Untamed Nile Wildlife Wonders Along the Worlds Longest River 4 K Nature Documentary

Every river starts with droplet. Even the world's longest. The White Nile rises here, deep in the heart of East Africa. In the ruins or mountains. And the New Wave forest in Luanda. The journey the emerging river now takes is an adventure. tale of fast lakes, foaming rapids and the last untamed landscapes of Africa. In the end, the Nile has traveled almost 7000km, making it the world's longest river. The ultimate river. On the banks of the River Nile sits the vast city of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Cairo is surrounded by desert, making the Nile crucial lifeline for one of the world's largest cities. Egypt. Some 25 million people live, work, buy and sell, eat and drink in the conservation. They all depend on the Nile for water. So how about this is one another? Let's go back to square one. This is the one. The Nile has fostered cultures for thousands of years. But where does this fantastic river come from? Well, when the pyramids were built 5000 years ago, the Egyptians believed the Nile was gift from the gods. No wonder the Nile was considered divine. Back then, the river sources lane uncharted territory. Impossible and beyond all imagination. Cairo is close to the Nile Delta, just 120km from the Mediterranean coast. But the headwaters of the Nile, almost 7000km south of the delta in East Africa. There are countless sources located between Lake Victoria, its tributaries, and the mountains of the Western Rift Valley. The valley is flanked by the mysterious ruins, or range. The blanket of clouds lifts briefly, revealing some of the highest peaks in Africa. The glaciers in this range are one of the Nile's most important water sources. Even the ancient Greeks knew about snow capped mountains in the heart of Africa. On the world's earliest maps. They called them the mountains of the moon. The ruins or mountains are on the border between Uganda and the Congo. Mount Stanley stands guard of the Nile. Sources. The taller of its twin summits is Marguerita Peak, 5109m above sea level. The mountains trap humid air from the Congo Basin to be transformed into snow and icy water. The local people are called buttery and their word for ruins means rainmaker. The cradle of the Nile is surrounded by magical forest. The whole area is protected by national park. It extends into the tropical valleys. Giant ground cells rise up from the swampy soil. They can easily reach six meters in height, but they are dwarfed by the giant lobelia. Lobelia grow single rosette that will produce gigantic flower stem. Up to seven meters tall. At this height, lobelia are the only plant species to produce nectar. There are flies, but no proper insects to pollinate them. For this task, the plant has acquired the help of colorful personality. The lobelia, scarlet tufted malachite sunbird. The scarlet tufted sunbird flashes its iridescent colors. The labella is its tree of life, providing essential nourishment. This high up the mountains, they are the only plants providing nectar. In exchange, the bird pollinates the plant. The giant ground cells are an ideal home for the sunbirds because they don't shed their dead leaves. They provide place to seek refuge from the cold and rain. After the rainy season, the females arrive. They live in the lower altitudes, where the living is easier. They're here now to find mate. The female chooses based on how long the male's tail feathers are, and by how well he can defend his. The belly of flowers. The courtship begins with birdsong. Trembling and vibrating is part of the ritual. The mating ceremony consists of artistic flights in tandem. The groom proudly presents its scarlet tusks, distinctive feature of the species. The females build their nests in the thickest of the giant ground cells. As soon as the offspring are ready to fly, the females return to the warmer climate of the lower regions. But the males stay with the lobelia to defend their territory. Each day, summer, each night winter, they say about the climate high up in the mountains. The Nile is river of tropics and deserts that gathers its strength from the cold. So the plants need to cope with the subzero temperatures. Harry leaves, trapping warm layer of air like warm winter coat. Other species produce their own kind of antifreeze. Every drop of water from the ruins or mountains belongs to the Nile. No matter how hard it tries to escape. Water that evaporates from the river is trapped by the mountains. It rains down again, forming thousands of tiny streams. Ultimately, all the water plunges from the alpine region into mountainous forest. To. Below 4000m, the mountain streams are lined with gnarled trees overgrown with beards of kitchen muscles. The landscape is covered in heather, not an ordinary one, but truly spectacular member of the family. All over