We’ve covered British adventurer Chaz Powell’s attempt to walk the length of the Zambezi River in Africa a couple of times on The Adventure Blog. First when he was still planning the expedition and again last year when he set out. Now, we have received word that the journey has come to an end, as Powell reached the Indian Ocean on September 19.
Dubbed The Wildest Journey, Powell began his walk last August, with the idea of walking the entire 1600 miles (2574 km) in roughly six months time. While on his trek he faced numerous challenges, not the least of which were man-eating crocodiles, thick bush, deadly snakes, hostile locals, and aggressive elephants. Through it all he persevered, pushing forward as best as could despite very trying conditions.
The expedition hit a major road lock back in December of 2016, which is when Powell elected to suspend the trek due to security concerns in Mozambique. Guerrilla fighters were creating instability throughout the country, and there were fears that he would be kidnapped and held for ransom. There were even serious threats against his life, so fearing for his own safety, Chaz was forced to pull the plug about about 3/4 of the way through the expedition.
In August, Powell returned to Africa to finish what he started. He traveled to point he had abandoned the walk, and resumed his travels, moving deeper into Mozambique, where many challenges still awaited him. The security situation hasn’t improved dramatically there, but he pressed on, finally reaching his end point last Tuesday.
All told, he 137 days covering 1864 miles (3000 km), taking 4 million steps along the way. Now, his adventure is complete and he is heading home, the first person to walk the entire length of the Zambezi River.
Powell undertook The Wildest Journey to raise funds for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and those efforts continue even after the trip is complete. Find out more here.
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