THE great mountain ranges of the world are home to some of our planet's most spectacular landscapes.

In a new documentary series, Mynyddoedd y Byd (Mountains of the World), viewers will be guided to the planet's highest ranges over a period of six weeks to experience the stunning landscapes and meet the remarkable people of the world's most famous mountains.

Former Royal Marines commando Owen Davis, from the Swansea Valley, will be the first to take us on an adventure - to the Rwenzori, or 'Mountains of the Moon' in Uganda, central Africa - an area scarred by the natives’ fight for independence.

He will follow in the footsteps of Henry Morton Stanley, the Welshman who travelled across Africa in 1889, and his reward will be to see the highest peak of the Rwenzori, Mount Stanley, which bears his name.

"People expect a former Royal Marine like me to be fit, but climbing at this altitude is a different matter altogether. The climate and landscape in the Rwenzori is so unique. It doesn’t come close to anywhere else I've been in the world, and it was really strange to see snow in the middle of Uganda, of all places," said Owen about his adventure.

Owen, from Alltwen, is now in his fourth year studying Medicine at the University of Keele.

Previously, he spent six years as a commando with the Royal Marines, including a period serving in Afghanistan, in the Helmand region, where he worked to strengthen relations with the native people.

The 28-year-old added: "I've been fortunate to have been given opportunities to travel widely over the years, and my favourite part of visiting new places is getting to know the people.

"The highlight of the whole trip for me was spending time and getting to know Syayipuma, our tour guide, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to supper with him and his family - a really special experience,"

During his trip, he meets native communities - the Bakonso - and learns about their struggle for freedom; a fight which cast a shadow over these mountains for many years.

"These are people who are passionate about their independence but they don’t have enough power and the whole situation is still fragile. These mountains shape everything they do, and have shaped the kind of people they are," he said.

Among the projects Owen meets one very special creature - the chimpanzee, and learns about the efforts of the communities, together with the National Park, to save the creature from extinction.

Mynyddoedd y Byd starts on Sunday, June 18 on S4C at 8pm.