All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S01E01.WEBRip.x264-ION10

(wind whooshing)

(bright music)

- [Narrator] Our aerial
journey begins at Cape Town

and Table Mountain before heading south

round the Cape of Good
Hope, and then back up

past some of the best known
vineyards to Stellenbosch.

We then head east to
Hermanus and whale watching,

before flying along the
Garden Route to Port Elizabeth

on the Eastern Cape, and on
up the Wild Coast to Durban

in KwaZulu-Natal before heading inland

to the Drakensberg Mountains.

And where better to
begin our aerial journey

than Cape Town, and on
top of one of the most

recognizable mountains in
the world, Table Mountain.

(ethereal vocalizing)

The mountain towers over the city.

It's two miles long and 3 1/2
thousand feet above sea level.

It was named Table Mountain
by Antonio de Saldanha,

the first European to
sail into the bay in 1503.

The flat top is flanked on
one side by Devil's Peak,

and the other, Lion's Head.

One of the most famous
views of the mountain

is from the sea to the north,
where it's possible to see

how much it dominates the city.

More often than not, the
mountaintop is covered

by a white tablecloth
when clouds are formed

by a warm southeasterly wind
rising up the mountainside

and meeting colder air on the top.

And the views from the
top are spectacular.

But for those who prefer the easy way out,

a cable car takes you to the plateau.

And standing in the mountain's shadow

is a memorial to a man
who more than any other

played

such an important as well as controversial

role in the story of South
Africa, Cecil Rhodes.

At the end of the 19th century,

he used his wealth to
build a British empire

in the New World through
mining concessions

and creating British protectorates.

He created Rhodesia, now
Zimbabwe, and dreamt of a red line

of British power from Cape Town to Cairo.

Cape Town is a true cosmopolitan city

and a major tourist destination.

Its development over the
centuries has been influenced

by Dutch, British, and Cape Malay ideas.

Today, modern buildings
stand next to historic ones,

including the grand
City Hall built in 1905,

and the much earlier Castle of
Good Hope built around 1670.

One of the most dominant
features of the city

is the new football stadium
at Green Point on the coast.

It holds 68,000 people and was
built for the 2010 World Cup.

Close by the stadium is the old Victoria

and Alfred Waterfront, which
was gradually redeveloped

in the late 1980s into
residential and shopping areas,

along with restaurants
and expensive hotels,

including an island with 40 suites

surrounded by other luxury apartments.

But there is another island
just off the Cape Town coast

which stands in marked
contrast to this modern luxury.

This is Robben Island, which lies

five miles north of Cape Town.

It was a prison and had been

since the end of the 17th century.

And it was here in 1963
that Nelson Mandela

was incarcerated for 18 of
his 27 years in captivity.

All prisoners had to do
backbreaking hard labor

in the lime quarry close by the prison

and existed on very basic rations.

Today the prison is a
museum, and the whole island

a World Heritage Site.

Perhaps the last word about this place

should come from Nelson Mandela himself,

when he reflected back
on his time spent here.

"It's true that Robben Island
was once a place of darkness,

"but out of that darkness has
come a wonderful brightness,

"a light so powerful that
it could not be hidden

"behind prison walls."

Another contrast is between the
affluent center of Cape Town

and the townships on the city outskirts.

This is Khayelitsha, home
to two million people

and built during the Apartheid
era for the black population.

Under the new government, brick buildings

are being put up to improve the housing,

but the corrugated tin
shanty towns still exist.

It's a very different story
on the west side of the city

where modern apartment blocks
line the shore at Sea Point

and up the side of Lion's Head.

One of the glories of South
Africa is its coastline,

which stretches for nearly 1,800 miles

and boasts some of the most
beautiful beaches in the world.

And Noordhoek Beach is one of them,

a four-mile stretch of white
sand and deep blue sea.

But this beauty can be
deceptive, because very quickly

a storm can turn the sea
into a fearsome maelstrom,

which over the centuries has driven

many a ship onto the shore.

All around the coast
rusting wrecks can be seen.

Proof, if proof was needed,

of how dangerous the seas can be.

And especially around
the Cape of Good Hope

where gale-force winds and tidal races

can drive unsuspecting
ships onto the rocks.

Cape Point Lighthouse
replaced an earlier one

built higher up on the
Cape, because in 1911,

as a result of the old
one being shrouded in fog

and the light obscured,
a Portuguese liner,

the Lusitania, was driven onto the rocks.

There was no lighthouse in
1488 when the European explorer

Bartolomeu Dias discovered
the Cape for the first time.

He erected a cross,
which was later replaced

with this replica as a
memorial to his discovery,

and is interestingly used by sailors today

as a navigation point.

The weather patterns around the Cape area

do have one very beneficial effect,

and that's on all the vineyards,

because South Africa is one of the world's

great wine producers with
a history that goes back

to the Dutch settlers in
the late 17th century.

