All language subtitles for Aerial.Africa.Series.1.1of6.Wild.South.Coast.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

♪

AFRICA IS THE HOME OF BIG,
QUIET, UNBROKEN LANDSCAPES--

KNOWN AS THE CRADLE OF HUMANITY.

BUT AT ITS SOUTHERN EDGE,
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A ROCKY RIDE.

THIS IS A PLACE
BORN OF UPHEAVAL.

OCEAN WATERS
CRASHING AND ERODING...

FAULT LINES THROWING ROCK
TOWARDS THE SKY...

AND WAVE AFTER WAVE
OF HUMAN CULTURE

ARRIVING TO LEAVE ITS MARK.

THIS IS WHERE MANKIND SKETCHED
ANCIENT CAVE DRAWINGS--

AND NOW SIGNS GOLF SCORECARDS...

WHERE SOME OF THE WORLD’S
WILDEST PLACES COEXIST

WITH SOME OF THE CONTINENT’S
TRENDIEST TOWNS.

WHERE HISTORY, INDUSTRY,
AND WILDERNESS ALL COLLIDE,

TRANSFORMING
SOUTH AFRICA’S COAST

INTO SOMETHING NEW
EVERY SINGLE DAY.

STAND AT THE PRECIPICE OF TIME

AND DIVE INTO A LAND THAT STILL
STRETCHES YOUR IMAGINATION.

THIS IS AFRICA’S
WILD SOUTH COAST.

♪

♪

AROUND THE YEAR 1500,

A PORTUGUESE SHIP WAS EXPLORING
THE SOUTHERN COAST OF AFRICA

WHEN THEIR COMPASS NEEDLES
REVEALED A MILESTONE MOMENT--

THEY WERE AT THE VERY SOUTHERN
TIP OF THE CONTINENT.

THEY NAMED IT CAPE AGULHAS,
OR CAPE OF NEEDLES.

IT IS NOW CONSIDERED
THE DIVIDING LINE

BETWEEN THE INDIAN
AND ATLANTIC OCEANS--

AND THE CRUX OF A COAST

THAT IS A MICROCOSM
OF NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORY.

THE PORTUGUESE WERE NOT
THE FIRST HERE--NOR THE LAST.

♪

AS THE COAST BECKONED
OTHER EXPLORERS,

IT ALSO REPELLED THEM.

SHARP AND SHALLOW REEFS
HAVE SUNK ABOUT 130 SHIPS

OVER THE CENTURIES.

SURVIVORS SOMETIMES
BUILT SHELTERS

OUT OF THE SHIPWRECK DEBRIS.

BUT THE REGION’S FIRST PEOPLE

MAY HAVE BEEN
THE MOST RESOURCEFUL OF ALL.

♪

THIS DRAMATIC WALKWAY
LEADS BACK IN TIME--

TO SEASIDE CAVES FOUND LITTERED

WITH EVIDENCE
OF HUMAN HABITATION

REACHING BACK 170,000 YEARS.

THESE ANCESTORS ARE CALLED
"STRANDLOPERS,"

OR BEACH WALKERS.

AND SCIENTISTS THINK THEY MAY BE
AMONG THE ANCESTORS

OF ALL HUMANKIND.

THE BOUNTY OF THIS LOCATION
MAY HAVE PROPELLED THEIR SUCCESS

ON THE LADDER OF EVOLUTION.

LOCAL SPRINGS PROVIDED
PLENTY OF FRESH WATER.

AND THE SALT WATER OF THE OCEAN
DELIVERED THE REST.

A STEADY DIET OF SHELLFISH
PROVIDED NUTRIENTS

TO HELP DEVELOP
THE MODERN HUMAN BRAIN.

DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS
BROUGHT UP SMALL CRUSTACEANS,

ATTRACTING
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES.

ANY ONE WHALE WOULD BRING
A WEALTH OF RESOURCES

TO THE BEACH WALKERS.

THEY ATE THEIR BLUBBER AND
FASHIONED TOOLS FROM WHALEBONE.

SUCH TOOLS WERE EXCAVATED
FROM WITHIN THESE CAVES.

AND OTHER CLUES TO THEIR
INTELLIGENCE REMAIN.

AT HIGH TIDE, FISH ENTERED
THESE ANCIENT TRAPS

TO FEED IN THE SHALLOWS.

AS THE TIDE RECEDED,
THE BEACH WALKERS IMPALED THEM

WITH SPEARS MADE
FROM WHALE BONES.

♪

BUT FOR THE BEACH WALKERS,

THE SEA WASN’T JUST FULL
OF UNLIMITED ABUNDANCE.

IT WAS ALSO FULL OF THREATS.

CAPE FUR SEALS BY THE THOUSANDS

STILL OVERTAKE ENTIRE ISLANDS
IN THE SHALLOW BAYS.

DON’T LET THEIR LOUNGING AROUND
FOOL YOU--

THEY ARE FIERCE PREDATORS.

AND THEY HAVE SCUFFLED
WITH MANKIND FROM THE START.

EARLY HUMANS ATE SEAL PUPS.

BUT MODERN HUMANS
ARE GETTING THEIR FOOD STOLEN.

THESE SEALS CAN HIJACK
UNSUSPECTING FISHING BOATS,

STEAL CATCHES FROM LINES,

AND SOMETIMES EVEN CLIMB ABOARD
TO GORGE ON OILY FISH.

♪

EVENTUALLY OUR ANCESTORS
MOVED INLAND--

BY NECESSITY OR CURIOSITY.

BUT STANDING IN THEIR WAY WAS
A BARRIER OVER 460 MILES WIDE--

THE CAPE FOLD MOUNTAINS.

THEY RISE UP OVER 7,000 FEET--

STEEP, SHARP, DESOLATE,
AND FORBIDDING.

SCIENTISTS THINK
THE NOMADS WERE FUELED

BY RICH WHALE MEAT AND BLUBBER
CARRIED FROM THE COAST.

THEY WOULD HAVE GRAPPLED
WITH WILD ANIMALS

WHILE CLIMBING STEEP CLIFFS AND
MOUNTAIN PEAKS COVERED IN SNOW.

♪

BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS
A MORE FORGIVING LANDSCAPE--

NOW CALLED THE KAROO.

KAROO MEANS "THIRST"--

AN APT DESCRIPTION FOR THIS
VAST EXPANSE OF SEMI-DESERT.

IT FANS OUT FOR NEARLY
250,000 SQUARE MILES

IN THE GEOGRAPHIC MIDRIFF
OF SOUTH AFRICA.

