Born to Explore
Season 1
Through host Richard Wiese's signature curiosity, warmth and humor, and his passion for adventure and exploration, our viewers experience how the natural world can inspire and transform us-and how the survival of this delicately woven ecosystem depends on us all.
#101 Tanzania: Remote Tribes
Join host Richard Wiese in Tanzania, a land renowned for its extraordinary wildlife and more than 100 indigenous tribes. In a remote village, Richard is welcomed into the Iraqw tribe to experience daily life. He explores the Serengeti to witness one of the most incredible events on the planet—the Great Wildebeest Migration. And deep in the bush, he visits the people of the Datoga tribe and joins their festive celebration honoring a village elder.
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#102 Turkey: Journey to Love Valley
Join Richard Wiese as he journeys to Turkey, a land where East meets West. Richard explores Istanbul’s fabled Spice Market, and a traditional fortune-teller reveals his future through the grounds in his coffee cup. Explore Cappadocia, a region known for “fairy chimneys,” some of the most striking geologic formations on earth. Join Richard as he takes to the skies aboard a hot air balloon for an aerial adventure of a lifetime.
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#103 Namibia: Wild Cheetah
Explorer Richard Wiese travels to Namibia to meet a woman who has dedicated her life to saving cheetahs from extinction -- Dr. Laurie Marker, founder of the Cheetah Conservation Fund. Richard tracks cheetahs on the Namibian plains and helps a medical team with a cheetah check-up. Learn how local farmers have formed an extraordinary partnership with wildlife conservationists and use dogs to protect livestock---ensuring the survival of Namibia’s cheetah population.
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#104 India: Good Karma
Explorer Richard Wiese travels to the mystical land of India to explore its ancient yet vibrant traditions. His mission—to perform a “seva” or good deed at the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi, a Sikh temple known for feeding thousands. At the world-renowned Kalakshetra Foundation, he experiences the magic of Indian music and dance and discovers why they’re considered holy arts. Meet an artist who paints holy elephants and find out why Indian pottery is an age-old craft.
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#105 Scotland: Vikings, Puffins & Ponies
Travel with host Richard Wiese to the Shetland Islands in northern Scotland. At a renowned breeding farm, Richard meets a herd of pint-sized Shetland ponies; on the craggy cliffs of Sumburgh Head, he encounters thousands of sea birds, including pint-sized puffins. He meets a lively woman who reveals the secrets for knitting the classic Shetland sweater and explores life below the waters of the North Sea.
#106 Indonesia: Orangutans-People of the Forest
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Explorer Richard Wiese travels to Borneo, Indonesia, one of only two islands on the planet where orangutans live in the wild. Richard experiences life aboard a “klotok” boat during his journey deep into the rainforest in search of these magnificent great apes. Find out why Borneo’s rainforests are vanishing and meet the local communities who are banding together to save the mighty orangutan.
#107 Canada: The Great Polar Bear Migration
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Journey with Richard Wiese to the barren wilds of Arviat, Canada where polar bears and the Inuit people live in uneasy harmony. Richard is welcomed into an Inuit community and discovers how these hunter-gatherers struggle to survive in this inhospitable land and preserve a traditional way of life. Richard explores the frozen tundra and comes face-to-face with magnificent polar bears in the wild.
#108 Tanzania: Summit on Mt. Kilimanjaro
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Join Richard Wiese as he journeys to Tanzania to climb the highest mountain on the African continent – Mount Kilimanjaro. With friends and family, Richard sets out on a seven-day climb to the summit at over 19,000 feet. He follows the same path he took with his father at age 11, more than 40 years ago. This is his 14th ascent up Kilimanjaro—only this time, Richard encounters the worst weather he’s ever faced on the mountain.
#109 Morocco: The Last Nomads
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Discover Morocco with explorer Richard Wiese on a Saharan adventure. Atop an Arabian stallion, he joins in the Fantasia, an annual tribal celebration of traditional horsemanship. He journeys through the Sahara to meet a family of Berber nomads; encounters classic Moroccan hospitality and finds out how nomadic people survive in the desert.
#110 Chile: Flowering of the Llamas
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Richard Wiese travels to the driest place on earth, Chile’s Atacama Desert. He explores the Valley of the Moons on horseback and meets the Atacamenos, a people who have survived in this harsh environment for hundreds of years. Richard joins a family in a sacred thanksgiving ceremony called the “Floramiento” or flowering of the llamas.
#111 South Africa: Saving the Mighty Rhino
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Join explorer Richard Wiese as he journeys to South Africa, for incredible encounters with white rhinos and elephants. Richard joins a conservation team on foot and by helicopter as they implant tracking devices to help monitor rhinos and protect them against poachers. He’s welcomed into a Zulu tribe and meets some enterprising women who started a community garden that feeds the tribe and supplies local safari lodges.
#112 England: The Queen's Swan
Join Richard Wiese in England. He discovers that an unlikely bird, the swan, has played a key role in Britain’s long line of proud traditions. Richard visits the Abbotsbury Swannery, where caring for these magnificent birds is a royal institution. He meets the Queen’s Swan Warden and the Swan Herd and participates in a swan rescue.
