Season 7 Episode 7

Gut Check | High Alert in Mauritania

Mauritania sets the tone for everything that comes next.

The team pushes into one of the most remote stretches of the expedition, detouring off route to follow the legendary ore train line deep into the desert. Along the way, they reach Ben Amera, one of the largest monoliths in the world, rising unexpectedly out of the Sahara and putting the scale of this landscape into perspective.

From there, the journey leads to the ancient city of Chinguetti, home to centuries-old libraries that still hold fragile texts dating back to the height of trans-Saharan trade. It’s a rare look into a part of history that’s held on in one of the harshest environments on earth, slowly being taken over by the desert sands..

As the team travels between remote towns, the realities of a struggling country become impossible to ignore. Awareness goes up. Every interaction carries a different weight, and tensions begin to build as they work to stay on track.

With conditions shifting and the pressure mounting, reaching Senegal becomes the objective as the team prepares to say goodbye to two team members, and welcome one in.