Original subtitles

'I'm Ben Fogle and over the next few weeks,

'I'm going to live with different people who

'inhabit some of the most remote locations on earth.'

There is nothing here.

'From the mountain forests of northwest USA

'to the freezing Mongolian tundra,

'the barren Hungarian countryside to the wild African bush,

'a Mediterranean island and the deep Canadian wilderness.

'These are the people who decided to make a massive life change.'

I said, "What do you think? Should we just do it, give up everything?"

And she said, "OK!"

'Are they daring or just downright crazy?'

Come on, Ben.

We didn't even know where Mongolia was!

This is who I am, it's not who you want me to be.

'I want to find out what happens when you quit the rat race...'

If the whole world folds up, my pension is here.

'..and create a new life in the wild.'

'Today, I'm in Tanzania,

'living nomadically in an unexplored African landscape.'

Cheetah, cheetah, cheetah!

'My hosts, Yorkshire-born Moli and Californian Noelle,

'swapped city life for this vast wilderness.'

I owned a convertible, I would drive everywhere in my high heels.

'I'll discover why this intrepid couple live in the bush...'

That's your salty hat.

I can't go back to the normal way of life.

'..with danger at every turn...'

He's onto us!

'..and keep company with some of the most fearsome animals on earth.'

Normally I get out when I'm starting to wrinkle and prune,

but not here. No, it's when the hippos come at you.

It's when the hippo comes.

'My journey begins over 11,000km away in Tanzania's largest city,

'Dar es Salaam.'

'It's an hour and a half's flight to Ruaha,

'one of the wildest and least visited parks in Tanzania.'

I'm heading deep into the African bush here.

There's nothing down below, no roads, no sign of habitation.

'I touchdown at a tiny unmanned airstrip...

'..and pick up a vehicle sent by my hosts.

'Along with some pretty vague directions.'

I've been told to go east,

hugging as close as I can to the

Great Ruaha River and I'm supposed to do

this for a couple of hours until I get to an abandoned rangers' post,

go up the hill and then I'll arrive at their place.

Wow! Look at this, ellies.

Ooh, here's a baby, as well.

What a treat.

'After three hours bouncing along a dirt track,

'I'm almost at my destination.'

Now that looks like an abandoned ranger post just there...

..so left here at the big tree.

Hello? Hello!

Wow, what a place is this!

You must be Moli. I am indeed, very nice to meet you.

And, Noelle? Hi, hi.

How are you? I don't know whether to look here or here.

It's quite stunning, isn't it? That's our home, our view.

I've noticed the gun over there,

presumably that's just a reminder that we're not alone.

Well, exactly. We are sharing this with dangerous animals,

they are around, they don't want to mess with us,

but you can never take too many precautions.

'37-year-old British-born Andrew Molinaro,

'Moli to his friends,

'and 31-year-old Californian Noelle Herzog met in

'2009 while working at a safari lodge.

'Moli was an experienced bush guide,

'but city girl Noelle arrived from San Francisco just a year before.

'Once a couple, Moli and Noelle decided that their dream was to live

'nomadically in the remote reaches of Ruaha.

'The park warden granted them permission on the

'condition that they cater for tourists.

'So Moli and Noelle set up private walking safaris

'for up to six guests.

'They now split their time between a semi-permanent base camp

'and a more mobile camp allowing them to venture out into

'unexplored terrain.

'The couple have only just moved to this spot.

'Of the six large tents, one is their living quarters.'

This is our humble abode here, Ben.

This is amazing.

How long have you actually been here?

We've been here for about a week, week and a half.

And why did you move here? Before, we were always on the river

and one day, we woke up and our entire camp was 2m underwater.

Are you being serious? Like, literally, water,

everything floating around?

Everything completely floated downstream.

I mean, Moli and I had to swim out of the camp for safety.

I mean, crocodiles on one side, hippos on the other,

it was seriously dangerous.

Now it kind of makes sense that you couldn't get much

higher here, I think.

We're pretty much... That would be one serious flood to take this out.