the world, Heather is common sight, but in the ruins or range, it grows into trees 15m tall. true fairytale forest. But disasters in Paradise are possible. blaze has ripped through the trees, trailing destruction behind it. Rain seems constant in the Nile headwaters. But in dry years, it doesn't take much to ignite raging fire that sweeps through the desiccated forests and swamps. In the middle of the devastation. The rare sight, the ruins of three red duiker. These small forest antelopes are found only in the ruins or mountains. Their preferred habitat is above 3000m. Their sign, elusive nature, means we know little else about them. It will take decades until the burned forest will look as magnificent as this one. Below 3000m, the Nile leaves the cold mountain landscape and enters dense evergreen rainforests. Even before it becomes mighty river. The Nile sustains vast variety of species. The rainforest here is full of birds and predators. green bush viper patrols the branches. Birds are suddenly on his menu. This beauty is the double collared sunbird, unique to the upper headwaters of the Nile. But it's chameleons. The truly surprises here. The ruined Zuri side striped chameleon is true mountaineer. You find it at up to 4000m above sea level. At these kind of altitudes. Eggs laid on the cold ground would perish. But these chameleons give birth to fully developed life. Young. The ruins, or three horned chameleon, is unique to the mountains of East Africa. It is mountain specialist as well, only found about 1000m. And the rare ruins or plate horned chameleon is endemic to these mountains. After sunrise, the chameleons emerge from their hiding places, collect heat and change color. little sunlight turns their brown pajamas into bright green tracksuit. Sharp eyesight and ballistic tongue with suction cup on top are the comedian's strongest weapons. For. Tongues longer than our own bodies hit the insects in under 10th of second. For flies. There is only one safe place. The loudest animal in the jungle. Is it Morocco? Easy to hear, but hard to find as it lives high in the canopy. The great blue to Rocco can grow as big as goose. The rainforest uses the birds as garden making fruit, but the seed capsules remain intact. The birds scatter the seeds throughout the forest, helping trees reach new areas. Great blue tobaccos are widespread in the forests. If you can. Unlike the ruins of Rita Rocco, these are even harder to spot. That dark plumage makes them hard to see. Their blue relatives form large, noisy groups. But the ruins sorry to echoes. If alone or in past. The key to spotting them is to find their favorite tree. When it's in fruit. The shy ruins or to Rocco only lives in the output rift, part of the Great East African Rift Valley. Here, two continental plates came together, lifting the river source and creating the ruins of three mountains. Now the water from the ruins already travels through the forests and gathers in the rivers and lakes at the foothills of the mountains. The biggest is Lake Edward, part of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Herds of buffalo call the rich park grasslands home. This fertile landscape was once cauldron of active volcanoes. The lava cooled long ago, but the craters remain, creating one of Africa's most stunning landscapes. The headwaters of the Nile cover an area of thousands of square kilometers. In the west. The sources feed Lake Edward and continue to Lake Albert to finally into the Nile. Despite the many sources, geographers have pinned down the Nile's birthplace to one particular spot. The source furthest away from the Nile Delta lies in Rwanda's Nungua National Park. Youngjae is cloud forest. It rains here virtually every day. The water on the western side of the mountain drains into the Congo Basin. The eastern side flows into the Nile, which. And here are 2700m up is the official source of the Nile. This tiny trickle is where it all begins. Each droplet will travel to the Mediterranean Sea, forming the world's longest river. From source to see through crux bends and intricate loops. The Nile covers distance of exactly 6650km. Mungo National Park is treasure trove of rare plant and animal species. The Rwanda of old is still alive here. The interior is famous local ritual. The key part of this dance is performed by young men in times past. These were the kings best warriors. Nowadays, long grass wigs replace the traditional headgear, which used to be made from the skin of coveted hunting trophy. The Angola colobus. The clippers are extremely lightweight and truly acrobatic. They avoid ground level content to live in the canopies. Angola. Colobus always moving troops. But then younger National Park troops are unusually large. Up to 400 animals. The young are born with white fur, which draws the mothers attention. As they grow, their fur color changes. When this