I'm bear grylls.
I've traveled to the ends of the earth
In search of the most extreme challenges
In the most dangerous locations.
In this program,
I'll take a look back at some of my most tricky moments
To show you that having the right survival skills
Can mean the difference between life and death.
Whoo!
I've dropped into every corner of the earth,
Battling subzero wastelands,
Parched deserts,
And steaming jungles,
Battling the elements, consuming the unimaginable,
And doing whatever it takes to survive.
You alive?
I've been to some of the most remote locations on earth
To show you what i do to survive.
And if you got the right basic survival skills,
You dramatically increase your chances of staying alive.
In this, my ultimate survival guide,
I'm gonna show you everything you need
To make it out in one piece.
Whatever environment i'm confronted with,
From siberia to the sahara,
My first challenge is always the same --
To find my way in
To some of the most remote locations on earth.
Okay, this is it!
Whoo!
With each drop, i take my life in my hands.
Since i broke my back in a parachuting accident,
I've always been nervous of this.
Timing is everything,
And finding a safe drop zone an absolute must.
But once my feet hit the ground or the water,
It's only the beginning.
[ coughing ]
Fair to say i've landed!
If you find yourself stranded,
You must take time to acclimatize
And assess your situation.
Take a long, hard look around and try to get to grips
With whatever environment you're in.
This must be the hottest desert i have ever been in.
It's over 130 degrees heat.
Just touching that sand,
You can almost not hold your hand down
Longer than a few seconds.
The cold here is just intense.
You know, it feels like it's just biting into your skin.
And, you know, just a bit of snot from your nose
Just freezes, you know?
First thing that hits you about this place
Is just how hot and humid it is.
To survive in any extreme environment,
You must get your priorities right.
And high up that list is water.
You can survive three weeks without food.
But without water, most people won't last three days.
But finding it can be a real challenge.
And that's beautiful water to drink.
It filters up through the ground...
[ slurping ]
...Into the bamboo.
[ sighs ]
Fresh, cold, clean water.
Whether you're caught in unbearable humidity
And searing heat...
...Or trapped in subzero temperatures...
...Without water, time is not on your side.
Snow and ice
Seem like the perfect solution to dehydration,
But think again.
The thing is,
There's not exactly a lot of nice running streams up here.
It's just masses of snow.
But you really need to resist the temptation
To start eating fresh snow.
And this is a mistake
Some of the survivors from the andes plane crash made.
They would start eating it just like this.
And what it did was, like, burn their lips
And give them ulcers and blisters inside their mouth
And also really lower their body core temperature.
So instead, just get your water bottle
And just stuff it full of snow.
Press it all in there.
And when that's filled, stuff it up your jumper,
Just between the layers -- not next to your skin.
And then, as you move, that's gonna slowly melt.
Guys, this wind is picking up, and it started snowing again.
I need to get going before i lose the feeling in my fingers.
Streams are an easy source of water.
They may appear clean, but beware --
Looks can be deceiving.
Look -- that's why you need to be careful with these streams.
You see that? Dead sheep.
And you'll easily get, like, e. Coli or streptococci,
Both of which can give you nasty diarrhea and vomiting.
And if you're in a survival situation, that can kill you.
Water can be found in the most unusual places
If you know where to look.
In the sahara, a trick i learned from berber tribesmen
Saw me searching deep into a camel carcass.
And the bit i want is called the rumen,
Where it keeps the fluids.
There we go. Now i'm through.
See the innards here?
Look at that. That's amazing.
[ slurping ]
[ gagging ]
And the fluid in this, again, is drinkable.
God, that must have hurt when it went down his throat.
In the hunt for water,
Resourcefulness and improvisation are key.
I fashion straws and filters out of grass.
Yeah, it's a little dirty, but it's rehydrating and good.
I've tried anything,
From the laces of my boots
To soak up the tiniest trickle...
...And made dew traps
Using anything from rocks to refuge bags.
But one of my simplest and best results
Came from an old army trick using the shirt off my back,
Wrapped around my legs, to soak up the morning dew.
And this should be wet enough now.
The baking salt flats of mexico
Presented a much tougher scenario.
In a place like this,
You might be forced to do the unthinkable.