'Hunting, foraging and agriculture are banned in Ruaha...

'..so the couple buy in supplies from the nearest

'town almost 250km away.

'Meat and fish are kept in freezers powered by solar energy, but storing

'other goods is a little trickier.'

This is where our honey badger again has attacked and he created chaos in

there. I've always heard the rumours, the honey badger is

supposed to be the most feared animals, because they go

for the willy. Well, why do you think Moli sends me?

Yes, I see.

'Tomorrow we're off on a three-day expedition into the wilderness,

'but for tonight at least,

'a comfy bed awaits.' This is going to be home.

This is mine? I hope it's adequate.

'It might only be canvas, but Moli tells me it will

'keep predators out.'

What happens if I need the loo in the middle of the night?

Am I OK just going out?

Yeah, but again, alertness, so in your tent you'll find a nice bright

flashlight. Put your torch against the mesh, have a look,

see who's there, if there are no eyes glinting back at you,

and you can't miss them, it's safe to use the loo.

If there are eyes and it's an impala, it's safe to use the loo.

If it's a lion, I'd give him a few minutes to let him move on.

'I hope no lions have their eyes on me

'now as I collect wood for tonight's fire.

'Big cats are one thing,

'but I know that elephants are a bigger threat to humans here.

'And Moli's bushwalks are famed for

'close encounters with earth's largest land mammal.'

Have the elephants ever got aggressive here?

Oh, yeah. One, in the previous camp I used to work at, he threw me into

bushes. What with his tusks?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What he did

is he put his head down and he put his tusk under my arm here.

I do have the rifle like this, but it's quite useless at this moment

and that's when

you know you're about to die, this elephant's about to kill you.

So my last resort was,

I did have a round in the chamber, so I just squeezed the trigger

and because it was so close to his ear, he didn't like

it very much, so he turned his

head to run, but the tusk was still under here, so it flipped me several

metres into a bush.

But I got up, dusted myself off and I look at the guests,

whose eyes are like guppy fish.

He continued! The whole safari!

And we went on, so that was a hairy moment.

I'm glad you've just told me that, because you've set the tone for the

next week. That is quite a wildlife encounter.

'After dinner, it's too risky to walk back to my tent alone...

'..so Moli escorts me.'

We are in the middle of nowhere surrounded by...

..some extraordinary wildlife. I can't help but wonder maybe...

that that excitement, the danger here is part of...

..what keeps them here.

I shall find out more tomorrow. Goodnight.

'I'm in Ruaha,

'Tanzania's largest National Park.

'The size of Wales,

'most of it is uncharted territory,

'making it a magnet for my intrepid hosts Moli and Noelle.'

'It's my first morning at base camp.

'I've got a bucket for a loo just outside my tent...

'..but I've got a bit further to go for my shower.'

Off we go.

'The Great Ruaha River slices its way through south-central Tanzania.

'For the couple it's a lifeline.'

All righty. All out. Yep.

'Out in the bush, water isn't on tap.'

There we go.

'So we need to pump 1,000 litres.'

OK.

'Enough for cooking and washing for two weeks.'

OK!

Perfect. Thanks so much.

The water now, presumably you're not just going to use it as is?

We do. You do? Yeah, yeah.

This is one of the cleanest river systems on earth.

Wow. So is it time for a shower now?

I think so. We've got ourselves

nice and muddy, so let's go cool off in the water.

I love the fact we're going for a shower by the way, with a gun.

Yeah.

Just to be clear, there are crocs here?

Plenty, plenty. Yeah, yeah, but over there.

Lots of crocs. Right. Come on, then. Let's get in.

All right!

'Moli and Noelle choose their bathing spots carefully.

'They assure me the crocs won't bother us in these shallow waters.'

I keep getting little nibbles on my feet.

What kind of fish is that?

It's mainly bottom dwellers, so part of the catfish family.

Are they exfoliating me? They are!

'The river seems peaceful today,

'but it recently washed away their entire base camp.'

