Where is the new series filmed?

The fifth sequence of Race Throughout the World not too long ago returned to our screens, together with a brand-new forged this time navigating themselves by way of a line-up of locations from China to India.

The primary episode, which aired on 23 April, launched us to 5 intrepid duos who set off on a 14,000km race to try to attain the tip level on the southernmost tip of India first.

Among the many groups are the unlikely duo of beforehand married couple-turned-friends Yin and Gaz, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, and younger Welsh couple Fin and Sioned.

Finishing this yr’s forged are brothers Brian and Melvyn, in addition to mom and son pair Caroline and Tom.

This yr, the groups shall be trekking throughout China, Nepal and India. The pairs will journey their method by way of cities, cities and rural areas with a restricted finances and sources carried in backpacks, making selections as to what transport they’ll use, which path to take, the place they’ll sleep and the way a lot to spend.

After launching into the race on the Nice Wall of China, the groups will intention to achieve checkpoints alongside the best way while additionally setting their sights on being the primary to achieve the ultimate vacation spot.

With this yr’s race in full swing, listed here are the places (we at the moment learn about) throughout Asia the place cameras adopted our 5 new groups for the newest instalment of Race Throughout the World.

The beginning

The Nice Wall of China

The race started on the Nice Wall of China, overlooking the village of Huanghuacheng, round 80km north of China’s capital, Beijing. A becoming begin for such a protracted trek, the stroll throughout your entire Nice Wall would definitely compete for an in depth journey in itself, stretching over 21,000km. One of many new seven wonders of the world, the Nice Wall of China, is the biggest artifical mission that represents over two thousand years of Chinese language historical past. The sequence of fortifications begins within the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west.

Checkpoint one

Huangling, China

Round 2,000km to the south of the Nice Wall is the primary checkpoint, Huangling within the Jiangxi province, which has nestled on the slopes of Huayi Mountains for over 500 years. This group is legendary for its Hui-style structure and drying chillies on rooftops, creating a vibrant hen’s-eye view. This picturesque village, dotted with historic buildings and historical websites, is surrounded by a scenic unfold of lush greenery throughout the mountain slopes. The city is six centuries previous, however lay in a dilapidated state till 16 years in the past, when it reworked right into a rural vacationer hotspot. The groups had been informed to achieve Huangling through cable automotive, then alight to cross the Leixin Suspension Bridge earlier than lastly checking into the Huangling Shaiqiu Resort.

Checkpoint two

Sanya, China

Within the second episode, the 5 groups put together to depart Huangling for a 2,700km journey to the town of Sanya, on the southern tip of Hainan Island. Alongside the best way, the groups stopped at completely different locations from glitzy cities to deep rural gems, together with the cosmopolitan metropolis of Xiamen on the coast, the Longji Rice Terraces close to Guilin, and the traditional city of Fenghuang. After traversing a lot of southeastern China, the leg ends with Sanya, one in all China’s most southerly cities. Sanya attracts a lot of the rich elite in China because of its tropical local weather, however because of this climate, it’s also liable to monsoon storms. The town has a number of seashores alongside its coastal areas, together with Dadonghai Bay and Yalong Bay, whereas one in all its most spectacular cultural landmarks is the Nanshan Temple. The temple is dominated by a statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion and stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, as its three linked portraits look out whereas standing on a man-made islet. The Yazhou Historic Metropolis, Yalong Tropical Paradise Forest Park and Wuzhizhou are additionally amongst different fashionable locations to go to in Sanya.

Checkpoint three

Shangri-La, China

Departing Sanya, the groups this week travelled by way of southwest China, stopping in key transport hubs similar to Kunming and Nanning, recognizing monkeys in Guizhou, and visiting the world’s largest musical fountain within the sustainability-driven metropolis of Liuzhou. The objective is to achieve Shangri-La, a metropolis on the sting of the Tibetan plateau within the coronary heart of the Hengduan mountain vary. The town was recognized for hundreds of years as Zhongdian, however in 2001 it was renamed after the fictional utopia described in James Hilton’s Misplaced Horizon in an effort to entice extra vacationers. The town has a cultural heritage that blends Chinese language and Tibetan, as seen by way of its structure, similar to Yunnan’s largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Songzanlin Monastery, and its mixture of vibrant courtyard-style properties and temples. Shangri-La additionally attracts guests every year to its annual horse racing pageant, often held in June.

Checkpoint 4

Varanasi, India

Because the Himalayas separating Shangri-La from India current a gargantuan problem able to humbling even the world’s most fearless adventurers, the remaining 4 groups had been flown to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to restart their race. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains, this bustling metropolis is house to traffic-jammed alleyways, historic cultural websites, seven Unesco World Heritage Websites and the picturesque and peaceable Backyard of Desires. Checkpoint 4 is Varanasi, one of many world’s oldest repeatedly inhabited cities and a website of profound religious significance. Located on the banks of the Ganges River within the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, it’s a serious pilgrimage website for Hindus, in addition to Buddhists and Jains. Dwelling to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, probably the most sacred Hindu websites in India and the Manikarnika Ghat, one of many holiest cremation grounds among the many sacred riverfront ghats, Varanasi is a frenetic and unforgettable metropolis that marks our intrepid travellers’ fourth checkpoint.

Checkpoint 5

After reaching Varanasi, India’s religious capital, the racers found their subsequent checkpoint can be McCleod Ganj, a journey that will take them 1,500km northwest. The extremely elevated city, often known as a hill station, is house to the 14th Dalai Lama and has a big Tibetan group after he and lots of others sought refuge right here in 1959 after an rebellion towards the Chinese language in Tibet. This story is informed within the Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj, which places on exhibitions showcasing Tibet’s historical past, tradition and state of affairs within the current in exile. The city additionally attracts hundreds of tourists coming in quest of blessings and Buddhist knowledge, in addition to home travellers trying to keep away from hovering temperatures. To get there, the Race Throughout the World groups wanted to traverse probably the most populated areas on Earth, earlier than climbing practically 7,000 ft into the foothills of the Himalayas throughout the district of Himachal Pradesh. The world was named after Donald Friell McLeod, who was a Lieutenant Governor throughout British colonial rule in India. The Himalayan city has a lot of scenic viewpoints over the foothills, together with areas similar to Triund and the Naddi View Level, whereas vibrant homes, monasteries and temples are dotted throughout the hillside.

The tip

Kanniyakumari, India

To win a prize of £20,000, the groups should attain the endpoint of Kanniyakumari first. Positioned on the southernmost tip of India and a preferred pilgrimage level, Kanniyakumari sits on the converging level of three main our bodies of water, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Alongside its elegant coastal views, the city is stuffed with historic monuments, such because the 95-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar Statue, in addition to temples, church buildings and waterfalls. Nonetheless, one in all its main pulls is being the placement for among the greatest dawn and sundown spectacles within the nation, as its geography permits for witnessing each, showing as if the Solar rises after which drops again under the horizon line.

Watch Race Throughout the World on Wednesdays at 9pm on iPlayer and BBC One

For extra journey information and recommendation, hearken to Simon Calder’s podcast