03:32,530 --> 00:03:34,760 This was supposed to be the dry season, 68 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:36,440 but we've had unseasonal rains 69 00:03:37,430 --> 00:03:39,930 and we're worried the river will be in full flood. 70 00:03:41,620 --> 00:03:45,990 This part, the gorge, just fills me with terror. 71 00:03:48,850 --> 00:03:50,040 Our aim is to kayak 72 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:51,650 the Baliem lower gorge, 73 00:03:51,650 --> 00:03:54,890 80 kilometers of death defying white water. 74 00:03:54,890 --> 00:03:57,530 Crashing down through impenetrable rain forest 75 00:03:57,530 --> 00:04:00,860 before it reacher South Gap, the end of the gorge. 76 00:04:00,860 --> 00:04:03,100 From here, the river winds 200 kilometers 77 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:06,000 through lowland jungle into the land of the Asmat. 78 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:07,585 A tribe famous for their recent history 79 00:04:07,585 --> 00:04:10,290 of headhunting and cannibalism. 80 00:04:10,290 --> 00:04:13,400 Finally our expedition will end at the Pacific Ocean. 81 00:04:15,236 --> 00:04:17,903 (intense music) 82 00:04:19,180 --> 00:04:22,510 We're hoping to meet remote and potentially hostile tribes 83 00:04:22,510 --> 00:04:24,520 and to see some of the extraordinary wild life 84 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,120 that lives along the banks of the isolated Lower Gorge. 85 00:04:33,950 --> 00:04:38,950 I was expecting it to be big, but I wasn't expecting that. 86 00:04:41,070 --> 00:04:42,070 That's impossible. 87 00:04:43,510 --> 00:04:45,380 Once you get further down into that gorge, 88 00:04:45,380 --> 00:04:48,930 for the next however 80-odd kilometers it is, 89 00:04:48,930 --> 00:04:50,920 there's no way of getting out. 90 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,480 You can see behind where the gorge actually starts 91 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:55,960 and the rock wall come in, they get tighter and tighter, 92 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:58,161 the river constricts and all of the volume of water 93 00:04:58,161 --> 00:05:03,161 is intensified, and so it's flowing at a steeper gradient 94 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:09,000 with an increased volume, and it is gonna be even more 95 00:05:09,076 --> 00:05:10,810 challenging than this. 96 00:05:14,467 --> 00:05:16,390 If you paddled into that you would definitely die. 97 00:05:17,410 --> 00:05:20,600 It's clear we can't begin here. 98 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:22,540 We'll have to hop over this section 99 00:05:22,540 --> 00:05:24,680 and begin deep inside the gorge. 100 00:05:27,950 --> 00:05:29,880 Which means resorting to a helicopter. 101 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,700 It's a compromise to the pure expedition I wanted, 102 00:05:36,770 --> 00:05:39,070 but with hundreds of kilometers of river left, 103 00:05:40,020 --> 00:05:42,180 there's still plenty of exploration ahead. 104 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,450 Coming down through here seeing somewhere so 105 00:05:48,450 --> 00:05:50,930 extraordinary, so beautiful. 106 00:05:50,930 --> 00:05:53,620 I think either we can be the first people ever 107 00:05:53,620 --> 00:05:57,140 to come down here, it's mind blowing. 108 00:05:59,820 --> 00:06:00,740 We're scanning the banks 109 00:06:00,740 --> 00:06:03,950 for a place we can land and finally start kayaking. 110 00:06:07,997 --> 00:06:09,803 This section of the gorge we'll be going into before 111 00:06:09,803 --> 00:06:13,430 no one's ever attempted it, there is no decent map. 112 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:16,440 The river is one of the wildest, 113 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,087 most potentially lethal on Earth. 114 00:06:19,087 --> 00:06:21,390 But we've got a world class kayaking team. 115 00:06:21,390 --> 00:06:24,040 Lead by New Zealander, Jordy Searle. 116 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,230 Down here, Owen says, 117 00:06:26,230 --> 00:06:29,570 by far the most isolated I've ever been. 118 00:06:32,470 --> 00:06:34,330 10 kilometers down stream, 119 00:06:34,330 --> 00:06:36,766 we finally find what we're looking for. 120 00:06:36,766 --> 00:06:39,640 So from here on in the water is, well it's epic, 121 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,650 it's massive but it looks doable. 122 00:06:46,180 --> 00:06:47,730 Our team is four kayakers 123 00:06:47,730 --> 00:06:49,060 and a camera crew. 124 00:06:49,060 --> 00:06:51,820 Plus 100's of kilos of camping and filming gear 125 00:06:51,820 --> 00:06:53,470 packed into two inflatable rafts. 126 00:06:57,996 --> 00:07:00,150 And now, we're on our own. 127 00:07:02,557 --> 00:07:05,057 (light music) 128 00:07:09,770 --> 00:07:11,820 Rides just a nice big positive strokes. 129 00:07:14,245 --> 00:07:16,745 (light music) 130 00:07:18,570 --> 00:07:19,820 Our first paddle strokes 131 00:07:19,820 --> 00:07:20,900 on the Lower Gorge. 132 00:07:24,350 --> 00:07:26,730 It's as exciting as it is daunting. 133 00:07:30,380 --> 00:07:34,840 This river has so many different changing faces. 134 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,570 Even here in the gorge it's changed completely. 135 00:07:38,570 --> 00:07:41,610 And now we're heading down into this fantastic gully. 136 00:07:46,050 --> 00:07:49,270 There are creepers and vines covering all of the trees. 137 00:07:49,270 --> 00:07:52,590 It just looks like there should be dinosaurs everywhere. 138 00:07:52,590 --> 00:07:55,348 But instead of pterodactyls flying over your head, 139 00:07:55,348 --> 00:07:57,980 we have Hornbills and Parakeets. 140 00:07:58,870 --> 00:08:02,280 This is one of the most extraordinary places I've ever seen. 141 00:08:06,390 --> 00:08:08,030 The rampaging river makes much 142 00:08:08,030 --> 00:08:10,560 of the gorge completely inaccessible. 143 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,690 The surrounding forest are doubtless filled 144 00:08:12,690 --> 00:08:15,240 with unknown animals and remote tribes. 145 00:08:17,050 --> 00:08:19,460 It's incredible to think we're the first outsiders 146 00:08:19,460 --> 00:08:21,670 ever to kayak here. 147 00:08:21,670 --> 00:08:23,650 Maybe even to see this place. 148 00:08:27,408 --> 00:08:29,300 But as we head around the next corner, 149 00:08:29,300 --> 00:08:30,780 the river changes character. 150 00:08:32,952 --> 00:08:34,520 Oh this looks massive. 151 00:08:39,050 --> 00:08:40,860 Ahead, the biggest rapid 152 00:08:40,860 --> 00:08:43,110 we've yet faced on the Baliem. 153 00:08:45,130 --> 00:08:47,330 As the river carves its way down the canyon, 154 00:08:48,330 --> 00:08:49,880 it hits a wall of limestone, 155 00:08:50,810 --> 00:08:52,740 forcing it to turn right. 156 00:08:55,540 --> 00:08:59,070 Getting trapped in that would be very bad indeed. 157 00:09:03,310 --> 00:09:05,900 So this is it, this is bigger than anything 158 00:09:05,900 --> 00:09:08,360 I thought I'd be taking on on this river. 