Hay dos grandes ramales o fuentes del Nilo que constituyen el Alto Nilo y que se unen en Jartum, en los flancos occidentales de la fosa del este de África, en la parte sur del Gran Valle del Rift: El Nilo Blanco, que nace al este de África, El Nilo Azul, que surge en Etiopía.
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00:00The great rivers of the earth, from their birth to the sea, make extraordinary journeys.
00:19Crossing continents, driving ancient civilizations.
00:31Feeding and connecting life around the world.
00:38From the mountains and deserts of the Nile,
00:44to the mysterious cities and swamps of the Mississippi,
00:53and the humid waters and secret worlds of the tropical Amazon.
01:00The great rivers are the wisdom of the planet Earth.
01:22A river extends more kilometers than any other on the planet.
01:27The Nile.
01:31Traveling from Ecuador, through North Africa, to the Mediterranean.
01:40A river that flows through amazing hidden worlds.
01:48Changing in every turn and every turn of its journey of 6,500 kilometers.
01:53A river that gave rise to great civilizations.
02:04Its miraculous waters give life where otherwise it would not.
02:15The birth of the Nile has been a mystery for thousands of years.
02:19The ancient Greeks spoke of its origin in the legendary Mountains of the Moon,
02:25a name that is now given to a majestic mountain range.
02:32The Rwenzori.
02:38It rises over the Congo and Uganda, and is the highest and most spectacular source of the Nile.
02:49The Nile.
03:06The torrents of rain and melted snow fall from the colossal peaks of 5,000 meters high.
03:14Water that will eventually reach the Mediterranean Sea,
03:19but first has to embark on an incredible journey through some of the wildest areas of Africa.
03:31As these Nile heads begin to meet in the lowlands,
03:36islands of floating papyri are being displaced.
03:43This changing world is problematic for those who try to build their home here.
04:13This is one of the only 150 picozapatos that remain in the wetlands of Uganda.
04:31Since the landscape moves around it, seeing fish is an odyssey.
04:44The inmersion of the pico only results in a bite of leaves.
04:54But in this confusing world, he has found an unexpected solution.
04:58He is looking for one of the largest picozapatos in the Nile.
05:28Following his gigantic steps, the picozapato is able to locate fish in the canals that the hippopotamus leaves behind.
05:59In the Nile, there are always opportunities for those who have the resources to find them.
06:11As all these first streams of the Nile join together,
06:16they create a world of equatorial lakes in the heart of Africa.
06:21The largest of all is called Victoria.
06:27A lake almost the size of Ireland.
06:36It is so large that the water is trapped here an average of 23 years before continuing its journey.
06:42Here, in November, the new moon triggers one of the most extraordinary events in the Nile.
06:50One that the fisherman Charles has been waiting for with some concern.
06:56He has found a picozapato.
07:01It is the largest picozapato in the world.
07:05Many people die in this lake.
07:09It is dangerous.
07:34Tonight, there are 30,000 boats in the water.
07:48And the fishermen are hopeful.
08:05Finally, tiny chrysalids emerge from the depths.
08:10They hatch like flies and gather around the lights.
08:18The perfect bait for hungry fish.
08:25This is what the fishermen have been waiting for.
08:28The catch of the year.
08:38Charles and his crew return home triumphant,
08:42and the air is full of thousands of millions of flies.
08:59Enchambres of biblical scale stretch along the lake.
09:10They rise in a spiral up to 100 metres high.
09:14In their final act, a mating dance.
09:22They are welcome not only by the fishermen, but also by the islanders.
09:29In a few hours, the short lives of these flies will come to an end,
09:34so the game is to catch as many as possible.
09:45A fly hamburger has five times more protein than a vaccine hamburger.
09:59Knowing the cycles of this changing world is the key to existence here.
10:13Despite the thousands of streams that enter the lake,
10:17there is only one way out for all this water.
10:29The well-known Nilo Blanco.
10:37Most people stay away from its dangerous rapids,
10:41but for this local mother, Amina Tayona,
10:45turbulent water is a life saver for her.
10:52She left school at 16 to work in her small land,
10:56but a casual encounter changed her life forever.
11:05I was in the village, I saw a white guy from the UK,
11:09and I asked him if he would take me kayaking, and he said yes.
