Will Smith traverses all seven continents in Nat Geo's 'Pole to Pole'

Will Smith is taking on a daring journey - navigating all seven continents - in this National Geographic series.

Over the course of 100 days, Smith will travel across the planet in an inspiring, seven-part adventure, as he tests his limits in "Pole to Pole with Will Smith."

"This is the highest experience I've ever had in this business," he tells On The Red Carpet.

From facing -100F temperatures in the South Pole, to confronting his lifelong fear of spiders in the Amazon, to learning the survival secrets of the San people of the Kalahari Desert and diving under the ice in the North Pole, the journey "changed the way I see the planet," Smith says. "It's changed the way I see myself."

"Being at the extremes of our planet with people who have learned how to live there is the most valuable, uplifting, enjoyable thing I've ever done in my career."

The idea for the series was inspired by his late mentor, who urged him to ask life's big questions.

He explains, "I had a mentor when I was growing up, Dr. Allen Counter. He's a Black Indiana Jones, so he was always trying to get me to go with him, and I never went on any of the expeditions. And he passed a few years ago, and I felt inspired to go to some of the places he talked about."

Following "One Strange Rock" and "Welcome to Earth," "Pole to Pole" marks Smith's third project with National Geographic.

"Pole to Pole with Will Smith" premieres January 13 at 9/8c on National Geographic. All episodes stream the next day on January 14 on Disney+ and Hulu.

See below for an episode list.

"The South Pole": In the South Pole's -100F cold, Will crosses icefields, climbs cliffs, and meets remote scientists who reveal the sacrifice behind their work.

"The Amazon: Deadly Creatures": Despite his lifelong fear of spiders, Will heads into the Amazon with Bryan Fry and Carla Perez to descend into caves and extract tarantula venom.

"The Amazon: Dark Waters": Will joins local Waorani elder Penti Baihua in the Amazon in search of the world's biggest snake: the giant green anaconda.

"The Pacific Islands": Will's trip to a remote island in the South Pacific threatened by rising seas becomes revelatory as he helps record a lost language.

"The Himalayas": Will travels to the kingdom of Bhutan in search of the secret to happiness, forcing him to confront some of the most challenging moments of his life.

"The Kalahari Desert": In the Kalahari Desert, Will meets the San people and joins a hunt to learn their survival secrets - only to realize he's unsuited for the adventure.

"The North Pole": The final leg of Will's journey is his most dangerous mission yet: diving under the ice at the North Pole to capture scientific samples.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu and this ABC station.