159 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,040 And if I pick the right line, it'll be great. 160 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,570 And if I mess up, it's gonna be horrific. 161 00:09:16,772 --> 00:09:20,640 I've got this zing of adrenaline I'm just shaking, 162 00:09:22,030 --> 00:09:25,050 my hands are kind of going. 163 00:09:30,173 --> 00:09:32,140 (water crashing) 164 00:09:32,140 --> 00:09:35,470 Barney, Steve, me. 165 00:09:35,470 --> 00:09:37,220 Kayaker Barney Young's going first 166 00:09:37,220 --> 00:09:38,120 to pick the route. 167 00:09:39,570 --> 00:09:41,280 Jordy and I will follow. 168 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:42,280 On his tail Steve. 169 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:46,830 Barney's paddling straight 170 00:09:46,830 --> 00:09:48,120 into the middle of the river, 171 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,710 trying to keep the small gravel island on his left. 172 00:09:52,980 --> 00:09:54,990 To give him a fighting chance of keeping clear 173 00:09:54,990 --> 00:09:56,580 of smashing into that wall. 174 00:09:59,730 --> 00:10:01,843 He makes it, but I've been caught out 175 00:10:01,843 --> 00:10:04,260 and I'm heading completely off-course. 176 00:10:05,510 --> 00:10:07,060 Damn it. 177 00:10:07,060 --> 00:10:08,640 Jordy steps in. 178 00:10:09,740 --> 00:10:13,008 Alright, big fury glide. 179 00:10:13,008 --> 00:10:14,425 Watch your speed. 180 00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:19,410 We power back into the main current, 181 00:10:19,410 --> 00:10:20,670 paddling frantically, 182 00:10:20,670 --> 00:10:23,260 trying to avoid the horror of the wall. 183 00:10:27,710 --> 00:10:31,310 But the colossal volume of water hurtles me toward the rock 184 00:10:31,310 --> 00:10:32,730 threatening to crush me, 185 00:10:32,730 --> 00:10:34,580 then suck me down into the whirlpool. 186 00:10:37,315 --> 00:10:38,148 Ahhh! 187 00:10:40,991 --> 00:10:44,520 Paddle, paddle, paddle. 188 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,360 A wave hits me side-on. 189 00:10:53,532 --> 00:10:54,365 I capsized. 190 00:10:56,283 --> 00:10:57,550 Battling to roll back up. 191 00:10:58,663 --> 00:11:02,950 Paddle, paddle, paddle, yes! 192 00:11:05,804 --> 00:11:07,804 Paddle, right behind me. 193 00:11:09,210 --> 00:11:11,320 There's no let up. 194 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,670 I still have to get across the river to Barney. 195 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,330 Paddle, lean forward and paddle. 196 00:11:19,090 --> 00:11:20,710 If I don't make it, I could end up being 197 00:11:20,710 --> 00:11:23,340 swept downstream into the next set of rapids. 198 00:11:26,057 --> 00:11:28,720 Ahh, holy crap! 199 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,520 Oh my god, oh my god. 200 00:11:35,368 --> 00:11:37,280 Bro, I'm not gonna lie, 201 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:39,400 I thought you were gonna swim in the end man. 202 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:41,330 I'm gonna remember that for the rest of my life. 203 00:11:43,273 --> 00:11:46,190 I have just taken the biggest hit of adrenaline. 204 00:11:47,330 --> 00:11:51,160 My entire body is shaking. 205 00:11:56,460 --> 00:11:58,440 There was a moment there where I hit that wave 206 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,800 bouncing back off the wall and it flipped me instantly 207 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,840 and I was underwater thinking, 208 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:05,710 do not come out of your boat here. 209 00:12:07,860 --> 00:12:10,530 To be pinned against that wall with all this water, 210 00:12:10,530 --> 00:12:11,930 you wouldn't stand a chance. 211 00:12:15,010 --> 00:12:16,690 It was a close call, 212 00:12:16,690 --> 00:12:19,470 now it's the turn of the rafts carrying the camera team 213 00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:21,370 and all our gear to brave the rapids. 214 00:12:25,140 --> 00:12:26,680 They need to follow our route 215 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:28,330 and keep well away from the wall. 216 00:12:30,855 --> 00:12:32,640 Flipping here would be disastrous. 217 00:12:34,843 --> 00:12:38,054 (intense music) 218 00:12:38,054 --> 00:12:39,854 The first raft just misses the wall. 219 00:12:45,450 --> 00:12:48,830 But the second one hits it head on. 220 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:56,210 Before flushing them clear, 221 00:12:56,210 --> 00:12:57,840 battered and shaking. 222 00:13:02,066 --> 00:13:04,899 (heavy breathing) 223 00:13:10,710 --> 00:13:12,720 The rapids are endless. 224 00:13:17,270 --> 00:13:20,150 An island midstream is a chance to regroup. 225 00:13:25,830 --> 00:13:28,010 Well this actually isn't supposed to be an island. 226 00:13:28,010 --> 00:13:30,660 We're supposed to be joined up with the river bank here 227 00:13:30,660 --> 00:13:32,470 but because the flow is so high, 228 00:13:32,470 --> 00:13:35,360 there's a river flowing both sides of it. 229 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,700 There's a stump that should be on dry land. 230 00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:41,950 And is completely overwhelmed. 231 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:44,530 Barney's pushing ahead 232 00:13:44,530 --> 00:13:45,940 to scout the next bend. 233 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:48,930 And what lies beyond it. 234 00:13:50,630 --> 00:13:53,270 Well so far, we've managed to handle everything 235 00:13:53,270 --> 00:13:54,470 the rivers thrown at us. 236 00:13:55,589 --> 00:13:58,580 But you just never know what's around the next corner. 237 00:13:58,580 --> 00:14:01,490 And his radio report brings bad news. 238 00:14:03,470 --> 00:14:05,733 [Barney on Walkie] It's all pumping into the same turn 239 00:14:05,733 --> 00:14:07,560 And then it looks like it just 240 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:10,210 drops off the face of this Earth. 241 00:14:11,290 --> 00:14:13,467 Up ahead is the wildest white water 242 00:14:13,467 --> 00:14:15,750 any of us have ever seen. 243 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:18,966 That's horrific. 244 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:23,270 This river is just not gonna give it up easy. 245 00:14:25,860 --> 00:14:26,940 Totally unpaddleable 246 00:14:26,940 --> 00:14:28,790 Not a chance we're getting down that. 247 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:32,940 The river just drops into a huge maelstrom 248 00:14:32,940 --> 00:14:35,390 of like big holes, big crashing waves, 249 00:14:35,390 --> 00:14:38,530 like dwarfing anything we've seen so far. 250 00:14:38,530 --> 00:14:41,570 And if one small mistake is made in here, 251 00:14:41,570 --> 00:14:42,720 there's no way to recover, 252 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,220 like you're going straight into that next section. 