IT WAS ONCE
AN ANCIENT INLAND SEA--

THEN LATER A DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM

PRESERVED IN FOSSILS HUNDREDS
OF MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.

NOW THE KAROO IS FULL
OF SUCCULENT, LEAFY SHRUBS--

FAVORITES OF THE RESIDENT
WILD GIRAFFES.

THE ECOSYSTEM ALSO SUPPORTS
HERDS OF BLACK WILDEBEEST,

SPRINGBOK, AND ELAND.

BUT NOT AS MANY AS BEFORE.

THIS AREA ONCE TEEMED
WITH WILDLIFE,

WITH EXPLORERS RECALLING
FANTASTIC HERDS

THAT STRETCHED
BEYOND THE HORIZON.

♪

TODAY, OTHER ANIMALS
DOMINATE THE KAROO--

ANIMALS DOMESTICATED BY HUMANS.

THIS WINDMILL SIGNALS THE BIRTH
OF THE KAROO LAMB INDUSTRY.

STARTING IN THE 1850s,

GROUNDWATER PUMPED UP
BY THESE WINDMILLS

TRANSFORMED THE KAROO

INTO A THRIVING SOURCE
OF LAMB MEAT AND WOOL.

IN THE 1950s,
WOOL FROM THE KAROO

WAS TURNED INTO UNIFORMS

FOR AMERICAN SOLDIERS
FIGHTING THE KOREAN WAR.

THE KAROO IS NOW HOME
TO 7 MILLION SHEEP.

THEY SUPPLY A THIRD
OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MEAT

AND PRODUCE 28 MILLION POUNDS
OF WOOL EVERY YEAR.

EVERY SHEEP REQUIRES ALMOST
10 ACRES OF LAND TO SURVIVE.

SOME THINK THAT
THE SWEET-SMELLING QUALITY

OF THE LOCAL PLANTS

GIVE THE SHEEP’S MEAT
A DISTINCTIVE FLAVOR.

THEY ARE LITERALLY SPICED
FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

♪

FARMERS DO ALL THEY CAN
TO PREPARE LANDS FOR GRAZING,

BUT THE ARID ENVIRONMENT
OF THE KAROO

DOESN’T ALWAYS PLAY BALL.

WHEN IT RAINS,
BIRDS FLOCK TO THIS PAN

THAT STRETCHES FOR
35 MILES AND 7 MILES WIDE.

EVAPORATION LEVELS ARE HIGH,

AND WITHIN A FEW MONTHS,
IT QUICKLY RETURNS TO DESERT.

IT’S KNOWN AS VERNUEK PAN.

"VERNUEK" MEANS TO MISLEAD
OR SCREW AROUND...

LIKE THESE SPIRAL SHAPES

THAT HYPNOTIZE
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.

SOME BELIEVE
THAT THESE FORMATIONS

ARE RELATED TO ANCIENT GEOGLYPHS

LOCATED IN THE NAZCA DESERT
IN PERU,

WHERE GIANT FIGURES
RANGE IN COMPLEXITY

FROM HUMMINGBIRDS TO LIZARDS.

BUT HERE, SPIRALS, U SHAPES,
AND STRAIGHT STRIATIONS

SCAR THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

AS THE DEBATE RAGES ONLINE,
LOCAL FARMERS ARE SMIRKING.

BECAUSE THE PAN IS SO FLAT,
FARMERS TRY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

TO HELP THE NATURAL
PLANT SPECIES GROW.

THEY PLOW THESE TROUGHS
INTO THE EARTH WITH TRACTORS.

RAINWATER AND WINDBLOWN SEEDS

GET CAUGHT UP
IN THE LABYRINTH OF SPIRALS,

CONTRIBUTING TO THE WATER TABLE
AND GERMINATING SEEDS.

THE NEW GROWTH PROVIDES
THE PERFECT GRAZING

FOR SHEEP AND CATTLE.

THESE GEOGLYPHS COULD HELP
EXPLAIN THE ORIGINS

OF THE ANIMATED FIGURES
ETCHED IN THE NAZCA DESERT.

♪

WHILE PLANTS AND ANIMALS

DOMINATE THIS
WIDESCREEN LANDSCAPE,

THE 21st CENTURY IS POPPING UP
IN UNLIKELY PLACES.

THIS IS THE S.K.A.,
OR SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY.

STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION,

200 RADIO TELESCOPE DISHES
WILL DOT THE KAROO,

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ITS REMOTE,
QUIET, AND DRY ENVIRONMENT--

FAR FROM ELECTRONIC
INTERFERENCE.

WHEN COMBINED WITH OTHER DISHES
AROUND THE GLOBE,

THE ARRAYS
WILL COLLECTIVELY BECOME

THE WORLD’S LARGEST
RADIO TELESCOPE.

IT PROMISES TO REACH
DEEP INTO SPACE,

AND BACK IN TIME,

TO SOLVE SOME OF THE MOST VEXING
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE.

AS ENGINEERING FEATS GO,

BUILDING A RADIO TELESCOPE
IN THE DESERT IS ONE THING.

BUT BUILDING A ROAD TO GET THERE
IS ANOTHER.

FOR CENTURIES,

THE SWARTBERG MOUNTAIN RANGE
THAT BORDERS THE KAROO

WAS SO TREACHEROUS THAT THE ONLY
WAY THROUGH WAS ON FOOT.

BUT ENGINEER THOMAS BAIN
SAW A WAY THROUGH.

IN 1881, HE VISUALIZED
A ROAD ROUTE WITH THE NAKED EYE.

THEN HE GATHERED
CREWS OF CONVICTS

AND TONS OF GUNPOWDER

TO BLAST THROUGH ROCK
THAT IS 120 MILLION YEARS OLD.

IT TOOK SEVEN YEARS TO CARVE
JUST 16 MILES OF ROAD

INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDE--

MOSTLY GUT-WRENCHING
HAIRPIN TURNS.

BUT IT BECAME ONE OF THE MOST
DARING ENGINEERING FEATS

OF ITS TIME.

TODAY IT’S STILL GRAVEL,
STILL HARROWING,

AND STILL A THRILLING VIEW
FROM THE TOP.

BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY THRILL
IN THE BACKCOUNTRY

OF AFRICA’S WILD SOUTH COAST.

♪

THE N2 HIGHWAY CARVES A RIBBON

ALONG ONE OF THE MOST SCENIC
COASTLINES IN SOUTH AFRICA.

IT’S CALLED "THE GARDEN ROUTE"

FOR ITS DENSE AND UNIQUE
BIODIVERSITY.