I've never seen a river in my life

anywhere else in Africa behave the way this one did.

It just came, didn't it? It started swelling and swelling,

and so we just had to pile stuff higher and higher on beer crates and

tables hoping the water would stop, but it didn't.

And the fridges went and the tents went.

It was crazy and when it was about here,

I gave the order, "Everyone out."

But me being the captain, I'm going to go down with my ship...

and so I was ready to do that until it got to about here and then I

chickened out and I went swimming back. I don't think that's called

chickening out!

What about emotionally? How did you feel when, you know, your

life is washed away down a river?

We realised everything we worked for for the last five years is gone,

but it doesn't really matter, we'll pick up the pieces and start again.

We're each other's strength.

Does it leave you, does it leave you... What was it?

Are you sure it was it a fish?

Yeah, yeah, you know the guys... Oh, yeah, you're bleeding.

..with the spines. Yeah, yeah.

I think I'm done!

Last thing, was it a reality check that the environment really can bite

back? Very much so, be it wildlife, be it fire, be it water,

it's what we've chosen, so we can't really get pissed off about it.

It's what happens, that's nature and we'll never control it.

He says sitting in a crocodile-infested river.

So if a crocodile comes down now and takes you out while you're washing

your armpits, that's just the risk you take for having clean pits.

It's a bad day!

THEY LAUGH

'But today, it's not the crocs we need to worry about.'

There's hippos right there. Yeah.

He is coming this way, so we'd better

just give him his space.

Usually I get out when I'm starting to, like, wrinkle and prune,

but not here. It's when the hippo comes at you.

It's when the hippo comes.

That's a pretty unique bathing experience, you know,

hippos all around.

I'm aware there are hippos somewhere behind me,

so I've gotta keep an eye out for that. Crocs around.

They quite like flirting with danger.

I think that's part of the appeal of being out here.

I do have to go now, because the hippo is coming.

'I'm not hanging around.

'Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.

'This is a world away from Noelle's urban upbringing in San Francisco.

'With a large family of seven brothers and three sisters,

'money wasn't in abundance...

'..so their father took them on expeditions in the local area.

'These adventures inspired Noelle to travel and come to

'Africa as part of a degree course.

'At the end of her stay, she visited Ruaha.

'She was hooked and returned after her graduation in 2008.

'I want to know how she copes being so far away from her family.'

So when did you actually last see them?

Uh, five years ago.

Five years ago, wow. I do miss them so much.

And your parents, are they both still alive?

No, sadly my father passed away also while I was in Africa.

That must've been hard.

That was extremely hard, that was extremely hard.

But, you know, he still is the reason that I am

the person I am today

and I love him so much...

..and he made me into this adventurous person who...

..felt that...

..I could do anything that I set my mind to.

I could tell him the craziest dream

I had and he would be, like, "If anyone could do it, you could."

Do you often think about him when you're

out in the bush? Oh, all the time.

He's always been that voice kind of in the background for me.

Encouraging me, yeah.

I miss my family when I'm away for just a couple of weeks, so this

place must be pretty special

to be willing to give that up.

The other amazing thing is just the power,

the influence her father still has on her.

Maybe this is for him now.

You know, she says that that's where her passion for wildlife,

for the wilderness came.

Maybe it's one of the things that keeps her rooted to this

extraordinary part of Tanzania.

'Noelle's strong bond to this landscape extends

'far beyond their base camp.

'Every week, she and Moli head on an expedition to chart unexplored areas

'of this vast wilderness.

OK.

'And with a little apprehension, I'm joining them.'

This is the fun part.

Fun or risky? It's fun.

'Around base camp, animals are used to our presence, but out there,

'it's impossible to know how they'll react.'

You've got the gun? I do have the gun, yes.

Happy with that.

ENGINE SPUTTERS

'But it looks like we might fall at the first hurdle.'

I left the fridge on last night. Are you serious?

Oh, my gosh, we're not going to be able to start the car.

'The onboard fridge has drained the battery,

'so we're going to have to jump-start it.'

