British Adventurer to Hike the Length of the Gambia River

It seems British adventurer Chaz Powell enjoys making long distance hikes along the paths of long rivers. In 2017, he completed a trek that took him 1600 miles (2575 km) down the Zambezi River, ending at the Indian Ocean. Now, he’s gearing up for another lengthy expedition, this time following the Gambia River instead.

ExWeb reports that Powell will start his hike on the Fouta Djallon Plateau in Guinea and travel through Senegal to Banjul, on Gambia’s west coast. All told, he’ll cover approximately 745 miles (1200 km) in his march to the sea, taking about two months to complete. Unlike his hike along the Zambezi, which was in the heat of the African summer for much of the trek, this time the Brit will walk in the cooler months of the year.

Powell tells ExWeb, “On the Zambezi, I learned that I have determination and strong self-belief.” He goes on to add, “I was told by many people that it wasn’t possible, or it was too dangerous. I learnt that I can spend a lot of time in solitude and that I’m good at planning. Most of all, I learned that I wanted to keep doing these walks and that I can probably never stop doing them.”

That experience will serve him well on this journey and any future river expeditions that he takes, most likely in Africa. Powell says that his son lives in Livingstone in Zambia and that he is very passionate about this part of the world. A big part of the reason that he undertakes these expeditions is to raise awareness for the protection of the wildlife in Africa as well.

Chaz tells ExWeb that has far as he can tell, no one has walked the length of the Gambia before, although this isn’t just about making a historic first. He is simply looking for another wild adventure to embark upon and this fit the bill. He was also looking for something relatively short and fast too, although most people wouldn’t consider two months in the bush a short hike.

Find out more about Powell and this expedition on his website.

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Kraig Becker

Kraig is an outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to numerous online and print outlets, including Popular Mechanics, Gear Junkie, Outside Online, National Geographic, Digital Trends, Business Insider, TripSavvy, about.com, and of course The Adventure Blog.