The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
EPISODE 1 Volcano
LAKE NATRON
Tanzania
The architects of our planet, volcanoes have crafted 80 per cent of the Earth’s surface, emitting carbon dioxide to create a balanced, breathable atmosphere and carving a unique home for 20 per cent of all species. One of those creatures is the lesser flamingo; up to two million nest on Lake Natron in the shadow of one of Africa’s most active volcanoes, Ol Doinyo Lengai. Braving boiling mud pools and soda flats as caustic as household bleach, the film crew used a hovercraft, hides and drones to capture chicks racing to safety on the lake’s edge, with marauding marabou storks in pursuit.
“It’s one of the most extraordinary sequences,” says Sir David Attenborough. Witnessing the pink-hued birds swirling above a rainbow of chemical colours is impressive; an activity offered by private safari guide Alex Hunter.
Helicopter flights take off across the border in Kenya, where a seven-day stay at Shompole Wilderness costs from £7,484pp, excluding international flights (email alex@royalafrican.com).
Ecuador
Venting fire, pressure and anger from the Earth’s core, volcanoes can be furiously destructive – but they have the power to generate life, too. On Fernandina, the youngest island in the Galapagos chain, 2,000 land iguanas make a 10-day trek to the top of La Cumbre, incubating their eggs in the ash of the crater floor.
“One of the biggest challenges when
filming in the Galapagos is the remoteness,” says series producer Huw Cordey, who also travelled to Wolf Island to film vampire finches feeding on the blood of Nazca boobies.
A cruise on the Santa Cruz II is a more pleasant way to explore the volcanic archipelago. Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547760; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers an eight-night, full-board trip from £5,590pp, including flights.