253 00:14:48,285 --> 00:14:51,000 (intense music) 254 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,100 Once again, 255 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:54,940 we've hit a section that we can't kayak. 256 00:14:54,940 --> 00:14:55,810 We're trapped. 257 00:14:59,210 --> 00:15:02,070 But flood levels like this do at least give an insight 258 00:15:02,070 --> 00:15:04,010 into the rivers destructive power. 259 00:15:06,290 --> 00:15:09,991 It could just take away these mountain sides. 260 00:15:09,991 --> 00:15:13,580 And that, of course, is what's created the Baliem gorge. 261 00:15:14,715 --> 00:15:17,184 The sheer force of the water 262 00:15:17,184 --> 00:15:19,730 tumbles rocks downstream, 263 00:15:19,730 --> 00:15:21,620 grinding away at the bedrock, 264 00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:23,840 scouring out the river channel. 265 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,130 It's erosion at its most powerful. 266 00:15:27,510 --> 00:15:30,500 When it's in full flood, it has the power 267 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:34,560 to move along boulders that are the size of cars. 268 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:37,510 It's a mighty, yet sobering, spectacle. 269 00:15:40,730 --> 00:15:42,620 Dusk is starting to fall. 270 00:15:42,620 --> 00:15:45,680 We're exhausted, beaten and bruised. 271 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:47,180 Decisions on what to do next 272 00:15:47,180 --> 00:15:48,830 will have to wait until tomorrow. 273 00:15:49,791 --> 00:15:52,291 (light music) 274 00:16:06,230 --> 00:16:08,647 (thundering) 275 00:16:18,773 --> 00:16:22,510 It's been raining for six solid hours quite heavily. 276 00:16:22,510 --> 00:16:27,510 River's come up, by now the meter, or maybe more. 277 00:16:28,161 --> 00:16:30,448 Not only can't we continue downstream, 278 00:16:30,448 --> 00:16:33,420 but we can't get out of here either. 279 00:16:33,420 --> 00:16:37,780 What was solid about five hours ago 280 00:16:39,183 --> 00:16:40,040 craziest white water in the world 281 00:16:42,018 --> 00:16:43,418 just got bigger and crazier. 282 00:16:45,450 --> 00:16:46,300 So we're stuck. 283 00:16:48,850 --> 00:16:49,770 The bad weather means 284 00:16:49,770 --> 00:16:51,820 we can't call for a helicopter. 285 00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:54,320 So for the next day, at least, we're trapped here. 286 00:16:55,284 --> 00:16:57,784 (light music) 287 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:05,210 But it does mean I get a chance 288 00:17:05,210 --> 00:17:06,660 to have a proper look around. 289 00:17:08,733 --> 00:17:11,233 (light music) 290 00:17:15,275 --> 00:17:16,280 I have to say this is one of the 291 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,710 prettiest patches of forest 292 00:17:18,710 --> 00:17:20,360 that I've ever spent any time in. 293 00:17:21,220 --> 00:17:23,040 And all these splashes of color, 294 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,111 these blooms like this, seem even more fragile 295 00:17:27,111 --> 00:17:31,180 when they're along side that massive, torrential river. 296 00:17:34,950 --> 00:17:35,820 Orchids like these 297 00:17:35,820 --> 00:17:38,130 thrive at the river-side. 298 00:17:38,130 --> 00:17:41,130 You get these incredible displays of color. 299 00:17:41,130 --> 00:17:44,960 And that, very much, is designed to attract the pollinators. 300 00:17:46,630 --> 00:17:50,188 Just in here is a paper nest which has been made 301 00:17:50,188 --> 00:17:55,050 from chewed-up tree bark and wasp spit essentially. 302 00:17:55,050 --> 00:17:59,210 And gathered around it are a whole host of wasps. 303 00:17:59,210 --> 00:18:02,198 So a fair few times working in forests like these, 304 00:18:02,198 --> 00:18:04,830 I've brushed into nests like this 305 00:18:04,830 --> 00:18:08,140 and got stung a couple of times and just kinda swatted 306 00:18:08,140 --> 00:18:11,920 the wasps, and when you do that they release a pheromone 307 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,230 which smells like ripe bananas and it's an attack pheromone. 308 00:18:15,230 --> 00:18:18,290 It convinces all of the others to start stinging too. 309 00:18:18,290 --> 00:18:20,680 And you end up charging for the nearest body of water 310 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,180 with your arms flailing around all over the... 311 00:18:24,210 --> 00:18:25,240 Ow shoot! 312 00:18:28,420 --> 00:18:32,445 I just seriously went against 313 00:18:32,445 --> 00:18:36,790 working with wasps and bees rule one. 314 00:18:39,900 --> 00:18:42,789 I must spend so much of my life telling people, 315 00:18:42,789 --> 00:18:45,920 if you're near wasps and bees don't swing your arms 316 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,153 around all over the place because it agitates them. 317 00:18:49,153 --> 00:18:51,830 And that's really spicy. 318 00:18:52,890 --> 00:18:53,723 Ow. 319 00:18:55,332 --> 00:18:57,582 (laughing) 320 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,930 With no sign of the weather improving, 321 00:19:04,930 --> 00:19:07,280 Aldo and I decide to make the most of it 322 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,891 and try and find one of the elusive tribes 323 00:19:08,891 --> 00:19:10,130 that live out here. 324 00:19:16,170 --> 00:19:18,190 And the signs are promising. 325 00:19:18,190 --> 00:19:19,023 Look at this. 326 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,535 It's a hunters hut and I can still smell 327 00:19:25,535 --> 00:19:28,410 that damp ember smell. 328 00:19:28,410 --> 00:19:31,820 Which means that this fire is relatively recent. 329 00:19:33,740 --> 00:19:35,900 The dominant tribe in this part of Papua 330 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:37,520 are the Yali. 331 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:39,850 There villages are found in the wild lands 332 00:19:39,850 --> 00:19:41,730 that surround the Baliem gorge. 333 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:44,870 If we can find one of their villages, 334 00:19:44,870 --> 00:19:46,110 it'd be a real key. 335 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,520 So if we look around here, there's bound to be a trail 336 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,778 that heads up there and I bet anything 337 00:19:54,778 --> 00:19:57,728 that there's a village somewhere in the hillsides above us. 338 00:20:00,410 --> 00:20:01,870 With their own distinct language 339 00:20:01,870 --> 00:20:04,570 and culture, many of the Yali live their lives 340 00:20:04,570 --> 00:20:06,290 shut away from the outside world. 341 00:20:09,300 --> 00:20:12,700 Finding a trail to their village is easier said than done. 342 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:18,713 Is that yes? 343 00:20:18,713 --> 00:20:19,546 Yeah. 344 00:20:21,170 --> 00:20:22,600 Certainly not as well used 345 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,685 as the stuff that we've just come through. 