#113 Cyprus: Cleopatra's Secret Island
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Richard Wiese travels to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, steeped in ancient tales of love and intrigue. He joins archeologist Dr. Joan Connelly, who is digging for clues to confirm the existence of a sacred temple built by Cleopatra to honor her love child with Julius Caesar. Richard visits one of Cyprus’ most celebrated chefs, and learns about the famous “tatsia” dance.
#114 Namibia: Painted People of the Desert
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Explorer Richard Wiese travels to Namibia. He treks through the Namib Desert to meet members of the nomadic Himba tribe, whose way of life has changed little. Richard encounters an array of wild creatures, from giraffes to dune beetles, all of which have adapted to extreme desert conditions. Richard also tracks the elusive white rhino and discovers mysterious “fairy circles.”
#115 Scotland: Loch Ness Adventure
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Journey with Richard Wiese to Scotland as he competes in the Highland Games, a celebration of Scottish traditions that goes back more than a thousand years. Richard meets one of the top breeders and trainers of Scottish Sheepdogs. On the waters of Loch Ness, he learns the secrets of Nessie from the man who’s spent more than 40 years searching for the legendary monster.
#116 South Africa: Amazing Encounters
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Richard Wiese explores the wildest part of South Africa’s fabled Kruger National Park where he encounters elephants, lions and giraffes. He finds out how local communities are banding together to fight poaching and create a new economy based on ecotourism. And he visits a Makuleke village to learn how this proud tribe has helped transform this region into a flourishing wildlife reserve.
#117 India: Incredible Land
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Join Richard Wiese as he discovers India by rickshaw, samples savory cuisine and learns why yoga nourishes body and soul. With a family of dancers, he experiences the rhythms of a rural Indian village. Richard then takes to the streets for a game of gulley cricket, one of India’s most popular sports. And in Kanchipuram, the City of a Thousand Temples, he receives the Hindu “archana” blessing.
#118 Morocco: Secret Village
Explorer Richard Wiese discovers the mysteries of Morocco. In the Atlas Mountains, Richard journeys to a village that has never been visited by Westerners and where time seems to stand still. He’s welcomed into a community of Berbers, who teach him the secrets for traditional tanjia cooking and making butter in a goat bladder. Richard takes part in a traditional wedding ceremony.
#119 Uganda: Mountain Gorillas
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Deep in the heart of Uganda lies the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, one of the world’s last refuges for mountain gorillas. Richard Wiese joins a group of trackers as they come face to face with these extraordinary elusive creatures. He meets a tribe of Batwa Pygmies, who for centuries lived amidst the gorillas in the Bwindi Forest. He discovers why the Batwa were relocated out of the Forest to save their primate neighbors.
#120 South Africa: Turtles and Tsongas
The tale of the turtle begins on the beaches of South Africa’s Rocktail Bay. Richard Wiese travels here in search of the extraordinary loggerhead turtle, which swims thousands of miles to lay its eggs on the same beach where it was born. Richard fishes with a Tsonga tribesman and visits a rural primary school to see how the next generation of South Africans is coming of age.
#121 Australia: Secret Outback
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Richard journeys to Australia to discover its secret outback from the Northern Territory to the Tiwi Islands. Discover why camels and crocs have made their home here. In the Tiwis, Richard goes “outbush” to learn how to survive and live on the land with his hosts. He discovers local customs and joins in a smoking ceremony to banish stress and demons.
#122 Turkey: Land of Legends and Love
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Richard Wiese travels to Turkey, the ancient crossroads of civilization. In Istanbul, he meets a family that has been creating baklava for over 200 years. In a Mediterranean village, where 4000 year-old shipwrecks lie along dangerous reefs, Richard dives in search of ancient treasures. He discovers the Turkish secret for keeping bad luck at bay—a piece of jewelry called the “evil eye”.
#123 Tanzania: The Last Stone Age Tribe
Richard Wiese journeys to Tanzania to meet its people, rich cultures and amazing wildlife. He descends into the Ngoro Ngoro Crater and comes face-to-face with lions, elephants, and hippos. Richard travels deep into the Serengeti bush for a rare encounter with a Stone Age tribe called the Hadza. Richard joins the men on a hunt with bows and arrows in their daily search for food.
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#124 Chile: Kissed by the Sea
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Richard Wiese travels to Chile. In Santiago, he explores the Mercado Centrale, one of the world’s top markets. He journeys to Valparaiso and discovers “cueca brava,” the gritty urban music that unites Chileans young and old. In Horcon, Richard launches into the Pacific with Chile’s only commercial fisherwoman and finds out how she’s faced down danger on the open seas for 40 years.
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#125 Iceland: Fire & Ice
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Explore Iceland with host Richard Wiese. Here, in the shadow of Iceland’s volcanoes---it's a land of fire and ice. Join Richard as he explores Iceland’s volcanoes, haunting glaciers and famed geothermal pools. He meets the modern day Vikings and prepares a meal of rotten shark. In the idyllic countryside, the community rounds up its sheep after a summer of grazing. It’s part family affair, part local celebration.
#126 Africa: The Elephant Trunk Show
Richard Wiese heads to Africa to encounter elephants, the world’s largest land mammal. In Namibia, he treks through the oldest desert in the world to track rare desert-adapted elephants. In South Africa, a relocated herd is thriving in its new home. In Botswana, Richard meets a family of orphaned elephants and the dedicated people who have adopted them.
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