Extreme Africa

South Africa's Drakensberg is one of the continent's most impressive landscapes. It is home to sharp climatic and ecological gradients as physical conditions change for both land-based creatures and the Raptors that swirl in the skies above.

In north Tanzania, towering mountains line a dramatic valley. Enriched by ancient volcanoes, its slopes provide a variety of habitats for life to thrive and its great centerpiece holds water through even the driest of times.

Simien Mountains National Park in Ethiopia is home to some of the rarest creatures on earth. A glimpse into life on some of the highest peaks in Africa, in the last stronghold of shaggy, grass-grazing Geladas, elusive Simien wolves and horned Walia ibex.

The Southern Drylands is a journey into the most arid and extreme environments in the furthest reaches of southern Africa. Spectacular but treacherous places where almost no rain falls with incredibly resilient creatures.

Etosha was once a great lake that dried up and now only fills with water seasonally during the summer rains. Once the Etosha pan is full of water, a myriad of water birds congregate in the shallow lake to breed, most notably Greater and lesser flamingos.

The course of South Africa's Orange river from its origins to where it spills out into the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way a diverse range of habitats and the creatures they support, from the dry lands of the Richtersveld to the beauty of Augrabies, this is the story of the Linear Oasis. A look at ...