346 00:20:24,685 --> 00:20:25,710 Yeah, it's maybe not used that frequently 347 00:20:25,710 --> 00:20:29,420 but it's definitely, definitely a walkway. 348 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,340 I'm not convinced if I'm honest mate. 349 00:20:34,257 --> 00:20:35,400 Nope. 350 00:20:38,940 --> 00:20:41,077 T-shirt or something there. 351 00:20:41,077 --> 00:20:42,570 Or rag. 352 00:20:48,450 --> 00:20:50,120 Well, this is the path. 353 00:20:51,810 --> 00:20:55,680 I'd imagine we'd zig zag up onto this ridge line here. 354 00:20:56,750 --> 00:20:59,310 This old hunters trail is over grown, 355 00:20:59,310 --> 00:21:00,290 and little used. 356 00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:04,590 It's a struggle to cover any distance, and painfully slow. 357 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:09,770 It's thick isn't it. 358 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:13,380 (light music) 359 00:21:18,730 --> 00:21:20,345 The occasional chopped down tree 360 00:21:20,345 --> 00:21:22,190 is another trail marker. 361 00:21:23,450 --> 00:21:24,780 That's been cut with a tool. 362 00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:27,090 Signs the Yali have been here. 363 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,090 The terrain gets steeper and steeper. 364 00:21:35,090 --> 00:21:38,070 It's humid, sweaty and slippery. 365 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,080 Even the wildlife seems to be taunting us. 366 00:21:47,290 --> 00:21:52,290 I just walked into the mother of all spiders webs. 367 00:21:53,300 --> 00:21:55,140 And this is the culprit. 368 00:21:56,610 --> 00:21:58,380 She is Nephila. 369 00:21:59,940 --> 00:22:02,790 A Golden silk orb web-weaving spider. 370 00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:05,820 She's a reasonable size. 371 00:22:05,820 --> 00:22:07,810 But they can get to be enormous. 372 00:22:07,810 --> 00:22:09,786 This incredible spider though I guess 373 00:22:09,786 --> 00:22:13,060 it looks extremely creepy, 374 00:22:13,060 --> 00:22:15,880 is harmless to use as human beings. 375 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:17,150 The webs are strung across 376 00:22:17,150 --> 00:22:20,230 the open paths to target flying insects. 377 00:22:20,230 --> 00:22:23,940 But have been known to catch small birds and even bats. 378 00:22:23,940 --> 00:22:27,130 She'll inject them with enzymes that liquefy their insides 379 00:22:27,130 --> 00:22:29,410 and suck out the meat soup. 380 00:22:29,410 --> 00:22:31,380 Alright, I'm gonna her back on this leaf here. 381 00:22:32,950 --> 00:22:36,420 See that long thread of golden silk. 382 00:22:36,420 --> 00:22:40,980 For its size and for its diameter, it's stronger than steel. 383 00:22:42,610 --> 00:22:43,910 As I'm out front, 384 00:22:43,910 --> 00:22:46,240 I'm the one walking into all the webs. 385 00:22:48,150 --> 00:22:50,890 And I am trussed up in it properly. 386 00:22:51,750 --> 00:22:53,050 It's all in my hair. 387 00:22:54,308 --> 00:22:55,240 Gross. 388 00:23:01,049 --> 00:23:03,632 (somber music) 389 00:23:08,886 --> 00:23:10,720 After hours of struggling up-hill, 390 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,680 we break out of the trees. 391 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,130 But it's not the Yali village we were hoping for. 392 00:23:16,724 --> 00:23:18,724 Oh now that is a view. 393 00:23:20,431 --> 00:23:21,800 Wow. 394 00:23:22,932 --> 00:23:24,110 Pristine. 395 00:23:24,110 --> 00:23:25,980 It's not often in the rain forest that you pop out 396 00:23:25,980 --> 00:23:27,380 and get a view like that. 397 00:23:27,380 --> 00:23:29,600 Usually you're just completely encased in this 398 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:31,740 dark green cavern. 399 00:23:31,740 --> 00:23:35,320 And all of a sudden, seeing this... 400 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:36,320 It's amazing to think 401 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:38,060 that this was once a sea bed. 402 00:23:38,060 --> 00:23:40,460 Marine fossils in the rock prove it. 403 00:23:40,460 --> 00:23:42,030 Over the last five million years, 404 00:23:42,030 --> 00:23:43,590 these layers of ocean floor 405 00:23:43,590 --> 00:23:45,690 were lifted up to form mountains. 406 00:23:45,690 --> 00:23:47,415 Then rivers like the Baliem got to work. 407 00:23:47,415 --> 00:23:49,700 Carving out deep valleys. 408 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,309 Being here gives you a real sense of quite 409 00:23:53,309 --> 00:23:57,350 what it is that we've taken on here, you know. 410 00:23:57,350 --> 00:24:00,600 The river is an absolute beast 411 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:02,350 but the second you come away from it 412 00:24:02,350 --> 00:24:03,650 the forest is even harder. 413 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:10,840 We've taken three and a half hours to get here. 414 00:24:12,620 --> 00:24:17,140 And we are about a kilometer away from where we started. 415 00:24:17,140 --> 00:24:18,730 Only 200 meters in height. 416 00:24:18,730 --> 00:24:21,130 Only 200 meters in height. 417 00:24:21,130 --> 00:24:22,220 And massive mosquitoes. 418 00:24:22,220 --> 00:24:24,340 Massive, massive mosquitoes. 419 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,331 It's 4:30 now so it's gonna be dark 420 00:24:28,331 --> 00:24:30,600 in just over an hour or so. 421 00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:33,316 I don't think we're gonna get to that village, do you? 422 00:24:33,316 --> 00:24:34,366 No, there's no way. 423 00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:36,970 We made have utterly failed 424 00:24:36,970 --> 00:24:39,740 to find the elusive Yali village on the ridge line, 425 00:24:39,740 --> 00:24:41,960 but it's given us a different perspective on the river. 426 00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:43,610 And the landscape that it shaped. 427 00:24:45,070 --> 00:24:47,110 There's no water up here. 428 00:24:47,110 --> 00:24:48,910 We can't really camp up here comfortably 429 00:24:48,910 --> 00:24:51,700 so we're gonna have to head down and fast 430 00:24:51,700 --> 00:24:53,700 otherwise we're gonna be sliding down those slopes 431 00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:57,280 in the dark and that would be very unwise. 432 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,240 I think we'll end up in the dark anyway. 433 00:25:02,731 --> 00:25:05,400 Sure enough, as soon as we drop back 434 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,140 under the dense canopy, the light fades. 435 00:25:10,165 --> 00:25:12,832 (intense music) 436 00:25:15,961 --> 00:25:18,770 The jungles so difficult to navigate in, 437 00:25:18,770 --> 00:25:21,720 in daylight, never mind night time. 438 00:25:24,170 --> 00:25:26,490 Keep your wits about you. 439 00:25:27,670 --> 00:25:29,758 The trail was tricky to find before, 440 00:25:29,758 --> 00:25:32,910 now in the dark, we quickly lose our bearings. 