Once we're out in the middle of nowhere, there's no way of jumping it.

It is one of the risks you do take going into the unknown.

Ready? Yep!

Ah! There she purrs!

Let's go exploring!

Second time lucky!

'To set up their safari business,

'Moli sold two cars, which together

'with Noelle's savings, raised £35,000.

'They started small,

'channelling any profits into safari vehicles and tents.

'The couple still can't pay themselves a wage

'and the flood's destruction

'of their camp has set them back further.

'Aside from food,

'fuel for wilderness driving is their biggest expense

'at £400 a month.

'After several hours off-roading,

'the eagle-eyed Noelle spots a horde of vultures.'

This is a definite sign that something has met its maker.

Oh, dead giraffe. Oh, yeah, and it looks pretty fresh.

I see something right there, Moli, under the

candelabra. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's a lion. Good spot.

'As we're in a vehicle,

'Moli thinks it's safe to get a closer look.'

Hello, boy.

See, he likes to keep his eyes on us.

The amazing thing is this is one of the most feared,

respected predators in the world and we're 15m away from it in an

open-sided car.

It does lull you into a bit of a false sense of security.

You think it's a great big teddy bear, why don't I go

and scratch his belly?

But to be a non-threatening vehicle to suddenly you appearing there

inside his personal space, that's a recipe for disaster.

We'll leave him to digest his lunch in peace.

It's a big giraffe, isn't it? It's a big boy.

But there's still plenty left, huh?

So I was thinking, this is a nice camping spot.

Yes! We are at our destination!

Dismount! I wouldn't put it past you!

'We continue our drive through the bush to find

'somewhere a little safer to set up camp.'

We're really going overland here.

Bushwhacking. Bushwhacking.

Definitely quicker than using a machete. Oh, yeah.

I think this will do nicely.

I do wish you could've come up with a prettier spot though.

That is ludicrous. You see, who needs Zanzibar?

We've got beautiful white beaches here.

'In fact, Moli hails from somewhere else with sandy beaches,

'albeit slightly less exotic.

'He was born in the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough,

'to a British mother and Italian father.

'In 1980, his father's job in the casino industry moved the family to

'Nairobi, Kenya.'

Nairobi is quite unique in that it's very close to a major national park

and so at every opportunity, I'd be sneaking in there through a hole in

the fence and trying to catch snakes,

or track rhinos sometimes and that's how

I developed my deep love for the bush.

Did your parents know about this? Did they encourage this?

Certainly not.

They are city people, they love the city way of life.

They are not into this stuff at all, so I'd sneak off whenever I could.

They weren't happy about it, but they left me be.

It was a very free upbringing, yeah.

What gave you the confidence to sneak into a national forest and

chase snakes for goodness' sake?

Again, just from a young age, from when

you'd catch frogs in a pond, or, you know, walk

home with a grasshopper in your pocket,

I've just been fascinated by the natural world.

I've kind of revolved my life around it.

I got my zoology degree because of that,

I started guiding because of that.

The minute I had a lion encounter

myself on foot, or an elephant encounter

myself on foot. I can't go back to the normal way of life.

So, in some ways, do you think you were born in the wrong period?

Very much so.

A lot of people say I was born 50 years too late or 100 years too

late. I was born 13,000 years too late.

To have gone and lived in that time with simple things,

and know our place and our role in the environment, our proper role,

for me that's how I want to live my life.

'This place certainly has a prehistoric feel to it...

'..and it's time for us nomads to set up camp before sundown.'

Would I be right in thinking that this is what you guys do, really?

You know, the camp that I've

been at is very nice and everything.

This is what we enjoy,

especially if it's an area no-one's ever been to before,

you know it's pioneer stuff.

So despite that being a temporary camp, that's as close as you guys

kind of have to bricks and mortar,

that's your city home and we're now... This is our holiday cottage.

How do you feel when you do have to go to the city, which you must do?

You must have to visit occasionally.

Begrudgingly, very, very begrudgingly.

But we sort of get this deep feeling

of doom and dread the minute we leave the gate of that park.