I need to pee, and i don't want to waste that,
So what i'm gonna do is use a snakeskin.
Never drink your own urine
Unless it really is a last resort.
It contains salt and toxins,
But as a last, desperate measure,
It will act as an additional source of fluids.
It's not so easy to hold and aim.
[ urinating ]
And i'm not expecting this to be particularly appetizing.
[ gasps ]
[ exhales sharply ]
I'm all for cocktails,
But snake innards and pee is not high on my list.
God.
[ exhales sharply ]
[ coughing ]
[ spits ]
Wherever i've been, whatever i've done,
There's never been a shortage of risks
I've had to take in order to show you how to survive.
And if i'm honest, i'm a little bit scared of this.
I face the toughest terrains on the planet
To show you how to survive when faced with adversity.
Every environment presents its own set of dangers.
In the open expanses of the desert,
Your worst enemy is the unrelenting sun.
In the blistering heat of a desert island,
With sunburn a real threat,
I found the answer lying on the seafloor.
And this guy is amazing!
But if you ever doubted how cool nature is,
Watch this.
Okay, you see the water coming out of it?
Give it a few seconds, and that's gonna turn to a mucus.
And look, you see it's suddenly now much more gloopy.
And what this stuff is, is like sun block.
And the coral itself will use this at low tide.
When it's exposed to the sun,
It will secrete this as a way of protecting itself.
Just amazing.
Scientists have actually reckoned
This stuff is, like, as good as factor 50.
And look, you can see where my shoulder's
Getting a little bit sunburnt already.
But rubbing this in -- oh, that feels nice.
Your eyes are as vulnerable as your skin.
If you've had a campfire, rub charcoal around them.
It reduces the glare and stops your corneas from frying.
And use this and just, like, put it everywhere.
If the weather doesn't get you, disease-ridden insects will.
I've used mud from the mangroves
To see off sand flies...
Smear this all over.
...And even ant mounds, abundant with formic acid --
The perfect mosquito repellent.
Okay, moving on.
The golden rule of survival is to stay put.
Eventually, rescue will come.
But sometimes, you won't have the choice --
You'll have to move on.
And when you're crossing desolate wilderness,
Danger lurks around every corner.
Ow!
I've survived in many environments,
But nature will always throw surprises your way.
Ugh!
Ohh!
Fall out of a tree,
Land straight on a cactus on a precipice --
The place i got myself into.
Yah!
It's a little bit closer than i like.
Descending 40 foot down a steep, slippery canyon
Using a rata vine harness
Was one of my riskier strategies.
Let's go, friends. Get down this thing.
I'm creating quite a lot of friction.
I ran the vine around the tree.
That means i can lower my body weight quite comfortably.
Halfway down, suddenly my lifeline snapped.
It was a grim reminder --
Even with an in-depth knowledge of the environment,
It's so easy to make mistakes.
Aah!
And mistakes can be deadly.
I made it onto this ledge, just.
Glaciers are one of the toughest terrains
To survive in.
In these icy domains, danger lurks around every corner.
[ rumbling ]
See that coming straight off the mountain?
Avalanche.
And this is why this area is so dangerous.
You don't want to hang around here, guys.
That whole slab just dropped. Let's keep moving.
Holy smoke. Come and have a look at this.
There you go. You see down that?
That is why we're roped.
Oh, god.
Crevices, which are fault lines in the glacier,
Can be hundreds of feet deep and are deadly.
With sheer, ice-lined walls, once they swallow you up,
It's hard to escape,
Even armed with crampons and ice axes.
God!
I'm getting really, really drenched here.
My hands are frozen,
I can't feel my feet, and i can barely hold on.
But i have to make one last big push to get out.
I can't remember
When i was last so grateful to feel the sun on my face.
But be careful what you wish for.
Intense sahara sunlight coupled with sinking mud
Can be just as dangerous.
And what's nasty about this stuff
Is the more you fight it, the more it, like, pulls you in.
And the reason these can actually kill people
Is not cause they swallow you.
It's because they just don't let you out of it.
And the killer is that -- the sun.
So, the way to get out of this
Is to try...And pull...
[ exhales sharply ]
...Your legs up...
Towards the surface.