11:13At that time, I didn't know anything about kayaking.
11:18In six months, she got a job as a kayak guide,
11:21and thanks to that, she can support her family of 10 members.
11:27Today, she will try to demonstrate her skills
11:31in a resistance race against world-class athletes
11:35on a rented kayak and using a homemade paddle.
11:52NILO BLANCO
12:0525,000 million litres of water fall into the waterfall
12:09because of these rapids every day.
12:14Amina will soon fall prey to the fierce power of the Nilo.
12:21NILO BLANCO
12:26If you go upside down, sometimes it's very hard
12:30because I can't hold my breath.
12:3330 seconds and it's over.
12:37But Amina is all about decision.
12:41Because I was born in the Nilo, there's nothing I can't do.
12:52It's such a dangerous section of the river
12:55that the competitors have to stay in pairs for safety.
13:05When we are in a race, we need to stay close
13:09to save your friend if something happens.
13:15Especially when they face the waterfalls and the raft.
13:18RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 6
13:21The most dangerous rapids in the world.
13:30The raft makes me a little nervous because it's category 6.
13:34It's very big and you think,
13:37my God, how am I going to do this?
13:48RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 7
14:08Exhausted after three hours of rowing, Amina approaches the finish line.
14:13Amina, come on! Our competitors are closer.
14:17Come on, come on, come on!
14:20They're coming! Row hard, row hard!
14:23RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 8
14:26Amina and her partner are the first women to cross the finish line.
14:31Most of the time, I'm happy when I win, when I'm the champion.
14:36That's why I'm called the Queen of the Nilo.
14:43Beyond these fast traitors,
14:46the Nilo has created a barrier that not even Amina can cross.
15:04The 50-meter-wide river puts pressure on a 7-meter-wide raft.
15:12RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 9
15:27Creating one of the most formidable waterfalls in the world.
15:42RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 10
15:46The Marchinson Waterfalls.
15:51A gateway to the world of wild savannah.
16:04400 kilometers from its equatorial beginnings,
16:08the Nilo enters the land of the giants.
16:13RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 11
16:21Crocodiles up to six meters long
16:24await the caravan that drags the river.
16:35The Nilo is the only source of water in kilometers around.
16:40A magnet for most animals.
16:55This mother crocodile has found a remote place to bury her eggs,
17:01and for two long months she has fasted and waited,
17:05taking care of them and keeping them safe.
17:09RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 12
17:24But she can't hide her smell.
17:30A Nilo ram.
17:36An egg thief.
17:39RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 13
18:00Out of the water, the ram is the fastest of the two reptiles,
18:05and he knows it.
18:10He also seems to be aware of the crocodile's Achilles heel.
18:19On land, crocodiles can die from a heat stroke.
18:24RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 14
18:35This puts the mother in a terrible dilemma.
18:43The Nilo is the only place where she can lower her body temperature safely.
18:53If she leaves now, her eggs will be devoured.
19:17The mother has reached an almost lethal temperature.
19:24RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 15
19:30Finally, she has to choose her own life, over that of her offspring.
19:42And she has to wait for the rams not to finish the 60 eggs.
19:46RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 16
19:52However, the rugged banks of the Nilo are the home of other hungry mouths.
20:10The baboons steal what is left of the defenseless Nilo.
20:16RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 17
20:27And they take the last egg.
20:31RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 18
20:42Only 2% of the Nilo's crocodile eggs reach adulthood
20:47due to the hordes of hungry animals that live next to the Nilo.
21:00RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 19
21:16In those days, it was the home of the brutal dictator Idi Amin.
21:20RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
21:28Known as the butcher of Uganda, Amin ordered the death of 300,000 people.
21:40And he encouraged the hunts, ravaging the wild fauna of Uganda.
21:50Since his exile in 1979, this home has been supposedly uninhabited.
21:59But local rumors speak of strange things and new guests,
22:04who follow different rules.
22:13Recorded for the first time, these ruins begin to reveal their secrets.
22:21A family of phacoceros has settled in what used to be the kitchen.
22:30While a group of baboons have chosen a room with a view of the Nilo.
22:36RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
22:47As night falls, the family of phacoceros curses each other.
