Frequently Asked Questions
What is your aim?
To use the expedition as a educational tool to raise awareness for climate change by collecting and broadcasting the different experiences and opinions of the people that live and work in the Amazon rainforest by being the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon River.
Why are you doing this?
Ed is a naturalist as well as an expedition leader who loves living next to nature in remote environments. He hopes that his adventure can be used to raise people's awareness of the issues that surround the Amazon whilst inspiring young people around the world to get out there and explore.
Weren't there two of you?
The expedition was planned and started by Ed Stafford and Luke Collyer. After 3 months Luke unfortunately left the expedition and returned to the UK. He continues to support his friend in his endeavour and has offered to help select a new walking partner. Ed and Luke remain good friends.
Are you hoping to raise money for charity?
Absolutely. I support six very worthy charities that can be read about on the charities page
How will what you are doing have any impact on climate change?
The hope is that by using technology that was impossible only a few years ago, Ed can create an adventure so exciting to follow on the Internet that schools will be able to use the interest that this generates to explain the different pressures in the Amazon that surround the issue of climate change. By effectively acting as a medium for all the different people that I meet on the way I can use my journey to show the full story of the Amazon.
What are the dangers you will face?
.....Oh, erm...
- Malnutrition if I don't find enough food. This could in turn lead to diseases due a lowering of my immune system...
- Illnesses: such as dengue, typhoid, malaria and even rabies from vampire bats...
- Injuries: sprains or breaks could cause immense problems with no where to go for help. Wounds, deep or not, could pose potentially lethal infection problems if not dealt with properly...
- Africanised killer bees: introduced by accident these bees are aggressive and have been known to attack people caught out in the open...
- Snake bites will also be a big threat to me. The half life of the anti venom is so short that it would make the unrefrigerated drug next to useless in a few weeks. If improperly administered it is also as dangerous as getting bitten...
- Anacondas: Over 20 foot boa constrictors...
- Pirahna: although in fact their reputation far is far worse than the threat that they really pose...
- Caiman: (Amazonian species of crocodilians) a bigger threat when crossing tributaries and washing late at night by the river. Can grow up to 12 feet long...
- Jaguar could do me some serious harm if it wanted to but I would be very lucky even to see one...
- Upsetting the locals. There are many different groups that may not be happy to see a gringo out for a stroll...
- Dying of exposure in the mountains...
- Drowning in raging torrents as I'm swept down huge rapids...
Surely someone has walked this route before?
No. Surprisingly, only a handful of people have ever travelled the entire journey from the source of the Amazon to the massive mouth and maze-like delta. This is partly because up until the second half of the twentieth century, no one was certain where the source actually was.
Before aerial mapping in the 1950s, the Marañón River system in northern Peru was considered the source of the Amazon. Recent topographical maps created by Peru's Instituto Geográfico Militar, however, show that the Apurimac River system is now the longest Amazon tributary.
Now that the true source has been found, walking from the source to the sea is one of the last great feats of exploration.
What will be your route?
The route will follow the main channel of the river in the Peruvian Andes, branching away once the elevation is low and the jungle adjacent to the river becomes affected by seasonal flooding.
Are you following the river exactly?
A significant proportion of the Brazilian Amazon's banks are varzea (flooded forest) and mangrove. These phenomena mean that much of the the immediate river bank itself is unwalkable and that the expedition will instead "handrail" the river to the south through primary Amazon rainforest.
Why did you do the food deprivation exercise?
The exercise was designed to simulate the physical and mental stresses that will be imposed on me when we are on remote legs of the expedition through the Amazon basin - and food is scarce. Read more about how I got on or watch the video.
What happens when you reach a tributary?
Large tributaries (some over ten miles wide) will be crossed using a small inflatable pack-raft.
What other Amazon expeditions have there been?
Since 1970 there have been five expeditions that have successfully navigated the Amazon from source to sea using a combination of rafts, kayaks and boats:
- The first was British explorer John Ridgway's journey in 1970. This expedition used cargo boats and other vessels to complete the latter portion of the river.
- The first expedition to run the Amazon in kayaks was completed by Piotr Chmielinski (Poland) and Joe Kane (USA) in 1985/6.
- The first unsupported and solo attempt was successfully navigated on a hydro-speed by South African Mike Horn in 1997/8.
- In 1999 Scott Angus (Canada), Ben Kozel (Australia) and Scott Borthwick (South Africa) became the first to raft the entire river.
- In 2007 Slovenian marathon swimmer Martin Strel set a new record swim by being the first person to swim a large proportion of the Amazon.
- In March 2008 Mark Kalch and Nath Welche trekked and paddled the entire route. They are the fourth team in history to complete the entire journey manpowered. (Martin Strel didn't start at the source)
- Currently BBC TV presenter Bruce Parry has set out on a film shoot to capture the essence of this epic journey. In Amazon with Bruce Parry Bruce and his crew will travel by boat and aeroplane to complete and film this fantastic journey.
As much as the above expeditions are inspirational and motivating, they have highlighted that the Amazon basin still has one final expedition that has yet to be achieved. No-one has ever walked from source to sea.
Learn more about Ed.