[ grunts ]
And then just monkey-crawl your way out.
God, it feels like i've got lead boots on.
I've struggled to get out of a hole on many occasions,
But the most terrifying
Has to be finding myself on thin ice in siberia,
Demonstrating what's it's like if you go under
And how hard it is to get out.
The last thing i'll need to do before i go in
Is tie this safety line to myself.
If you don't see me come out of that ice within 20 seconds,
Pull on this rope.
I'm serious. You just pull on it, okay?
And if i'm honest, i'm a little bit scared of this.
[ sighs ]
Instantly, my pulse is up around the 200 mark.
It feels as though the air is being sucked out of me.
But i've got to keep calm.
Once in, there's no turning back,
And i've got to keep going,
Trying to reach the light of the thinner ice.
But the cold is literally squeezing the air out of me.
I'm at my very limit now.
[ sputtering ]
And i can feel the danger of why this water is so lethal
Is that it really numbs your senses,
Your fingers, and your head.
Jumping into a patch of icy water is a huge risk.
But an even greater danger
Is what can happen once you're out.
Whoo!
Man alive! Okay!
It's so cold, the camera has frozen up immediately,
And i can feel myself going the same way.
I've got to get warm fast.
I can get frostbite, and already, i'm getting
To the first stages of hypothermia.
I can literally hardly feel my toes now.
And these are the part of my body
That i'm most worried about.
You know, the core of me is cold, but it's surviving.
It's the extremities that are the dangerous bits.
And that includes the family jewels!
In my next challenge, as storm clouds gather,
Mother nature is about to teach me a harsh lesson.
[ thunder rumbles ]
There you go. There's the lightning.
Really, i'm not in a good place inside this tepee.
[ birds chirping ]
If you're stranded in the wild, a good shelter
Will improve your chances of survival dramatically.
The type of den you construct is dependent on the environment
And the dangers you're faced with.
Look. You can see it's clouding over already here now.
And in siberia, the weather can change in the blink of an eye.
And if you're caught out here -- big storm, high winds,
In this forest, this amount of snow --
Visibility will be almost zero.
And if you just sat down and did nothing,
You'd freeze to death.
So what you need to do is find some sort of emergency shelter,
But work with what nature's given you.
And look -- you see this is the way this is split,
And what i can do is make,
Like, a really quick, simple lean-to shelter here.
Sometimes you just need a place to rest up.
You don't need anything fancy,
Just something you can knock up in minutes
To keep you out of the elements.
In certain conditions,
An impromptu shelter will not be enough.
But good shelters take time to build.
Under the thick tree canopy of the jungle,
Where darkness closes in fast, you'll need to start early.
When you're making shelter,
One of your most important goals must be
Just to try and raise yourself up off the jungle floor
'cause the last thing you want to do
Is have to share your bed with all of the snakes and scorpions
And ants that live on the jungle floor.
And the first thing you need to do
Is make, like, two crosses at each end
That's gonna support the hammock.
The cross ends will carry most of the weight,
So they need to be secure.
And then what you need to do is take this vine,
Thread it behind the tree, and tie these tight.
And then all you need to do then
Is interweave cross ones all the way the length of this.
And, hopefully, this will take my weight.
[ grunts ]
[ vine snaps ]
One little snap, but that's not too bad.
Local materials can make all the difference.
And in indonesia, with plenty of bamboo lying around,
My ambitions went sky-high
As i constructed a double a-frame.
I'm making it about 6 foot, just long enough to take me.
With my weight compressing the frame,
The shelter becomes one of the strongest you can build.
And that is, then, the two lengths of the bedpost.
The whole thing takes me just over a couple of hours.
Please don't break.
Ahh.
Heaven.
Comfort is a bonus.
But protection is the most important consideration,
Especially where large predators are a real threat.
Look at these bear claw marks all the way up here.
And what's happened is, the bear's probably just come along,
Had a scratch, sharpened it's claws, and moved on.
And they don't look particularly fresh, but look how high it is.
That can't be far off 10 foot up there.
Not a million miles away from how high my camp is.
So i built a 15-foot ladder to get me securely off the ground.
And the last thing i want to do before i bed down for the night
Is just cut these rungs.