22:58While others have just woken up.
23:05A pair of porcupines are hiding under the stairs.
23:12While some bats are reconsidering their choice of roommate.
23:20The most exclusive name in the guestbook is that of the pangolin.
23:25RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
23:33The best thing is to stay close to mum.
23:40But one of the porcupines is more daring and curious than the others.
23:55RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
24:11In this maze of rooms, it is easy to get lost.
24:25RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
24:48Lost and alone, the porcupine falls asleep.
24:55RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
25:17A pigeon is usually an irresistible snack for a predator.
25:26But the leopard leaves him in peace, indignant.
25:30RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
25:52Mum gathers her young.
25:55They have all survived the night.
26:01RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
26:15It is possible that, after all, there is some truth in these rumours,
26:19and that within these walls of ruins, nature applies different rules.
26:30RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
26:42When the nile abandons the savannah, it reaches a crucial point in its journey.
26:52In the south of Sudan, the earth is flattened,
26:55and the river becomes a swamp the size of England.
27:00RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
27:07This is the south.
27:10A barrier in Arabic.
27:18It is this sea of plants that prevented the first explorers from finding the birth of the nile.
27:24RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
27:29In this floating world, you have to learn to navigate through the labyrinth.
27:33RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
27:53For a particular animal, the river's swamps are a refuge.
28:03The elephants of the nile seem to spend more time in the water than outside it.
28:16But first they need to learn how to swim.
28:24And swimming classes for babies are a family event.
28:34RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
28:37The oldest of the family go first, marking the path.
28:50With its shorter legs, this young elephant immediately stops walking.
29:04RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
29:07Its buoyancy is surprising, given its high weight.
29:11But its body keeps it afloat, allowing it to practice controlling its trunk.
29:25The trunks contain 40,000 muscles,
29:28making them excellent diving tubes.
29:44Once it has mastered this skill, it will be able to freely navigate through large areas,
29:49using the nile as a highway.
29:58RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
30:28RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
30:46No other animal seems to celebrate the waters of the nile as much as the elephant.
30:51RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
30:55But in the south, the nile loses more than half of its waters because of the scorching sun.
31:01And it still has more than 3,200 kilometers to cover, and a colossal desert to cross.
31:10RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
31:21But events hundreds of kilometers east are about to change everything.
31:32This region is known as the Water Tower of Africa.
31:40RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
31:49Storms in the highlands of Ethiopia fill the largest affluent of the nile, the blue nile.
32:10RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
32:15Some believe that this is the biblical river that flowed from the Garden of Eden.
32:25And some of the oldest Christian communities in the world are on its shores.
32:31RAPIDS OF CATEGORY 20
32:35In the ancient city of Gondar, the Ethiopian waters of the blue nile diverge for the religious ceremony of the renaissance.
32:47An annual event called Timkat.
32:53A Christian festival where thousands of people gather to be baptized in the sacred water of the nile.
33:02For Thomas Alamo, this is the most important event of the year.
33:08The feeling after being baptized is above all.
33:13I have no words to explain what it feels like.
33:32Before the baptism is carried out, Thomas prays on a vigil that lasts all night.
33:42The crowd waits for the sign of the priest who indicates that the water is blessed.
33:48When the cross touches the water, it means that the baptism can begin and everyone jumps into the water and is baptized.
34:12It is the most important celebration of the year.
34:15More than Christmas.
34:26The faithful believe that the waters of the nile have extraordinary powers of renaissance and transformation.
34:45They feel as if they were baptized.
34:49It is true. When they receive the blessed water, they feel that their sins disappear.
34:55They feel as if they were baptized.
34:59It is true. When they receive the blessed water, they feel that their sins disappear.
35:25Thomas takes his time and savors the moment.
35:31After jumping into the water, I come out with a smile.
35:35And I feel amazing. I don't know how to explain it.
35:40I feel like I'm in heaven.
35:44I feel like I'm in paradise.
35:48I feel like I'm in heaven.
35:52I feel like I'm in paradise.
35:56I feel like I'm in paradise.
35:59I don't know how to explain it.
36:02But I feel like I'm a peaceful man.
36:21When the blue nile leaves its sacred beginnings, it transports its rich waters through Ethiopia.