Our true motto is, never leave Ruaha National Park,

no-one is going to bomb it...

It's your safety place?

This is our safety zone, it's what we know.

Which is interesting, isn't it, because for a lot

of people, this is so far

from their world of safety. We are bushwise, they are streetwise.

If we swap, if you put me in New York, I will be lost,

beaten up and mugged in hours without doubt.

Crocodile Dundee. This is why I haven't taken him home yet!

Oh, really? Are you scared of doing that, because he's going to... Yes!

..have a big knife. "That's not a knife, this is a knife."

You'll be there with a gun, "That's not a gun, this is a gun..."

I must work on my Australian accent.

This is what I think is the real them,

this is why they are here in Ruaha.

This is their way of enjoying the wilderness,

of getting the most from it.

They're nomads, they like to experience the unexpected.

Having unique encounters along the way with dead giraffes, with lions,

all of these things only come really when you scratch beneath the surface

of the wilderness. I think it will be interesting to find out the

negatives of living this lifestyle.

Living and working together 24 hours a day,

high pressure environment really.

I'm curious to see how they make it work as a couple.

'I'm on an expedition in the unexplored wilderness of

'Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.

'My hosts Moli and Noelle swapped city life for a raw

'existence in the bush, living amongst the wildlife.

'I've just spent my first night camping on the banks

'of the Great Ruaha River.

'Not as peaceful as you might think.'

You hear all sorts of things. I heard elephants,

hippos laughing... HE IMITATES A HIPPO

..and probably the most disconcerting, cos I'm quite close

to the edge, if you listen, this is what you hear all night.

Ha! Kind of just had an image that I was going to

end up floating like a raft down the river.

'Today will be my first full day on foot in the wilds of Ruaha,

'so a hearty breakfast is important.

'But out here, if you want bread, you've got to bake it yourself.'

Perfect!

'Just ten minutes in the African sun is all that's

'needed to get a good rise.'

Couple of ants. Oh, that's OK - more protein!

More protein, I like that.

'I have to remind myself that Noelle comes from the bright lights of

'San Francisco.'

Were you the typical kind of Californian girl?

Oh, yeah. I owned a convertible,

I would drive everywhere in my high heels,

I'd go grocery shopping in, um, yeah, wearing Gucci.

How does the convertible driving Californian chick adapt to this?

Oh, at first it was really difficult for me.

One thing I could never really get my hands on was

feeling safe in the bush.

But then one day, Moli was out on a drive and I was sat down,

I had a few minutes to wait for the guests, so I sat down on

my lounge chair and I was reading this book,

but I heard this crunching of leaves, so I just didn't look up,

because I was on such a good paragraph, but when I did,

I was looking straight into the eyes of a leopard.

No way. Straight into the eyes of a

leopard and usually in these instances

I have Moli around me,

but I did have him, kind of this voice in my head.

So either I had to stand up and let him know, "Hey, listen, I'm here,

"don't come any closer, I'm a human," or I had to sink back into my chair.

And you just have a split second to make these decisions,

so I jumped up in front of this leopard,

stood my ground and I'll never

forget the sound that he made, this growling, this, "Grrr."

And then he creeped off and that, for me, was the moment that

I deserved to wear the colour khaki.

That was the moment you became a bush girl.

That was the moment.

When I first saw Noelle, I was convinced she was going

to be the stereotypical California chick, you know, a bit ditzy -

apologies to all the Californian chicks - but the more time I spend

with her and the more stories I hear, she is a tough girl.

She's not just doing this because it's kind of a cool dream.

She's doing this because she loves it.

Whoever kneaded that was a very, very good chef.

'After breakfast, I head out on foot for the first time into Ruaha's

'endless wilderness.

'For Moli and Noelle, the walking safari is fundamental

'to their life here.

'Contributing to tourism in this way allows them to live in and roam

'throughout the National Park.

'But even without guests, this is how they like to spend their time.

'I want to find out why.'

Right there is a nephila.