441 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:38,480 First thing you learn about being in the jungle 442 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:39,780 is don't fight the forest. 443 00:25:40,631 --> 00:25:43,654 Move as slowly, carefully and easily as you can 444 00:25:43,654 --> 00:25:47,870 because otherwise you're gonna become a cropper. 445 00:25:52,530 --> 00:25:54,580 The only way on is to head down 446 00:25:54,580 --> 00:25:56,140 towards the roar of the river. 447 00:25:58,759 --> 00:26:02,090 Alright, nice and gently guys, really gently. 448 00:26:03,340 --> 00:26:05,910 If you fall, shout, keep your legs together. 449 00:26:10,407 --> 00:26:12,110 Everyone just be super careful you don't lose sight, 450 00:26:12,110 --> 00:26:15,180 that's a big drop so maybe push on to the left. 451 00:26:17,991 --> 00:26:19,150 We're in the nightmare scenario now. 452 00:26:19,150 --> 00:26:20,836 Can't see the track. 453 00:26:20,836 --> 00:26:22,380 Nothing really to hold onto. 454 00:26:23,287 --> 00:26:25,780 (yelling) 455 00:26:25,780 --> 00:26:26,990 Careful mate, careful. 456 00:26:28,090 --> 00:26:30,326 Where the hell are you taking us Aldo? 457 00:26:30,326 --> 00:26:32,283 I don't know, mate. 458 00:26:32,283 --> 00:26:35,135 We've managed to turn a simple side trip 459 00:26:35,135 --> 00:26:37,360 into an absolute epic. 460 00:26:40,210 --> 00:26:45,210 Everyone's exhausted and we're going for much too long. 461 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,350 Just be super careful, 462 00:26:50,350 --> 00:26:52,000 I can't see how steep it is here. 463 00:26:54,904 --> 00:26:57,940 The river's getting louder, we're getting closer. 464 00:26:57,940 --> 00:26:59,430 But we've no idea if we're about 465 00:26:59,430 --> 00:27:02,080 to walk into our camp, or the rapids. 466 00:27:03,170 --> 00:27:05,339 I can see the water now. 467 00:27:05,339 --> 00:27:07,900 Oh thank good for that. 468 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:09,301 Yeah, sorry. 469 00:27:09,301 --> 00:27:11,801 It's always an epic moving at night in the jungle. 470 00:27:15,700 --> 00:27:16,680 It's been a huge, 471 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:18,120 physically draining day. 472 00:27:20,121 --> 00:27:22,621 (light music) 473 00:27:25,629 --> 00:27:26,462 I am beat. 474 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,310 At first light, the cloud cover 475 00:27:40,310 --> 00:27:41,960 is still hanging over the valley. 476 00:27:44,890 --> 00:27:47,590 The chance of a helicopter rescue is looking unlikely. 477 00:27:49,190 --> 00:27:50,940 The river doesn't look particularly good for it 478 00:27:50,940 --> 00:27:53,050 but everything kinda hinges on us 479 00:27:53,050 --> 00:27:54,700 getting out of here this morning. 480 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:58,950 Low cloud and rain is not on our side. 481 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,850 But then we get word, the chopper is on its way. 482 00:28:09,463 --> 00:28:12,130 (intense music) 483 00:28:17,690 --> 00:28:20,620 The daredevil pilot has ducked in beneath the clouds. 484 00:28:20,620 --> 00:28:23,410 We have only minutes to tear down camp and load the gear 485 00:28:23,410 --> 00:28:25,370 in case the clouds close in again. 486 00:28:28,132 --> 00:28:33,132 Cannot believe I'm back in a helicopter again. 487 00:28:36,342 --> 00:28:38,410 Our aim is to make a short hop 488 00:28:38,410 --> 00:28:40,090 over this impassable section. 489 00:28:46,150 --> 00:28:49,160 But below us, the river has risen again. 490 00:28:54,610 --> 00:28:56,150 Every minute we're in the air, 491 00:28:56,150 --> 00:28:57,650 we're flying over more of the river 492 00:28:57,650 --> 00:28:59,870 we'd like to paddle and explore. 493 00:28:59,870 --> 00:29:01,250 We scan the gorge, 494 00:29:01,250 --> 00:29:03,620 desperate for water we can actually paddle.` 495 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,832 Nearly 15 kilometers pass below us before we find a place 496 00:29:10,832 --> 00:29:13,120 the heli can set down. 497 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:17,420 The river's still a raging torrent, 498 00:29:17,420 --> 00:29:19,280 but the hope is that we can paddle from here 499 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:21,560 to the end of the gorge at South Gap. 500 00:29:26,735 --> 00:29:28,290 We're just very very lucky that the helicopter 501 00:29:28,290 --> 00:29:30,810 could come to our aid and bring us down here 502 00:29:30,810 --> 00:29:33,320 because where we are now, we can start again. 503 00:29:34,630 --> 00:29:36,890 There is still a lot of river left. 504 00:29:36,890 --> 00:29:40,220 A lot of river, like probably 300 kilometers of river left. 505 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:55,300 As we stop to make camp, 506 00:29:55,300 --> 00:29:57,350 faces emerge from the forest. 507 00:30:08,284 --> 00:30:10,290 They're a Yali hunting party 508 00:30:10,290 --> 00:30:12,940 that has been following our progress from a distance. 509 00:30:14,606 --> 00:30:16,960 I think it's the village that we tried to walk 510 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,210 to yesterday and failed dismally. 511 00:30:21,710 --> 00:30:22,860 But they've come to us. 512 00:30:24,140 --> 00:30:26,400 Their hunting trips can last weeks. 513 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,840 But it hasn't taken them that long to find us. 514 00:30:45,690 --> 00:30:48,560 At last, we've come face to face with the elusive Yali. 515 00:31:03,090 --> 00:31:06,160 They're are intrigued, I think is the word. 516 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:07,850 Intrigued and interested as to what we're up to 517 00:31:07,850 --> 00:31:09,150 and what we're doing here. 518 00:31:10,650 --> 00:31:12,660 But then, more Yali arrive. 519 00:31:12,660 --> 00:31:14,690 This time with weapons drawn. 520 00:31:50,290 --> 00:31:53,130 New Guinea has huge mineral reserves. 521 00:31:53,130 --> 00:31:55,550 It's home to the world's largest gold mine. 522 00:31:55,550 --> 00:31:57,770 And the third largest copper mine. 523 00:31:57,770 --> 00:31:59,662 But the exploitation of these resources 524 00:31:59,662 --> 00:32:01,660 has often been at the expense 525 00:32:01,660 --> 00:32:04,450 of ingenious people and their lands. 526 00:32:04,450 --> 00:32:06,709 First 20 seconds when he came striding over here 527 00:32:06,709 --> 00:32:11,079 with his bow drawn and a look on his face like thunder 528 00:32:11,079 --> 00:32:14,280 was genuinely scary. 529 00:32:15,860 --> 00:32:16,760 Once they realize 530 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,320 we aren't here to steal from them or from their land, 531 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:20,460 the mood lifts. 532 00:32:26,270 --> 00:32:28,270 It has an incredible spiral thread 533 00:32:28,270 --> 00:32:29,770 running down the length of it. 534 00:32:37,495 --> 00:32:42,495 Oh wow so that's beaten out of a kind of thing of fuel. 535 00:32:43,470 --> 00:32:46,450 Basically a fuel can that's been beaten into an arrow head. 536 00:32:56,250 --> 00:32:58,600 There's not supposed to be any crocodiles here. 537 00:33:06,824 --> 00:33:07,660 So another 10 kilometers or so down stream 538 00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:10,080 we're gonna hit crocodile country. 