happens, they're ready to be independent. This young monkey's fur has already turned to gray. Leaves are the staple diet. Not the most nutritious foodstuff, but the colobus monkeys stomachs have several compartments. These help break down the leaves. So for them, the high canopy provides plenty of food. Far below the forest floor crawls with merciless army driver. Ants. They devour anything that crosses their path. Female worker and go to battle for food. The front line ferries captured bounty. Back to the nest, moving against the flow. Soldier ants protect the workers. Their massive jaws can inflict extreme pain. Even humans flee these tiny, vicious warriors. In fact, driver ants, the most important carnivores and scavengers in the whole of East Africa. Driver and biomass is larger than all of the mammals of the forest combined. There can be tens of millions of ants in just one of these raids. The forest is surrounded by tea plantations. Every square meter is cultivated. Rwanda is actually very densely populated country. The national park is rampant jungle island and sea of arable land. Primates like the Angola colobus could not survive outside the park. Apart from timber plantations, few trees are left. The national park is home to 13 species of primates, including red tailed monkeys. This particular red tailed monkey is real character with an incredible story. Red tailed monkeys often live in harmony with colobus, sharing territory peacefully. But this male seems to have left his troupe and embraced group of corpus as its new family. Rangers claim the red tailed monkey is now leading the group. The park's primatologists. I'm not so sure. The gang are out on the prowl. They're at the edge of tea plantation, waiting for the workers to pass. Have the gang developed taste for teenage. The workers don't notice the monkeys advancing. It's test of courage for the monkeys. They're at home in the forest canopies and rarely set foot on the ground. It seems clear the red tailed monkey is the commander in chief. He leads the hesitant colobus into the plantation. Although. The workers don't seem to mind them because the monkeys have different goal. Eucalyptus trees on the far side of the plantation. They make it. Operation eucalyptus is success. Australian eucalyptus grows fast. It's cultivated as timber throughout Africa. But our gang appreciates it for different reasons. Each member fights for its share of the delicious bark. An unusual sight. African monkeys cling to an Australian eucalyptus tree like koalas, enjoying their spoils. Before the plantation owners arrive. The monkeys flee to the safety of the forest. Back in the canopy, they are out of harm's reach. The Nile leaves New Forest quietly by way of little streams, dripping moss and enchanted rivers. After many detours and meanders, the water finally flows from the Great Rift. Sunny east. It is captured by the Kagura River. The wide river crosses the border regions between Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda before emptying into the mighty Lake Victoria. This vast expanse of water is Africa's biggest lake and the nation's largest reservoir. Fed by thousands of streams and rivers, this massive lake supports 13 million people along its shores. Lake Victoria is home to wonder of the natural world, only discovered in the 1930s. And we only have to look in the shallow sandy bays and on the island's rocky shores. Cichlids are common fish, but the miracle is the stunning diversity. Just few species evolved into roughly 500, adapting to every ecological niche in the lake. In this species, the bright orange males coat the pale green females. They have solved problem the lack of safe places to nest. The females hold the fertilized eggs in their mouths even when they hatch. The fry stay in their mother's mouth, giving them an extra eight precious growing days. Many of the lake cichlids are under threat. Lake Victoria has been ravaged by voracious predator, the Nile perch. In the 1950s, the perch was introduced into Lake Victoria as commercial fish stock. With no natural predators. They multiplied fast. Within 50 years, native cichlids numbers were down to 10% devoured by one species of fish. Lake Victoria is the size of Ireland, making this carnage an unprecedented disaster. But the local fishermen take different view. They use the cichlids as bait. The Nile perch means real cash in their pockets. The shores of Lake Victoria are lined with fish processing plants, and the buyers pay well. In the 1990s, the Nile perch triggered gold rush. Having created this monster, humans rushed to cash in. On islands like Gimme Piece of Land is now rare commodity. Makeshift huts were hastily built. There's no sewage or waste disposal. New islanders live in ghetto far from their native villages. The women carry dagga to the shore. sardine like fish caught in the night. The dagga are useful source of protein and can be sold for animal feed. But perch make the big bucks tend. The Nile perch brought cichlids to the brink of extinction while local people waited. Decent living. But already the good times seem to be fading. 