Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone Episode Guide, Season 1

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Lost In Africa
Four modern-day explorers head into Tanzania's deep interior, to travel 970 miles through stunning and unforgiving African terrain. Using only a compass and basic maps, they will re-experience the spirit of a remarkable adventure in world history - American journalist Henry Morton Stanley's perilous 19th-century journey to find Dr. David Livingstone. They will confront obstacles and dangers similar to those encountered by the great explorers before them, traveling through Africa's varied terrains, facing danger from severe dehydration, diseases and wild animals. Conflicting egos, disorganization and personality conflicts threaten to sink the expedition before it begins: The team struggles on the first leg of their journey, traveling only 10 miles. Though very capable, the team squabbles over who is in command, and mistakes prove costly. As they understand more about the history of Stanley's expedition our explorers begin to realize that this journey will be much harder than anticipated.

First Victim
As they approach the Uluguru Mountains for a brutal and treacherous mountain crossing, the team reconsiders how much gear they are carrying. Pasquale tries to push them hard, but as they climb higher, the torrid African sun makes travel difficult. When one of the party collapses into a life-threatening condition, emergency medical attention is needed and they are forced to make camp early. What starts as a peaceful night turns into struggle with heavy winds. Looking again at the map, they realize that they will have to trek almost three times as far as the day before. As the team reaches the summit, damp conditions, make it impossible to start a fire to cook food. Forced to set out hungry the next day, everyone is in a foul and tired mood when they must face the crossing of sheer cliffs hundreds of feet tall. After this daunting challenge, they settle in at a village to re-supply and join in a local celebration.

Hunters Become The Hunted
The Explorers move on the Mkata Plain which is baking hot and parched dry. Water will become a critical issue for them. They marvel at the giraffes, elephants, zebra and other game grazing nearby but they also recognize the dangers of this environment. General illness seems to be afflicting everyone. Then they are confronted with a sea of 10-foot-high grass, and worry about lions that may be hiding there. Another injury reminds them how vulnerable they are in this environment. The pace of the group's progress is a concern, and two members of the group seem to be headed for a showdown. At a desperately needed water hole, an unexpected natural event forces the explorers to scurry out of the way. It's another harbinger of what probably lies ahead.

African Monsoon
Terrible weather conditions turn the expedition into a struggle for survival. As the explorers begin the day's hike, they realize they only have 30 days to complete their journey because of rainy season. Progress is hampered by heavy rains, and the group fears for hypothermia. They slog through the mud and the rain and when one of the group gets frustrated with a local guide's help, he takes over navigation. The first possible camp site shows evidence of snake holes. Conflicts within the group continue, and one of them is violently ill overnight. Still, by the morning - and with the return of sun - everyone feels slightly more optimistic for a brief moment - interrupted when one of them comes down with a serious illness. They wonder if they will ever get out of Sagara.

Danger In The Desert
The explorers arrive at the Bahi Swamp - despite its name, a harsh desert lanDISCape. While there, they arrange to hire donkeys to help carry supplies for the next stage of the trip. The plan is to beat the heat by setting out at 4am, but things don't work out as planned. As the sun is hitting its peak, the explorers see the massive stretch of desert awaiting them: HOT - no shade, no protection and a long way to go. The philosophical divisions between some of the group manifest themselves in physical separations. When they all reunite, trouble brews. At camp later in a village, the team temporarily irons out their differences - but again, they seem to only patch things up on the surface. After two days of trekking across the swamp, the expedition runs into a massive incline they will have to climb. Again, arguments about how to proceed develop. When the team finally makes it to the top, a fight ensues. They may have made it through that leg of the expedition, but are they together?

Malaria Claims An Explorer
Benedict and Pasquale reach an uneasy truce as the explorers trek to Tabora, site of the Livingstone house. There, one of the team comes down with malaria--ironically, the same place where Stanley contracted it. This puts the future of the expedition entirely in question. They decide to continue, and the Expedition heads off toward an uncertain future, knowing any relapse could lead to their failure. Time is critical if they want to make Ujiji in 30 days. With one of the team ill and needing care, the balance of power changes, and the group is exhausted. They make camp, but must build fires to ward off the danger from hippos. After a decision to rest for a day, confrontations ensue. Two of the team get into a huge fight, putting team unity - and hope for a successful expedition - into shambles.

Heart Of Darkness
Spirits are on the upswing as the expedition starts its trek to the Malagarasi. The group reaches an abandoned village where they reluctantly set up camp near croc-infested waters (they would learn that the village was abandoned because crocs attacked the children). Pasquale and Benedict find themselves getting along, while Kevin grows frustrated. The next day, Pasquale wants to get moving early because thunderstorms and danger loom on the horizon. They make their way to their next campsite, where a night of chatting leads the explorers to open up about their pasts and gives them a better perspective on their fellow expedition mates. The next day, they will begin the final trek toward Ujiji. They must say goodbye to the porters who have helped them come this far. But now that they're traveling alone, the rains come.

The Final Chapter
As the team waits out the heavy rains, the explorers recognize that, above all else, they want to make it to Ujiji as a cohesive unit. They work together to bury and resolve their differences. Benedict and Pasquale canoe together down the Malagarasi toward Lake Tanganyika as a symbol of this cohesive spirit. Lake Tanganyika's currents and waves offer a not-so-friendly greeting, and they switch from canoes to small sailboats. Kevin and Benedict's sail breaks, leaving them far behind and fearful they won't find camp as the sun sets. Finally at camp, all realize they cannot lose focus this close to the finish. Kevin and Benedict's troubles continue the next day when boat issues cause them to fall far behind again, but this time, the team pledges to stick together. The explorers spot Ujiji, but the final stretch proves more daunting than they had imagined.