Oh, wow, yeah.

A garden orb web spider. Are they poisonous?

She looks the real deal, doesn't she?

But she's totally harmless.

Isn't she lovely? Look at the yellow.

Wow. Easy, girl.

Oops.

When I come to Africa, I'm expecting to see the big lions, the elephants,

but I get the impression that you're just as excitable when you see a

little spider? Even more so. That's the joy of walking.

You get to see things that you never

even know even exist when you're just

stuck in a car, and when you're in a car, you do look for the big stuff,

but the walking lets you get closer to these smaller things

and you'll often find they can be infinitely more interesting.

'Moli is one of Tanzania's most experienced and

'knowledgeable bush guides...

'..and he truly seems in his element.'

This is dug by the elusive aardvark.

Oh, yeah. Look at that. Wow. He's one of the holy grails of the bush.

I do this every day. I've seen eight in my life,

but with a basic grasp of tracking, without even seeing the animals,

we know what is existing here.

All those distribution maps you see of all the species, it's all from

data being sent in and now we have a positive record

of an aardvark in the area.

So you're sort of pioneers in these unexplored places then?

Very much so. I mean, we like to contribute and

even the authorities of the park, they like to call us their pioneers.

'I'm beginning to see how walking in these unexplored territories can be

'rewarding when your tracking skills are as honed as Moli's.

'And his keen eye has led us to this dry river bed.'

Look at the activity around here.

We've got waterbuck, we've got lots of impala.

Things have been utilising this area,

they don't congregate for no reason,

and I'll wager if we just dig down a little bit into here,

we will be able to get to surface water.

Seriously? Shall we give it a go? Just start digging down.

It's getting moister, can you feel it getting colder?

It's definitely getting colder down there.

And this water is so sand-filtered,

we can drink directly from this with no ill effects whatsoever.

Are you just sponging it up? Yeah, you just let it soak in

and then, you'll get...

That's your salty hat.

No disrespect, I don't know that I really want...

It replenishes your lost salt!

Thanks for the life-saving tip there.

'Survival skills like this are all very well,

'but I want to know what happens if you get seriously ill out here.'

Have you had malaria? Lots of times.

How many? Er, 18. 18 times!

I mean, what can you do when you're out here and you're suffering?

Malaria's actually not that bad.

You take your pills, two days in bed, it's actually a bonus.

What about the unexpected? This is the essence of your life, isn't it?

What if, heaven forbid, you get bitten by a snake?

We do have emergency medical evacuation

that can get us to a hospital probably within

about four, five hours.

Does that bring quite a lot of comfort to you

knowing that that's there?

Definitely. I mean, probably wouldn't be able to do this job

if we didn't have that and we are quite blessed

we can afford the insurance and so

that does make life out here much easier.

'I, for one, am relieved that safety is just a satellite phone call away.

'Especially as Moli is determined to track and find elephants.

'But as he looks for their prints...

'..he discovers something else.'

This is human activity, this is poachers.

How can you know that's poachers though?

I mean, it's a human print, but it's a bit of an assumption to jump to,

isn't it? Well, we know everyone who's authorised

to be in these areas -

us and rangers. Rangers wear boots, these guys are bare foot.

These aren't serious poachers, these are just fish poachers, you know?

They're trying to get a few fish and things like that, so not bad people.

You've still gotta keep on it though because when they go back to those

villages, information can be leaked. "Where are elephants?

"There was a big tusker over there."

It's like, you know, marijuana being a gateway drug to

nastier stuff, it's the same with this.

So again, we'll make a small report about this.

The more data we collect, the more information we send back.

It does spread to those villages and

they know, "Ooh, there's activity there, don't go there."

It protects everything in the park from the fishes to the elephants.

'No elephants here, but Moli promises me

'I'll have a close encounter before I leave.

'As the nomadic lifestyle dictates,

'we drive deeper into wild country

'and are rewarded with a rare sighting.'

Cheetah! Cheetah!

Cheetah!

Keep your voices down. He's hunting, he's hunting.