36:30Its shores are one of the most fertile lands in Africa.
36:42Which makes them the perfect place for a bird that depends on the greenest plants to find a mate.
37:00The male weavers build intricate nests and subject their skills to the scrutiny of the females.
37:13The freshest and greenest nests are the most attractive.
37:19The females fly from nest to nest, giving the whole set a thorough inspection.
37:26The brown and older nests arouse little interest, so these males will have to undo all their work and start all over again.
37:42While other males will use all the tricks within their reach to avoid having to rebuild it,
37:49concealing the brown with strands of fresh vegetation.
37:53But not all females are so easy to deceive.
38:03This young weaver is trying to build one of his first nests.
38:11It may take a couple of years to perfect this complicated and delicate task.
38:16But so far, this newbie has only managed to tie his leg to the papyrus.
38:33His neighbour has some particularly impressive building skills.
38:39He makes trips to the water to get the best building material that the blue nile can provide.
38:57And he has the skill to tie knots in the shape of a T.
39:08Clearly, this is a success for the females.
39:19This romantic interlude is the perfect opportunity for the newbie to steal some material for his nest.
39:38But no matter how hard he tries, he doesn't seem to succeed.
40:00Perhaps next year he will be more fortunate to take advantage of the advantages of the fertile waters of the blue nile.
40:09The repository of the blue nile finally joins the white nile, thousands of kilometres downstream, in Jartum.
40:26Their joint power allows them to face the last and most demanding stage of the journey.
40:39Crossing the Sahara, an extension of sand the size of China.
41:03Life here seems impossible.
41:09But the nile insists.
41:15A fragile blue ribbon in an ocean of sand.
41:22The only permanent river in all of Egypt.
41:25There is an animal that has an incredible ability to carry the water of the blue nile wherever it goes.
41:30Able to ingest 200 litres in just three minutes, the camels can spend months without drinking again.
42:00What allows them to enter the desert.
42:22A mobile oasis.
42:27The perfect cargo animal.
42:30For more than 2,000 years, they have provided the shepherds with transport, milk and food.
42:48But they also contribute in a more unexpected way.
43:01The water is so scarce here, that even the humidity inside the camels' manure is very coveted.
43:14Ball-shaped beetles, attracted from all over, for their incredible sense of smell.
43:30And once they find it, they receive their reward for running up the hill right away.
43:48It is a feat equivalent to a man pushing a car down a steep slope.
43:53But is the effort worth it?
43:59This may be the only humidity that this beetle finds in its entire life.
44:23But man's need for water is so critical, that the civilization of the Sahara is chained to the river.
44:34And surprisingly, life along the Egyptian Nile not only subsists, but also thrives.
44:4595% of the country's population lives on the river banks.
44:52What makes Cairo one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
45:03Home to 20 million people, it is the largest desert city in the world.
45:13Famous for its vibrant and exotic markets.
45:22With an abundance of products grown in the Nile.
45:40But the demand for water from the Nile is beginning to exceed its supply.
45:46It is expected that by 2025, Cairo will dry up.
46:00The future of the Nile hangs by a thread, because in this great desert, the waters of the river are everything.
46:16As true now as 5,000 years ago, when the Nile gave rise to one of the greatest kingdoms in the history of the Earth.
46:32Ancient Egypt.
46:35With a duration of 3,000 years, this was one of the most durable civilizations in the world.
46:46The pharaohs claimed to have power over the waters of the Nile, to increase the obedience of the Egyptian people,
46:53who knew that they depended entirely on the flow of the river.
46:58They called the Nile the mother of all men.
47:06And they worshiped its miraculous ability to bring life where no other way has ever been.
47:14The Nile is the mother of all men.
47:20The Nile is the mother of all men.
47:27The Nile is the mother of all men.
47:41Even today, the incredible journey of the Nile is celebrated throughout its extensive course.
47:50From its mountainous beginnings, to its desert end.
47:57Those who live in the impressive worlds of the Nile use its waters in varied and amazing ways.
48:08And after 6,500 kilometers of travel through Africa, it finally completes its journey in the Mediterranean Sea.
48:19The Nile, the miraculous river that gives life to everything it touches.
48:27The Nile, the miraculous river that gives life to everything it touches.