The first episode of four-part series Uncharted will see Mr Varadkar journey to the mountains of Drakensberg in South Africa alongside singer Lyra and the show’s host, former special forces soldier Ray Goggins.
The former Fine Gael leader said he was approached by the show’s producers and was looking to do things beyond his “comfort zone” during what he described as a “gap year”.
He admitted he was unsure if he would have agreed to take part in the show if he had known what was in store, but he was ultimately glad he did.
“I have to confess I haven’t actually seen the finished product yet, so I hope I don’t look too vulnerable, but it was challenging,” Mr Varadkar told RTÉ Radio 1’s Brendan O’Connor Show.
“I’m well-travelled and I’d slept in a tent before and lots of stuff like that. I’m not a shrinking violet, but I’ve never done anything of that nature.
“The physical challenges were genuinely really hard. I’ve never climbed a mountain with ropes or harnesses or things like that before.
“And then, just the experience of actually being out there in the wild for several days, sleeping in caves, sleeping in tents, making your own fires, doing your own cooking.
“It was a very different challenge to running a running a small country of 5.3 million people.”
Varadkar was joined on the Brendan O’Connor Show by Mr Goggins, who said the idea of the show is to get the celebrity participants “to do something that’s different” and “get them away from the mod cons we’re all used to”.
Mr Goggins said the weather for most of the time the group were in South Africa was “absolutely miserable” despite filming taking place during the summer.
Asked what he had learned about himself during the experience, Mr Varadkar said he managed to overcome a fear of heights.
“That was a definite positive and one thing I really loved. One thing that was positive to learn was that I was able to do these things to actually survive in the world for a number of days.
“It was February in South Africa, so we’d expected summer weather, and it was quite far from that.”
He said he enjoyed getting back out into nature and would love to have a similar experience again.
“I can certainly realise much more why, for example, early human life started off in a cave. The caves are actually quite nice, surprisingly nice.
“They’re comfortable, they’re dry, they have three walls and then you wake up to this wonderful sunrise and wonderful view.
“So, I think it was kind of a connection more with our ancestors and primordial man and all those things. But it was also great to have company too, and to have a team.
“I was blessed to be paired up with Lyra. We got on very well and she’s extraordinarily brave, so she kind of made me braver. I was chickening out at various points, and I couldn’t really if Lyra was going to do it.”
He said he “hit it off” with the Co Cork singer within a day or two of the trip and described her as a “very friendly, very personable person”.
“Being there with her and being able to work with there wasn’t a challenge. I’ve had to work with much harder people than Lyra in my life and career.”
Mr Varadkar also had praise for Mr Goggins, admitting he was “out of his depth” and had to defer to the former special forces soldier’s leadership.
During the film of the show, Mr Varadkar noted the way Mr Goggins encourages others as part of his leadership style, something the former taoiseach said he had not done enough himself.
“I had to manage a cabinet, a whole team of staff, a department, an entire party, an entire government at various periods and I was always so busy. But Ray always found the time to say ‘well done’ and encourage us.
“I did that too, but I kind of wondered if maybe I’d just set aside 10 minutes more a day to send somebody a voicemail or bang off a few texts, that that would have made a difference.”
Reflecting on leaving politics, Mr Varadkar said his main concerns now are his own life, family and friends. He is currently a visiting fellow at Harvard University and has a memoir set to release later this year.
“I’m doing some teaching – and some learning – here, which is which is great. I have completed the memoir. It’s been cleared by the lawyers. So that’ll be out in September sometime,” he said.
“I have private sector consultancy which is a few days a month, which I’m really getting stuck into now.
“And then, taking time off travelling, I’ve been helping some NGOs, some campaigns around access to healthcare and LGBT rights, particularly in Eastern Europe where it’s being rolled back at the moment.
“So, plenty to keep me busy, plenty to keep me interested and stimulated.”
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