'cause that's really --
If a bear wants to get me down from up there,
He's gonna be able to.
But let's not make it easy for him.
When building materials are scarce,
Your ingenuity will be truly tested.
There's just no natural shelter here.
But what i have got
Is just tons and tons of snow under my feet,
And snow is a really good insulator.
What i'm gonna do is just make a really simple snow cave.
In the desert, your options are also limited.
You've got to be resourceful.
Never got my leg over with a camel before.
[ grunting ]
But i have now.
And that is what's gonna be my blanket tonight.
And if you can, have a look inside the carcass.
The berbers could use this
As an emergency shelter in a sandstorm.
And all i'd do is...
Get inside it, pull it over...
And i'll be 100% protected from the sand.
A dead sheep gave me a way to stay warm
On the freezing irish moors.
By box-skinning it,
Taking the fleece off like a tube,
I had the perfect cover for the night.
And then, you see, i got my legs inside this.
But this should be nice and snug,
Even though it looks pretty disgusting.
It's a "sheeping" bag. That's what it is.
Whatever type of cover you choose,
You're not always gonna get it right.
In south dakota, i built a native american war camp --
Fast to put up, but no use at keeping out the rain.
The fire was lit and dinner cooking
When the weather changed.
[ thunder rumbles ]
Reckon i've probably got about 10 minutes
Before the heavens open.
Okay, guys, it's gonna be a wet one.
[ thunder rumbles ]
There you go. There's the lightning.
Really, i'm not in a good place inside this tepee.
Just back up.
You want to keep away from mountaintops, trees, caves.
Your best place, actually, in a lightning storm,
Is out in the open.
You want to make yourself as small as possible
And just crouch on your feet and make yourself like a ball.
[ thunder rumbles ]
I was in for a long, wet night.
But when it works out, there's no better feeling.
It's taken me about an hour and a half to finish this cave.
Yeah.
Not a bad job, even though i say it myself.
Next on my list of priorities is fire.
And securing it can be tough.
What you need is patience and perseverance.
Aah! You dog!
Stuck out in the wilderness, fighting for survival,
Nothing improves morale more than a warm, glowing fire.
My hands were starting to get really cold there,
And out here,
If you don't do something about that straightaway,
You end up in real trouble.
And, you know, that sort of thing,
That attitude is something that was really instilled in us
In the special forces --
Just that ability to look after yourself
On your own in the extremes.
In extreme conditions, it can be a real battle.
Finding the right location, though, is critical.
This is about the biggest boulder around here.
And it's a good place for me to shelter --
Nice and protected from the wind.
Then it's a case of gathering tinder
From whatever resources are on hand.
Here we go. This is looking better.
See all that?
That is dry, and that's gonna make great, great tinder.
What i'm gonna use just for tinder is all of this stuff.
It's called "barba de viejo,"
Which literally means "old man's beard."
And you can see why. Look -- it's really kind of wispy.
But the reason it's good for tinder
Is that it grows on these trees
And therefore is off all of the nasty, wet ground,
And it should take a spark pretty well.
An old birch tree.
This stuff is great.
That's tinder.
All we got to do is cut into it a bit and peel it off.
The next and most important ingredient of all is patience.
The key with this is not rushing the early stages of it.
Just take your time,
And you want to do at least a minute,
Maybe even two minutes, of just steadily building up the heat
At the bottom of this spindle.
Aah! You dog!
Come on. Don't go out.
[ blowing ]
Do you know what?
I can't remember it taking so long.
Well, i'm always surprised.
And it never fails to make me smile.
Fire is secured.
Now you can dry out, warm up, and cook your food.
The liver's really good survival food, packed full of iron.
It's also really vitamin- and nutrient-rich.
And i really love it.
A four-stick fire concentrates the heat and burns hot,
So watch out for the handles.
I'm gonna use a bit of this moss.
Moss mitts.
Let's give this a try.
[ slurping ]
Mmm.
Sprucy.
A roaring flame
Will offer protection from dangerous predators.
And on those dark, lonely nights,
It's a warm fire and thoughts of home that keep me going.
I always say almost half the battle of survival
Is being able to keep your hopes up and your spirits alive.
There is a little picture of my family
That i always keep with me wherever i go.