These are just some of
the beautifully maintained

historic estate houses in the shadow

of Table Mountain at Constantia.

The main area of the Cape wine industry

is to the east of Cape
Town around Stellenbosch.

One of the earliest estates is Boschendal,

which has a history
stretching back to 1685.

The old manor house has
been enlarged and altered

over the years, and what we
see today dates from 1812.

Time to head for the coast
and a place which has become

most associated with
whale watching, Hermanus.

Back in the 19th century
when whales were spotted,

the boats would put to sea
and the killing would begin.

Today when whales are spotted,

it is cameras that shoot the whales.

From the shore it's
possible to see right whales

from June through to
December as they arrive

to calve in the shelter of the bay.

These huge barnacled
creatures, often with calves,

can be seen close to the shore

quietly drifting with the tide.

(gentle music)

Though out at sea they
can be seen breaching,

an action that is still
not truly understood.

Is it aggression or playfulness?

Whatever the answer, it's
a truly dramatic sight.

One of the best known stretches of coast

straddles the Western
Cape and the Eastern Cape

and is known as the Garden Route.

It runs from Mossel Bay to Storms River.

In 1780, a visiting naturalist noted

that nature has made an enchanted abode

of this beautiful place.

There are many outstanding
features to attract visitors,

including a dramatic coastline.

Swim from the wide beach
at Nature's Valley,

part of the Tsitsikamma National Park.

Visit a seal colony on Robberg Peninsula,

and watch the hundreds of Cape fur seals.

In the winter the seal pups are born,

and you can see them play

under the watchful eyes of their parents.

Hike along the Otter Trail
and truly get back to nature,

as numbers are limited, and there are only

a few facilities along the way.

It takes five days and is one of the most

popular trails in the country.

It's a tough but rewarding experience.

And if a more peaceful pursuit is wanted,

then there are a number of golf courses

along the Garden Route.

This one is Pinnacle Point Golf Resort,

where on some of the holes,

you really don't want to miss the green.

(gentle music)

The road bridge across the River Bloukrans

is the highest single
span bridge in the world

and the perfect place
to hurl yourself off,

attached to a bungee rope, of course.

The drop holds various entries

in the Guinness Book of Records.

(upbeat music)

(person screaming)

The Garden Route is also a
very popular place to live,

and towns like Plettenberg have grown up

into large and successful resorts.

And for those with means,

there are some outstanding
modern clifftop houses

complete with amazing
views along the coast.

At Noetzie Beach, which has
been used as a holiday site

for generations, there are
a series of modern castles

dating from the 1930s.

Using local stone, the houses
began to look like castles,

and it only took a few turrets
and a bit of castellation

to complete the picture.

Today the five castles are a mixture

of private homes and luxury hotels.

To the east of the
Garden Route is Algoa Bay

and the country's third-largest port

and fifth-largest city, Port Elizabeth.

In the center of the city
is the Donkin Reserve,

which is surrounded by
many historic buildings,

including the Campanile
Tower built in 1923

to commemorate the British
settlers arriving in 1820.

But there is an older
building, Fort Frederick,

built by the British in 1799

to prevent a possible French invasion.

And one of the newest is the
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,

with a capacity of just under 50,000.

The stadium hosts both
rugby and football matches

as well as concerts.

An important milestone is its role

as one of the World Cup venues.

On the north side of the bay
is the Alexandria Dune Field,

one of the largest active
dune fields in the world.

The wind has created patterns in the sand

that are always shifting and changing.

The dunes are flanked by a
strip of indigenous forest.

Wildlife is one of South
Africa's greatest assets,

and close to Port Elizabeth
is the Shamwari Game Reserve,

the largest private reserve in the country

and one of the top conservation
companies in the world.

Several lodges are dotted
around the 60,000-acre site,

and the reserve offers visitors
a glimpse of the big five,

elephants, rhinos, buffaloes,
lions, and leopards.

Most are shy creatures, and
the presence of our helicopter

means they hide from view.

However, these zebra and
wildebeest do not seem too worried.

The next stretch of coastline is perhaps

the most dramatic and the most
beautiful, the Wild Coast.

This is an area of outstanding beauty

and one of the country's
most underdeveloped areas,

where communities still
pursue age-old traditions,

and much of the land is owned
by the local inhabitants.

One such tradition is taking
the cattle to the beach.

There's no grass or drinking
water, but rather like humans,

they just seem to want to relax,

sleep, and generally chew the cud.

All along the Wild Coast
this sight can be seen.

Perhaps the most iconic
place along the coast

is the Hole in the Wall.

This huge detached cliff
was separated from the land

thousands of years ago, and
softer rock in the center

has eroded away, leaving a hole.

The local people call
it The Place of Thunder

because when the sea
crashes through the hole,

the sound is like thunder and can be heard

some distance away.