539 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:10,913 The hunters live 540 00:33:10,913 --> 00:33:12,630 a hand to mouth existence. 541 00:33:12,630 --> 00:33:13,610 Catching what they need from 542 00:33:13,610 --> 00:33:15,710 the jungle and the river to survive. 543 00:33:17,671 --> 00:33:20,171 (light music) 544 00:33:21,890 --> 00:33:23,080 It's a tough life. 545 00:33:25,427 --> 00:33:28,550 This man has a nasty machete wound to his hand, 546 00:33:28,550 --> 00:33:29,840 you think you can do anything with it? 547 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:30,673 Absolutely yeah. 548 00:33:31,900 --> 00:33:33,500 Expedition medic Aldo, 549 00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:35,550 strips away the old rags and moss 550 00:33:35,550 --> 00:33:36,900 they've used as a dressing. 551 00:33:42,730 --> 00:33:44,430 You can see there it's... 552 00:33:46,380 --> 00:33:47,970 It's actually just the skin, it doesn't look like 553 00:33:47,970 --> 00:33:51,110 it's gone done into the tendon there. 554 00:33:51,110 --> 00:33:53,290 The main thing is to clean it up and dress it. 555 00:33:54,130 --> 00:33:55,210 The nearest medical help 556 00:33:55,210 --> 00:33:56,950 is many days away. 557 00:33:56,950 --> 00:33:59,310 It may sound like an exaggeration but a wound like this 558 00:33:59,310 --> 00:34:01,640 out here would definitely get infected. 559 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:06,220 So Aldo with just a little bit of modern antiseptic 560 00:34:06,220 --> 00:34:08,066 and cleaning and dressing 561 00:34:08,066 --> 00:34:10,380 could actually have saved this guys hand. 562 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:15,370 These Yali hunters don't seem interested 563 00:34:15,370 --> 00:34:17,130 in heading for a new life in the towns 564 00:34:17,130 --> 00:34:19,090 or working in the mines. 565 00:34:19,090 --> 00:34:21,180 These jungles are home. 566 00:34:28,810 --> 00:34:32,380 The next morning is potentially our last in the Lower Gorge. 567 00:34:33,547 --> 00:34:36,047 (light music) 568 00:34:42,260 --> 00:34:46,600 This felt like the finest king-sized bed in history. 569 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:48,770 Oh look at that, breakfast in bed. 570 00:34:52,570 --> 00:34:54,410 We're now on the final stretch 571 00:34:54,410 --> 00:34:55,390 of the Lower Gorge. 572 00:34:56,953 --> 00:34:59,453 (light music) 573 00:35:02,030 --> 00:35:02,863 We start early. 574 00:35:08,070 --> 00:35:11,210 The river gets wider and slows. 575 00:35:11,210 --> 00:35:13,660 We're leaving the mountains behind. 576 00:35:15,420 --> 00:35:19,130 And then ahead, we can just make out the smoke of a fire. 577 00:35:19,130 --> 00:35:19,963 South Gap. 578 00:35:22,460 --> 00:35:25,200 We've arranged for motorized longboats to meet us here 579 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:26,810 to take us on to the coast. 580 00:35:29,781 --> 00:35:32,281 (light music) 581 00:35:40,170 --> 00:35:41,710 When I think about what we've done 582 00:35:41,710 --> 00:35:43,110 over the last three weeks, 583 00:35:44,140 --> 00:35:46,190 the territory we've been through, 584 00:35:46,190 --> 00:35:48,820 the amount of distance we covered, 585 00:35:48,820 --> 00:35:51,250 it's epic, you know. 586 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:53,830 We've already done something massive. 587 00:35:55,550 --> 00:35:58,490 Clouds are rolling in and the mountains 588 00:35:58,490 --> 00:36:00,100 are gonna disappear pretty soon. 589 00:36:02,150 --> 00:36:03,520 Just one last look. 590 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:09,560 The long stretch to the coast 591 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,340 would take weeks in kayaks and there's the small matter 592 00:36:12,340 --> 00:36:13,860 of the monster crocs. 593 00:36:13,860 --> 00:36:16,570 Only Aldo and I will continue south to the sea. 594 00:36:17,910 --> 00:36:20,670 The river team will be heading back to civilization. 595 00:36:21,980 --> 00:36:26,980 (singing) I go down to the river tonight. 596 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:28,833 We got through 597 00:36:28,833 --> 00:36:30,200 the wild water in one piece. 598 00:36:33,620 --> 00:36:37,030 As did a guitar, which they smuggled all this way. 599 00:36:38,225 --> 00:36:43,225 (singing) On down, to the river we ride. 600 00:36:43,573 --> 00:36:46,156 (plays guitar) 601 00:36:48,633 --> 00:36:50,883 (cheering) 602 00:36:59,710 --> 00:37:00,940 This is probably the last chance I have 603 00:37:00,940 --> 00:37:03,350 to splash around in the river like this. 604 00:37:03,350 --> 00:37:06,270 Much downstream of here and we're in croc country. 605 00:37:11,710 --> 00:37:14,510 This is the last leg of our journey. 606 00:37:17,220 --> 00:37:19,480 We've 200 kilometers ahead of us. 607 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:23,150 Through croc infested swamp, home to the Asmat people, 608 00:37:23,150 --> 00:37:25,670 renowned warriors and once famous for being 609 00:37:25,670 --> 00:37:27,360 headhunting cannibals. 610 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:30,130 Before our goal, the Pacific Ocean. 611 00:37:33,450 --> 00:37:35,230 As we travel further downstream, 612 00:37:36,610 --> 00:37:38,690 the landscape and the river change. 613 00:37:40,830 --> 00:37:43,180 We're now meandering through lowland jungle. 614 00:37:44,836 --> 00:37:47,336 (light music) 615 00:37:52,030 --> 00:37:57,030 This is one of the last huge unspoiled rain forest 616 00:37:57,812 --> 00:37:59,220 left on Earth. 617 00:38:00,410 --> 00:38:03,440 It is one of the most bio diverse forests there is 618 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:04,490 on the entire planet. 619 00:38:04,490 --> 00:38:08,110 The amount of species living here is extraordinary. 620 00:38:09,617 --> 00:38:12,367 (birds chirping) 621 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:20,120 It's a massive colony of flying foxes, giant fruit bats. 622 00:38:21,020 --> 00:38:22,880 And they are truly giant. 623 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:24,870 The wing-span is well over a meter. 624 00:38:25,850 --> 00:38:28,810 These bats are the largest in the world. 625 00:38:30,930 --> 00:38:35,160 There must be four or five thousand bats in this colony, 626 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:36,440 it's absolutely huge, 627 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,880 it goes all the way back into the forest. 628 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,800 And although they look like giant vampire bats, 629 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:44,890 actually they're feeding on fruit. 630 00:38:44,890 --> 00:38:47,040 These are incredibly important animals. 631 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:49,480 They're one of the most vital disperses 632 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,930 of seed in the rain forest. 