Ash Dykes faces crocodiles, disease and isolation on Congo expedition

Dense forests of Central Africa may seem daunting to most, yet British-Welsh adventurer Ash Dykes sees them as the ideal stage for his first mission in a year-long challenge. His journey spans over 700km along the Sangha River, paddling by inflatable kayak from Nola in the Central African Republic to Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo, where the two rivers converge. This expedition is the first of six extreme adventures across six environments over 12 months, a project he has dubbed Project 6.

The trip did not start smoothly; Dykes and his team arrived in Cameroon only to find their essential luggage missing. After some recovery efforts, they finally reached the official starting point in Nola, overcoming bad weather, roadblocks, and fallen trees along the way. The Congo Basin, a vast geographical region centered around the Congo River system and its tributaries, is more than just a forest or a country.

Spanning six countries and covering roughly 500 million acres, it is the second-largest tropical rainforest globally and one of the planet's greatest biodiversity hotspots.

Dykes is set to face numerous challenges in this environment. The Sangha region is home to Nile crocodiles, hippos, forest elephants, and western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees, among other wildlife. UNESCO has described the Sangha Trinational as a largely undisturbed tropical forest ecosystem with exceptional biodiversity. However, the biggest worry for Dykes might not be the wildlife but the more mundane risks like malaria, infections, extreme heat and humidity, contaminated water, and the sheer distance from medical assistance in such a remote location.

Despite these dangers, Dykes is well-prepared. He carries medical supplies, satellite communications, food, and has arranged for emergency evacuation. He will also be traveling with a small team including a local guide and videographer. The explorer, who holds five Guinness World Records, considers the Congo to be one of the most challenging environments he has explored.

Even with these preparations, the expedition is a daunting prospect, with hundreds of kilometers of paddling, jungle nights, wildlife encounters, and physical hardship lying ahead. The journey will culminate at the Congo River, with over 500 kilometers of arduous travel and numerous challenges between him and the end of Mission 01, while five more extreme environments await.