Airdate: Destination Wild

From January, Nat Geo serves up a range of wildlife documentaries every Sunday night under the banner Destination Wild.

When it comes to experiencing the most intimate encounters with wildlife ever seen on television, Nat Geo Wild is the go-to destination, bringing together unparalleled cinematography and compelling storytelling to unveil the mysteries of the natural world in rugged, beautiful ways. Now, Nat Geo Wild presents Destination Wild, a weekly event that leads unforgettable journeys into the wild world – from the most remote environments to forbidding ocean depths and the stunning beauty found just outside our own doors.

Premiering every Sunday at 6.30pm AEDT throughout 2014, Destination Wild kicks off with Wild Congo, a two-part special that follows the river through 5,000 kilometres of African rainforest and marshland along the Congo River. Considered a “cradle of evolution”, the mighty Congo is home to metre-long snakes that lie in wait for prey and powerful hippo bulls fighting. Also premiering in January is Wild Hawaii, which brilliantly showcases the smiling spiders, climbing fish and humpback whales thriving in this archipelago that rose from the sea as a volcanic wasteland seven million years ago.

Destination Wild programming includes:

Wild Congo
Premieres Sunday 5 January at 6.30pm AEDT │ 2 x 1 hour episodes
Welcome to the blood vessel of Africa’s dark heart: the continent’s most mysterious, dangerous and biggest river. On its journey into the west, the river increases in both size and power – just like its inhabitants. Providing a stage for one of the world’s largest migrations of mammals, the Congo has become a test laboratory of evolution and an El Dorado of biodiversity.

Wild Hawaii
Premieres Sunday 19 January at 6.30pm AEDT │ 2 x 1 hour episodes
Hawaii was born of fire into a world of water that has become as unique and spectacular as the islands themselves. But just how Hawaii transformed itself from a volcanic wasteland to an island paradise is a story that defies the odds. This world remains hidden, secreted beneath the waves. Creatures great and small struggle to live, while battling the lava, currents, and one another in an epic tale of survival.

Wild Swamplands
Premieres Sunday 9 February at 6.30pm AEDT │ 2 x 1 hour episodes
Florida’s Everglades may be the most famous, but this blue-chip two-part series shows each of North America’s swamplands is unique. Grab your gumboots and take a visit to some other swamps with distinctive landscapes and wildlife, including the stunning Atchafalaya in Louisiana and the Okefenokee on the Georgia/Florida border.

America The Wild
Premieres Sunday 23 February at 6.30pm AEDT │ 6 x 1 hour episodes
Somewhere deep in America’s big backyard, wild things are stalking their prey – little do they know, they are being hunted themselves. Acclaimed wildlife tracker Casey Anderson is bringing audiences up-close and personal with rare and endangered species, some deadly, others dashing, in the stunning natural ecosystems that they call home.

Other programs premiering later in 2014 include Wild Australia, Wild Scotland, Wild Kalahari, Wild Nile and Wild Florida.