IT’S A LUSH WONDERLAND

AND A WORLD-FAMOUS
HOLIDAY PARADISE.

PEOPLE COME FOR NATURE,
FOR PANORAMIC VIEWS,

AND FOR PURE FUN.

♪

THE GARDEN ROUTE STRETCHES FROM
MOSSEL BAY TO PORT ELIZABETH...

A SCENIC STRETCH THAT OFFERS
SMALL TOWNS, OPEN EXPANSES,

AND SURPRISES AT EVERY TURN.

♪

ONE OF THEM IS
THE BLOUKRANS RIVER BRIDGE--

THE HIGHEST AND LARGEST BRIDGE
IN ALL OF AFRICA.

IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1980s

TO SPAN THE BLOUKRANS RIVER
700 FEET BELOW.

♪

BUT ITS ORIGINAL BUILDERS
COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED

THE MAIN ATTRACTION
OF THE BRIDGE TODAY--

THE HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP
IN THE WORLD.

JUMPERS COME FROM ALL OVER.

ONE MAN JUMPED AT THE AGE OF 96.

THEY ARE TOLD TO LOOK OUT
AT THE HORIZON--

AND CRY "3, 2, 1, BUNGEE!"

♪

WHILE HANGING UPSIDE DOWN,
JUMPERS CAN ENJOY

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF A RIVER
THAT RUNS COFFEE BLACK--

NOT FROM POLLUTION,

BUT FROM THE RICH TANNINS
OF THE MOUNTAINSIDE HERBS

THAT LEACH INTO THE WATERWAY.

THESE HERBS ARE ONLY FOUND
IN THIS REGION

AND ARE USED TO BREW ONE OF
SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST FAMOUS TEAS,

CALLED "ROOIBOS," OR RED BUSH.

BUT THE BIODIVERSITY
OF THE GARDEN ROUTE

DOESN’T ALWAYS COME
IN SMALL PACKAGES.

♪

HERE LIES THE LARGEST CONTINUOUS
NATURAL FOREST IN SOUTH AFRICA--

400 SQUARE MILES
OF UNBROKEN CANOPY.

ONE TYPE OF TREE IS HIGHLY
PRIZED BY FURNITURE MAKERS--

BUT IT EMITS AN UNFORGETTABLE
ODOR WHEN FRESHLY CUT.

TIMBERMEN HOLD THEIR NOSES

WHEN HARVESTING THE TREE
KNOWN AS THE STINKWOOD.

♪

BUT ONE TREE STANDS OUT--
THE OUTENIQUA YELLOWWOOD.

THIS ONE IS NAMED
"KING EDWARD THE SEVENTH"--

A 650-YEAR-OLD GIANT
THAT RISES 130 FEET.

BEFORE THE AREA WAS PROTECTED,

LEGEND HAS IT THAT A WOODCUTTER
BOUGHT THE TREE

IN HOPES OF FELLING IT
FOR A KING’S RANSOM.

BUT IT WAS TOO LARGE
TO BRING DOWN.

THE TRUNK’S CIRCUMFERENCE
IS 20 FEET.

♪

THESE FORESTS BRUSH UP
AGAINST THE OCEAN

AT ONE OF THE GARDEN ROUTE’S
TOP HIKING DESTINATIONS--

TSITSIKAMMA NATIONAL PARK.

TSITSIKAMMA MEANS
"PLACE OF ABUNDANT WATER"

AND "WATERS BEGIN."

MANY COME FOR DAY HIKES,

BUT THE CROWN JEWEL IS
THE GRUELING OTTER TRAIL--

A FIVE-DAY, 25-MILE EXCURSION

THAT IS HARD ON THE FEET,
BUT EASY ON THE EYES.

TREKKERS MUST BOOK THE TRIP
UP TO A YEAR IN ADVANCE.

IT’S WORTH THE WAIT.

TUCKED INTO
THIS TIMELESS LANDSCAPE

ARE TINY OVERNIGHT HUTS--

DWARFED BY THEIR SURROUNDINGS,
BUT BELOVED BY WEARY HIKERS.

♪

FROM HERE,
HIKERS MIGHT GET LUCKY

AND SPOT THE TRAIL’S NAMESAKE--

THE SHY AND RECLUSIVE
CAPE CLAWLESS OTTER.

♪

FURTHER ALONG THE COAST,

HIKING HUTS GIVE WAY
TO FORMIDABLE FORTRESSES--

NICKNAMED THE NOETZIE CASTLES.

THE EARLIEST VACATION HOMES
WERE BUILT HERE IN THE 1930s,

USING NATURAL STONE FROM NEARBY.

WHILE UNDER CONSTRUCTION,

THE FRIEND OF ONE BUILDER SAID
THAT WITH A FEW TURRETS,

IT COULD LOOK
LIKE A SAND CASTLE.

SO THE BUILDER OBLIGED,
AND THE BEACH CASTLE WAS BORN.

♪

JUST AROUND THE CORNER
LIES A BEAUTIFUL LAGOON--

AND A CLASSIC
BOOM AND BUST STORY.

FOR CENTURIES, THE KNYSNA LAGOON
WELCOMED SEAFARING HUNTERS

WHO FOUND BIG GAME
RIGHT INSIDE THE COASTAL FOREST.

EUROPEANS SLOWLY SEEPED IN

AND CREATED
A SLEEPY FARMING TOWN.

THEN IN 1878, GOLD WAS FOUND
NEARBY, AND THE TOWN BOOMED.

BUT AS THE GOLD DRIED UP,
SO DID THE TOWN.

THEN THE TIMBER BARONS MOVED IN,

EXPLOITING THE COASTAL FOREST
FOR PRIZED HARDWOODS.

THE ECONOMY BOOMED AGAIN.

NOW, THE ATTRACTION
ISN’T GOLD OR TIMBER--

BUT SUN AND SEAFOOD.

THE ANNUAL OYSTER FESTIVAL SEES
OVER 200,000 OYSTERS CONSUMED

OVER A 10-DAY PERIOD.

MOST ARE WASHED DOWN
WITH SOUTH AFRICAN WINE.

BUT ALL THIS MODERN SEASIDE
GLAMOUR HIDES AN AGE-OLD TRUTH--

THE SEA REMAINS AN UNPREDICTABLE
AND OFTEN DANGEROUS PLACE.

♪

THE GATEWAY TO THE LAGOON IS
NARROW, SHALLOW AND TREACHEROUS,

STRADDLED BY TWO
SANDSTONE CLIFFS

CALLED THE KNYSNA HEADS.