The cheetah's hunting the kudu!

Two, two! Two cheetah! Three, three cheetah!

Shh! Wow!

'What a privilege. There are fewer than 7,000 cheetah

'left in the world.'

I mean, they're so skittish, aren't they?

It's possible we could be the first car they've ever seen, which is a

wonderful feeling in itself.

'After our brief encounter, we set up our next camp.

'Spending all day out in the heat and moving camp every night

'would test even the strongest of relationships...'

Cheers, guys! Cheers! Cheers!

'..but Moli and Noelle are still smiling.

'I wonder if there's a side to their relationship that I'm not seeing.'

You guys have quite an intense lifestyle, don't you?

You're working together and living together

24 hours a day. How do you make it work?

The great thing is that

we were working like this before we even got together.

We knew we worked well together and

then we ended up having a relationship, which was a bonus.

Do you guys ever argue? Yeah, absolutely.

We're a normal couple, we go through our fights.

Most of our lives are spent in front of other people, so Moli and I have

acquired this way of communication.

Not telepathy. I've seen it, I've seen it. You look at each other,

kind of just communicate with a little look of the eyes.

We need a way to kind of just say, "Hey,

"if you continue telling that story, you know you're gonna get an LIB."

Do you know what an LIB is? No, what's an LIB?

This is a lecture in bed. So after the lights go out, you come back,

it's just me and Moli back home, that's when the lecture starts.

That's when I'll delay my return to the room, I'll sit and drink with

the guests and hope she forgets by the morning.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Can you guys imagine life without one another now? Never!

Not at all.

God, up until my early 30s,

I always considered myself very much a loner and I was very proud of it,

but it was Noelle that inspired me,

or gave me the courage to breakaway and

try to start something by ourselves.

If I hadn't had Noelle, I'd have never taken that step.

Without her I'm actually quite useless and hopeless.

I think too much in life we take our partners for granted, we become

complacent, but I think they constantly

remind one another about how much they value one another

and I think that's the only way you can survive out here.

They're in this extraordinary environment and despite

coming from two very

different worlds, it's almost like they were meant to be.

'I'm in Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.'

Look at my view this morning.

Not bad, is it?

'My expedition with Moli and Noelle in one of Africa's most remote

'landscapes is drawing to a close.

'Before I go, Moli wants me to encounter elephants on foot.

'This experience draws in the paying guests,

'which ultimately allows the couple to pursue their life here.'

Right. We've got a lovely pan of water there.

I don't know where they are, but they're in there somewhere.

Now, when you're walking elephants,

essentially, if you cannot be seen, heard, or smelt, you don't exist.

With the elephant, number one, smell.

You know they say a dog is

1,000 times more powerful than a human?

Well, an elephant is probably

1,000 times more powerful than a dog.

One molecule of human scent touches that

trunk and he's onto us, so that's why I've got my little ash bag here.

So, has this just got ash in it?

It's just ash from the fire, but this thing will save your life.

It will disguise our smell, will it?

No, we just find out which way the wind is going... Oh, I see.

..so that we can always stay downwind.

We have the perfect wind this way, they're over there,

we've taken out the nose.

Worst-case scenario, what happens if they start charging?

We hold our ground, we stand him down,

we'll break the big guy's courage very easily.

'I'm hoping between the sock of ash and the rifle, I'll be protected

'from that eventuality.'

Let's see what we can do. Let's go walking with elephants.

'I can't help but feel vulnerable,

'and the fact Moli has been walking with elephants for 13 years offers

'scant comfort.'

TREE BRANCHES CRACK

Just wait here, see what he does.

'Moli pushes forwards for a better view.'

Wow.

That's incredible.

'The first glimpse reveals it's a young adult bull.'

He's onto us!

He's smelt us.

You see the change in his behaviour there,

he's got a bit of a crosswind.

'My instinct is to retreat...'

'..and luckily so is Moli's.'

'But I'm mistaken, he's going in for a closer look and I've no choice

'but to stick by his side.'

Stay very still.