633 00:38:51,930 --> 00:38:54,510 So much of the trees in the forest 634 00:38:54,510 --> 00:38:56,429 that we're seeing around us is made possible 635 00:38:56,429 --> 00:38:58,260 because of bats like this. 636 00:39:00,510 --> 00:39:03,660 After two days traveling through jungle, 637 00:39:03,660 --> 00:39:06,590 we get our first glimpses of people living by the river. 638 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:10,300 We're in the land of the Asmat. 639 00:39:13,780 --> 00:39:16,420 Many of the Asmat remained uncontacted at the end 640 00:39:16,420 --> 00:39:18,120 of the 20th century. 641 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,140 They're are probably wild corners that have yet to meet 642 00:39:20,140 --> 00:39:21,510 the modern world. 643 00:39:22,530 --> 00:39:26,170 They've lived here for a staggering 30 thousand years. 644 00:39:26,170 --> 00:39:28,810 But how are they coping with the 21st century? 645 00:39:28,810 --> 00:39:32,008 What impact is it having on their ancient traditions. 646 00:39:32,008 --> 00:39:35,290 We're just pulling into a village called Yaosakor. 647 00:39:36,398 --> 00:39:38,800 This is the first settlement that we've actually seen marked 648 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,950 on a map for about 10 days since we left the highlands. 649 00:39:43,260 --> 00:39:45,810 This looks like the traditional longhouse up ahead. 650 00:39:48,740 --> 00:39:49,920 There are Asmat villages 651 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:51,930 scattered all through the jungle. 652 00:39:51,930 --> 00:39:53,920 But Yaosakor is one of the largest. 653 00:39:57,022 --> 00:40:01,355 (speaks foreign language) 654 00:40:03,051 --> 00:40:04,562 The prize is forgetting how the people of this village 655 00:40:04,562 --> 00:40:08,980 make their living and what their main food source is here. 656 00:40:10,580 --> 00:40:12,210 The village is built on two-meter 657 00:40:12,210 --> 00:40:15,560 high stilts to protect the houses from river floods. 658 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,956 With raised walkways connecting private dwellings 659 00:40:17,956 --> 00:40:19,640 and communal buildings. 660 00:40:20,870 --> 00:40:23,620 The longhouse is the traditional center of the village. 661 00:40:23,620 --> 00:40:25,920 Where the elders hold important meetings. 662 00:40:28,310 --> 00:40:31,460 As we've seen throughout Papua, elders are the most 663 00:40:31,460 --> 00:40:33,480 respected members of the community. 664 00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:34,900 Guardians of their culture. 665 00:40:36,380 --> 00:40:38,440 Ernes is one of the village elders. 666 00:41:16,854 --> 00:41:20,630 The river is at the heart of everything they do. 667 00:41:20,630 --> 00:41:22,256 They come from the river and when they die, 668 00:41:22,256 --> 00:41:23,920 they go back to its source. 669 00:41:26,330 --> 00:41:27,870 The river may be a vital part of 670 00:41:27,870 --> 00:41:31,430 Asmat life and culture, but it's murky waters 671 00:41:31,430 --> 00:41:33,280 hide real life monsters. 672 00:41:34,290 --> 00:41:35,681 The saltwater crocodiles that live here 673 00:41:35,681 --> 00:41:38,180 are the largest reptiles on Earth. 674 00:42:17,690 --> 00:42:19,488 Quite often actually crocodiles are seen as a symbol 675 00:42:19,488 --> 00:42:23,780 of great power and there's sorta respect for them. 676 00:42:23,780 --> 00:42:26,538 Here in this village that's definitely not the case. 677 00:42:26,538 --> 00:42:29,380 The crocodile is pure evil. 678 00:42:31,660 --> 00:42:33,040 Just seven years ago, 679 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:35,860 the village was terrorized by a huge crocodile. 680 00:42:36,792 --> 00:42:39,580 Oh my goodness. 681 00:42:40,510 --> 00:42:44,250 That's the biggest croc skull I've ever seen in my life. 682 00:42:53,159 --> 00:42:55,220 This is from a saltwater crocodile. 683 00:42:55,220 --> 00:42:56,890 Which is the biggest species of reptile, 684 00:42:56,890 --> 00:42:58,640 the biggest species of crocodilian. 685 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,410 Look at the size of those teeth there. 686 00:43:01,410 --> 00:43:06,410 This was a nearly five meter long crocodile. 687 00:43:06,540 --> 00:43:09,580 I kinda quite struggled to lift it with my hands. 688 00:43:09,580 --> 00:43:12,580 But look how broad the skull is. 689 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:17,770 A crocodile like this could weigh three quarters of a ton. 690 00:43:17,770 --> 00:43:19,590 It's often said that these rivers in New Guinea 691 00:43:19,590 --> 00:43:21,760 have the largest crocodiles in the world. 692 00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:24,740 And this proves that that is absolutely true. 693 00:43:36,873 --> 00:43:38,330 17 people. 694 00:43:38,330 --> 00:43:41,810 And then one of the people here killed it with a spear. 695 00:43:41,810 --> 00:43:43,120 Just like that one. 696 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,000 It was basically eating its way through the village. 697 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:49,830 When it was alive, this would have been a true monster. 698 00:43:49,830 --> 00:43:53,730 It really does bring it home how difficult life must be 699 00:43:53,730 --> 00:43:54,930 in a village like this. 700 00:43:55,799 --> 00:43:57,230 Knowing that every time you go out to the waters edge 701 00:43:57,230 --> 00:43:59,380 there could be something like this waiting. 702 00:44:05,380 --> 00:44:06,580 For though saltwater crocodiles 703 00:44:06,580 --> 00:44:08,870 are legally protected here, 704 00:44:08,870 --> 00:44:10,460 the Asmat are allowed to hunt 705 00:44:10,460 --> 00:44:12,290 and trade them in small numbers. 706 00:44:15,750 --> 00:44:19,032 Obviously it's sad that an animal of that size 707 00:44:19,032 --> 00:44:23,970 has been killed, but at the same time if you live 708 00:44:23,970 --> 00:44:28,640 in a place like this and an animal takes 17 of your 709 00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:31,040 friends and family from the river, 710 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,080 then obviously you've gotta kill it. 711 00:44:37,050 --> 00:44:39,467 (thundering) 712 00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:47,450 As the heavens open, 713 00:44:47,450 --> 00:44:49,350 the Asmat all come together. 714 00:44:56,620 --> 00:44:58,370 Normally the longhouse is men only. 715 00:44:59,620 --> 00:45:03,085 But today the whole village is here to sing, dance 716 00:45:03,085 --> 00:45:05,680 and share their ancient tales. 717 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:12,770 To help celebrate the village gathering, 718 00:45:12,770 --> 00:45:14,270 a feast is being prepared. 719 00:45:15,910 --> 00:45:17,650 And this time it's not crocodile. 720 00:45:18,700 --> 00:45:20,400 But one of the villagers own pigs 721 00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:22,480 that's about to be slaughtered. 