♪

THIS PLACID WATERWAY IS REALLY

ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS
HARBOR ENTRIES IN THE WORLD

AND HAS CLAIMED MANY SHIPS.

DIVERS STILL POKE AROUND
THE MANY SHIPWRECKS

LEFT ON THE SEA FLOOR.

IN 1817,

THE VERY FIRST EUROPEAN SHIP
TRYING TO ENTER THE LAGOON

STRUCK A ROCK AND WAS SCUTTLED.

MODERN SAILORS FACE
THE SAME CHALLENGE.

THEY ARE TESTED
UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE

OF RESIDENTS FROM ABOVE.

ALSO UP ON THE KNYSNA HEADS

IS ONE OF THE MANY ADDITIONS TO
THE ANCIENT COASTAL LANDSCAPE--

THE GOLF COURSE.

THIS ONE IS CALLED PEZULA,
MEANING "HIGH UP WITH THE GODS."

GOLF HAS BECOME ONE OF THE
GARDEN ROUTE’S CALLING CARDS.

GORGEOUS AND CHALLENGING COURSES
HAVE BEEN DESIGNED

BY SOME OF THE GAME’S
MOST FAMOUS NAMES.

THIS IS THE OUBAAI GOLF COURSE,
DESIGNED BY ERNIE ELS,

A SOUTH AFRICAN-BORN
INTERNATIONAL GOLF CHAMPION.

HIS NICKNAME IS "THE BIG EASY"
FOR HIS EFFORTLESS SWING.

BUT GUSTY OCEAN WINDS MAKE
THE COURSE ANYTHING BUT EASY.

IT’S A CHIP AND A PUTT INLAND
TO A CITY NAMED GEORGE,

KNOWN AS THE WESTERN CAPE’S
GOLFING CAPITAL.

THE CROWN JEWEL HERE
IS THE LINKS AT FANCOURT--

DESIGNED BY GARY PLAYER, WHO WON
NINE MAJORS OVER A LONG CAREER.

THIS COURSE RANKS IN THE TOP 100
IN THE WORLD.

YOU CAN PLAY IT EVERY DAY,

IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH
TO LIVE ON IT.

GOLFING LEGENDS LIKE TIGER WOODS
AND JACK NICKLAUS

HAVE PLAYED HERE,

AND IT HAS ALSO HOSTED
THE PRESIDENTS CUP.

BUT IF THE SYMBOL
OF MODERN GEORGE

IS THE GOLF COURSE,

THE SYMBOL OF ITS PAST
IS THE CHURCH.

WITHIN THESE STONE WALLS LIE
THE SECRETS OF A STORIED CITY.

GEORGE IS THE BIGGEST TOWN
ON SOUTH AFRICA’S GARDEN ROUTE,

AND EVERY ROUNDABOUT
SYMBOLIZES THE CONSTANT FLOW

OF CULTURAL INFLUENCES
THAT SHAPED ITS HISTORY.

IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED
IN THE LATE 1700s

AS A SMALL COMMUNITY
OF WOODCUTTERS

TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMAND
FOR TIMBER.

BUT THE BRITISH
SOON OCCUPIED THE TOWN

ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE CAPE.

TO SPREAD THEIR INFLUENCE,

THEY TRIED TO SPREAD
THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH.

THE PACALTSDORP CHURCH IS
THE NAMESAKE OF CHARLES PACALT.

THIS LONDON MISSIONARY ARRIVED
IN 1813 TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL,

PUTTING LOCAL SLAVES TO WORK

BUILDING HIS FIRST CENTER
OF WORSHIP.

HERE HE OVERSAW A CONGREGATION
OF ABOUT 300,

BOTH SLAVE AND FREE.

IT REMAINS THE OLDEST CHURCH
IN THE GEORGE DISTRICT.

OTHER CHURCHES FOLLOWED,
EACH WITH THEIR OWN STORY.

THE DUTCH REFORMED MOTHER CHURCH
WAS FINALLY FINISHED IN 1842

AFTER A GRUELING 12-YEAR BUILD,

THANKS TO A 75-FOOT TOWER
AND WALLS 3 FEET THICK.

♪

WHEN THE FIRST BISHOP
ARRIVED IN 1848,

HIS WIFE DESIGNED A SMALL
STONE CHURCH CALLED ST. MARK’S

TO BE THEIR RELIGIOUS HOME.

A CHURCH THAT BECOMES
THE SEAT OF A BISHOP

CAN BE CALLED A CATHEDRAL.

SO FOR A TIME, THIS WAS
THE SMALLEST CATHEDRAL

IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE--

AND IT REMAINS THE SEAT
OF THE LOCAL BISHOP TODAY.

BUT SPREADING RELIGION
BEYOND THE TOWN

WOULD HAVE BEEN
A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION--

GEOGRAPHY STANDS IN THE WAY.

♪

GEORGE LIES AT THE FOOTHILLS
OF A FORMIDABLE MOUNTAIN RANGE

CALLED THE OUTENIQUA, WHICH
MEANS "PEOPLE WITH HONEY."

EARLY TRAVELERS REPORTED SLOPES
OF EMERALD-GREEN MOUNTAINS

COVERED WITH HEATHER
AND SWARMING WITH BEES.

THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL
AND RICH WITH FLOWERS,

BUT STILL DAUNTING TO TRAVERSE.

SETTLERS WHO MANAGED
TO GET THROUGH

FOUND A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY

NESTLED BETWEEN THE OUTENIQUA
AND SWARTBERG MOUNTAINS--

CALLED THE SMALL KAROO.

IT QUICKLY BECAME KNOWN

FOR ONE OF THE MOST STORIED
ANIMALS IN SOUTH AFRICA...

THE OSTRICH.

IN THE LATE 1800s,

OSTRICH FEATHERS
WERE THE HEIGHT OF FASHION,

SOUGHT BY RICH PATRONS
ALL OVER THE WORLD.

LADIES IN EUROPE WORE
OSTRICH FEATHERS IN THEIR HATS

OR BOAS AROUND THEIR NECKS
TO SHOW THEIR STATUS.

BY WEIGHT, THEY WERE
AS VALUABLE AS DIAMONDS.

AND YOU COULD GET MORE
FOR AN OUNCE OF OSTRICH FEATHERS

THAN AN OUNCE OF GOLD.

RELICS OF THIS RICH HISTORY
STILL STAND--

HUGE PALACES BUILT
ON THE PROFITS

OF THE 19th CENTURY FEATHER FAD.