'I'm in awe of this magnificent creature and all too aware he could

'crush me in a heartbeat.

'But just as he seems to be losing interest, something spooks him...

'..and he charges.'

Good boy.

All right. Slow as you like.

HE MOUTHS

'Time to beat a hasty retreat.'

Wow.

That was just... Did you enjoy that?

I've never had a wildlife encounter quite like that.

Very different to being in a vehicle.

Well, I... You feel really at his mercy.

But he's well behaved, he was a nice guy.

So, he was testing us though?

He was testing us, we didn't push him.

We came to a sort of mutual agreement and he went back to doing

his own thing. He tried,

and if we had started backing out at that moment when he started coming

forward, again, he'd know he was the winner,

he'd push home his advantage.

"Let's really give these humans a run for their money."

But you just stay there,

let him do his thing and did you see how well he behaved?

He kicked a bit of sand at us and then went to dusting himself.

You don't get better than that.

That was amazing, I mean, the adrenaline

is just pumping through my body. I can see why he does it.

I see the flirting with danger.

But I think where he gets the extra little adrenaline kick is seeing

someone like me and seeing my reaction to it.

That's his little drug for the day.

I think that single moment,

that encounter has almost summed up what they do here and,

yeah, of course there's an element of being a thrill-seeker and an adventurer,

but actually it's about being a purist in my mind.

And you can't get much simpler than a little bag of ash between you and

a five-tonne elephant.

This is a person who truly understands this environment and

there's something very beautiful about that.

It was perfect the way it just came towards us. Yeah, and out of the bush.

Yeah, I don't think we can get much better than that.

'After what has been a memorable trek into true African wilderness,

'we return to the relative civilisation of base camp.

'It's my final evening...'

That's beautiful.

'..and my last chance to find out what lies ahead

'for this spirited couple.'

If I came back here in ten years' time, what do you think I'll find?

We'll still be here. We'll definitely still be here.

A little greyer, a little balder, but we'll still be here.

With little Molies and little Noelles?

Is that an aspiration?

Hopefully, I'd like to think so.

Family is extremely important to me and I would love to recreate

what I had such fond memories of.

Can you carry on your way of life with kids?

Moli and I would not be able to live

the nomadic lifestyle that we love so much, because a small child is

a target in nature, so, I mean, kind of what we've been doing,

going on expeditions and things like that,

that would have to be placed on hold, which is a sacrifice.

Can either of you imagine actually leaving Ruaha?

No, I'd come out in cold sweats if I even thought of it.

It's my first love and I really do

hope that it will also be my last love.

So, I couldn't imagine,

I couldn't imagine life without her or without Moli.

'The next morning, it's time for me to reluctantly leave Ruaha.'

Goodbyes - I hate these.

It is that time.

Give me a hug.

'Moli and Noelle are a pretty special couple.' Bye, Ben.

It's almost like they've become a part of the fabric of the landscape

here. You know what, I've visited a lot of people around the world and

you've almost created perfection here. Oh, thank you very much.

My goodness, wow. Well, thank you.

You're going to have to keep me a tent - I'm going to be back.

Well, you know where we are now.

'I live a slightly nomadic life, because I'm chasing,

'I'm looking for my dream.'

It's a magical place. Don't be a stranger.

Ultimately, it's a search for the perfect place.

You'll make it!

'And what's interesting is I don't think I've ever found mine.'

OK, travel safely, Ben! Look after yourselves.

Bye! Bye, guys! 'But Noelle and Moli have.'

They've found their paradise.

I think if I came back in ten years, I'll find them.

Whether their family has grown, I think I'll still find them.

They'll be somewhere out there.

'I'm in Hungary, living with newlyweds who bought an abandoned

'farmhouse three months ago...'

First time we saw it was when we stepped foot on

the land and went, "Oh, shit."

'..as they race to get on their feet before money runs out.'

I haven't cried on this experience, but this could do it.

'To prove to their families it was worth the risk.'

Why would you come to a place like this?!

Subtitles by Ericsson