The former army officer will begin his 1700 mile journey in the north-eastern tip of Mexico, heading through eight Central American countries before reaching the Darien Gap where he hopes to pass into Colombia and South America.

The Darien Gap has long been a pull for explorers.  The 10,000-square-mile expanse of wild tropical forest stretches from Panama to Colombia and is a refuge for outlaws and dangerous wildlife.

Wood has previously lived in Mexico and trained with the British Army in Belize, but the rest of the trip will see him visit new territory.

"For this new expedition, I wanted to take a different approach and explore an area of the world which I’ve not encountered before,” said Wood.

“It will be a new challenge for me, out of my comfort zone and spending time with people living vastly different lives – from hunting and foraging in the dense jungle to the daily struggle of life in some of the world’s most dangerous cities. And at the end of it all, to attempt to cross one of the most impenetrable borders on earth the Darien Gap route into South America.”

Wood will film the majority of his journey himself, supported by a television crew at key points along the way.

Walking the Americas will be his third series for Channel 4, having walked the length of the Nile in 2014, and the length of the Himalayas in 2015.

“Lev and October [Films, who are co-producing the series with GroupM Entertainment] have found a way to make adventure programming that feels more raw, real and exciting than anything I've seen before, and I’m delighted that he’s going to be opening up another part of the world for us this year,” said Channel 4 Commissioning Editor John Hay.

Walking the Americas is due to air in early 2017.

Read our exclusive interview with Levison Wood about his journey through Central America.