TODAY, OSTRICHES ARE VALUED
FOR THEIR MEAT,

WHICH IS FREE FROM CHOLESTEROL.

THEIR SKINS ARE TURNED
INTO FINE LUXURY LEATHER.

THEIR FEATHERS ARE STILL USEFUL,

BUT MORE FOR FEATHER DUSTERS
THAN STATUS SYMBOLS.

BUT THE OSTRICH
IS NOT THE ONLY ANIMAL

TO SHAPE SOUTH AFRICA’S
ECONOMIC STORY.

WHALES HAVE LEFT THEIR OWN
UNIQUE LEGACY IN THEIR WAKE.

PLETTENBERG BAY IS A SMALL TOWN

FOREVER TIED
TO EARTH’S BIGGEST CREATURES.

THIS IS THE BEACON ISLE
SOUTHERN SUN RESORT.

IT SITS ON A SMALL OUTCROPPING

THAT ONCE HELD
A SIMPLE NAVIGATIONAL BEACON.

IN THE 18th CENTURY,

DUTCH SETTLERS PLACED A BLOCK
OF STINKWOOD ON THE ROCKS,

INSCRIBED WITH THE BAY’S
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE.

IT HELPED GUIDE IN
NEW WAVES OF SETTLERS--

INCLUDING WHALE HUNTERS.

WHALING WAS BIG BUSINESS
BY THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY.

WHALES WERE HARVESTED RIGHT
WHERE THE RESORT SITS TODAY.

WHALING HAS SINCE CEASED,

BUT THEY REMAIN
AN ECONOMIC RESOURCE,

THANKS TO THE MORE HUMANE SPORT
OF WHALE WATCHING.

A RELIC OF MORE MODERN HISTORY
LIES SUNK IN THESE WATERS--

A SHADOWY REMINDER OF THE DANGER
STILL LURKING BENEATH THE WAVES.

IN 1967,
NEAR THE ROBBERG PENINSULA,

THE GREEK TRAWLER ATHENA
STRUCK A ROCK

AND STARTED TO SINK

IN WATERS INFESTED
WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS.

THE QUICK-THINKING CAPTAIN
STEERED FOR SHORE,

AND THE FRANTIC CREW
ABANDONED SHIP.

THE SHARKS BUZZED THE CASTAWAYS
LIKE SO MANY MOSQUITOS--

BUT NONE WERE ATTACKED.

INSTEAD, THE SHARKS FEASTED
ON THE SHIP’S SINKING CARGO--

A BOATLOAD OF TUNA.

THIS SHADOW BENEATH THE WAVES
IS THE REMAINS OF THE ATHENA.

ITS SEAFARING LIFE IS LONG OVER,

BUT ITS UNDERWATER LIFE
CONTINUES

AS A VALUABLE ARTIFICIAL REEF.

SHARKS STILL PATROL THIS BAY,
ATTRACTED BY THE SEALS

THAT GATHER ALONG
THE CLIFFS OF ROBBERG.

TO A GREAT WHITE SHARK,
THEY LOOK LIKE EASY PICKINGS.

THEY ALSO LOOK A LITTLE
LIKE A BEACH FULL OF PEOPLE.

THAT’S WHY SHARKS AND HUMANS

HAVE A LONG AND TENSE
RELATIONSHIP IN THESE WATERS.

HERE AT ST. FRANCIS,
SURFERS ENJOY

WHAT IS CONSIDERED
THE WORLD’S LONGEST SURF RIDE.

AND THE CLIMATE ALLOWS
FOR GOOD SURFING

300 DAYS A YEAR.

NEARBY, JEFFREY’S BAY
HAS SOME OF THE FASTEST

AND MOST PERFECTLY FORMED WAVES
IN THE WORLD.

BUT GREAT WHITE SHARKS,

SOMETIMES CALLED
THE PERFECT PREDATOR,

HAVE IMPERFECT EYESIGHT.

RIGHT AT THIS BEND IN THE BEACH,
PROFESSIONAL SURFER MICK FANNING

WAS UPENDED BY A GREAT WHITE
DURING A COMPETITION.

HE PUNCHED THE SHARK IN THE BACK
BEFORE IT FINALLY RELENTED.

IT WAS ALL WITNESSED
BY FANS WATCHING FROM SHORE.

NEARBY AT THE MOUTH
OF THE NAHOON RIVER,

15-YEAR-OLD SHANNON AINSLIE
WAS SURFING WHEN HE WAS ATTACKED

BY TWO GREAT WHITES
AT THE SAME TIME.

SHANNON SURVIVED

AND WAS BACK ON HIS BOARD
WITHIN SIX WEEKS.

SURFERS ARE NOT THE FIRST
SALTWATER TRAVELERS

TO FIND THIS COASTLINE
IRRESISTIBLE--

AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS.

IN 1488, PORTUGUESE EXPLORER
BARTHOLOMEW DIAZ

WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO ROUND
THE SOUTHERN TIP OF AFRICA.

HE OPENED A SEA ROUTE
TO THE INDIES,

SPURRING TRADE BETWEEN AFRICA,
EUROPE AND ASIA.

THEY ERECTED A STONE CROSS HERE
AT THEIR TURNAROUND POINT

BEFORE RETURNING TO PORTUGAL.

IT WASN’T DISCOVERED
UNTIL THE 1930s,

BROKEN IN PIECES ON THE ROCKS.

A MODERN REPLICA MARKS THE SPOT.

BUT OTHER SHIPS
NEVER MADE IT HOME.

HERE, A SHIP CALLED
THE DODDINGTON SANK IN 1755.

THE FEW SURVIVORS WHO MADE IT
TO THIS ISLAND

ATE THE RESIDENT BIRDS,
CALLED CAPE GANNETS, TO SURVIVE.

AFTER SEVEN MONTHS, THEY FINALLY
GOT OFF ON A HOMEMADE BOAT,

NAMING THEIR REFUGE
"BIRD ISLAND"

AS THEY FLOATED AWAY.

NOW, OVER 200,000 CAPE GANNETS

COVER BIRD ISLAND
LIKE A BLANKET.

WHILE THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF
REMOTE ISLANDS ALONG THE COAST,

THERE ARE ALSO THRIVING CITIES.

PORT ELIZABETH SITS ON THE
EASTERN END OF THE GARDEN ROUTE.

NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES
IN SOUTH AFRICA,

CLUES TO ITS HISTORY
STILL STAND OUT

AMID THE MODERN CITYSCAPE.