20 years ago, 50 kilo fish like this was nothing special. Today, the fish stocks of Lake Victoria have declined dramatically due to overfishing, both in number and in size. At the weekend, the fishermen come to Kampala to sell their catch. The factory buyers want large fish to produce bone free fillets. Big fish is scarce and so in demand. Less big fish means many factories now have to cut down on production. This week on tilapia, catfish and smaller perch sell to the locals. For those local markets. The Nile perch is of little importance as they are exported, but the trade with perch has brought great windfall and created employment. Catfish and tilapia can't sustain this industry. Lake Victoria needs profound change. new survival strategy. When the first Nile perch were introduced into Lake Victoria, Uganda was home to 8 million people. Today, it is 34 million. The need for housing is growing. Heavy metals and sewage are polluting the lake near the shores. Algae multiply, causing the oxygen levels to drop. Water hyacinths from South America, originally introduced for garden ponds, were flushed into the lake and have overgrown entire bays. The green blanket kills all life beneath it. But there is also good news. Biologists from the National Fisheries Institute regularly go out onto the lake to check fish stocks. They confirm what the fishermen have come to fear. The Nile perch have become smaller and fewer. But as the perch trade diminishes. new dawn has arisen for smaller fish. Among them, the cygnets. The tide has turned. The economy suffers. But suddenly there is hope for previously endangered species. The water quality by the shore may be poor, but the rest of the lake is recovering. For instance, near the CSI islands in Uganda. Some islands here are sparsely populated. Others completely uninhabited. The shores of full of life. The shallow water is an ideal nursery for fry and reptiles. In the branches, thousands of birds tender nests. colony of village weavers lives here. Village weavers are Africa's master craftsman. They collect the material for their intricate nests from the shrubs and meadows on the lake shore. In the mating season, the males are easy to identify by their bright yellow plumage. The females plumage is plain yellowish green. The males build their nests with purpose. They want to impress the females. The base for the vertical storks consists of skillfully woven mesh of knots and loops. The males show preference for the green grass, more flexible choice when weaving. Still, little practice is needed before it becomes easy. Privacy and distance to the neighbors seem to be of minor importance. The ground is populated by waders such as the water up and the quaint hammock. The hammock up feasts on fish and reptiles, but only up to certain size. The Nile monitor can grow up to length of two meters. The pied kingfisher is on guard. The monitor could find her nest and her precious eggs. But the lizard swims straight past. Dark clouds are hovering above the lake several hundred meters up, like smoke from distant fires. But these are clouds of flies. Billions of them. Their so-called dancing swarms. The males rise and fall, producing humming noise to attract females. They mate in the air, creating mesmerizing spectacle. As the heat dies down in the late afternoon, the islanders come to life. The dagga fishermen prepare their boats and lamps for the nightly hunt for those little sardines. medicine man pays visit with musicians and assistants for good money. He treats the islanders illnesses, establishes contact with their ancestors, and predicts the future. The fragrance of frankincense and medicinal herbs mingles with the aroma of smoked fish. The islanders smoked tilapia for the local markets and for their own use. The medicine man is doctor and sorcerer. Combined. He cures illnesses, but also communes with the ancestral spirits. The cockerel will decide on the young fishermen's future. If he flies away. It's bad omen. If he stays. All will be well. The young man is lucky. The cockerel stays put. The fishermen set out to cast their nets. Their lamps would attract the fish at night. At dusk. Lake Victoria is how it used to be. The epitome of mysterious Africa. You. Not modest trickle, but foaming rapids in the northwest of Lake Victoria. The Nile bursts into life, cascading over foaming rapids on its way north. From here. The mighty Nile begins its adventurous journey into the heart of one of the last untamed river landscapes in Africa. The. Thank you for watching. Please like, share and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss our next documentary.