722 00:45:23,827 --> 00:45:26,494 (beating drums) 723 00:45:38,350 --> 00:45:40,650 The pig will provide enough food for all 12 724 00:45:40,650 --> 00:45:42,140 of the village clans. 725 00:45:42,140 --> 00:45:44,760 And Aldo and I are honored to be included. 726 00:45:49,670 --> 00:45:52,870 Before the feast begins, some what incongruously, 727 00:45:52,870 --> 00:45:54,960 the village head says prayers. 728 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:09,460 Missionaries have been converting the Asmat 729 00:46:09,460 --> 00:46:13,870 and other Papuan tribes to Christianity since the 1950's. 730 00:46:13,870 --> 00:46:16,093 The missionaries persuaded many tribes to leave behind 731 00:46:16,093 --> 00:46:18,130 headhunting and cannibalism 732 00:46:30,396 --> 00:46:33,280 Although much of Yaosakor is normally Christian, 733 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:36,440 traditional Animist beliefs are still the dominant force. 734 00:46:45,830 --> 00:46:48,890 Their traditions run deep, often Christianity 735 00:46:48,890 --> 00:46:52,120 has simply been incorporated into their older beliefs. 736 00:46:52,120 --> 00:46:53,454 Beliefs that everything in nature 737 00:46:53,454 --> 00:46:55,787 possesses a spiritual force. 738 00:46:55,787 --> 00:46:58,037 (drumming) 739 00:47:01,710 --> 00:47:04,090 The drumming continues late into the night. 740 00:47:04,090 --> 00:47:06,720 The elders singing ancient Asmat poems 741 00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:08,500 which can last for many days. 742 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:15,150 It's quite late now in the longhouse. 743 00:47:15,150 --> 00:47:19,110 And the drumming finished a little while ago 744 00:47:19,110 --> 00:47:21,130 but there's still lots of people milling around, 745 00:47:21,130 --> 00:47:24,200 sitting, chatting, sitting around fires. 746 00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:27,140 And this will go on all night long I guess. 747 00:47:27,140 --> 00:47:30,032 I'm probably not gonna get an enormous amount of sleep here. 748 00:47:30,032 --> 00:47:34,162 But it's one night in a lifetime 749 00:47:34,162 --> 00:47:36,439 so I'm just gonna enjoy it. 750 00:47:36,439 --> 00:47:39,272 (people chatting) 751 00:47:49,010 --> 00:47:50,330 The Asmat's main contact 752 00:47:50,330 --> 00:47:53,090 with the outside world has been through art. 753 00:47:53,090 --> 00:47:54,520 Their carvings are treasured by 754 00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:56,390 anthropologists and collectors. 755 00:47:59,090 --> 00:48:01,820 Beyond Yaosakor, the Asmat region is a morass 756 00:48:01,820 --> 00:48:03,190 of tangled forest. 757 00:48:04,050 --> 00:48:06,710 Most settlements are just a few shacks. 758 00:48:06,710 --> 00:48:09,700 If the modern world was going to change the Asmat anywhere, 759 00:48:09,700 --> 00:48:10,640 it would be here. 760 00:48:11,910 --> 00:48:13,560 But life in Yaosakor continues 761 00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:15,990 as it has done for generations. 762 00:48:15,990 --> 00:48:17,610 You have to travel 100 kilometers 763 00:48:17,610 --> 00:48:19,330 to get any signal for that phone. 764 00:48:20,660 --> 00:48:23,350 It seems to me, a few tin roof society, 765 00:48:23,350 --> 00:48:25,900 the modernity hasn't got much appeal. 766 00:48:25,900 --> 00:48:28,170 My new friends say they like things just the way 767 00:48:28,170 --> 00:48:29,170 they've always been. 768 00:48:41,710 --> 00:48:44,863 We're now just hours away from completing our month-long 769 00:48:44,863 --> 00:48:47,970 500 kilometer expedition. 770 00:48:47,970 --> 00:48:50,640 From the central highlands to the Pacific Ocean. 771 00:48:54,150 --> 00:48:56,140 Four weeks ago we were studs 772 00:48:56,140 --> 00:48:59,360 up at Habema, the source of the Baliem. 773 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:03,150 At it was a trek, a hop skip and a jump across it. 774 00:49:03,150 --> 00:49:05,940 And now coming to the sea at the end of the journey 775 00:49:05,940 --> 00:49:10,700 some four weeks later and it's four or five kilometers wide. 776 00:49:10,700 --> 00:49:11,970 Look at the size of it. 777 00:49:13,690 --> 00:49:15,470 There's no doubt our journey 778 00:49:16,777 --> 00:49:19,667 has been a challenging one. 779 00:49:19,667 --> 00:49:23,847 It's proved to be much tougher than I ever imagined. 780 00:49:23,847 --> 00:49:25,601 And things have rarely gone according to plan. 781 00:49:25,601 --> 00:49:26,434 The history of exploration of expeditions 782 00:49:29,677 --> 00:49:32,569 is a history of cataclysmic failures. 783 00:49:32,569 --> 00:49:36,033 Even the very greatest of explorers 784 00:49:36,033 --> 00:49:36,866 had impossible challenges, you know, 785 00:49:39,156 --> 00:49:43,281 Shackleton and Scott probably the two best known 786 00:49:43,281 --> 00:49:46,227 British adventurers, are best known for their failures. 787 00:49:46,227 --> 00:49:49,540 And in those terms, actually this has been a success. 788 00:49:50,380 --> 00:49:52,820 We have traveled from the source to the sea 789 00:49:52,820 --> 00:49:54,820 and been the first people ever to do it. 790 00:49:56,000 --> 00:49:58,720 Admittedly, more of that has been done in motor boats 791 00:49:58,720 --> 00:50:00,800 and helicopters than I would have chosen. 792 00:50:01,806 --> 00:50:05,320 But I think it is the nature of expeditions 793 00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:08,420 that there are going to be challenges. 794 00:50:08,420 --> 00:50:10,319 And if there aren't, then it probably doesn't 795 00:50:10,319 --> 00:50:12,070 qualify as a expedition. 796 00:50:17,570 --> 00:50:20,070 Finally, our goal is in sight. 797 00:50:21,820 --> 00:50:24,570 (dramatic music) 798 00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:28,760 It's the sea. 799 00:50:31,380 --> 00:50:33,490 After everything we've been through, 800 00:50:33,490 --> 00:50:35,060 all the challenges we've had, 801 00:50:35,940 --> 00:50:38,790 to come down here, all of a sudden it kinda feels like 802 00:50:38,790 --> 00:50:41,330 every single bit of it has been worthwhile. 803 00:50:42,210 --> 00:50:45,850 This was all about doing the first ever source to sea 804 00:50:45,850 --> 00:50:46,683 of the Baliem river. 805 00:50:46,683 --> 00:50:48,410 It was all about the challenge but it just become 806 00:50:48,410 --> 00:50:50,390 so much more than that. 807 00:50:52,070 --> 00:50:53,410 It's been truly remarkable 808 00:50:53,410 --> 00:50:56,490 to get an understanding of just how this mighty river 809 00:50:56,490 --> 00:51:00,300 has breathed life into this corner of the world. 810 00:51:00,300 --> 00:51:02,174 To see how it's shaped the landscape, 811 00:51:02,174 --> 00:51:05,273 created a habitat for unique wildlife. 812 00:51:05,273 --> 00:51:07,914 And how it's made a home for the ancient tribes 813 00:51:07,914 --> 00:51:10,010 who thrive along its banks. 814 00:51:11,830 --> 00:51:14,789 This place is always gonna have a really special 815 00:51:14,789 --> 00:51:18,440 part of my heart, and look at that. 816 00:51:21,331 --> 00:51:24,164 (dramatic music)