Setting off from the mountainous kingdom of Rwanda in Central Africa he will have to walk through impenetrable jungles, the world’s largest swamp in the Sudan and eventually trek into the burning hot deserts of Upper Egypt before reaching the Mediterranean Sea sometime in late 2014. This decision held its own inherent risk, but at least we could disappear off the local radar, at least for a while, or so we thought.

Today, infection rates remain extremely high, and the settlement is saddled with the reputation of being the site from where AIDS originated in Uganda. I must admit I had no idea he had this plan in the bag, otherwise I would have driven by to say hi en route.The first programme follows Lev and his guide Boston for their first 1,000 miles, from the river's source in the Rwandan rainforest, through Tanzania's remote and lawless regions and into Uganda. Many of these tribes are referred to as Nilotic peoples or Nilotes as they speak Nilotic languages common with groups inhabiting the Nile Valley, and parts of Central and East Africa. He was the only member of cast and crew to avoid illness during the shoot and credited his good fortune to avoiding water and sticking purely to whiskey.

We arranged for a transport to take her to Jinja where she will be collected by the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre based in Entebbe.Following a pleasant break from their daily routine of marching, the pair found themselves back on the trail once morel. We spent an emotional night reminiscing about our adventures, we laughed and cried about the scrapes we had got ourselves into and the countless memories that we will share for the rest of our lives. Accompanied by an early morning mist the road weaved its way through a maze of shacks that lined the highway as we headed into the northern bush. Getting over the disappointment of the last few weeks has been somewhat tempered by the sudden change in atmosphere. Thoughts of the logistical challenge surrounding the crossing of the Sudd swamp occupy my mind and the disappointing conclusion that without the necessary support and backup we cannot continue the trek any further.

Their introduction to the lake is widely regarded as disastrous, both in human and environmental terms. The endless miles along the dusty roads are tedious and boring, but soon we shall be ever closer to Lake Victoria and the welcome vista of open bush land should reappear soon. This new four-part series follows British explorer Levison Wood’s expedition to walk the length of the River Nile from source to sea. After 45 minutes of cutting through the bush we were on the verge of giving up hope, but Richard assured us that we would find gorillas and sure enough we did. My new travelling companion is an ardent photographer and stops to take more pictures than I do, yet we are getting along extremely well.A tiny brown dot was the only visible sign of the predicament, yet as he dug deeper it grew larger until the grub appeared. As I approach the first signs of Bor town I am stopped yet again by another army patrol who after some explanation of my situation escort me into town under an armed guard, a rather sullen, muted figure brandishing an AK47 slung from his hip. It was plainly obvious that any attempt to continue my journey further north would be foolish and stupid.