The erosion has created a
sheltered and safe place to swim

and is one of the most popular places

to visit on the Wild Coast.

And on a hill above the
bay, a group of Xhosa women

wash clothes in a way that
has not altered for centuries.

Fresh water, a convenient
bush, and a warm wind

is all that's needed for
a perfect day's washing,

unless a helicopter comes
along to disturb it.

Inland from the coast,
groups of round houses,

known as rondavels, can
be seen in clusters,

surrounded by vegetable patches
and enclosures for cattle.

They are built in the traditional manner

using thatch with earth
and cow dung walls.

These round houses can be seen
all the way up the east coast

and in places, the
thatch has been replaced

by corrugated tin, and the
earth and cow dung walls

with cement blocks or bricks,

but the shape has remained the same.

Originally built with no services,
many now have electricity

and running water, with a
separate earth closet outside.

Rivers provide much
needed water as well as

offering locals the opportunity
to swim and get cool.

But this peaceful looking
river soon gives way

to a 500-foot drop into
a dark, dank gorge.

These are the Magwa
Falls, which were created

as a result of seismic activity
when the ground split open

thousands of years ago to
create this impressive gorge

at the end are the falls,
and they can be seen

from several vantage points.

It's an impressive and majestic sight.

Equally impressive are
these rare waterfalls

which drop directly into the sea.

There are not that many
of them in the world,

and on the Wild Coast you can find two.

This one is Waterfall Bluff, and here,

the water cascades down
a near 200-foot drop.

The falls attract visitors all year round,

even though it's in a very
remote part of the Wild Coast.

And another reason for
visiting this part of the coast

is to see the wonderful rock formations,

including Cathedral Rock.

It's freestanding, and over
the centuries has been sculpted

by the sea and wind, and does indeed

take on the appearance of
a great flying buttress

on a Medieval cathedral.

Over the border in KwaZulu-Natal,
sugarcane production

provides much needed
employment in rural areas.

And most of the country's sugar

comes from this part of the country.

There are well over
30,000 registered growers,

and parts of the landscape are covered

with sugarcane fields.

When the cane is cut, it
goes to one of the mills.

And this one is on the coast

at Bazley Beach, close to Durban.

The delicious burnt sugar smell

spreads downwind for several miles.

Our route now takes us up
the coast to South Africa's

third-largest city, and
busiest port, Durban.

The harbor is natural, one of only a few

on this stretch of the coast,
and was opened in the 1840s

when it was known as the Port of Natal.

But perhaps Durban is most
famous for its seafront

and beaches, and is in complete contrast

to the Wild Coast we have just seen.

Here are all the usual
ingredients of a different style

of tourism, theme parks,
large hotels, and casinos.

Durban also played its
part in the World Cup story

at the Moses Mabhida
Stadium, which comes complete

with a funicular cab that takes visitors

to the top of the arch
for breathtaking views

over the city and coast.

Inland from Durban is the
Valley of a Thousand Hills,

which is very much part
of the Zulu Kingdom

founded at the beginning of
the 19th century by Shaka Zulu

who united tribes together
by diplomacy and force.

At the height of his empire,
Shaka commanded an army

of over 50,000 Zulu warriors.

Today the area is full of
small villages and farms

which dot this beautiful landscape,

and have changed very
little over the centuries.

And for centuries, the Umgeni River

has flowed over Howick Falls.

The Zulu people call the falls KwaNogqaza,

meaning Place of the Tall One.

(gentle music)

European settlers first saw
the falls in the early 1800s,

and when the river was in
flood, some lost their lives

trying to cross the river upstream

by getting swept over the edge,

plunging 300 feet to their deaths.

From here it's only a few
miles to South Africa's

highest mountain range,
which in total runs

for some 600 miles, the Drakensbergs.

(gentle music)

The Zulus refer to the
mountains as uKhahlamba,

meaning Barrier of Spears.

In Afrikaans it's
Drakensberg, which translates

as Dragon Mountains,

where vultures glide on the rising air.

To the north is another spectacular

natural rock formation, The Amphitheatre

This awe-inspiring natural
feature is one of the most

impressive cliff faces in the world

and dominates the Royal
Natal National Park.

A small stream runs off the top and drops

just over 3,000 feet to the valley below.

This makes the Tugela Falls
the second-highest waterfall

in the world, by only a hundred foot,

from the Angel Falls in Venezuela.

(gentle music)

Perhaps the best known mountain

in the Drakensberg
Range is Cathedral Peak.

And from the hotel in the valley,

there is a clear view up to the summit.

And by flying up the path to the top,

the climb will take us less than a minute.

So sit back and enjoy the ride.

(majestic music)

The views from the top of
Cathedral Peak are spectacular

and a perfect place to end this journey.

(majestic music)

(pulsating music)

(whooshing)