I keep it laminated in the sole of my boot,
And i pull it out.
I have that -- my little boy.
And then on the other side, my wife and my other little son.
And that's helped me, you know, so much
Through so many different adventures.
Whatever environment you find yourself in,
It's a case of hanging in there and persevering
No matter how tough it gets.
And when the only way is down,
There's a sensible way or the bear way.
Whoo-hoo!
And the faster you get, the more fun it is!
That's how to get down the scree slope.
The search for food is my next challenge
In a murky louisiana swamp.
I might have bitten off more than i can chew.
[ rattling ]
In order to survive in the wild, you need energy,
And that means food.
You can't be squeamish
And must be prepared to leave your prejudices behind.
Okay, i got him.
To keep myself alive, i've hunted, snared...
You know, if i'm honest, i'm pretty amazed.
...Trapped...
And fished...
There we go. We got him.
...For whatever i can get my hands on.
But it was in louisiana
That i tackled one of the most deadly.
Do you hear that?
It was something way over this way.
Let's go around. Let's go around it.
Overhunting once threatened the gator population,
But since the 1970s,
Their numbers have gone up nearly tenfold.
There's one and a half million of them in these swamps.
Just come nice and steady.
One bite from this would sever my arm like a rotten twig.
And do not underestimate how powerful these things are.
And this thing is stronger than me,
And it's definitely faster than me.
There's no going back now.
I've got to do it as quickly and as humanely as possible.
I want to pin it down, clamp its jaw shut,
And then hold on.
Okay, i need to go for this fast.
Whoa! Okay.
[ straining ] and, really, this guy's just solid power.
And i'm trying to keep his mouth shut.
If you see animal tracks, it's worth setting a snare.
They'll often use the same route time and time again.
What you need to find is a natural bottleneck,
Then set your trap.
And just go once, twice around it.
[ grunts ]
The noose is attached to the willow spring
And then anchored to the floor.
And then i'm just using this little bit of deadwood here
To act as a trigger.
And just lay the noose flat on top of that ramp.
And whatever comes across, walks across this, triggers it,
Is gonna get pulled up, suspended, ready for dinner.
Wherever you are in the world, whatever conditions,
Snares will work if you get them right.
I'm determined to get a squirrel,
Come hell or high water.
To improve the odds, i'm gonna set another trap
With wire that i've pulled from the inside of my rucksack.
Fingers crossed for squirrel pie.
God, man, i can smell it.
But there he goes. He's caught in the noose.
You never know what you've caught
Until you get close to your snares.
But a trapped skunk in mexico gave me plenty of warning.
Literally smells like a hundred burning tires all at once --
Absolutely reeks.
What i need to do is make, like, a zulu shield.
Okay, let's see if this will work. Come on.
I want to get it off the snare as soon as possible,
But i've got to avoid
Getting covered in its horrendous scent.
I need to go in slowly.
[ skunk warbling ]
[ grylls gagging, spitting ]
You smell that?
That...Is truly...
[ coughing ]
...Terrible!
Hey, i think we've got something.
A squirrel i caught in siberia was much easier to handle.
If i'm honest, i'm pretty amazed.
You know, i only set -- had time to set two traps.
That's a 50% hit rate.
Okay, gonna take this noose off...
And cook him.
In sumatra, i was after fish.
Without a net, i stood little chance.
But survival's about adapting
And working your way around a problem.
I'm going fishing with my trousers.
Then i need a way of keeping the top of the waist open.
And that's where this rata vine comes in.
This is a technique i learned
From a friend in the special forces.
You get some of the sand i've put in the pocket.
But like all fishing,
It depends on a bit of luck and lot of patience.
The thing is, i can tell --
I can just tell already, now this rain's picked up,
It's making this job of fishing a bit of a losing battle,
To be honest.
With no way to see the fish, i stood no chance.
But out in the clear, blue ocean,
Armed with a makeshift spear,
I was hoping for more success.
I'm diving for sting ray.
This lethal reef predator has powerful jaws,
But his real weapon is in its tail.
Get too close to one,
And these have been known to kill.
I'm looking for the telltale mound in the sand,
Which will give it away.
My lungs are now bursting, but i'm determined to get him.
