Where was Celebrity Race Across The World series two filmed?

The Amazon start and the Andes finish line as the series takes South America

Natalie Wilson
Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:06 BST
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Belem, the ‘gateway to the Amazon’ is the series two start line
Belem, the ‘gateway to the Amazon’ is the series two start line (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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The second series of Celebrity Race Across The World sprinted into action on BBC One on 14 August – and this time contestants are navigating the Amazon and the Andes in South America.

Four new famous faces are competing to make their way across countries without the aid of transport, smartphones and bank cards.

TV personality Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy, actor Kola Bokinni and his cousin Mary, former glamour model Kelly Brook and her husband Jeremy, and Radio 2 host Scott Mills and his husband Sam are relying on their wits to make it to the other side of the continent.

The 12,500km race began in Belem, northern Brazil, before passing through five checkpoints across the length of South America, with the finish line in Frutillar in southern Chile.

Tim Harcourt, chief creative officer of Studio Lambert said: “After the phenomenally successful run of the first celebrity series, and more recently the fourth series of the regular series - we can’t wait to bring audiences along with us to the huge South American continent and its jaw-dropping scenery, in a race which will push our celebrities and their loved ones to their absolute limits.”

With the final stretch streaming tonight, here are the corners of South America where the cameras rolled for the second series of Celebrity Race Across The World.

The start

Belem, Northern Brazil

Belem is the capital of the Brazilian state of Para
Belem is the capital of the Brazilian state of Para (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Otherwise known as “the gateway to the Amazon”, Belem in north Brazil is a riverfront city of churches, colourful azulejo tiled houses and remnants of Portuguese colonial architecture from its time as the first European colony on the river. From here, the Amazon rainforest stretches across much of northwestern Brazil into Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname.

Checkpoint one

Canoa Quebrada, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada is known as ‘the pearl of the east coast’
Canoa Quebrada is known as ‘the pearl of the east coast’ (Getty Images)

For the first leg of the journey, the pairs made their way to Canoa Quebrada – an east-coast beach resort in Brazil. Beyond the white swathes of sand, horse riding, sailing in a traditional jangada boat and windsurfing attract tourists to this area of the Aracati municipality.

Checkpoint two

Lençóis, Brazil

Lençóis is an old diamond-mining town in the Chapada Diamantin
Lençóis is an old diamond-mining town in the Chapada Diamantin (Getty Images)

The teams left Canoa Quebrada for the cobbles of Lençóis to reach checkpoint two. Lençóis in Bahia is considered the gateway to the Chapada Diamantina National Park – a nature reserve of waterfalls, quartz caves and old diamond-mining towns.

Checkpoint three

São Paulo, Brazil

São Paulo is the financial centre of Brazil
São Paulo is the financial centre of Brazil (Getty Images)

Brazil’s most populous city, the São Paulo metropolis set the halfway mark for the teams leaving Lençóis as they raced through Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília. The economic giant of Brazil has a skyline scattered with skyscrapers, neo-Gothic cathedrals and colonial-style architecture and is a cultural hub for music and fashion.

Checkpoint four

Tigre, Argentina

Celebrity duos crossed the border into Tigre, Argentina
Celebrity duos crossed the border into Tigre, Argentina (Getty Images)

Next up, the teams raced 2,250km to Tigre in Argentina – a city on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and the banks of the Paraná Delta. The checkpoint four city is the gateway to a network of rivers and wetlands with craft markets, riverside bars and rowing clubs among offerings for tourists.

Checkpoint five

Tilcara, Argentina

Tilcara sits under the Quebrada de Humahuaca valley
Tilcara sits under the Quebrada de Humahuaca valley (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The penultimate checkpoint for the famous faces is high in north Argentina – 2,500m above sea level – in the mountain town of Tilcara. The 10,000-year-old town in the Jujuy province sits under the rust-toned layers of the Quebrada de Humahuaca valley and is scattered with Inca-era relics.

The end

Frutillar, Southern Chile

Frutillar is part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network
Frutillar is part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

On Llanquihue Lake in southern Chile’s Lake District, Frutillar is a “city of music” in the Unesco Creative Cities Network, with views of the volcano Osorno. attractions include a blend of Chilean and German cultural traditions in the German Museum, the Teatro del Lago acoustic concert hall and a yacht club for sailing on the lake.

The Celebrity Race Across the World finale streams today at 9pm on iPlayer and BBC One

If you’re travelling abroad and want to stream Celebrity Race Across the World then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market.

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