As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opens up to the outside world, miles and miles of this vast desert landscape remain completely unknown. Over 120 thousand years ago the Arabian desert was a pathway for the first human migrations out of Africa. On this expedition, Steve and the team are following in ancient footsteps to shine a light into the unknown. Joining forces with Saudi Arabian geologists Mahmoud AlShanti and Hala Alwagdani, Steve and ropes expert Aldo Kane head down into an unexplored volcanic underworld in search of the longest lava tube in Arabia. Geological evidence suggests that at least 400km of tunnels lie beneath the Harrat Khaybar lava field – subterranean passageways which could contain bones and artefacts from ancient civilisations. Only 25km of these lava tubes have ever been explored… until now. Steve and the team start their journey at the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra, where secrets lie waiting to be uncovered.
Steve and the team head to the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan to find one of the world’s most endangered big cats – the snow leopard. Kyrgyzstan sits at the heart of the global snow leopard population, but from the Himalayas in the south to Russia in the north, snow leopards are under threat right across their range. The goal of this expedition is to explore the remote and almost inaccessible Djangart valley. Snow leopards are known to live south and north of here, but nothing is known about what lies between. No one has studied the cats in these mountains because these high-altitude peaks are so difficult to access, but this entire region is packed with precious minerals and mining companies now have their sights firmly set on the Djangart mountains. Teaming up with Kyrgyz conservation group Snow Leopard Foundation, Steve and the team set out to find evidence of a breeding population of snow leopards. If they can find snow leopards living and breeding here, they hope to persuade the government of Kyrgyzstan to turn the Djangart valley into a protected nature reserve.
As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opens up to the outside world, miles and miles of this vast desert landscape remain completely unknown. Over 120 thousand years ago the Arabian desert was a pathway for the first human migrations out of Africa. On this expedition, Steve and the team are following in ancient footsteps to shine a light into the unknown. Joining forces with Saudi Arabian geologists Mahmoud AlShanti and Hala Alwagdani, Steve and ropes expert Aldo Kane head down into an unexplored volcanic underworld in search of the longest lava tube in Arabia. Geological evidence suggests that at least 400km of tunnels lie beneath the Harrat Khaybar lava field – subterranean passageways which could contain bones and artefacts from ancient civilisations. Only 25km of these lava tubes have ever been explored… until now. Steve and the team start their journey at the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra, where secrets lie w...
Steve and a team of world class kayakers head to the Kamchatka peninsula in the Russian far east, to take on the first descent of the Kronotsky River – through white-water so extreme that it has never before been attempted. The team set out to paddle from source to sea, starting in the shadow of a still active volcano and ending at the Pacific Ocean – kayaking through an unspoilt wilderness packed with more brown bears than almost anywhere else on the planet. If the team can make it through the white-water, they will enter an untouched landscape and witness brown bears in their natural habitat – unaffected by humans. These Russian brown bears are so isolated, some of them may never have seen people before. There are few places left on this rapidly changi...