THE DONKIN MEMORIAL
HONORS SIR RUFANE DONKIN,

WHO FOUNDED THE TOWN IN 1820.

HOWEVER, HIS WIFE RECEIVED
A MORE LASTING HONOR--

THE CITY’S NAME.

PORT ELIZABETH
IS NAMED AFTER HER.

100 YEARS LATER,
THE CAMPANILE WAS BUILT

TO CELEBRATE
THE CITY’S CENTENNIAL.

THOUGH IT’S NOW SURROUNDED
BY MODERN NECESSITIES,

THE OLD BELL TOWER
STILL OFFERS GREAT VIEWS.

TODAY PORT ELIZABETH
IS A MAJOR SEAPORT

AND AN IMPORTANT CENTER
OF COMMERCE.

ITS MODERN SHIPPING
INFRASTRUCTURE

MAKES IT AN ATTRACTIVE
MANUFACTURING CENTER.

HERE, NEWLY MADE CARS ARE LOADED
ONTO GIANT CARGO SHIPS

FOR WORLDWIDE DELIVERY.

GENERAL MOTORS, FORD,
AND OTHER COMPANIES

HAVE ASSEMBLY PLANTS NEARBY.

MODELS INCLUDING THE HUMMER H3
POUR OUT OF FACTORIES

AND GATHER ON THE ASPHALT
LIKE HERDS OF ANIMALS.

♪

THE REAL HERDS OF ANIMALS

HAVE MOSTLY DISAPPEARED
FROM THE EASTERN CAPE--

DRIVEN OUT BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT,
HUNTING AND AGRICULTURE.

BUT LOOMING IN THE DISTANCE
IS A MIND-BENDING NATURAL WONDER

THAT SURVIVED
HUMAN ENCROACHMENT.

THE ALEXANDRIA DUNE FIELD
HAS BEEN HERE FOR 6,500 YEARS,

THE RESULT OF A PERFECT STORM

OF WIND DIRECTION
AND SAND CREATION.

IT COVERS 55 SQUARE MILES,
WITH DUNES AS HIGH AS 300 FEET.

THEY APPEAR LIFELESS,
BUT WALK AMONG THEM

AND YOU CAN HEAR
SEVERAL BIRD SPECIES,

OR SPOT A VERVET MONKEY
IN THE SAND.

♪

FLY INLAND FROM THE DUNES

AND FIND A RESERVE
THAT TRIES TO REKINDLE

THE WILD LEGACY OF THIS REGION.

THIS IS THE SHAMWARI
GAME RESERVE,

WHERE MORE THAN 26 SPECIES
HAVE BEEN REINTRODUCED,

INCLUDING WHAT SOUTH AFRICANS
CALL THE BIG FIVE:

LIONS, ELEPHANTS, CAPE BUFFALOS,
LEOPARDS, AND RHINOS.

SINCE THESE ANIMALS
ARE WORLD-FAMOUS,

FAMOUS PEOPLE COME TO SEE THEM--

WITH A CERTAIN EXPECTATION
OF LUXURY.

ROOMS IN THE LONG LEE MANOR
START AT ABOUT $500 PER NIGHT.

BUT OTHER PARTS
OF THE EASTERN CAPE

HAVE RETAINED
A VINTAGE, HOMEY FEEL.

PORT ALFRED WAS DESCRIBED
BY A SETTLER’S DAUGHTER

AS "THE LONELIEST, BARRENEST
VILLAGE IMAGINABLE."

WHILE THE ORIGINAL STONE HOUSES
WITH THATCHED ROOFS

ARE LONG GONE,

THE TOWN HAS KEPT
ITS OLD-TIME CHARM--

EXCEPT FOR THE CONSTANT BUZZ
OF MODERN AIRCRAFT.

PORT ALFRED IS HOME
TO THE 43 AIR SCHOOL.

HERE PILOTS ARE TRAINED
FOR COMMERCIAL JETS--

AND BUSH PLANES THAT CAN LAND
JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.

THE ORIGINAL 43 AIR SCHOOL
OPENED IN 1941

AND TRAINED PILOTS FOR ACTION
IN WORLD WAR II.

NOW IT OFFERS TRAINING FOR
THE AIR FORCE AND FOR AIRLINES.

THERE ARE 60 PLANES,
60 INSTRUCTORS,

AND ENDLESS BLUE SKIES.

BUT BEFORE THE AGE
OF MODERN TRAVEL,

THE CULTURES PROTECTED BY THESE
JAGGED CLIFFS HAD FEW VISITORS.

WHEN OUTSIDERS DID GET IN,
THEY OFTEN DIDN’T GET OUT.

♪

THE WILD COAST
IS A 300-MILE STRETCH

OF UNDEVELOPED
AFRICAN COASTLINE.

IT OCCUPIES
OVER 16,000 SQUARE MILES

OF MOSTLY UNTOUCHED TERRAIN.

FOR CENTURIES, THESE
SHEER CLIFFS AND RAGGED REEFS

REPELLED NEWCOMERS,
SHIPWRECK AFTER SHIPWRECK.

THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
REMAINED ISOLATED,

BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE WORLD
RARELY GOT IN.

WHEN ANYBODY DID, THEY FOUND IT
ROUGH SAILING INDEED.

IN 1552, THE SAO JOAO,
OR ST. JOHN,

BECAME THE FIRST CARGO SHIP
TO WRECK ON THE COAST.

100 PERISHED ABOARD
AS THE SHIP PUSHED

INTO THE BARNACLE-COVERED TEETH
OF THE SHORE.

BUT THE CAPTAIN MANAGED
TO GET 400 SURVIVORS TO LAND.

THEY CAUTIOUSLY INTERACTED
WITH THE LOCAL TRIBES,

BUT APPARENTLY NOT TOO WELL.

MOST WERE MURDERED,
DIED OF DISEASE,

OR KILLED BY WILD ANIMALS.

ONLY 21 SURVIVED.

THERE IS STILL A SENSE
OF ISOLATION HERE.

THE LAND IS PROTECTED
BY BARRIERS OF OCEAN AND RIVER.

EVEN TODAY,
CARS MUST CROSS THE KEI RIVER

BY FLOATING PONTOON.

IN DOING SO, THEY ARE ENTERING
THE CULTURAL HEARTLAND

OF THE XHOSA PEOPLE.

THESE POOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

SUBSIST ON AGRICULTURE
AND FISHING--

AND MONEY SENT BACK BY FAMILY
WORKING IN THE CITIES.

ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND FOLKLORE
STILL THRIVE HERE TODAY--

CREATING A LIVING MYTHOLOGY
BORN OUT OF THE GEOGRAPHY.

♪

THIS ROCK IS KNOWN
AS HOLE IN THE WALL--

A GEOLOGIC WONDER
THAT INSPIRED A WONDROUS STORY.

♪

XHOSA MYTHOLOGY
DESCRIBES SEA PEOPLE,

WITH FLIPPER-LIKE HANDS
AND FEET.

ONE OF THE SEA PEOPLE
FELL IN LOVE

WITH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL
LIVING IN A NEARBY VILLAGE.

BUT HER FATHER FORBADE HER

FROM LEAVING TO JOIN HER LOVER
IN THE SEA.

SO ONE NIGHT THE SEA PEOPLE
RETURNED WITH A GIANT FISH,

WHICH RAMMED A HOLE IN THE WALL.

THEY POURED THROUGH THE HOLE
SINGING AND SHOUTING,

AND THE VILLAGE GIRL
JOINED THEM,

DISAPPEARING BACK OUT TO SEA
FOREVER.

IT’S CALLED ESIKHALENI--
THE PLACE OF THUNDER.

THEY SAY ON SOME NIGHTS

THEY STILL HEAR VOICES
CALLING FOR THE GIRL.

♪

THE BEAUTY OF THE COAST
CONTINUES TO INSPIRE WONDER.

THE EGOSO FAULT LINE
RUNS ALONG THE SHORE,

THEN INLAND FOR 9 MILES.

IT CREATED 300-FOOT CLIFFS,

TURNING THE MOUTH OF EVERY RIVER
INTO A MAGNIFICENT WATERFALL.

♪

HERE THE MKOZI RIVER
THROWS ITSELF FROM THE CLIFFS,

PLUMMETING 180 FEET TO ITS END.

♪

FURTHER INLAND, THE GRACEFUL
CURVE OF HORSESHOE FALLS

GETS ITS BEAUTY FROM ITS SHAPE,
NOT ITS HEIGHT.

BUT IF YOU WANT HEIGHT,
THE MAGWA WATERFALL

ROARS OVER 466 FEET
INTO THE NARROW CANYON BELOW.

ALL THIS BEAUTY
SURROUNDS XHOSA VILLAGES

THAT CONTINUE TO SEE LITTLE
CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE DECADES.

BUT FROM A VILLAGE
JUST LIKE THIS,

ONE LITTLE BOY
SAW FURTHER THAN MOST

AND TOOK HIS IDEAS OF FREEDOM
TO THE HORIZON AND BEYOND--

NELSON MANDELA.

IN 1918,
HE WAS BORN ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA,

AND "ROLIHLAHLA"
MEANS TROUBLEMAKER.

HE GREW UP INSPIRED BY A WORLD
WHERE OLD AND NEW COLLIDE,

AND TRANSCENDED
HIS IMPOVERISHED REALITY

TO BRING A DIVIDED NATION
TOGETHER.

IN HIS BOOK
"LONG WALK TO FREEDOM,"

MANDELA WROTE, "I HAVE
THE MOST PLEASANT RECOLLECTIONS

AND DREAMS OF MY CHILDHOOD,

WHERE I HUNTED,
PLAYED STICK-FIGHTING,

STOLE MAIZE ON THE COB,

AND WHERE I LEARNED TO COUNT."

THE REST IS
WORLD-CHANGING HISTORY,

BUT IT ALL STARTED HERE

IN THE HUMBLE AND BEAUTIFUL LAND
OF THE XHOSA PEOPLE.

SOUTH AFRICA WAS FOREVER
TRANSFORMED BY NELSON MANDELA,

BUT THANKFULLY, ITS RICH HISTORY
AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES REMAIN.

♪

THIS IS PORT ST. JOHNS,

WHICH USED TO HAVE
A DEEPWATER HARBOR,

ATTRACTING OLD TRADE SHIPS
ON THEIR WAY AROUND AFRICA.

BUT OVER TIME, SILT FROM UPRIVER
FLOWED INTO THE BAY,

MAKING IT TOO SHALLOW
FOR BIG SHIPS.

NOW, ONLY SMALL FISHING BOATS

CAN FLOAT DOWN THE RIVER
TO THE SEA.

THIS BEAUTIFUL BEACH
IN PORT ST. JOHNS

HAS AN INFAMOUS NICKNAME--

THE DEADLIEST BEACH
IN THE WORLD.

SHARK ATTACKS
ARE MORE COMMON HERE

THAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE
ON EARTH.

HERE, THERE WERE FIVE FATALITIES
FROM SHARK ATTACKS

IN JUST FIVE YEARS--

THREE IN 2009 ALONE.

FURTHER UP FROM PORT ST. JOHNS

IS A COASTLINE
WITH A DEEPER SHARK HISTORY--

A STRETCH BETWEEN SCOTTBURGH
AND DURBAN.

IN JUST ONE YEAR,
BEGINNING IN DECEMBER OF 1957,

NINE SHARK ATTACKS OCCURRED

WITHIN THE 40 MILES
OF COASTLINE.

SIX OF THE ATTACKS WERE FATAL.

IT IS NOW CALLED
"BLACK DECEMBER."

THESE BUOYS DOTTING THE SURFACE

ARE HOLDING UP
UNDERWATER SHARK NETS,

INSTALLED IN 1964
TO PROTECT BEACHGOERS.

WE NOW KNOW THAT SHARK ATTACKS
ARE MOSTLY MISTAKEN IDENTITY--

A SWIMMER ON THE SURFACE
CAN LOOK LIKE NATURAL PREY.

BUT IF DONE RIGHT,
SHARK DIVING IS SAFER.

THESE DIVE BOATS
ARE GETTING READY

TO TAKE VISITORS UNDERWATER

TO MEET SHARKS
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

ABOUT 250,000 PEOPLE
DIVE WITH SHARKS

EVERY YEAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

AT ALIWAL SHOAL DIVERS GET
TO SEE A VARIETY OF SHARKS,

INCLUDING TIGER
AND, ON OCCASION, GREAT WHITES.

SOUTH AFRICA HAS ALWAYS
ATTRACTED EXPLORERS

AND INVITED RISK--

FROM DIVING INTO THE DEEP
TO CLIMBING INTO THE SKY.

IN 1948, BRITISH EXPLORER
GODFREY EDMONDS

APPROACHED THE HIGHEST
MOUNTAIN RANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

WITH A JEEP AND
A SUPPORT TEAM WITH MULES.

THERE WERE NO ROADS.