Whoo!
Following any successful hunt,
It's time to get a fire going and the food ready.
Look at that -- lean.
It's gonna be delicious.
But some things are easier to prepare than others.
But literally, he is frozen solid.
And look -- see what i mean? Listen to this.
[ knocking ]
Absolutely...Rigid.
And how you cook your spoils depends on what's on the menu.
Whether it's roasting a kabob...
I always like to start with some legs.
...A tin-can stove...
This one should be done, i think.
...Or an improvised grill.
Flat stone over the fire
Is the desert version of a barbecue.
This should be ready.
I always make sure everything is thoroughly cooked.
The last thing i need is a bout of food poisoning.
It's really important that i cook this meat really well
So there's no risk of me getting rabies.
But one thing's for sure --
I'm always grateful for a feast.
Snake a la namibia.
Let's try it.
Although, some things
Have tasted a lot better than others.
Tastes exactly how you'd imagine
A char-grilled, brightly colored worm full of warm puss
Would taste.
A dead deer in siberia
Provided the best venison lunch i've ever had in my life.
Mmm.
Man alive!
That is beautiful!
The final and biggest hurdle would be how to find rescue.
In my next challenge,
I'll be trying to pull off the great escape.
Staying alive in the most unforgiving environments
Is a huge challenge.
But the final test i'm faced with
Is showing you how to escape.
In indonesia,
I faced dangerous currents and the threat of sharks
As i paddled my way back to civilization.
I don't quite believe
I made it straight out through that coral reef.
Brilliant!
There's no telling
How long you could be alone on the ocean.
And you do feel very insignificant
As you float in this vast emptiness.
There's nothing but a gnawing loneliness.
But then, i can hear the sound of an engine.
It's the sort of sight you pray for.
Hey!
High on a mountain in patagonia...
I always say there are two ways off the mountain --
There's the slow, long way, or there's the fast, quick way.
And i know which i prefer.
Here we go.
Whoo!
I love patagonia!
In siberia, a moving freight train
Was my ticket out of the frozen wilderness.
[ train whistles ]
We've got to make this train!
One last sprint, and i should be able to leap aboard.
Whatever terrain you find yourself in,
Do whatever you can to improve your chances.
Statistics say that most people are rescued
From survival situations within five days.
The key to being rescued is to signal for help
And get yourself noticed.
Really, to stand any chance
Of being spotted in these forests,
You need to reach higher ground.
So what i'm gonna do
Is try and get to the top of this ridge out there.
[ grunting ]
In dense, dark jungles,
Making yourself visible through the canopy is crucial.
I reckon -- i reckon this tree's climbable.
We've got this vine running all the way up the side of it.
The chopper's due,
And if i can get up here, i'm gonna be able to see it.
The thing is,
They're gonna struggle to spot me in this canopy.
So, what i'm gonna do
Is just make a bit of a signal fire.
There's a nice patch of clear sky above me within the canopy.
And the smoke will be able to rise straight up there.
[ scraping ]
The success of a signal fire lies in the construction.
I'm raising the base of the fire off the ground
So air can get under it and it'll burn bright and fast.
And this pyramid construction
Holds all the layers of fuel in place.
Get it right, and it should be seen from miles away.
One of the most important things when you're making a signal fire
Is to make sure the tinder you use goes up first time.
You might only just have one chance at rescue.
You don't want to be flapping around trying to get things lit.
And a good way of making sure your tinder's dry
Is just to, like,
Rake your hands through the tattered grass,
And what you're left with is the good, dry stuff.
And the idea here is all of this dry stuff underneath
Acts as, like, a fuse, takes very fast and very hot
And then burns all of this living stuff
That's gonna make the smoke and be the signal.
Smoke will also give the pilot an idea of the wind direction.
I want to pile on as much of this living wood as i can
So it's gonna smoke.
Heli's due in about five minutes,
And i do not want them to miss me.
That's the heli.
The chopper's seen me. It's heading in.
There you go!
And they've spotted my smoke signal.
And i'm out of here.
Whoo!
Without the right knowledge,
Living in the wild can be a real challenge.
But if you secure the basics,
Life becomes easier
And your chances of survival increase dramatically.