Bill Ball breaks the rules and stereotypes of travel shows as he ventures beyond the highlights.  What do you do after you’ve lead groups to over 140 countries and all 7 continents?  Welcome to Bill’s bucket list on steroids… Travel Quest

Season 1

Papua New Guinea:  Highlands
There is no place on earth with the richness of culture and diversity of people than the island of Papua New Guinea.  Bill ventures deep into the rainforest following the trail of headhunters, only to discover secrets that are even more surprising – and deadly.

Yap:  The Original Mysterious Island
This can rightfully be called a divers’ paradise and Bill takes full value of that by swimming with giant manta rays and hordes of killer sharks.  On land, he hunts down the biggest money in the world on an island that is forbidden to outsiders.  How will he get access to such a mysterious and remote place?

Madagascar:  The 8th Continent
No, the real Madagascar has no talking lions or zebras—in fact, no lions or zebras of any kind.  It is home, though, to more unique bird and mammal species than anywhere else in Africa.  Bill’s quest is to find lemurs—primitive cousins of ours—who sing and dance.  This hard-to-access land does not make that easy.

The Brazilian Pantanal:  Hunt for the Jaguar
Bill teams up with wildlife biologist and jaguar researcher Douglas Trent in search of the elusive big cat of South America.  Along the way, they visit Emas National Park, where they meet some of the locals—beautiful fox, giant anacondas, fierce peccaries and the cutest owls in the world.

Mongolia:  Land of Genghis Khan
There is nowhere on earth that compares to Mongolia.  Here the last truly nomadic people range with their precious livestock across millions of acres of grasslands.  Drinking fermented mare’s milk, riding a yak and searching for the original wild horses are just a part of Bill’s adventures in the land of the nomads.

Siberia:  A Surprising Destination
Long the ending of a punch line of how far away someone or something can be, Siberia is nothing like what you would imagine.  Home to the world’s largest body of freshwater—this heavily forested, historic area is way more than a frozen tundra.  Watch Bill dive into the nearly bottomless lake and suddenly facing life-threating peril, just minutes into the dive.

Rwanda:  Gorillas Out of the Mist
Long the ending of a punch line of how far away someone or something can be, Siberia is nothing like what you would imagine.  Home to the world’s largest body of freshwater—this heavily forested, historic area is way more than a frozen tundra.  Watch Bill dive into the nearly bottomless lake and suddenly facing life-threating peril, just minutes into the dive.

Antarctica:  The Last Frontier
Why would anyone want to go to Antarctica?  Bill answers that question in so many astonishing ways as he walks among giant penguin colonies, looks the deadly predatory leopard seal in the eyes and he mails a letter home from the most remote post office in the world.

South Korea:  Land of Morning Calm
Follow Bill clothed as an ancient aristocrat around the royal palace, as he discovers the rich culture and history of one of the oldest civilizations on earth.  From ancient royal burial mounds to the modern Winter Olympic sites, Bill delves into this amazing country’s soul.

Botswana and Zambia:  Another day at the office
Facing one of the greatest challenges of his life, Bill takes on the most dangerous white water in the world—the mighty Zambezi River.  But before he can attempt that, he has to climb under Victoria Falls, track the largest herd of elephants in the world and canoe past the Big Five.

New Zealand: Land of the Long Cloud
There is so much packed into the tiny islands of New Zealand that Tolkien’s Middle Earth seems at home here.  From the deep culture of the Polynesians to meeting his first kiwi up close, Bill dives right into this land of the long clouds.  And when we say he dives in, we mean literally!  He dives in as he takes control of a Soviet-era Mig Jet and does aerial stunts. What??? You have to see it to believe it.

Brazil’s Pantanal:  Further Adventures
Nowhere on earth is there more abundant and diverse wildlife than the giant wetlands of the Pantanal.  Bill is on the lookout for some of the rarest creatures on earth including the showy and beautiful Hyacinth Macaw, the giant Jaribu Stork and the playful hunters of the river—the Giant Otter.

Wild Indonesia
 Bill loves untamed, remote areas and this time he ventures to the land of the dragons.  Indonesia is home to some of the most unusual wildlife in the world.  First, he visits Borneo’s great rainforest and home to the “man of the forest”—the Orangutan.  Then Bill is off to the island of the dragons—Komodo Dragons—the world’s largest and most dangerous lizards on earth.

Brave New Pictures
For more than a decade, BNP has been our reliable production team, collaborating with us to create television programs on all seven continents.  Most of the images featured on our site have been photographed by them.  To see more of their work, click here.