BUT AS A FORMER
ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOT,

HE KNEW ALL ABOUT
BLAZING TRAILS.

HE WAS IN WHAT IS NOW CALLED

UKHAHLAMBA-DRAKENSBERG
NATIONAL PARK,

WHERE MOUNTAIN PEAKS
FORM THE BORDER

BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA
AND LESOTHO.

EDMONDS WAS TRYING
TO GET THROUGH.

AS HE BOUNCED THROUGH
RUGGED COUNTRY,

HE WOULD HAVE SEEN HERDS OF
ELAND AND THE OCCASIONAL ZEBRA.

♪

WITH LOCAL TRIBESMEN,
MULES AND ROPES,

HE TOOK HIS VEHICLE
ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP--

9,400 FEET--
NOW CALLED SANI PASS.

♪

HIS DARING FEAT PROVED
THAT A ROAD ROUTE WAS POSSIBLE,

AND CONSTRUCTION BEGAN
A FEW YEARS LATER.

TODAY IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST
DANGEROUS PASSES IN THE WORLD.

♪

IT’S A STEEP AND RUDDY TRACK--

TRICKY WHEN DRY,

AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
WHEN COVERED IN SNOW OR ICE.

♪

BUT IT CARVES A PATH

INTO STORIED, TEETH-BARING
MOUNTAINS

THAT STILL TANTALIZES EXPLORERS

WHO DARE TO ENTER
THE DRAKENSBERG.

♪

DRAKENSBERG MEANS
"DRAGON MOUNTAIN."

IT TOOK NATURE OVER A BILLION
YEARS TO FORM THIS RANGE.

THESE MOUNTAINS RESIST EROSION,
SO THEY REMAIN RUGGED AND STEEP.

THEIR ZULU NAME, UKHAHLAMBA,

MEANS "BARRIERS
OF UP-POINTED SPEARS."

DESPITE THEIR IMPOSING PRESENCE
AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE ANGLES,

HUNTER-GATHERERS CALLED THE SAN
LIVED HERE SINCE THE STONE AGE--

UNTIL THEY WERE FINALLY PUSHED
OUT IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY.

FOR 4,000 YEARS,
THIS WAS THEIR HOME--

AND THEY LEFT BEHIND
THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION

OF CAVE ART IN THE WORLD.

THEY LIVED AMONG THE PEAKS

WITH NAMES DRAWN
FROM THEIR IMPOSING SHAPES.

CATHEDRAL PEAK.

THE ORGAN PIPES.

♪

THE BELL.

THE DRAKENSBERG
IS A HAVEN FOR HIKERS.

AND IT IS A ROCK CLIMBER’S
PARADISE--

BUT NOT FOR AMATEURS.

ASIDE FROM THE HAZARDS
OF CLIMBING,

THE DRAKENSBERG IS WELL-KNOWN
FOR SUDDEN RAIN OR SNOW.

AND THE ROCK CAN BE CRUMBLY,
SO LOOK OUT BELOW.

♪

THE IMPRESSIVE DEVIL’S TOOTH

IS ONE OF THE RANGE’S TOUGHEST
ROCK CLIMBING CHALLENGES.

IT WAS CONSIDERED UNCLIMBABLE
UNTIL SUMMITED IN 1950

BY THREE STUDENTS
FROM JOHANNESBURG.

THE DEVIL’S TOOTH IS PART OF
A MASSIVE, WONDROUS FORMATION--

THE DRAKENSBERG AMPHITHEATER.

IT IS ONE OF NATURE’S
FINEST SCULPTURES--

3 MILES WIDE.

IT IS 6 TIMES BROADER
THAN THE MATTERHORN

AND 10 TIMES THE BREADTH
OF YOSEMITE’S EL CAPITAN.

IT WOULD BE AN ASTONISHING
AMPHITHEATER TO SING IN...

AND BY COINCIDENCE,
ANGELIC VOICES ARE RIGHT NEARBY.

THE DRAKENSBERG
BOYS CHOIR SCHOOL IS HOME

TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CHOIRS
IN THE WORLD.

THEY ARE KNOWN
FOR THEIR UNIQUE STYLE

AND DIVERSE RANGE OF MUSIC.

THEY HAVE TOURED THE WORLD,

BUT ALWAYS RETURN
TO THEIR HOME BASE

PERCHED AMONG THE PEAKS.

AND THE PEAKS
ARE ONLY GETTING HIGHER.

SOUTHERN AFRICA IS RISING

DUE TO A GIANT PLUME OF MAGMA
DEEP UNDERGROUND,

SLOWLY FORCING THE ANCIENT
DRAKENSBERG RANGE SKYWARD.

LIKE THE REST OF AFRICA’S
WILD SOUTH COAST,

IT IS NEVER AT REST.

IT IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE...

AND REINVENTING ITSELF
WITH EVERY WAVE.

♪

THIS IS WHERE HUMANITY WAS BORN

AND CONTINUES
TO CHALLENGE ITSELF.

WHERE LOCAL TRIBES MET
WORLD EXPLORERS...

AND MOVIE STARS
MEET NATURE’S ICONS.

WHERE YOU CAN TRACK
THE IMPRINTS OF TIME

THROUGH WIDE OPEN SPACES.

SOUTHERN AFRICA IS STILL A LAND
OF CONTRAST AND CONTRADICTIONS,

IMMOVABLE MOUNTAINS OF ROCK,

AND SHAPE-SHIFTING DUNES
OF SAND.

NATURAL CATHEDRALS OF STONE

AND MAN-MADE MONUMENTS OF FAITH.

CITIES BUILT
FROM COMMERCE AND CULTURE...

AND FOLKLORE BUILT
FROM GEOLOGY AND MYTHOLOGY.

THERE IS STILL WILDLIFE
FOLLOWING ANCIENT INSTINCTS,

CLINGING TO WHAT’S LEFT
TO LIVE ON.

THERE ARE PLACES
THAT STILL LOOK PRIMEVAL.

WHERE YOU CAN STAND
AND FEEL IMMERSED IN CREATION...

EVEN WHEN SOMETHING NEW
IS CREATED EVERY DAY.

IN THIS DYNAMIC STRETCH
OF SOUTH AFRICA,

HOPE PREVAILS
THAT CONSTANT CHANGE

WILL NOT SPOIL WHAT SHOULD BE
PRESERVED FOREVER--

AN ANCESTRAL SENSE OF BELONGING.

THAT NO MATTER
WHERE YOU’RE FROM,

THIS PLACE FEELS LIKE HOME.

♪

♪

♪